During a time of war and turmoil, there lived a man named Cheng Bolin, who was deeply devoted to Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva).

       One night, Guanyin appeared to him in a dream and said:

       "In a short while, you will face a calamity you cannot escape."

       After waking, Cheng prayed earnestly to Guanyin for protection.

       The following night, Guanyin appeared to him again and said:

       "In a past life, you killed Wang Mazi by stabbing him twenty-six times. In this life, that karmic debt must be repaid. You cannot avoid it. Tell your family to move to the east wing, while you wait alone in the main hall so no one else will be affected."

       Cheng did exactly as the Bodhisattva instructed.

       Five days later, Qing soldiers arrived at his home. From inside, Cheng called out loudly:

       "Is Wang Mazi among you? If you're Wang Mazi, come in and stab me twenty-six times. If you're not, there's no bad blood between us, so there's no reason for you to enter."

       One of the soldiers replied:

       "I am Wang Mazi."

       Cheng opened the door and let him in.

       The soldier was astonished. "How do you know my name?" he asked.

       Cheng told him about the two dreams. Hearing this, Wang Mazi was deeply moved.

       "In our previous life, you stabbed me twenty-six times, and today I came for revenge. But if I kill you now, won't you come after me in the next life? I would rather end this cycle of revenge right here."

       So he forgave Cheng. Instead of stabbing him, Wang Mazi struck him twenty-six times with the back of his blade.

       In this way, their karmic debt was settled.

       Notice what the Bodhisattva could and could not do. She could warn him. She could spare his family. She could not cancel the debt—"you cannot avoid it." He still had to take twenty-six blows.

       Karma is precise beyond measure—far more accurate than modern supercomputers, never off by even a fraction.

       Every single encounter in life, down to the smallest detail, is karma. That means there's no room to blame others, no excuse to complain, and no reason to ask, "Why am I so unlucky?" or "Am I cursed?"

       It's none of those things. It's all karma.

       Who becomes your child, how they treat you, the people you meet, your friends, your spouse—every relationship is governed by karma. It leaves nothing to chance: not a bit more, not a bit less.

       So, what should we do?

       There is only one solution: Recite Namo Amituofo and seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss—Amitabha's Pure Land.

       When this truth sinks in, our hearts naturally soften. We become humbler toward others, treating everyone with greater gentleness and compassion.

       The moment we put ourselves on a pedestal, judgment takes over:

       "How could anyone do something like that?"

       But here's the reality: the faults we condemn in others exist within ourselves, too. When we see someone stray or cause harm, we shouldn't just point fingers. We should realize:

       "That's me, too."

       Across endless lifetimes, there is no transgression we haven't already committed. And without rebirth in the Pure Land, we are bound to repeat those same mistakes in future lives.

       When someone commits grave wrongdoing today, they are simply holding up a mirror to our past—and offering a glimpse of our potential future. Are they not simply ourselves? The only difference is that right now, the conditions haven't come together for us to perform those same acts.

       So recite Amitabha's Name, and the Pure Land is certain:

       Namo Amituofo!

The story above, "Stabbed Twenty-Six Times," is drawn from Master Ouyi's "Records of Things Seen and Heard"
— Excerpted from Master Jingzong's "The Dharma Teachings for Settling the Mind Through Amitabha-Recitation

(Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team;
edited by Householder Fojin)