33. FATE CAN BE CHANGED

　　Yuan Liuzhuang was an expert fortune-teller. He could tell a person's fate from the lines on his palm or the shape of her nose. Once a very powerful government official brought his son to Yuan to have his fortune told. Yuan knew immediately that a few years later, the little boy would die. He told the official.
　
　　Of course the official was heartbroken. On his way home, he ran into a monk, who asked, "Why do you look so sad?" The official explained that he had just had bad news from a fortune- teller. The monk examined the little boy and looked into his fate. He told the boy's father, "The only way to save your little boy is through hidden virtue, but there not always chances to do good. If you wish to build hidden virtue, the most convenient way is through releasing animals. That way you can build hidden virtue, which will protect your son."
　
　　Right away, the official made up his mind never to kill again and to release trapped animals. He worked hard for several years, but when he saw the monk again, the monk said, "Not enough! You have not created enough good karma, so you still can't save your son."
　
　　The father worked even harder to save animals. Whenever there was an opportunity to do something for others, man or beast, he was the first to donate time and money. In this way, he saved innumerable lives, and when his son reached the year in which he was fated to die, he lived and grew into a fine young man.
　
　　Yuan Liuzhuang heard about this. From then on, whenever he saw that someone's fortune was bad, he told that person to do good and to save lives. In this way, many people who should have died miserably lived long lives, and many people who should have been poor became rich instead.

33. 改造命运

　　袁柳庄是一个很准的算命先生。他能够根据一个人的手相或者鼻子的形状预测他的未来。有一回，一个非常有权势的官员带了他的儿子来算命。袁马上就算出来几年后，那个小男孩就会死掉。他如实告诉了那个官员。

　　那个官员当然很悲伤，在回家的路上，他遇到了一个和尚。“为什么你看起来那么难过？”官员解释说算命先生刚才给他儿子算了个很不好的命。和尚审视了一 下小男孩，开始预测他的命运。他对小男孩的父亲说，“要救你的 孩子，只有一个办法——多积阴德。但行善的机会不是那么多。如果你要积阴德，最方便的方法就是放生。这样你就能积下阴德来保你的儿子的命了。”

　　官员马上下定决心，再也不杀生，并放走那些被捕获的动物。他这样努力做了好几年，当他再见到那个和尚时，和尚却说，“不够，你积的善业还不够，你还救不了你的儿子。”

　　官员于是更加努力地救助动物。一有机会帮助其他人，或者动物，他都抢先去做，不惜花费时间金钱。就这样，他救助了无数的生命。他儿子在命定要死去的那一年，非但没有死，还成长为一个健康的青年。

　　袁柳庄听说后，每当他算出别人的命运很差时，他就叫那个人行善、救助生命。这样一来，很多本该悲惨死去的人得到了长寿。