Is Coincidence Accidental?

Xuefeng

Let’s look at a few examples of coincidences.

Lucky Coincidences

On May 28, 2004, a 77-year-old woman from Poland made international headlines. She had survived two plane crashes, four train collisions, and even a shipwreck in her lifetime—all of which she miraculously escaped unscathed. Polish scientists wanted to explore why someone could be so lucky. This woman, named Barbara Rojek, had experienced numerous disasters since childhood, yet each time it seemed as if an angel was protecting her, allowing her to come through unharmed.

According to the Russian newspaper Pravda, Barbara fell out of a fifth-floor window of her home onto a pile of cardboard at the age of two and was completely unscathed. At ten, she was crossing the street when a heavyset man on a bicycle hit her; Barbara was fine, but the man broke his arm. At twelve, a truck rushed towards her, and just as it was about to hit her, a wheel fell off, causing the truck to veer off the road, and Barbara narrowly escaped.

The report says Barbara experienced four plane crashes, seven car accidents, twelve mysterious falls from buildings or stairs, and incidents including standing on a balcony that collapsed while watching children play below, the chandelier at the Warsaw Theatre falling, two train collisions, a gas explosion, a criminal attack, a speedboat sinking, and other disasters—yet she remained unharmed. To verify these perilous tales, Barbara kept newspaper clippings and eyewitness accounts. Based on these records, she had brushed shoulders with death 127 times in her life, making her a true miracle on Earth.

The Sun, Moon, Earth: 395

The average distance between the Moon and Earth is about 380,000 kilometers, while the Sun is roughly 150 million kilometers away from Earth. Dividing the two distances, we find that the Sun is approximately 395 times farther from Earth than the Moon. The Sun's diameter is about 1.38 million kilometers, and the Moon's diameter is over 3,400 kilometers; dividing these, the Sun's diameter is approximately 395 times that of the Moon. What a coincidental number—395! What does this number tell us?

Think about it: the Sun's diameter is 395 times that of the Moon, but the Sun is also 395 times farther from Earth. Because the distance offsets the size, these two celestial bodies appear to be the same size in the sky when viewed from Earth. Is this phenomenon a natural occurrence, or is it man-made? Where else in the universe do celestial bodies align in such a coincidence? The renowned scientist Isaac Asimov once said, “By all data and rules, the Moon should not be there.” He also said, “The Moon is just large enough to cause a solar eclipse and small enough to let us see the corona. There is no astronomical reason to explain this phenomenon; it’s the coincidence of coincidences!” Scientist H.S. Sheldon stated, “For a spacecraft to stay in orbit, it must fly at 18,000 miles per hour at 100 miles altitude; similarly, the Moon must have precise speed, mass, and height to balance Earth’s gravity and stay in its current orbit.” The question is: can these conditions be purely naturally generated? There's another coincidence: the Moon always shows the same face to Earth. Why does the Moon always face Earth with the same side? Scientists say it’s because it rotates on its axis at 16.56 kilometers per hour while also orbiting Earth. The time it takes to complete one rotation matches exactly the time it takes to complete one orbit around Earth, so the Moon always shows the same side. However, the question remains: no other moons in the solar system behave this way, so why does the Moon happen to do so? Isn’t this another coincidence of coincidences?

The Meeting Before Death

On July 28, 1890, King Umberto I of Italy traveled to Monza, a few miles outside Milan, to prepare for an award ceremony the next day. That evening, the king dined at a small restaurant and discovered that the owner resembled him in both appearance and physique. In conversation, they found that they were born on the same day in the same town, had the same name, married on April 22, 1868, and both of their wives were named Margherita. Both had sons named Vittorio. The restaurant opened on the same day the king was crowned, and both men received a bravery medal in 1866. The next day, the restaurant owner was accidentally shot dead, and the king was assassinated on the same day. From the above coincidences, we can clearly see that what we call coincidence is actually inevitable.

Is Moving Across Thousands of Miles Accidental?

First, let me clarify that this is not fictional but a real event. A person named Pu happened to read a series of articles on LIFE. His beloved son was restless, often angry without reason, and reluctant to go to school. Pu casually introduced these LIFE articles to his son, who, upon reading them, completely changed—becoming calm and gaining wisdom rapidly. Pu was grateful to the author of these LIFE articles and often wished to repay him in some way.

The author of the LIFE articles had friends, a couple named Tai and Wan, who by some mysterious force moved to a place called Zhao where Pu lived.

Many people liked Pu's place. Pu’s friends suggested that the author of the LIFE articles should move to Zhao. A person named Zhi crossed the ocean to Zhao and made several suggestions, also hoping that the author could move there.

The author, settled in a distant foreign land, never considered moving to Zhao. One day, his wife fell ill unexpectedly. A doctor’s examination found her blood pressure, heart rate, etc., were normal, but she had a high fever. With no other solution, the author jokingly said to cheer his wife, "Shall we go to Zhao?" His wife was delighted, and her illness miraculously improved. Keeping his word, the author realized that his offhand suggestion was taken seriously by his wife. With no other choice, he had to turn the joke into reality. Fortunately, he had ceased his business abroad months earlier, and moving had few attachments. In the end, he ended up moving thousands of miles to Pu's place.

A series of coincidences led to his move, and on the second day of his arrival in Zhao, one of his close friends also coincidentally showed up in Zhao, which is thousands of miles from where his friend lived.

Each detail seems coincidental and accidental, but these coincidences and accidents are links in a chain of inevitability, heralding an inevitable outcome.

Coincidence Is a Link in the Chain of Inevitability

Inevitable results are composed of a series of accidental events. Sandstorms, tsunamis, and earthquakes are accidental events, but they are links in the inevitable changes in Earth's ecosystem. Toothaches, sprains, and fevers seem like unrelated accidents, but they are stages in the inevitable development of a body’s illness. Fights, car accidents, and suicides appear to happen by chance, but they are inevitable links caused by karma. We often say, "Losing wealth prevents disaster." On the surface, wealth and disaster seem unrelated, but many incidents occur where misfortune follows financial gain. A twitch in the right eye seems like a physiological phenomenon, but it may signify a future financial loss. If we don’t understand the cause, the Titanic hitting the iceberg appears to be an isolated accident, but knowing the cause shows it was inevitable. Individual coincidences and accidents seem unconnected and isolated, but they are drawn together by an unseen, mysterious force, like pearls on a necklace. Each pearl is isolated and independent, but they are strung together by a single thread. We cannot call individual pearls a necklace, but when strung together, they form the whole necklace.

Accident is the superficial aspect of development; it is visible, perceptible, and seemingly isolated. Inevitability is the core of development; it is invisible, imperceptible through sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, and can only be known through intuition. The appearance of things is determined by their essence, and accidental events are governed by the laws of inevitability.

The universe is harmoniously unified by the Tao, which represents order and laws. Within the scope of these laws, everything is inevitable—there are no accidental events. The Tao governs all things in the universe, extending infinitely outward and inward. Therefore, everything that happens in the universe is not accidental but inevitable.

Death is certain for everyone; this is the evolutionary law of the Tao. The ways of dying are numerous and diverse, but no matter the possibilities, they ultimately lead to an inevitable result. A seed planted in suitable soil will inevitably sprout, bloom, and bear fruit. Halley's Comet inevitably appears within Earth's visible range every 76 years. Congenital diseases will inevitably manifest at a certain time. After spring, summer must come; youth inevitably follows childhood; labor must result in harvest. If harvests were accidental, no one would work. Continuous learning inevitably raises social status; otherwise, who would want to study? Self-improvement inevitably alters the structure of LIFE; otherwise, who would heed the teachings of saints and sages?

Every accident is inevitable, and every outcome has a cause. The development of life and LIFE is a process of programming: what you input determines the outcome. Although the ways and methods of achieving the outcome may vary and seem accidental, they are actually inevitable. For instance, death is an outcome, but the methods include passing away peacefully, illness, car accidents, battlefield casualties, drowning, burning, dying of anger, laughter, choking, trampling, suicide, and many more. The way of death is beyond our control because When a speck of dust suddenly gets into your eye, you trip over a stone while walking, your wallet is stolen on the street, you get scolded by a teacher at school, you sprain your ankle on the stairs, you get bumped by a bicycle while crossing the road, oil stains drop onto your new clothes while eating, you unexpectedly run into an old friend in a foreign place, an uninvited guest shows up at your home, or you feel inexplicably uneasy and restless—all these seemingly random events are, in reality, inevitable. There is a time-tested saying: "If it's a blessing, it won't be missed; if it's a disaster, it can't be avoided." This means that everything is inevitable.

In summary, take your time to reflect, and you will realize that accidents are just links in the chain of inevitability.