Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s belief in immutability of the law of cause and effect is illustrated in a number of ways throughout his 14-volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra.

There are eleven kinds of meritorious virtue derived from making Buddha images and statues:

1. Your sight is bright and clear in life after life. Your eyes are very bright and can see things very clearly. Why do you have this reward? It is because you made Buddha images in your past lives.
2. You will be born in wholesome places. There will be no bad people in the places where you will be born. Your neighbors, friends, and relatives will all be good people. You will not encounter bad people or beasts.
3. You will always be born to a noble family that is wealthy and honored.
4. Your body will be purple-golden in color. Why aren’t our bodies purple-golden? It is because we did not make Buddha images in our past lives.
5. You will possess an abundance of wealth. You will be surrounded by an abundance of precious treasure, including pearls and other valuables.
6. You will be born to a family of worthy and kind people.
7. You may be born as an emperor. The merit from making Buddha images enables you to become an emperor in the future. In countries where there is no emperor, you could become a president; both are state leaders. Otherwise you can find a country that is still ruled by an emperor and be born there.
8. You can be a wheel-turning sage king. This position is even more honorable than that of a state ruler. A wheel-turning sage king who cultivates will soon become a Buddha.
9. You may be born in the Brahma heavens. You may become a king in the human realm or be born in the Brahma heavens, with a life span of an eon.
10. You will not fall into the three lower realms – the realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals.
11. Life after life in the future, you will continue to revere the Three Jewels. Life after life, you will take refuge with the Three Jewels and will not fall into the three lower realms.

These are the eleven kinds of meritorious virtues derived from making Buddha images. If we have the opportunity, we should make more Buddha images. If you make Buddha images, your appearance will be transformed to perfection.