Compassion and Vows
Does discovering possible fraud after making an offering make your original kindness meaningless?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Your sincere original wish to help is still yours. You do not need to reject that intention entirely because the other person may be dishonest. But once you discover a problem, adjust what you do so that you do not continue enabling deception.
I consider these two matters separately. When making the offering, you began with trust, respect, and a willingness to help. If the other person exploited that intention to deceive you, then from my faith perspective, the resulting karma is theirs to bear. Their wrongdoing does not mean your original wish to help was also wrong.
However, if you already have serious doubts and feel uneasy, you do not need to force yourself to keep making offerings. You can give in another way and direct your kindness toward other needs. You will still be helping people while making your giving clearer and more reassuring for yourself.