Why are the Evil-Doers Rich, and Mr Good Guys Poor?

When I uploaded this video on my Youtube channel 4 years ago, a viewer left a comment asking,
“Teacher, sorry but I wish to ask, those villiians can earn bountiful wealth because of the incredible good fortune they accumulated in their past lives.

In Buddhism, there is this theory: our souls in this lifetime is the product of our cultivation from past lives. Thus, for this life, you will continue to cultivate the areas you did well in (virtuous affinities & good fortune) and the areas you fail in (negative affinities & retribution).

The final goal is to accomplish Great Perfection and eventually, attain Buddhahood.

But my question is, if those villians accumulated so much good fortune in their past lives, then the essence of their souls should have more goodness in them. Why the vast difference in this life? This is perplexing. @@ Sorry I wish to ask Teacher …”

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My simple reply at that time:
Hi, a Bodhisattva will experience confusion between his past and current lives. When man is born, his nature is chaotic. He becomes virtuous when he meets virtuous conditions, and turns vile, when he meets malevolent affinities.

The problem is a person who has cultivated good fortune may not be a person who adheres to the five precepts. Because they may not have cultivated wisdom, they are still very prone to their habitual tendencies and lack the meditative strength to avoid committing sins.

For example, Jackie Chan enjoys enormous wealth and fame. This got to do with his fondness for doing charity. But he still committed sexual misconduct due to his lack of restraint. Thus his son, Jaycee Chan, was a drug abuser and let the family down. Jackie Chan was universally condemned and this is one retribution of his sexual misconduct.

A person doing virtuous deeds does not mean he is not doing bad deeds on the other hand. If there is no repentance after a bad deed is done, he will end up with a Destiny of good and bad interweaved in it.

But no matter how malevolent a villain may be, when his virtuous affinity approaches, there will come a day when he is willing to lay down the butcher’s knife to become a Buddha, i.e. repent and be absolved of his past sins.

Just like Buddha’s disciple, Angulimala.

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