(Clearwisdom.net)
Those who practice cultivation suffer a lot of hardship and therefore gain virtue. Those who are kind-hearted do a lot of good deeds and accumulate virtue. The rich expend much time and energy in accumulating wealth. The vicious ones commit crimes and accrue mountains of karma.
Among those things that can be gained, wealth is external to the physical body. It does not come with us at birth, and neither will it go with us after death. However, virtue and karma stay with people in this and in coming lives. People eventually get what they deserve. One's gong (cultivation energy) is built upon virtue. Gong is invaluable because it raises people above their ordinary existence and ensures that they no longer need to reincarnate. Virtue is precious because as Teacher Li says, "Virtue is accumulated in past lives. Becoming a king, an official, wealthy, or nobility all come from virtue. No virtue, no gain; the loss of virtue means the loss of everything." (Essentials For Further Advancement, "Wealth with Virtue") Considering this truth, what will you choose?
