Does Astrological Phenomena Affect Our Well-Being? 星宿会影响我们的幸福吗？ The Daily Enlightenment Buddhist Inspirations (since 1997)

If your destiny
is cast in the stars,
what are you striving for? …

— Shilashanti (Part 1)

摘要于《优婆塞戒经》净三归品第二十
Excerpt From ‘Upāsakā Precepts’ Sūtra’s Chapter Twenty On Pure Threefold Refuge

【释迦牟尼佛】：「复有诸王同时、同宿俱共治政，一人失国，一则保土。

[Śākyamuni Buddha]: ‘Again, there are many kings together at the same time, with the same constellations, together ruling governments, with one person losing his kingdom, and one then maintaining his land.

[Note 1: Astrological constellations in the night sky are arbitrarily designated, thus assigned differently by various cultures, with some who try to match their positions with human experiences. Throughout history, there are not only many politicians who are born under the same constellations, who rule under the same constellations; there are also many commoners born and living under the same constellations. While some expect them to have similar ‘fates’ in the same year, upon observation, one’s outcome can even be the total opposite of another. Thus, even if there are ‘predictions’ that are occasionally ‘right’, they are surely not cast in stone. This is while there must be a more crucial and central factor, that truly determines a good or bad life in this and every year, as the Buddha taught below.]

诸外道等亦复说言：『若有恶年、恶宿现时，当教众生令修善法以攘却之。』若是年、宿，何得修善而得除灭？以是因缘，智者云何受于外道邪错之说？

Many external paths and others likewise again say: “If, when there is an evil year and evil constellation appearing, you should teach sentient beings, to enable cultivation of good dharmas, with these expelling and driving away them.” If there is this year and constellation, how can there be, with cultivation of good, then attaining their elimination? With these causes and conditions, how can those wise receive and rely on external paths’ speak of that, which is evil and wrong?

[Note 2: If one does good every day, in a supposedly ‘evil year’ with a supposedly ‘evil constellation’, is there still an evil year and constellation? Or are there perhaps no intrinsically evil years and constellations in the first place? In any case, since our evil karmas created in the past might bear fruit at any time, to counter them, there should be encouragement of all to do good in every year, on every day, in every week and month. If there is a truly evil year and constellation, which are so powerful that it is capable of influencing us year round, how can they be warded off easily? Due to such faulty reasoning, it is unwise to blindly believe astrological advice, that is neither always good nor right. While even a broken clock seems to ‘tell’ the right time twice a day, it is surely wiser to look tell the time with a working clock.]

善男子！一切众生，随于业行，若修正见，受于安乐，修邪见者，受大苦恼。

Good man, all sentient beings, following and relying on their karmic actions, if cultivating Right Views, will receive and arrive at peace and bliss. Those cultivating evil views, will receive great suffering and afflictions.

[Note 3: All who are truly good men and women, and all who are truly practising to be good, should know that it is via their personal and distinct karmas (别业) created through body, speech and mind (身口意), that determines whether there is well-being or not. That done with generosity (布施), compassion (慈悲) and wisdom (智慧), which uphold the precepts (戒), will create good karmas (善业), that lead to peace and bliss. The fundamental Ten Good Karmas (十善业) can be learnt in the Sūtra Of Ten Good Karmas’ Path《十善业道经》: https://purelanders.com/shishan. That done with the three poisons (三毒) of greedy desires (贪欲), anger (or hatred) (瞋恚) and evil views (or delusion) (邪见), which break the precepts, will create evil karmas (恶业), that lead to suffering and afflictions.]

因修善业，得大自在，得自在已，众生亲近。复为宣说善业因缘，善业因缘故得自在，一切众生皆由修善业因缘故得受安乐，非年、宿也。」

Due to cultivation of good karmas, attaining great ease. Having attained ease already, with sentient beings being close. Again, because of preaching good karmas’ causes and conditions, with good karmas’ causes and conditions, thus attaining ease. All sentient beings, all due to cultivation of good karmas’ causes and conditions, thus attaining and receiving peace and bliss, this is not due to the year and constellation.’

[Note 4: With personal cultivation of good karmas, being a good example, others should naturally draw near, to whom there should be sharing of Right Views, on what good karmas to create, and what evil karmas to avoid, so that they can also become good examples, to inspire even more to do good and avoid evil. In conclusion, to reiterate, it is due to good or evil personally done, that there is happiness or suffering, not due to the year and constellation being ‘good’ or ‘evil’.]