WHY IS EMBEZZLEMENT THE TICKET TO HELL? DOES PREVENTING OTHERS FROM MAKING ILLICIT GAIN GENERATE MERITS?
Caller: Why is embezzlement the ticket to hell?
Master Jun Hong Lu: That’s simple. This is because you are amassing illicit wealth in the name of Bodhisattva! These days, there are many people who want to undertake the operations of temples, especially those business investors whose motive is to profiteer from the people. You must know that these donations come from people who are seeking divine blessings and all of their donations are tainted by their karmic obstacles.
These people make donations with the hope of gaining the blessing from Bodhisattva to resolve their family issues. Thus, whoever pockets such donations will have to shoulder the donors’ karmic debts. That is why this act is the ticket to hell. You are pocketing money that you shouldn’t, and you are not able to help them solve their problem. Tell me, doesn’t such an action deserve to be condemned to hell?
Caller: Yes, it does.
Master Jun Hong Lu: There is a saying, ‘When you take someone’s money, you must take care of their problems’.
Caller: Understood. What about if we discover someone is making illicit gains and we do our best to stop him, will our action engender any merits?
Master Jun Hong Lu: Yes, it will. At the very least, you are helping him. Say someone is unaware that he is walking on a broken bridge and is on the brink of falling into the water and you stop him from taking another step, don’t you think this will generate merits?
Caller: Yes. Is there a possibility that the demon in this person will harass me?
Master Jun Hong Lu: If his demon is out to kill him, it will definitely go after you. If there is no evil in him and it is purely a mistake on his part, you will gain merits. In the presence of evil in him, should you be willing to help, you must help remove the evil. How do you go about doing this? You must fall back on the three Golden Buddhist practices of Guan Yin Citta.
Caller: Yes.
Source: Wenda20140629B 41:33, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program
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