Q: Dear Master Lu, during your public talk on 6 June 2010, you mentioned that it is not good to have our fortune told. However, most Chinese people have the experience of visiting a fortune teller at least once in their lives. Fortune-telling indeed caused serious damage to my fate and fortune, and I learned it the hard way. What was meant to be mine ended up failing to come about after I visited the fortune teller.
In addition, Master Lu said that fortune tellers are often accurate about predicting misfortune, but not accurate about predicting fortunate events. If the predicted events have already happened, does it mean that they are already over or will they last for a while? Furthermore, if the fortune teller uses psychic abilities to make predictions, instead of relying on my birth data (which I did not provide), will this still be an issue? Lastly, now that I have my fortune told, is there anything I can do to remedy the situation?
A:
- Fortune telling is indeed very inappropriate. When you visit a (Chinese) fortune teller, you will need to write down the details of your birth date and time. This will make them known to beings in the spirit world. When the fortune teller gives the reading, the foundation of your fate will be changed. That will cause a negative impact on your destiny.
- In terms of the negative impact caused by fortune-telling, the issue is not about how long it will last. Rather, it has to do with the part of your fate that was predetermined in past life. If the fortune teller says that you will experience misfortune at the age of 25, and you then experience misfortune at 25, then the predictions about what would happen when you were 25 are accurate. If the fortune teller says that you will be wealthy at the age of 30, but you are still poor at 30, then the predictions are not accurate.
- Readings based on one’s birth data or through psychic abilities are both regarded as fortune-telling and not recommended. In particular, resorting to card readings (such as playing cards, etc.) amounts to playing with fire and putting your life at risk.
- If you have already had your fortune told in the past, refrain from doing so from now on.
- In the meantime, you can recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance. Before reciting this, you can say the following prayer: “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva forgive me, <your full name>, for being ignorant and having my fortune told in the past. I sincerely hope that it will not change my predestined path.” It is highly recommended that you recite the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance 7 times in one sitting. For the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance to be active spiritually, it is best to recite it 7 times.