28-7-2011 Astral Travel

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 25 - Astral Travel 

In the summer when it's hot I take it easy.
Once when I closed my eyes for an afternoon nap I felt my soul leave my body to travel to a different place.
I found myself on a strange road, with an old man rambling toward me.

"Aren't you Lian Shen" he said when he came nearer.

"Yes! I am," I answered in surprise. "Venerable sir, who are you?"

"I am the blessing god at the T'ou-pien Mountain."

"I remember that mountain. I went with some friends to visit and to see some land there. I stopped by your shrine to pay my respects."

"Yes, yes. This is why I know you are Lian Shen he answered.

"Since you are here now, if you are not going anywhere I'd like to take you to see a couple of interesting things."

The blessing god said no more, but began to move very fast. I didn't have time to think about it-I just followed.
My experience in astral travel is that the world traveled to is much clearer than the world of dreams.
No physical boundaries can stop you in the astral world.
You can walk on water; you can fly up to the mountains; you can walk rivers or enter into houses.
Doors can't stop you.
You can travel very fast.
The old man took me to a deserted mountain.
There I saw a thatched roof house.
Inside was a skinny corpse in a coffin.
The old blessing god and I hid behind a rock to observe.
In a while we saw heaven open.
A celestial being came riding down to the mountain on a cloud.
The mountain's colors became luminescent with golden tones of light.
Land gods arrived to guard the celestial being.
The celestial being humbly knelt before the coffin.
Respectfully, he paid homage to the skinny old body, kneeling three times and bowing three times after each kneeling.
Then he stood and dust fell away from him.
The celestial being ran his hands lovingly over the body caressing, touching ever so gently.
He then disappeared into the sky.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"The celestial being has paid his respects to the corpse. That body was the celestial being's physical body when he was alive. The higher soul comes back to see the old bag which carried the higher soul. It is called, 'To use the not real to cultivate the real.' To reach the state that the celestial being now is in, the body had to suffer much."

"Yes, I answered, "I can understand that."

"The spirit came down to this deserted mountain to pay respect to a corpse because when it was alive that body could carefully follow the precept, cultivate his nature, and spread blessings with a good heart. Hence, his pure soul could reach the celestial world."

While I was realizing this idea, the blessing god moved again and I had to follow.
We traveled and traveled, but this time we didn't walk on a deserted mountain or a small trail-we went to a busy city. We zig-zagged through traffic and crowds.
No one could see us. Finally, we arrived at a big house.
The blessing god entered and I followed.
The main room was huge, with a beautiful carpet on the floor.
White cloths hung from the ceiling bearing written messages:

"Return to heaven," said one; "You exist forever," said another;

"Always in my heart," was on still another; "Return to Western Paradise."

Behind the white curtains, I saw a huge, fat body resting in a coffin.
The cloths indicated that he was the director of a business association, and had been the president of many companies.
The blessing god instructed me to wait behind the sofa.
Soon I saw a strange animal appear.
Its body stunk and its eyes popped out like a goldfish.
It had a big mouth and a tiny neck.
He walked step by step on skinny legs toward the coffin looking at it angrily, brandishing a whip.
Fiercely, he whipped at the corpse, and spat on it, shouting and swearing.
The face of the corpse turned blue, then looked very frightened.
The white fine skin became covered with patches of blue and red.
The muscles began to shrink and smell horrible.

"You!" the angry ghost yelled out. "This dirty body ruined me!" He was in anguish.

The blessing god said, "Lian Shen, this is the regret of this angry ghost. While he had a physical body he indulged
in all kinds of desires. Now he regrets his actions, but it's too late."

"This person had lots of chances to do good for society. Why didn't he do it?" I asked.

"This is called disillusion. People don't cry until they see the coffin" (An old Chinese expression meaning people don't respond to a situation until a direct confrontation occurs).

The blessing god said. "When you return to earth you should write of your experiences here, in hopes of awakening some people in the world. "

"I don't think people will believe this! To them it would sound too much like a fairy tale," I said.

"If people have affinity they will believe it. If they don't, let them laugh at it. Life is but a dream anyway. It's time for you to wake up."
He pushed me and I woke up in the human world. I looked at my watch. I'd only slept an hour.
My arms and legs were as sore as if I'd walked a great distance.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

Related Posts:

• The Passage To Death
• Studying At Lien T’ou Mountain
• The Great World Of Silence
• The Old Man Of The Orchard
• Traveling Through The Great Void

28-7-2011 The Great World Of Silence

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 24 - The Great World Of Silence 

On the other side of the noise in our lives is the Great World of Silence.
While we are sitting near the ocean we listen to the waves pounding the shore.
Yet beneath this is silence.
Most people are not aware of this aspect of silence.
They don't believe it exists.
Although it is the silent world, it does exist.
As sure as there is day and night, this other world exists!
There is a material world and a spiritual world.
The material civilization is progressing rapidly; there is a great change in the silent world too.

When I meditate in this Great Silence, all troubles go away.
Life and death no longer are real.
There is no feeling of loneliness.
History becomes short, and there are wisdom stars everywhere.
I feel I can reach out my hand to touch the stars.
Once I traveled into space.
I allowed my body to float up.
I ascended through layers of clouds to another world.
Celestial beings welcomed me.
Flowers bloomed everywhere.
The peoples' bodies were wonderfully fragrant.
Nature's colors were different; all beautiful and bright.

"Where am I?" I asked one celestial being.

"This is the Great World of Silence," he answered.

"Do I know anybody here?"

Then I met my acquaintance. His form had changed, yet his heart was still familiar to me.

"Uncle Tzu-chih! You are here!"

"Lian Shen! You've come here too!"

"No. No. I still have to return."

"Well then hurry and return!"

"No, Uncle Tzu-chih, I don't mean that. I'm still alive, you know. I still live in the human world."

"Oh! Oh! I understand. You can travel beyond your body."

"Is there anyone else I know who travels here?"

"Yes, there are some. But not many people can leave their bodies.
Some visit here in their dreams, but their consciousness is not very clear and their forms are not definite; just like steam in a tea kettle. The dreamers don't stay long. Sometimes I'd like to remind them of some thing, but when they wake up they never remember."

"Do you miss the human world?"

"No. Once you go back there it's difficult to return here, you know."

When Uncle Tzu-chih was in the human world he was a waste paper collector.
His name, Tze-chih, means printed paper.
He was a Buddhist, yet he spent his days with garbage.
His heart was, and is, very pure.
Every time he picked up papers with letters printed on them he burned them.
He was aware that the knowledge, represented by the printed words, came from the saints.
Burning was a way to keep the knowledge pure.
He advised people always to respect printed paper.
Once he picked up lots of lost money.
He took it to the police and refused a gift from the people who lost it.
He often donated anonymously.
He chanted to Buddha, never stopping.
When he died he didn't have a dime left.
Without anyone knowing, he was able to help in the deliverance of many people.
We met three times when he was alive and talked easily.
Before he died he reminded me to take care of his "students" so that they could return to the Great World of Silence.
I hadn't expected the chance to see him again.

"Ying-chen (one of Tzu-chih's students) has left the spiritual path. I am sorry to see this happen," said Uncle Tzu-chih.

"Oh! That pure and innocent little girl?"

"Yes. I observed her. She's lost the purity and innocence of her soul."

"I will look for her to see if I can help her." I said.

"Please do."

Fifteen minutes later I woke up.
The second evening I was standing in front of Pai-li Night Club. I was alone and, silently, I watched the night club sign flashing. A limousine stopped in front of the club. From the car emerged a woman with a long white dress. She was smoking a cigarette. A gentleman was with her. Holding her around the waist, he escorted her into the club.

Then I heard an announcer say loudly, "Miss Lu-Lu has arrived."

"Yes. Miss Ying-chen has changed," I thought.
"She no longer sells lottery tickets in the street. Her clothes used to be so plain and simple."

This woman looked like a prostitute.

"Ying-chen," I called to her.

She turned and seemed not to recognize me.
I was afraid I'd called to the wrong person.
She wore artificial eyelashes.
Her look had changed.

"I am Lu Sheng-yen, friend of Uncle Tzu-chih."

"Lu Sheng-yen! Oh, you are the one who is famous for spiritual readings! Great! Do a reading for me! Let's see when I will become famous and make lots of money!"

"You don't remember me?"

"I do! I do! You are Uncle Tze-chih's friend. You are the famous author of spiritual books. Even you, like all men, come to the night club. All crows are dark."

"Me! No, no, no."

"You needn't deny it. Life's like this. You don't have to pretend you are a saint. Why don't I cancel two time slots? You can do a psychic reading for me."

"Ying-chen, . . . "

"No! Don't call me Ying-chen: I am Lu-lu now."

The band started playing the blues.
The lights were dimmed. Lu-lu came toward me like a white shadow.
I smelled her makeup.
I left in a hurry.

On the way home I thought about the difficulties that arise because of our entanglements in the physical world.
I prayed for her.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

Related Posts:

• The Passage To Death
• The Magical Bowl
• Traveling Through The Great Void
• Studying At Lien T’ou Mountain
• Astral Travel

28-7-2011 The Magical Bowl

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 23 - The Magical Bowl


Master Ch'ing-chen is my direct personal teacher.
Although we were not together for too long-only two years-the memory of his face and voice is vivid in my heart. He told me that he studied from Ch'ing-ch'eng Mountain (Sichaun Province, China).
He learned a great deal from the temple there.
Every time he thought about teaching someone, he was afraid he might teach the wrong person; therefore, he never accepted students.
I went to see Master Ch'ing-chen after I was guided by my spirit teacher, Mr. San-shan-chiu-hou.
If not for him, Master Ch'ing-chen would have never received me as a student.
Master Ch'ing-chen is an overly cautious man.
He hardly leaves the mountain where he lives.
His appearance is that of an honest farmer.
The only difference is that in the thatched roof house where he lives, he worships Upper Pure, Jade Pure and Great Pure. Pictures of those gods line his altar.

He lived on Lien-t'ou Mountain for more than 20 years, but nobody knew he was a master with great knowledge and spiritual achievement. I studied with him on weekends for two years before he died.
Before his death he said, "After I am gone you will be alone. The road ahead will be difficult. You will suffer much. If I hadn't accepted you as a student you could have lived a more peaceful life. However, since I accepted you, you will have trials and challenges. Can you endure?"

"Yes, I can." I answered.

"In this world one of the most difficult things is to save, or deliver, people. After I die you should keep in mind always that as long as you maintain a righteous heart and righteous thoughts you will have the guardian in heaven to help you. You should not concern yourself with any other trivial matters."

He repeated this lesson to me many times before he died. I never forgot it.
I remember one Sunday when I went to Lien-t'ou Mountain.
A friend and classmate named Shang had invited me to his house to visit.
I had never been there before.

That day when Master Ch'ing-chen put one hand on top of my head at the crown chakra he said gently, "Your mind is not here. Do you have something else on you mind?"

"Master, to be honest with you," I answered, "today I had a very close classmate invite me to his house. He has invited me many times before. Every weekend I come here and I turn him down. Today he invited me again. I feel obligated to go to visit with him."

"Well, in that case, why don't you just take off early?"

Master Ch'ing-chen then went into his house.
In awhile he brought out an exquisitely delicate porcelain bowl.
The rim bore a carving of two white rabbits. The bowl was half full of water.

"Lian Shen," Master said, "this bowl is the treasure of the Temple of the Ch'ing-ch'eng Mountain. This bowl's name is Jade Rabbit Water Shadow Bowl."

I looked at my teacher with wonder. I didn't know the purpose of the bowl.

"Lian Shen, what's your friend's name and where does he live?"

"His name is Shang Tzu-ch'iang and he lives on the Chang-nan Road in Nan-t'ou City."

My Master took a brush and wrote something on yellow rice paper, then he burned the yellow paper into ash and spread the ashes into the bowl.
My teacher looked at the bowl for about five minutes.

"Lian Shen, your friend is taking a nap at his house now. He is tall and sturdy. His left eyebrow has a dark mole. He has a very sharp chin. His face indicates that he might fall easily into danger or accidents. He should learn to be more gentle and soft, otherwise he might die early. His family is rather wealthy. His bedroom is nicely decorated. Come over here and take a look."

I stepped forward and looked. I only saw dark ashes floating on the water, nothing else.

"Close your eyes first," said Master.
"Rotate your eyeballs clockwise twenty-one times and then counter-clockwise twenty-one times and then look again."

I closed my eyes and did as he said then opened my eyes again. Miraculously then I saw a circle of white light in the bowl. At first it was foggy, then it slowly disappeared. Gradually I saw a bedroom with a person sleeping there. I looked more closely. It was, without a doubt my friend Shang Tzu-ch'iang.

Seeing him there in the bowl I called, "Hey! Shang Tzu-ch'iang!"

I saw him wake. He looked around to see who was calling.
Seeing no one, he settled back down to sleep again.

"Master! This bowl . . . !"

"This bowl is very marvelous. It can transmit the shadow picture and the voice, but only those who have the trained psychic eye can see it. To ordinary people, the bowl is useless. But for people who develop their psychic eye this bowl will be useful, because everything in the world can appear in it. In the future I will leave this bowl to you."

"Master! Thank you!"

"You can leave now," he said.

When I arrived at my friend's house it was four in the afternoon.
An old servant answered the door.

"Shang Tzu-Ch'iang woke up and rode away on the motorcycle," she said.

As I turned to go I heard a voice from the sky saying, "Stay for two more minutes. Your friend will be back."

At that moment I realized I existed in my master's magic water bowl.
He was watching me.

I turned to the old servant and said, "Well, he will be back in two minutes."

The servant wondered what was going on. Yet after two minutes my friend did return.

He waved to me from far away and nervously said,
"Lu! I knew you were coming today! While I was sleeping I heard you call me! I rode my motorcycle out and then I heard a voice from the sky that told me to return! Strange things are happening today! It's good that you're here! Come in! Please come in!"

While I was in my friend's living room I told him what his bedroom looked like.

He looked at me in amazement. "Yes! My room is exactly like that!"

Then I told him, "In this world there is a bowl called Jade Rabbit Water Shadow Bowl. It can transmit picture and sound."

But he just shook his head saying "No. No. I don't believe it. You're kidding. "

Master Ch'ing-cheng didn't tell me, when he passed away, where he hid the bowl and I never found it.
My friend, as Master Ch'ing-chen predicted, died in a traffic accident.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

28-7-2011 Strange Hair

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 22 - Strange Hair


When I walked to the door of my office I saw a gentleman standing outside under an old tree.
He was about fifty, and he wore a Sherlock Holmes hat.

When he saw me, he called, "Mr. Lu! Mr. Lu!"

I usually ignore strangers.
Since my books have been published, too many people seek me out.
Sometimes I am even afraid to go home!
Whenever people seek me out I hear so many difficulties.
They ask me to use my psychic power to help them.
Too much of this creates a disturbance in my life.
I constantly move my residence, but people find me anyway.

"Mister Lu! Please wait. I have something very unusual to talk with you about."

"What is it?"

"It's about my strange hair." He looked very pale.

"Strange hair?"

He took off his hat. I saw that on top of his head was a patch of coffee-colored hair. The rest of his hair was black. His face was strange too.

I looked at the hair and then watched his face more closely. I saw his expression change. His eyes sunk in deeper. His nose flattened. His lips became larger. The gentle looking face disappeared. Instead, his face looked like a monkey's!

"You! That's monkey hair!" I said in shock. I was astonished!

"Yes. It's monkey hair," he said as he put on his hat.
"I have given my hair to a doctor to examine. It has proven to be monkey hair."

This is his story:
His name is Hung Tsu-wang.
He lives in Yi-lan City.
He is fifty-four years old and very healthy.
Three years ago he accidentally fell and hit his head, and since then he has had strange, fast-growing coffee-colored hair. Along with his unusual new hair came a change in behavior.
His mild and gentle nature became wild and reckless.
What's more, every evening from ten to eleven Mr. Hung has had a change of expression in his face, and finds himself jumping around like a monkey.
Sometimes it is more serious; he makes monkey sounds.
He has become fond of peanuts, bananas and wine.
If he loses too much control, his family locks him up. In about an hour he returns to normal.

"Have you had any relationships or entanglements with monkeys?" I asked.

"No . "

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Well, if you haven't had any entanglements with monkeys then it may be some karma from a previous life. I will take a look tonight in my meditations. You go home. Tomorrow I will give you my answer."

"Tomorrow! I cannot stay in a hotel! I have to go home.
Maybe I can come back in a few days.
I hope you can help me since no one else can!
Every evening at ten o'clock I have to take a shot to get calmed down.
There's no other remedy we know of."

That evening I sat and silently chanted and called his name, his birth date, and his address.
Then I concentrated. I started to see a circle of yellow light. In the circle an ocean appeared.
Next, I saw an island and a palm tree. I saw a boat in a harbor.
There were many Japanese soldiers getting off the boat.
I saw a circle of the Japanese men having their meal and drink.
One soldier had a monkey on a leash.
Another soldier stood up, took out his knife and killed the monkey.
The monkey screamed. Blood splashed all over.
The soldiers yelled in excitement.
They intended to eat the monkey.
I looked closely at the soldier who held the knife.
It was Mr. Hung.
A few days later Mr. Hung came to see me again. "Have you ever been in the Japanese army?"

"Yes, before the end of World War II, before the Japanese surrendered. We were drafted."

"Where did you go when you were in the army?"

"Sumatra. "

"You killed a monkey. You killed a monkey in Sumatra? Is that true?"

"Oh!" Hung cried out. His face paled. Sweat appeared on his brow.

He thought awhile and then said, "Now I remember it! Now I remember it! At that time nobody dared to kill! I was young. I killed the monkey and everyone ate the meat. Yes! That happened. What can I do now? What can I do now?"

For such a thing I had no remedy. This was the retribution of killing. I was surprised that it came so fast.

"Before you fell, where had you been visiting?"

"The day before I went to Chi-lung to see my friend. He is a seaman. He had just returned from South Indonesia, Sumatra. Does this have something to do with it?".

Taiwan was occupied by Japan for sixty years. The occupation ended when World War II was over. Taiwanese men were drafted to fight for Japan during World War II.

"It might have accelerated the retribution," I told him.

"Can you help in any way?"

"I'm sorry. I can't. " When I looked at his strange hair I was sorry that I couldn't help.
There was nothing I could say.
Although I can see things in the past very clearly, I don't have the power or ability to change one's karma.
I could only give him my blessing and hope that this karma would be resolved soon.

"It's your karma," I said softly. "You will have to resolve it."

"How do I do it?" He was depressed.

"Follow the nature of your heart. Chant to Buddha."

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

28-7-2011 Impressions Of A Small Village

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 21 - Impressions Of A Small Village 


The first time I came to visit I was surprised to be familiar with this village.
There was a long bridge, and a whole mountain of plum tree plantation covered with white plum flowers.
When my bus entered the village I became emotional and sentimental.
Under the bridge I saw an outcropping of blue granite, and next to the granite a large white rock.

I thought, "I not only remember this place, I have sunbathed on this rock and swum under this bridge.
Now I remember, right past this bridge is a land-god shrine."

I asked anxiously, "Is there a shrine just up on the right side of the road here?"

"Oh yes!" Miss Fan answered without thinking.

She looked at me curiously. "I thought you said you'd never been here before. "

The bus turned to the right, and there was the shrine.
The bricks were old and darkened from weathering.

"If I am right," I said to Miss Fan, "we still have to pass a small bridge to get to the village and the bridge's name is Justice. I hope my memory is correct."

Miss Fan looked at me with wide eyes and said, "Yes. There is a small bridge there, but I never paid attention to the name of it."

There was a bus stop just before the bridge and we saw its name clearly: its name: Justice Bridge.

"You must have been here before," Miss Fan said.

"No, I've never been here in this lifetime."

"Then how do you know the name of this bridge?"

"I don't know, but under this bridge, a long time ago, the people were raising ducks.
There used to be lots of ducks."

Past the bridge, we saw a big flock of ducks and a small house with a thatched roof.
A man stood by the river watching the ducks.
It all looked more and more familiar.
Miss Fan's father operated grocery stores here.
He'd heard of my reputation as a Feng-shui master, and he had asked his daughter to bring me to the village.

"You are a strange person," Miss Fan said.

"Not at all. Today my head is very clear," I replied.

When we got out of the bus my heart was floating.
It seemed there hadn't been much change in this village.
Miss Fan took me to see her father.
In addition to two grocery stores, the family owned orchards of oranges and plums, and a bamboo forest.
Her father was the local representative for the village.

"I suppose you have never been to this small and remote village," her father said to me.

How could I answer his question?
Actually, I had never been here in my thirty-three years of life, yet I could not say that I'd never been here.
I muddled through.
It was difficult to describe my feelings.
I felt as if I was returning from far away to my hometown.
I felt nervous, anxious and somewhat afraid to see people I once knew well.

"Mister Fan, at the end of this street there was a family who lived in the red brick house.
The name was Shih. Do you know them?"

"Oh. That is the house of Grandmother Shih.
Now in her family there is only her servant.
The Shih family used to be the richest in the village.
Mr. Shih was a generous and good-hearted man.
He financed a lot of public construction here.
After he passed away his descendants moved to larger cities or to foreign countries.
Only his wife, Grandmother Shih, stayed.
She couldn't leave the memories.
Now they hardly leave the house.
Every morning they chant and pray to Buddha."

"How long since Shih Shan-pen passed away?"

"Oh, it's about thirty-three years.
I was only twenty years old then.
On the day of the funeral everyone in the village was involved.
It was almost like a temple fair.
The tomb was built on his land.
It's the largest one in the village.
I'll take you to see it if you like.
We have to pass that place anyway to get to my grandfather's tomb."'

Mister Fan didn't ask me anything more. I kept my head low. Miss Fan watched me carefully. I had tears in my eyes hearing them talk about Shih Shan-pen and Grandmother Shih.

When we climbed the mountains to see Mr. Fan's grandfather's tomb I led the way.
Mr. Fan said "Hey, it seems you're very familiar with this mountain road."

I studied Shih Shan-pen's tomb carefully. Then I visited Mr. Fan's grandfather's tomb. After that I made an excuse to leave and I went to the door of Grandmother Shih.

Coincidentally, when I arrived Grandmother Shih was opening the door. She wore a blue top and dark pants and she moved slowly. Her face was worn and wrinkled, but a flower pin adorned her hair. In her hands were her prayer beads. She was mumbling and chanting. I recognized her profile.
I was so touched that I reached out to her. "How are you, Grandmother Shih?"

"Who are you?" She gave me a curious look.

"I am Lu Sheng-yen." It was difficult for me to answer her that way.

"I know your name is Pi-fang and your old servant's name is A-sang. You have three-sons and one daughter. One of them just passed away four months ago. Your husband, Shih Shan-pen, passed away thirty-three years ago."

"You! I don't know you! You come to investigate me?" She was annoyed.

"No, no," I said nervously, "I didn't come to investigate you; I just know your past," I immediately explained.

"Crazy people." She turned around mumbling and closed the door.

I heard her yell for her servant inside the house,"A-sang! A-sang! A-sang!"

I had lunch at Mr. Fan's house after thus, but I didn't have much appetite. Mr. Fan called a taxi to send me back to Tai-Chung. He had business there too so we left together. When the taxi passed Justice Bridge Mr. Fan said,
"This bridge was donated by Shih Shan-pen himself."

We reached the land-god shrine and Mr Fan said, "This shrine was also built by Shih Shan-pen. People say he built it in memory of his father."

At the bridge Mr. Fan pointed to the stretch of blue granite and said, "The kids like to play in the water here. They sunbathe on the rock."

I was silent all the way, saying goodbye to my past in my heart.
I was wondering how much longer I would keep my physical body.

"Am I crazy?" I thought. "No. I am very clear. Now, I have a little bit of understanding."

I realized heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. All God's arrangements move in cycles. If everyone knew their past, the difference in age, the sequence of old and young, and the relationships and titles, even time would no longer exist.

What a mess the world would be in!

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

28-7-2011 Between Men And Pigs

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 20 - Between Men And Pigs


Many people say that I live in illusion.
Some say I use black magic.
Others say that I'm a hypnotist. Indeed, I do appear strange.
Though I seem crazy to strangers, it's true that when people get to know me I'm just ordinary.

A young man named Tseng Tzu-ch'i traveled a long distance to see me.
He talked to me for about an hour, then he said disappointedly,
"Mr. Lu, I came to see you because I believed you were some kind of saint. Why do you speak so ordinarily?"

I smiled. "I am ordinary! I use ordinary language.
Remember, Buddha's mind is an ordinary mind.
There are large numbers of ordinary people who think and act as if they are not ordinary.
You have a desire to see my mysterious abilities?
There's nothing mysterious.
All I do is tell people what they cannot see."

"Sir, can you prove anything to me?"

"I can, yes. But it is up to you according to your ability to see what I show you."

"How then?"

"Tell me when you were born."

"July 16, eleven p.m."

"Well, I think this will work for you."

I went to my library, picked up my paint brush and dropped it into red ink.
I held the brush tip to my open mouth and exhaled sharply from my solar plexus.
Then I put a red dot on each Tseng T-zu-ch'i's eyelids.

"Now it's up to you," I said.
"I think maybe you should go to the market.
You might make a discovery.
You have 49 minutes.
Whether you see anything or not you don't have to come back to see me," I said.

An hour later there was a loud excited knock at my door.
"Hey! I told you you didn't have to return. Why are you here?"

"I have to tell you! It scared me nearly to death!"

His expression showed surprise, horror, and fear.

"I didn't want to believe it! I saw it! I'm not crazy! It was real! What can I do now?"

"Don't be so excited. Tell me slowly."

"I followed your suggestion.
When I left here I got a taxi and went to the market.
I noticed that my vision was becoming foggy.
I was seeing residual light around people.
At the market I saw two rows of booths selling pork.
The pig odour was very strong.
Then I looked up and saw something that scared me to death!"

"What did you see?"

"Mr. Lu, I cannot believe it!
The pigs' heads hanging there were human heads!
Their eyes were full of sadness and grief. I looked down the two rows of booths.
All the pigs' heads had become human!
All the pigs' feet were human feet!
I was so terrified I couldn't move!
I wanted to scream.
Yet the salespeople were talking to me in normal market sales conversations, 'Fresh pork here.
How many pounds do you want?'"

"So, did you buy any?" I asked him calmly.

"Mr. Lu! You're joking! How could I buy men's heads and feet?"

"Well, go home.
Don't tell anybody what you saw or they'll think you're crazy.
I think you ought to go to the market.
Get some pork and make some stew.
Act like an ordinary person."

"Oh no! No! I couldn't do that!"

"Take it easy. Don't take this too seriously. As you relax you'll be able to see reality better."

"I have to take this seriously! I saw it. There is no way that I could eat that now!"

"You fool!" I scolded.

I was told later that Tseng Tzu-ch'i could never eat pork again.
Even the taste of it caused him to vomit.
He told others of his experience and, of course, they thought he was crazy.
He suffered a great deal.
Is there any difference between humans and pigs?
No. Yet according to the form, humans are humans and pigs are pigs.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

28-7-2011 Journey To The Lotus Kingdom

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 19 - Journey To The Lotus Kingdom


I have been reluctant to write about this particular learning I've had.
It is too difficult for most people to believe.
Furthermore, it seems I might be revealing some truths which I ought to be silent about.
One day I was initiated in the Hsuan-Tsang Temple of Sun Moon Lake in Nan-t'ou.
My master for the initiation was Tao-an.
At that time in the temple the energy was rather strong.
In my psychic vision I couldn't see whether the Hsuan-Tsang Master was present.
However, I did see the Four Heaven Kings.

One of them was my good friend who whispered,
"Tonight is a night for some good things to happen for you."

"I don't care," I said.
"I've never been rich. I am outspoken.
I've made a lot of friends and I've also made some enemies.
Whatever good luck comes I wouldn't get too excited about it."

That evening when I closed my eyes, a golden light appeared to me, almost as bright as the sun.
The experience was much like the time I traveled to the Great Void.
I realized then what the Heaven King meant about good luck.
The circle of light was something like seeing a solar eclipse.
The rim was shining brightly while the center was dark.
I felt my body become lighter and lighter and I flew into the center of the circle of light.
My body was moved by some unknown force to another world.
The moment I flew into the new world I saw wonderful beauty all around.
I could rest on the clouds or ride on a flying carpet.
Mountains and rivers beneath me looked smaller.
I was like a bird looking down on the world, in a fairy land above the clouds.
Ahead of me I saw a rainbow gate, and as I entered it I saw golden palaces.
I felt that I was in a dream.
Everything was fresh, sparkling and grand.
I smelled the heavenly fragrance of lotus flowers.
Far away I saw lotus leaves with wonderful colors reflecting from them.
As I looked around I realized that the entire kingdom was supported by lotus flowers!
Palaces floated on layers of them.
The fragrance of lotus permeated the air.
In the Lotus Kingdom there is a virtuous and beautiful Bodhisattva named Lotus Light Buddha.
I humbly bowed to him.
He said:
"Like the waves moving in the ocean, human desires never cease.
When you know the Tao, the stopping of time and desire, you will see Buddha."

He continued, "Lian Shen, while you are here I have a gift to give you.
There are five lotus flowers in front of you. Pick the one you want."

As he spoke, I saw five flowers appear, each shining with a golden light.
On the first flower contained a dazzling collection of silver.
The second contained gold.
The third flower was filled with crystal, jade and pearls.
The fourth was even more compelling: it contained bundles of money.

"You can use this," said the Lotus Light Buddha.

"Maybe for others; I don't think I need it."

The fifth flower contained volumes of the sutra.
I looked closely.
There were 49 years of Buddha's teachings.

"I need this!" I said.
As I spoke the four other flowers disappeared.
Vibrations of light emanated from the flower.
I merged joyfully with the light and became one with the lotus flower.
As I said farewell to Lotus Light Buddha, I closed my palms and stepped backwards.
My feet were resting on something so light and soft it was as if I walked on nothing at all.
I looked down. Beneath my feet was a lotus pond, deep and clear with a mirror-like surface.
With every step I took, a lotus flower emerged to support me.
The fragrance of the Lotus Kingdom is lodged in my memory now.
Whenever I smell the lotus, my thoughts turn to Buddha.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

28-7-2011 Treasure Under The Banyan Tree

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 18 - Treasure Under The Banyan Tree


Near Kao-hsiung City is a village called the Big Tree.
An old man named Chuang lived on a nearby rocky mountain.
He came to see me carrying very heavy luggage.
His eyes indicated to me that he had Yin-Yang-vision - he could see both our world and the realm of spirits.
He came to tell me a story:

"No matter how hard I try, people just don't believe in the world of the shadows.
They don't know that great numbers of entities are a part of reality.
So many shadow-entities swarm around us it seems as if we are in a crowded market.
One day before my neighbour died, I actually saw his shadow wandering around outside!
I knew that he wouldn't live much longer . . . I came here to show you something. Look at this!"

He opened his luggage. I was stunned! His case was filled with silver and gold nuggets!

"What are these? Nuggets?" I asked.

'Yes! Nuggets of the Ch'ing Dynasty."

"Where did you get them?"

"I'll tell you a story about these."

He said that on the mountain where he lived were a great many entities.
It was so noisy with them that often he couldn't sleep.
Yet, Chuang was a gentle person and the entities happily befriended him.
Sometimes after they'd been particularly noisy, the ghosts would send a delegation to apologize.
One evening Chuang woke up at midnight and saw an entity dressed in the official costume of the Ching Dynasty standing beside his bed.
Chuang was startled, but the ghost bowed to him.

"Are you a man or a ghost, an entity or a soul?" Chuang asked.

"I was the district governor of the Ch'ing Dynasty."

"Why do you come to me?"
"Everyone in our realm knows that you have Yin-Yang eyes.
You are kind and helpful.
I need some help from you now.
I have no desire to stay in the realm I am in.
There is much suffering there, just as there is on earth."

"How can I help?"

"Please follow me."

The entity led Chuang fast and effortlessly, flowing as in a dream.
They crossed mountain after mountain, river after river.
Finally, they arrived at a mountain where a huge banyan tree was growing.
The entity pointed to the thick entangled roots and said,

"Beneath the ninth air root from the right you will find a vase full of treasure. "
He turned and pointed to the lights of a distant city.

"That is Shih-lin."

"Yes. Remember the direction of Shih-lin near Taipei and remember to count nine roots from the right," said the entity.

Chuang then followed the ghost home to the Big Tree.
The entity had been a county governor in the Ching Dynasty.
He had buried his treasure under the banyan tree to save it for old age and for his children.
However, he'd had a heart attack and died, having told no one about the banyan tree.
Even in death he was not peaceful because of that unfinished business.
He became earthbound, unable to continue in his cycle towards reincarnation.
Since Chuang was such an honest and trustworthy man, the entity asked him to divide the treasure into three parts; one part to be donated anonymously to charity, a second part used to print the sutras, and the third part which Chuang could keep as thanks.

The entity said, "The heart is the center of the human being.
The more empathy in the heart, the more clear it is.
As the heart becomes more clear, spirituality grows.
One turns to virtue.
Therefore, to change society nothing more is needed than the sutras.
Though people these days don't think there are gods and spirits it is important for them to realize that indeed the heart is god. The heart is spirit."

"With one thought heaven or hell exists."

"The treasure buried under the banyan tree became the stumbling block of my transcendence.
Now I have let go of this burden and I am free."

When Chuang awoke he sat thinking.
 "Impossible!" he said to himself.

"We couldn't have travelled several hundred miles in such a short time! "

He told his children of his experience and everyone thought it was ridiculous.
The next evening the entity appeared again at the foot of his bed and did so for several nights.
Chuang knew he had to respond.
He took his grandson and a shovel and a bag and headed to Taipei.
At the train station in Taipei people eyed the shovel and the bag with suspicion.
It took Chuang three days to find the banyan tree.
He counted the air roots and at the ninth he scraped at the soil.
Almost immediately he felt a ceramic Jar.
As promised, he found silver and gold nuggets, and many coins.

"I'm going to have a sore back carrying this home," the old man said.

"Let's keep it! No one will know!" urged his grandson.

"Do you want to become a hungry ghost? If you are greedy you will surely suffer for it."

Chuang closed his luggage case and looked into my face.

"The world is like a dream, isn't it?
We are like players in a theater.
But there are other theaters, other realms.
When you write your books you can tell this story that I've shared with you.
I'm leaving now.
Don't reveal my identity when you write."

Once someone asked me if any entities had contacted me about searching for treasure.
Yes, they have.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

28-7-2011 Conversations About Zen

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 17 - Conversations About Zen


Hsieh Tng-hua and Hsu Wen-chen, both from Taipei, came to see me to discuss spirituality.
Hsieh was the editor of the Morning Light magazine and a talented writer.
Hsu was a medical student who wrote often.
Both of them had heard talk about me.

"What is God?" Hsieh asked curiously.

"Please tell me which God you are asking about," I answered.

"Are there many Gods?"

"Countless. Immeasurable."

"How come we cannot see them?" Hsu asked.

"If you can see, you are awakened already.
You cannot see because you are deluded.
Most people on earth are deluded.
God is spirit and spirit is formless.
Only the psychic or spiritual eye can see the gods."

"What evidence do you have?"

"Me."

"One person doesn't count. You have to have evidence."

"There is no dharma beyond the heart.
If there were dharma beyond the heart, it would not be right dharma.
If I can see Buddha, that is my heart talking.
There is no instrument, no other evidence.
I am the heart.
The heart is me.
If what I say doesn't count to you then there is nothing else, no instruments, no evidence that can be counted."

The two men looked at each other for awhile, not knowing what to say.

"What do you think about birth and death?" asked Hsieh.

"There is no birth and no death," I answered.
"Birth is the beginning of death.
Death is the end of birth.
Death is also the beginning of birth and birth is the ending of death.
From the eye of the Buddha of infinite light there are only soul bodies.
The manifestation of the physical body is an illusion, although it seems real to us."

Hsieh asked, "Is this the Buddhists' theory of transmigration?"

"This is the most natural and ultimate key teaching of Buddha.
It isn't mysterious.
The only difference is the delusion on awakening.
To see delusion is to see transmigration.
To be awakened, or enlightened, is to see through reincarnation or transmigration.
When I speak of transmigration to people I am addressing those people in the devas realm, the human realm, the asuras realm, the hungry ghost realm, the hell realm, and the animal realm.
All the beings in those six realms are still ruled by reincarnation".

"Is the Tao of Heaven God?" asked Mr. Hsieh.

"Yes. The Tao of Heaven is the Tao of God.
God is the purified soul.
Yet, all those souls walking the proper path, living the virtuous life, can enjoy the accumulation of their merit even after death.
Reincarnation is still necessary.
Only awakened souls are truly free of reincarnation.

"Are you subject to reincarnation?" Mr. Hsu suddenly asked.

"Well, if I tell you, you might not believe it."

"Tell me; I'll believe it."

"It is up to me if I am going to be reincarnated. I have a choice to do it or not do it."

My answer surprised them.
They both seemed to feel that my answer was different than most people's.
Actually, the words came out of my mouth naturally.
As a matter of fact, there was great meaning in my answer.

"I am very interested in Zen. Can you teach me some?" Hsu began to reveal the purpose of his visit.

"If you are interested in Zen I can teach you. The Heaven Dragon".

"What is the Single Finger Zen?"

"One finger is one State.
If you can stay in one state then you have one point of view.
When you have one point of view it will be of benefit to your life."

"Thank you. Thank you. Makes sense."

"According to what you said, if you worship something and call that thing God, then that is it, right?" asked Hsieh.

"Well, you are close."

"Yes. Then if I regard a woman's nipple as God then is the woman's nipple God?"

"That makes sense. Would you regard a woman's nipple as God?"

Hsieh thought for a moment.
I took Hsieh and Hsu to my altar.
There stood the forms of Golden Mother, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
At that moment there were many people worshipping at the altar.

"Why do they worship a wooden staue?" Hsieh asked.

I didn't answer him directly but asked, "Do you feel this altar is solemn and dignified?"

"Yes. It is," they both said.

"Then that's it! In their heart, when they worship their god, they feel God is there.
If both of you feel dignified at this altar then they can feel it too.
Can you deny this feeling and say that feeling is not true, not real?
That is what Zen is.
Do not belittle or look down on this feeling."

I recited a verse from the Transmission of the Lamp.

"Great wisdom said 'When Bodhisattva saw the Buddha nature it was through his eye, not his heart.'
"Question: 'How can you use your eye to see the nature of Buddha?'"
"Answer: 'If you can only see through your heart you are still in a dark cave. Only when you can see through your eye can you know completely. Therefore the nature is like a great void. All the manifestations of this world come from this great void. Nature, the great void and all the things of this world are all the same. All are one thing.'"

"Mr. Lu, what do you think nature is?" Hsieh asked.

"It is spirit."

"Then what is spirit?"

"Spirit is the original nature which was one with all the manifestations in the world."

Then I did a reading for both of them about their past and their future.

Some things in the future we don't know accurately, but everything in their past was read so clearly they were astonished.
It looked as if it was a fake.
They spent almost half the afternoon asking me questions.
All people are curious about their past and future.
As far as these matters are concerned, most people seem to understand some aspects and to misunderstand other parts.
Many intellectuals wave a hand and pronounce that these knowings are mere superstitions and imaginations.

In truth, years of study does not lead to greater spiritual wisdom because it is the heart, not the mind, that knows God.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 Deliverance

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 16 - Deliverance


One evening, in July of 1972, I was sleeping.
I awakened, hearing a noise near the corner of my ceiling.
It sounded like a bug.
I listened more carefully and heard some voices; some conversation.

One said, "Whew, why don't we just stay here? Tomorrow we will have a big meal."

Another said, "I wonder which master is in charge of the deliverance ceremony tomorrow at the Fa Hung Temple? If he is good he can get these handcuffs off me and free me from this bondage."

I heard chains clanking and hitting against each other.

"Hey," said another voice, "be quiet. Don't wake any people up!"

The next morning I telephoned Fa Hung Temple. "Is there a deliverance ceremony today?"

"Oh, yes, Do you want to register your ancestors' names? Hurry then because we need to write down the names for the ceremony." (A deliverance ceremony is to help the deceased enter into heaven.)

That evening I went to the Temple.
I saw the master sitting in the center, wearing the Five Buddha Crown.
Beside him were nuns holding the ritual ceremonial implements.
The chanting was loud.
The master's fingers formed the deliverance mudra.
My spirit master had shown me that mudra.
I opened my psychic eye and became aware of spirit entities there.
It was very crowded.
Two ghosts had a big bamboo pole between them carrying away a heavy bag of rice.
The scene was interesting because the actual rice bag remained where a worshipped had placed it, while the entities carried away the Ch'i (energy) of the rice.

I realized then that when the entities talk of eating a big meal it is not the actual food that they eat, but rather the Ch'i (or energy) of the duck, pork, fish or beef.
This was proof to me that what we eat as food is actually Ch'i.

As I watched, a big black shadow came upon me and said, "Virtuous man, I beg you to open my handcuffs!"

"Why don't you ask the master there? Why do you ask me?"

"The master has already chanted the mantra.
The work has been done.
My handcuffs are still on!
I asked the ghost king and he pointed to you as my helper."

"Well then let me try."

After the experiences I'd had, talking with this ghost was not surprising.
Ghosts don't bother people much unless there's a reason. 


I silently chanted the Reborn to the Pure Land Chant three times.
The handcuffs stayed on the ghost.
He shook his head in anguish.

I said silently in my heart, "Devotee and disciple Lian Shen, following the natural methods, commands the dieties . . ." My palms were closed.

Suddenly my palms moved by themselves into a chopping stroke, a mudra.
I heard a clanking sound.
The handcuffs fell off!

The ghost bowed to me several times then ran to the altar.
Many ghosts with handcuffs followed him back to me.
I continued to chant and to form the Mudras.
One by one the ghosts received blessings.
They happily bowed to me and then left.
As I continued, a crowd of people gathered to watch me, wandering what was going on.

In the deliverance ceremony there are some masters who know what they are doing, but there are also many who just go through the ceremony.
They cannot see the ghosts at all.
They have no idea whether or not they are of help.

I've seen a lot of ghosts.
People ask what the ghosts look like.
Like human beings, all ghosts are different.
Some are friendly, some are fierce.
When humans draw pictures of ghosts, they show blue faces, long teeth, long tongues, wild hair.

In truth, ghosts are not much different than humans in form. 
They aren't really scary at all. 
It's easy to make friends with them.

On my own altar I had at that time about 20 forms of dieties.
Once, while I was burning incense and worshiping at my altar, I saw a lotus flower descending from heaven.
On it sat a Bodhisattva wearing the Five Buddha Golden Crown.
His face was like the full moon loving and compassionate.
His left hand held a stick.

"Lian Shen," he said, "I am the god from hell. Why is it that since you have an altar, you don't hold a deliverance ceremony?"

"How can I? People would laugh at me.
That kind of ceremony is for monks to perform.
I am just an initiate; a devotee.
Perhaps I could invite a well-known master and I could assist."

"Lian Shen, where do you think the Ten Dharma Realm is?
Ten Dharma Realm is actually no Dharma Realm! 
All is empty and void. 
Therefore, how can you think that someone besides you should be in charge?"

"But it is illegal to hold a deliverance ceremony in a private home! I'd have to register! "

"Well, then do it."

"Should I join the Buddhist's association or the Taoist's association?"

"Is there any difference? Think about it and decide." The Bodhisattva smiled and disappeared.

I joined the Chinese Taoist Association and the Chinese Buddhist Association.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 Visiting Mr. Li Ping-Nan

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 15 - Visiting Mr. Li Ping-Nan


In the Buddhists' circle, Li Ping-Nan is well known.
Although he is not a monk, his reputation is greater than that of many advanced monks.
He has lectured extensively on the sutras.
He is especially well known for expounding on the Amitaba sutra.
Because he teaches in universities and often helps students to establish study groups, the younger generation holds him in high regard.

"Amitaba," he said when he answered his door.
He was an old man.
He pressed his palms together in greeting and asked me into his house.

I explained that I had come for guidance.
I told him of my experiences and asked him to help me understand my path.

"Is all that you're telling me really true?" he asked.

"Absolutely true!" I answered firmly.

"I think this is not God; this is evil.
All the gods you have mentioned are non-Buddhists.
Only Buddha is the ultimate.
The difference between these gods and Buddha is the difference between the non-ultimate and the ultimate.
The gods mentioned, such as the Land gods and the City gods, ought to be ignored.
It isn't a matter of belief or not, it is just that Buddha is the One.
All these entities, these non-Buddhists, do nothing except enjoy their merit in heaven.
They themselves are not free from reincarnation, so how can they deliver people?
Be careful!
Evil is powerful, but it never can overcome non-evil."

"But San-shan-chiu-hou directed me to worship and chant to Buddha. How could this then be evil?"

"Dont't you know? Even chanting to Buddha can bring you in touch with the devil!"

I thought for a moment then said, "What? Chanting to Buddha can bring me into contact with the devil?
Then what should I do? Chant or not?"

"Well, you will not understand this for the time being.
You should just study the sutras and ignore whatever these beings or entities might say.
Don't listen to them.
Otherwise they will continue to suck your energy.
You will become weaker and weaker.
You will die."

"Wait a minute, Mr. Li.
San-shan-chiu-hou and all the other dieties I ever met have all been very loving and compassionate to me.
They have taught me to take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
They said that I should wholeheartedly turn to Buddha, Dharma and Virtue.
Is all of this wrong?
You know, I have also found myself getting more and more healthy.
There is nothing wrong with my body."

"Well, I don't understand it." He pulled a book from his bookshelf:

Introduction to Buddhism.
"The next time there is an initiation ceremony you should get initiated.
This is what you should read." He handed the book to me.

I said "I have read the Transmission of the Lamp, the Altar Sutra, and all the other Buddhist sutras.
I have a large library of sutras in my home. "

"This may be too elementary for you, but still it is worthwhile," Li answered.
He was surprised I'd read so much.

That evening San-shan-chin-hou came to me and asked, "Well, what do you think of Mr. Li and his comments?"

"Master! You know?"

"Yes. I was there."

"Master, what did you think of what Mr. Li said?"

"Buddhism and Taoism, like the red flower and the green leaves of the lotus, are one and the same. 
What can be learned is that the Tao and the Buddha are inside the Self. 
There is no outside. 
Too often it seems that the blind lead the blind. 

In truth, one cannot avoid evil in the world or be drawn to goodness in the world because the world is created by the Self."

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 Visiting Mr. Chu Fei

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 14 - Visiting Mr. Chu Fei 


Mr. Chu Fei is a devoted Buddhist and the chief editor of the Buddhist-Muslim magazine, Bodhi-Tree.
I thought, "Since he works with this knowledge all the time he must be wise.
Maybe I can learn something from him." I decided to pay him a visit in Tai-chung City.

I told him right away of my spiritual experiences and of my interest in continuing to learn.
Chu shook his head and exclaimed that such things were impossible.
His wife began to chant for me, reciting the Great Compassion Chant.

"Mrs. Chu," I said, "I do this chant every day too."

"Oh! Really!" she answered, somewhat embarrassed at having been presumptuous.

I think, in Mrs. Chu's mind, if I was not mentally disordered I must have been possessed.
The chant is very powerful in expelling evil. I practiced it so often that I could say it backward, forward and inside out.
Chu, having been silent for awhile, finally said, "I think that what is happening here is that your heart is possessed by evil. There is no medicine for that."

"People on spiritual paths are like logs floating on rivers," I said.
"The stream carries them along.
If the banks of the river, the undercurrent or decay don't cause damage, eventually the log will reach the ocean.
People on the spiritual path, if they are not disillusioned or entangled by evil, and if they maintain a clean and simple heart, are guaranteed by the Law that they will reach Tao.
It was my good fortune to have these spiritual experiences.
Yet you say it is the work of the devil."

Mr. and Mrs. Chu stared at me without answering.
Finally, Chu said, "Mr. Lu, please forgive the limits of our knowledge.
You might wish to visit our teacher, Li Ding-nan.
We are ail his students.
He has worshipped Buddha much longer than we have and he is much wiser.
Maybe he can answer your questions.
Your experiences certainly are unique!"

I thanked them and bowed to their Ksitigarbha Bodhisatva stage and to their stage of Buddha.

When I left the house I began to wonder, "Is this really the work of the devil?"
As I was doubting, a circle of light appeared in front of my eyes. I
n the center of the brightness was a Bodhisattva wearing the Five Buddha Golden Crown.

"I am the Bodhisattva of Chiu-hua Mountain.
I notice that you begin to doubt yourself.
That is why I come to say to you: maintain your nature.
Your original nature is cultivation.
Ask for nothing.
This is the way you should place yourself.
Keep in mind always that you are Buddha."

"Lian Shen, Buddha is non-Buddha and non-Buddha is Buddha.
If you think it is an obstacle to live among the non-Buddha, it will be an obstacle for you to live among the Buddha too. Now you are in a trial period. I have come to tell you: do not doubt yourself."

After this message was finished the light zoomed away from me and disappeared into the sky.
I found that I was standing at a crossroad.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 Saved By Kuan Yin

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 13 - Saved By Kuan Yin


When I was eighteen I lived in Kao-hsiung City and studied at the Vocational School.
One evening my friend Huang and I visited the night market near the Ten Thousand Dragon Theater.
The market had more than a mile of stalls filled with food, clothes, medicine, and herbs.
It was crowded and busy.
While we were walking around, we passed a fortune teller's booth.
An old man sat in the corner alone.
Business wasn't so good.
When he saw us he yelled,
"Hey, young man! Let me tell your fortune. Free for you!"

"Well, free? Let's give it a try."

Naturally, then people began to surround the booth.
The man, though old, had a lot of spirit in his eyes.
He studied Huang's face then looked at his palms and asked his name.
Next he asked him to pick a hexagram from the book of I Ching.
The old man studied the hexagram then looked at my friend and said,
"Well, you must be Hakka* from Mei-nung City."
*Hakka is the name for a particular group of Chinese people.

"Yes!" answered Huang.

"Judging from the appearance of your face, you are of average intelligence.
According to your palm, you will have a lot of struggle in the early stages of your life.
The hexagram says that the best thing for you to do is to find a steady civil service job with the government.
You will not be receiving much help from your relatives.
There is no fortune to receive.
You are to be a self-made man.
Do you know that recently your grandparents' tomb site has been changed?
The Feng-shui has been changed."

"Yes, I know. It was at the beginning of this year. We were looking for a new site for them."

"If my reading is correct, this site was picked by your elder brother.
He put some Fu there so that some of the energy from the ancestors would go to him.
Therefore, although you might have a stable life, there is only a slender chance that you will accumulate any fortune at all."

"That's right! The tomb site was picked by my eldest brother!"

The old man turned and looked at me.
At that time I was shy, skinny and short.
He pulled me close and studied my face and hands.
He asked me to pick a hexagram.
His eyebrows knitted closely together in a frown.
"Are you the oldest son in the family?"

"Yes."

"Your face is very complex.
Your future is not fixed.
You have a unique character.
It is peculiar.
You have lots of fortune indicated in your hand.
Your face and hands tell me that you are good at writing.
For the time being, your family is just average.
You will establish your life by yourself.
The hexagram I will tell you about, but don't be shocked or frightened. "

"Tell me."

"According to the hexagram you come from a very high realm.
There is some conflict, however, so that it is likely that your body will come to misfortune when you are 28 years old. You might die. You'd better pray more. Worship Buddha."

"But I am a Christian!" I protested.

"Christian? Well then there's nothing I can do," he said.

After that, many people in the surrounding crowd asked for readings.

My friend and I stayed to listen. His readings seemed to be accurate and I began to feel uncomfortable!

In 1971 I was twenty-seven years old.
I hadn't forgotten what the fortune teller had told me.
One night I asked my spirit master, San-shan-chiu-hou, "Master, a long time ago a fortune teller told me I would die at 28. I don't know if this is to come true or not. If it is to be, then I don't have much longer."

"Lian Shen, the reading you got was accurate, yet the energy in the universe is ever changing.
The fate of the entire universe is changeable, not to mention one small person!
Do you remember when you worshipped Kuan-Yin?
I told you then that a promise was made that your life would be saved by her."

Around Christmas in 1971, I was not a vegetarian.
I enjoyed eating meat and fish.
At lunch one day I suddenly got a headache.
I felt dizzy and nauseous.
Everything I had eaten was vomited.
I felt my forehead.
No fever.
I went to see a doctor and he said I was healthy.
At dinner my mother cooked my favorite dish: fish stew.
After I ate it the same problem occurred.
I began to vomit to clean my stomach.
This happened several times more until I finally learned that I was only well when I have vegetarian meals.
Some people will think this is psychological, but I don't think so.
Once my sister steamed some rice for me using fish juice.
Even that caused me to vomit.
Any meat at all triggered me to vomit.
It was painful.
I asked my spirit master why this was so.

He answered, "You have gone through a cleansing process which has been purifying for you."

I stopped eating meat in December, 1971.
One day in December of 1972, my young sister was using oil to stir-fry some vegetables.
The oil had previously been used to fry sausages.
I ate the vegetables and was surprised to find that I didn't get a headache or vomit!
It came to my mind then that exactly one year had passed.

I asked my master why this had happened.
"Your karma has been paid off.
It's over.
Before, you couldn't eat meat and fish because the gods forced you to pay your karma.
Every day and night they watched over you.
The gods have watched you.
Now the gods have left.
Your choice of foods is up to you now.
If you don't believe it, go to your altar and see the Kuan-yin statue.
Then you will understand. "

I went to my altar and looked at the Kuan-yin.
The figure's ceramic glaze had crackled, with lines crazed all over it.
Even the face was covered with cracks!

How could it have happened?
Later I learned that it was true: according to my fate, I was supposed to die at 28.
However, the year I spent as a vegetarian and Kuan-yin's promise saved my life.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 The Hong-An Temple

The Flying Carpet of the East 

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Shan Tung Hsu P.hD., Bekka, Karin Greenway

This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈.

CHAPTER 12 - The Hong-An Temple


My good friend Mr. Hu lived in Tsou Twin near Tai-Chung.
Once while visiting him, I passed by the Hong-An Temple and peeked inside.
Three statues stood on the altar, one with a red face, one a blue face, and the third a black face.
A banner read, "Lords of the Three Halls."

I asked Mr. Hu, "Who are the three gods in the Hong-An Temple?"

"I was told they are Lord Tsang, Lord Lee and Lord Moh," he said.

"I've heard that their presence can be felt strongly."

"I've become more and more interested in visiting temples and worshipping the gods," I said.
"Even when I'm just walking by, somehow I feel as if I've missed something if I don't go in."

"Sheng-Yen, I've heard people talk about you. Everyone said you are psychic. Do gods really exist? Does every temple have a god or Buddha present there?"

"Not necessarily. I visited one temple in the vicinity of Tai-Chung where they worshipped Sakyamuni Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra, the guardian Veda, and the temple guardian.
I saw the statues of the Bodhisattvas.
They seemed very dignified and I felt joy in my heart.
I immediately knelt; then, unexpectedly, a land god with a long white beard came out from beneath the altar and said, 'Don't kneel and bow. Stop! Stop! Don't don't!' I was surprised!"

"What happened next?"

"The land god sighed and said, 'I am the land god in charge of this territory and this temple was taken over by "such-n-such" master 40 years ago.
This priest is very wicked and all his disciples live in a less than honorable fashion.
The temple precepts have been disobeyed and the vows of the monastic life are not upheld.
The energy of Buddha has not been present in this temple for 40 years.
The guardians of this temple were going to punish the priest and his disciples, but the priest still has merit left from previous good karma. The retribution will come 50 years from now. The temple's spirit guardians have left. The staues are empty. Only lower entities exist here. The monks and nuns still carry on the daily rituals everyday. They don't know that for the last 40 years the Buddha has not been present here.' The land god shook his head and disappeared."

"You saw and heard all this?" my friend asked.

"Absolutely! I walked around that temple. It was well built, yet I couldn't pick up any energy. I felt sorry for the monks and nuns who lived there!"

"That really happened? That's amazing!
Some time we'll go back to the temple and you can check to see if any gods exist there."

My friend and I visited the temple a few days later.
The man in charge was a good friend of his.
My friend told him about me and he smiled in disbelief and said, "Oh, is that so?"

I used a divine reading method to converse with deities there.
Next I turned to the man in charge and said, "Sir, there are six mediums who live here.
However, the mediums quarrel with people over money, and one of them doesn't follow the temple regulations."

The man in charge was shocked.
At the time there were three mediums in the temple.
When they heard what I said they were very concerned.

One of them said, "What you just said is absolutely true.
Do the gods have any instruction for us?
What can we do to make this temple prosperous? "

"The gods would like harmony in this temple.
If there is harmony, the temple will become prosperous.
Do not worship the gods only because you know they exist.
It is a great blessing to have a human body.
It is important for us to realize this and cultivate ourselves spiritually.
This life is meant for more than eating, sleeping, and satisfying our external desires.
Worship the gods and cultivate in order to see your original face!"

I taught the mediums a method of sending away unwanted spirits and they were grateful.
When I took the bus back to Tai-Chung I felt an entity follow me.
When I got on the bus he got on.
When I got off he got off.
He followed me to my apartment and came in.
I lit incense, put it in the incense holder and then there appeared a red faced god.
He was one of the three Gods from the temple.
He acknowledged me with hand gestures, smiled and said, "I am from the Hall of Tsang.
I am aware that you communicate with the spiritual world, so I followed you to ask from whom you studied."

"Honourable deity, you don't know?" I asked.

"No."

"That's just what I expected. You are a disciple of a great master. Lian Shen, would you stay in my temple?"

"Forgive me, but I already have a shrine in my home.
I enjoy worshipping privately.
I don't want to become a medium.
That is a worthy practice, but I want to cultivate myself in order to reach the highest realization.
Then I can be of help in the teachings of Buddha. To realize one's own nature is to exist forever."

The entity considered what I said, then replied: "What you say is true. Mediums, although able to help ordinary people, are sometimes confused themselves. If in the future you need help from me, just hold an incense stick in the direction of my temple and say the temple's name. I will surely come to help you."

"Thank you, honorable deity."

The god slowly disappeared.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School