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Karma Is Extremely Precise – The Story of Fang Xiaoru 方孝孺
In the Ming Dynasty of China's history, there was a person named Fang Keqin 方克勤 (1326–1376). After his father passed, he was looking for a good site to bury his father. He managed to find a place that was considered to be very auspicious.
(For context, the Chinese believe that locations carry energy, and certain locations have better energy and luck, while other locations have bad energy and bad luck.)
The day before the burial, Fang Keqin had a dream. In the dream, an old man dressed in a large red robe bowed to him and pleaded:
“Sir, the burial site you have selected is the place where nine generations* of my clan have lived for hundreds of years. I am the King of Snakes. My descendants have continued and multiplied here continuously for a long time. I cannot bear to abandon them, nor can I bear to abandon our home.
(*Nine generations is from the great-great-grandfather down to the great-great-grandson.)
Therefore, I ask you to be gracious and find another auspicious place to bury your father. If you cannot agree to this, then please at least give us three more days before beginning the work, so that we can move elsewhere. After we have moved, you can begin constructing the tomb. If you could do that for us, I would be endlessly grateful to you.”
The red-robed man pleaded three times in the dream. The next morning, Fang Keqin awoke and said to himself, “How could such a thing possibly happen? It's just a dream. We have already selected an auspicious date and time; we cannot postpone the burial any longer. We certainly cannot delay it for another three days.”
So he ordered the workers to begin digging. As they dug deeper into the ground, they discovered a snake den. Inside the den were several hundred red snakes. Among them was a venomous snake several meters long, with a body as thick as a wooden barrel. It kept nodding toward Fang Keqin, as if greeting him and pleading for mercy.
When Fang Keqin saw this, he was extremely shocked. He thought, “Isn’t this the red-robed old man from my dream last night?”
Fang Keqin was a scholar who did not believe in ghosts and spirits. He simply thought that these venomous snakes were troublesome, and that if he let them escape, they could cause endless harm. He forgot the pleas of the red-robed old man and ordered his family members and servants to take up sharp weapons. Whenever they encountered a snake, they hacked at it; whenever they saw a snake, they killed it. They piled firewood around the cave and set it ablaze. The entire group of snakes cried out in agony inside the cave as they burned to death.
That night, Fang Keqin dreamed again. He saw the red-robed old man with a face full of resentment, crying as he said: “Last night, I sincerely pleaded with you, yet you killed 873 of my descendants, burning every one of them to death in the fire. You are so cruel! I, too, will exterminate your clan!”
Not long afterward, Fang Keqin’s wife became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Fang Xiaoru 方孝孺 (1357–1402). When the child was born, his entire body was bright red, and his tongue was pointed like a snake. The baby also repeatedly stuck his tongue out and licked the tip of his nose.
When Fang Keqin saw this, he immediately thought of the red-robed old man in his dream. He believed that his son was the incarnation of a demon. In a frenzy, he ordered his servants to take the child to a remote wilderness and bury him alive.
When the mother heard this, she scolded her husband saying, "Confucius did not talk about strange forces or spirits. Have you forgotten this after studying the books of the sages? Yet because our son looks unusual, you think that a demon is causing trouble. Every child has his own fate. If we give him proper education, he will surely become a person of great ability in the future.”
After she said this, Fang Keqin was somewhat reassured. Nevertheless, he still thought that he should take precautions. Strangely enough, when he picked up Fang Xiaoru again and carefully looked at his son, the redness covering his entire body had disappeared, and his tongue no longer flicked out like a snake.
Because of his dream and the strange characteristics displayed when Fang Xiaoru was born, Fang Xiaoru’s father placed tremendous importance on his education. He carefully taught him the Four Books and Five Classics, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and the traditional virtues of devotion, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness. He instilled these teachings in him very thoroughly. He was afraid that Fang Xiaoru might lose his original nature in the future and bring disaster upon the entire family.
After Fang Xiaoru grew up, his government career flourished, and he steadily rose through the ranks. He eventually became a scholar in the Imperial Academy (also called the Hanlin Academy). He was extremely well educated, filial, loyal, and was the Jianwen Emperor’s (1377–?) closest and most trusted minister.
Later, Zhu Di 朱棣 (1360–1424), seized Nanjing through a military coup and become the Yongle Emperor. He took the throne from his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, who later died by setting himself on fire. At that time, his military strategist advised Zhu Di, saying:
“There is a man in the south named Fang Xiaoru who has long been renowned for his learning and conduct. On the day Your Majesty conquers the capital, he certainly will not submit to you. Please do not kill him. If you kill him, the fire of learning throughout the nation will be extinguished.”
Fang Xiaoru was extremely famous among scholars in southern China at the time, and scholars looked to him as their leader. If Emperor Zhu Di killed Fang Xiaoru, it would be equivalent to offending scholars throughout the entire nation, which would be unfavorable to the emperor. Thus, his strategist advised him accordingly.
Zhu Di then ordered Fang Xiaoru to draft the imperial edict announcing his accession to the throne. That day, Fang Xiaoru wore mourning clothes and completely ignored Zhu Di. Instead, he spoke up for the Jianwen Emperor and harshly denounced Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.
Seeing this, Zhu Di stepped down from the imperial throne and tried to persuade him:
“Sir, please do not make things so difficult for yourself. I am merely following the example of the Duke of Zhou in assisting King Cheng.”
He compared himself to the Duke of Zhou back in the Zhou dynasty. Back then, King Wu was assisted by his brother, the Duke of Zhou. When King Wu ascended to the throne, he died shortly after. His son, King Cheng, was still young, so the Duke of Zhou assisted his nephew, King Cheng, in governing the nation. Thus Zhu Di said, “I am merely following the example of the Duke of Zhou in assisting King Cheng,” comparing the Jianwen Emperor to King Cheng.
Fang Xiaoru glared angrily at him and said: “Then where is King Cheng now?”
King Cheng was his analogy for the Jianwen Emperor. Since Zhu Di had said he was assisting King Cheng, Fang Xiaoru asked where the Jianwen Emperor was.
Zhu Di replied that the Jianwen Emperor had died by setting himself on fire.
Without the slightest fear, Fang Xiaoru then said: “Then why do you not make King Cheng’s son, the Jianwen Emperor’s son, emperor instead? Why have you imprisoned him in Guang’an Palace in Zhongdu?”
Zhu Di tactfully replied: “He is still young. The country needs a capable adult to govern it.”
Fang Xiaoru pressed him further: “Then why not make King Cheng’s younger brother emperor? Why not select one of his brothers to govern?”
At this point, Zhu Di could no longer restrain his patience. He walked down the steps, came directly in front of Fang Xiaoru, gently placed his hand on Fang Xiaoru’s shoulder, and said: “This is a matter concerning my family. Sir, please do not trouble yourself excessively over it.”
After all, they were all members of the Zhu family. Zhu Di then ordered someone to prepare a brush and ink. He gently and warmly urged Fang Xiaoru: “The imperial edict announcing my accession must be drafted by you, sir.”
In reality, he was deliberately forcing Fang Xiaoru into a corner. Fang Xiaoru had drafted the proclamation calling for the campaign against Zhu Di. Now that Zhu Di had ascended the throne, he was asking Fang Xiaoru to write the accession edict.
Fang Xiaoru took up his brush and wrote four large characters: “The Yan rebel has usurped the throne.”
The “Yan rebel” referred to the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di. After writing these words, Fang Xiaoru threw down his brush, angrily pointed at Zhu Di, and burst into tears as he cried: “This is the nation of King Cheng, and now it has been usurped by a traitorous minister! If I assist a rebel by drafting an imperial edict, would that not make me just as bad as you? Kill me if you wish! I will never draft this edict for you.”
Zhu Di could endure no more. His eyes widened with fury, and he shouted: “I, Zhu Di, respected you as a true man, and I have long admired your reputation for integrity. This nation belongs to the Zhu family. What does it have to do with you? Even if you die, can that change the facts? Can it change what has already happened?”
Fang Xiaoru replied passionately: “Then let me die! What is there to fear? Since ancient times, a loyal minister does not serve two rulers. If I violate the proper relationship between ruler and minister, what meaning is there in merely remaining alive in this world?”
Zhu Di suppressed his anger and, through clenched teeth, said: “Life is precious, and freedom is even more valuable. Once a person dies, he cannot come back to life. You are not afraid of death, but are you not afraid of implicating your entire family?”
Fang Xiaoru replied: “Even if all ten generations of my clan are exterminated at the same time, I still will not draft an edict for a rebel.”
He continued to curse Zhu Di, essentially saying, “Let us see what you can do to me!”
At this point, Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, could no longer restrain himself. He became furious and ordered the guards before the palace hall to take Fang Xiaoru back to prison. Zhu Di then ordered for members of the Fang family, Fang Xiaoru’s friends, and even his teachers to be arrested and brought one by one to the prison where Fang Xiaoru was being held. One by one, they were killed in front of him so that he would have to watch them die, tormenting him psychologically.
However, Fang Xiaoru remained unfazed. However, when they reached the final person to be killed—his younger brother, Fang Xiaoyou—Fang Xiaoru’s tears finally began to flow. He was so deeply wounded inside that he could hardly express his grief.
According to historical records, Fang Xiaoru’s ten generations of clan members were all exterminated, and the total number of people killed was 873—exactly the same number as the snakes that had been burned to death by Fang Xiaoru’s father.
Commentary
From this case, we see how precise karmic retribution is. If we commit sins, karmic punishment will definitely come in due proportion. If it hasn't come yet, it will definitely come when the time is ripe. The same is true for good deeds and their resulting karmic rewards. In this case, Fang Keqin didn't receive immediate karmic punishment for cruelly killing so many snakes. The karmic punishment didn't ripen until over 40 years later.
In the Treatise on Cause and Effect, Lao Zi said,
"Those who killed others unjustly will be killed by others' blade or battalion."
(Original text: 枉殺人者，是易刀兵而相殺也。)
That's exactly what happened to Fang Keqin.
Fang Keqin was extremely unfair and cruel to the Snake King, causing the Snake King to seek revenge. The source of Fang Keqin's sin was his ignorance. He didn't believe that all life has spirituality, and that utmost sincerity can break through communication barriers. The Snake King sincerely wanted to plead, so he was able to visit Fang Keqin in his dream. If Fang Keqin believed the dream, or if he was at least more cautious and humble, he wouldn't risk harming all those snakes.
This is also why many religions urge people to love all living beings. All living beings have a spiritual nature, and if we harm or kill them, they will resent us and seek revenge in the future. They might not be able to get revenge right away, but eventually in the future, they will collect that karmic debt.
Fang Keqin having a terrible death this life is just the flower retribution. The full retribution for being so cruel and killing 873 snakes despite the Snake King's pleas would probably lead him to the three paths of suffering (hell, hungry ghost, and animal) for a very long time.
As for other members of the Fang clan and even those teachers and friends, why were they also killed? It's because they have similar karmic sins from past lives, causing them to be born in the same clan this life, fated to be exterminated together. Karma is always accurate and fair.
Moreover, although the Snake King might feel righteous for getting revenge, in reality, he's harming himself along with his enemy. As Fang Xiaoru, causing his entire clan to be exterminated is a big sin, and he will also be punished in the three realms of suffering later.
We also see that human scheming is no match for karma. Fang Keqin wanted to teach his son Confucian values like filial piety and loyalty in hopes that the son would never turn into a bad person and betray or harm the family. But in the end, Fang Xiaoru still caused the extermination of the entire Fang clan.
Thus, if we've truly done something bad, we shouldn't look for ways to escape karmic punishment. Karmic punishment cannot be escaped. They can, however, be lessened and delayed if we sincerely repent and reform ourselves promptly and sincerely.
From this case, we should remember to be considerate towards all living beings and vigilantly guard against harming others. Karmic retributions are extremely precise and will definitely come when the time is ripe. As for past offenses, we should repent and reform ourselves promptly and sincerely.
Weekly Wisdom #412
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