26-7-2011 Conversation At Feng-Lin 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 11 - Conversation At Feng-Lin Temple


Feng-Lin Temple is in a village near Kao-hsiung Harbour by the ocean.
I love the ocean and I often stroll on beaches at sunset, watching the horizon that connects the ocean to heaven.
I meditate on every wave.
Life is much like the ocean-up and down, in the constant motion.

One evening at sunset, I felt as I was gazing, my heart merge and become one with the great golden red expanse of the sky and the ocean.
Then the sky became darker and the wind blew strongly, making the waves larger. 
It seemed I was the only one who existed in the world.

I was about to leave the beach when I noticed a lantern waving in the ocean, appearing and disappearing with the waves. As it drifted closer, I saw that the lantern led the way for two guardian spirits walking on the water in front of a chair. Over it gleamed the words: "The Holy Mother of Feng-Lin Temple."
After a moment, both the chair and the guardians disappeared.

The next day I asked a villager if there was a temple called Feng-Lin in the village.

"Yes," an old man answered, "there's the Feng-Lin Temple where they worship the goddess Ma-tsu."

That evening I went to the Feng-Lin Temple.
I had a habit of worshipping in the temple of every place I visited regardless of the size or the kind.
I lit incense and bowed to the Holy Mother.
I heard her voice say, "Devotee, have you already achieved the ability of divine healing?"

"Yes, I have come to ask the Bodhisattva for knowledge."

"What would you like to know?"

"I'd like to know the way to stay in good health."

The Holy Mother Ma-tsu answered: "Pay attention to what you eat. 
The five tastes are acrid, sour, salty, sweet and bitter. 
These five tastes are to adjust the Ch'i of Yin and Yang. 
It is necessary to have them all in daily life, yet it is important to be moderate. 
Without moderation the five elements in your body will be out of balance. 
Then one gets sick. 
If you use the five tastes in moderation, they will be good for you. 
People in ancient times didn't cook very much. 
That's why they lived longer. 
When man discovered fire and complicated his diet, all six emotions were aroused. 
This covered up their spiritual awareness. 
Here is the important key to health, dear one. Are you listening?"

"I am, Holy Mother Ma-tsu."

"The food you eat should be whole and simple and balanced. 
Most people know this already. 
However, the key to health is not food, but thought. 
When thoughts are pure and whole, health is assured. 
You are what you think, not what you eat."

"Oh, yes, I see."

"Hmmm," she continued, "I see red, gold and white light emanating from your face.
You must be a very spiritually evolved soul.
I also see the God of Virtue following you.
May I ask where you received your spiritual training?"

"Bodhisattva, my name is Lian Shen.
I was originally a Christian.
Later I took a divine decree from the Golden Mother to learn from Master San-shan-chiu-hou and from Master Ching-chen.
I have come to this place on a surveying assignment.
Yesterday I saw you making an inspection of the ocean.
This is why I came to visit and worship you."

"I do not know Master San-shan-chiu-hou, but I have heard that Master Ch'ing-chen is a pure-hearted Taoist. Very good, very good."

"Bodhisattva, Master San-shan-chiu-hou is not a person, he is a spiritual entity.
I call him my Spirit Master. He is a celestial being in the formless realm."

"Forgive my ignorance. Lian Shen, if you have time, please visit often."

Later, when I worshipped the Golden Mother in my home shrine, I sent a Fu to notify the deities in all ten quarters of the world. The Holy Mother of the Feng-lin Temple came to visit along with many other deities.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 The Smile Of Goddess Ma Tsu

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 10 - The Smile Of Goddess Ma Tsu


As a surveyor, I traveled to all kinds of places.
One unforgettable experience I had was the smile of the Goddess Ma-tsu in Liu-chia in Southern Taiwan.
There is a famous dam there called Coral Lake Dam.
My co-workers, Mr. Chang and Mr. Huang, and I were assigned to survey there.

While I was there my Spirit Master, San-shan-chiu-hou, was with me.
He taught me every night.
I remember it was winter and the Weather was freezing.
I'd be awakened at midnight by my Spirit Master to get up and go out.
The teachings he had for me were to be learned in the cemetary.
I remember those cold winter nights.
The sky was often clear with brightly shining stars.
I remember the white tombstones lined in rows.

My Spirit Master taught me a method for calling on and commanding the spirits by using the mudras and chanting. It was part of my training to learn black magic so that I would have a complete education. 
It was not intended that I would ever use this knowledge, but knowing about it was necessary.

He said, "This technique is not usually taught by traditional schools. However, in the future you are going to teach the dharma and so it is good to know the techniques of all schools. Great Wisdom encompasses all the dharma in the universe. The heart of Great Wisdom shines everywhere and is beyond imagination. The unrighteous methods cannot affect you and in the future you will also learn Buddha's dharma. Then you will encompass all three religions: Christianity, Taoism and Buddhism."

One evening Mr. Huang and I wandered downtown.
Mr. Huang got a haircut and then we stopped by a small temple near a market.
The sign on the temple read: Liu-chua Buddhist Chanting Group."
We entered. In a room to the left people were chanting.
I closed my palms and bowed to the Bodhisattva statue in the center room.
As I raised my head I saw a colourful cloud in the sky.
A goddess with a smiling face descended from it, standing on a pair of beautiful lotus flowers.
She wore wonderful, colorful robes and a hat with a nine-dragon design.

With a gentle smile she said, "Lian Shen, how have you been?"

"Bodhisattva, do you know me?"

"Yes, I have visited the Yu-Huang Temple in Tai-Chung and I have visited your altar. Don't you remember?"

As a matter of fact, I didn't remember.
There are so many deities in the universe.
Each deity has his or her own responsibility.
I have met many of them, but I really had forgotten that this Goddess, Ma-tsu, had visited me.

I replied, "Honorable Bodhisattva, please forgive me, I really don't remember. "

"It's all right that you don't remember. I have a request to make."

"Please instruct me."

She continued, "The resident priest of this temple has been sick. I'd like to ask you to write a Fu (paper charm) to cure him. After you have written it, give it to the people of the temple and come back tomorrow. You will be surprised at the results."

She disappeared.
I walked straight to the altar, drew the Fu and energized it.
I gave it to the people who were chanting, explaining to an old man what had happened.
He didn't say anything, but some of the women there were curious.

"Are you a medium?" one of them asked.

"I come from Tai-Chung. I am not a medium. The goddess I saw told me to come back tomorrow," I answered.

"Fine. Leave the Fu here. Come tomorrow," the old man muttered.

Mr Huang and I left the temple.

"They don't believe you," he said. "Why bother with it?"

"Can't blame them. If I hadn't met the blue-dressed lady, if I hadn't learned all these things from my Spirit Master, I'd never believe any of this either!"

Huang and I returned to the temple the next evening.
As we stepped in, the resident priest and a group of women came forward to greet us.

"Your Fu was very effective! I've been ill for over two months and now I'm up and out of bed," the priest said.

"This is a wonderful recovery. The burden is lifted. Thanks to Bodhisattva and thanks to you too. "

Relieved, I bowed to the Bodhisattva and turned to leave.

"Sir," said one woman standing nearby, "can you help me with a Fu for my young son? He has been ill for a long time. He has been taking medicine which has helped, but the illness comes back again and again. Also, my mother has been coughing for a long time. Can you help?"

"I ask you sir, please give me a Fu also," said another woman.

The women had drawn close around me now, each asking for help.

I knelt in front of the figure of Ma-tsu.
She appeared before me, though not as clearly as before.

"Lian Shen, now it's time for you to get busy. Go ahead. I will help you," she said.

I began to write the Fus for each one.
Later, I learned that the Fus were very effective.
I was at the temple for a third evening and many more people were there.
The word had spread that a young man with divine power had arrived.
The whole town had heard that the Fu could cure everything.
I continued to write them for people and until midnight, every night I did divine readings to answer questions for people. They offered money to me and taxi rides, but I refused.
This was the work of God and not my work.

"Sir, if you don't accept my money, you do not honour me," one lady said.

"I'm sorry. I really do this for the Goddess Ma-tsu. It is to her credit, not mine.
That is why I cannot accept your offer."

While I was there, I got to know the two entities who guard Ma-tsu, Thousand Mile Eye and Thousand Mile Ear. The names were conferred upon them because of their divine abilities to see and to hear.

I had seen dozens and dozens of people during those days in Liu-chia.
When it was time for me to leave, hundreds of people were at the train station to see me off.

The most wonderful experience I had, however, was the unforgettable smile of the goddess, Ma-tsu.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

26-7-2011 The Temple On Brush Tip Mountain

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 9 - The Temple On Brush Tip Mountain


In Chu-Nan City there is a mountain called Brush Tip.
Some 50 families live there, all farmers who cultivate crops on the terraced land.
My assistant and I were there on a surveying assignment, staying temporarily at a military post.
We got to know the residents quite well.

At the time there was a big celebration at the new Yu Ta-jen Temple and my assistant and I were invited.
The residents were very generous and hospitable, inviting as many guests as possible to the feast.
Some families invited several dozen guests.
Others invited several hundred.

We were having a great time toasting and drinking when an old man at our table suddenly sighed and said, "Hmmm, it's too bad, this mountain used to have very good energy. Unfortunately . . ."

"Unfortunately," I interrupted, "the dragon's body has been cut in two. "

The old man looked surprised. "Young man, you know the Feng-Shui."

I pointed to a low area on the mountain and said, "That point of the mountain has the name 'Two Dragons Point to the Sun.'
Long ago, because of the high and pure energy of this place, a high ranking official was born there.
Later, an industrial company dug clay out of the mountain to make bricks and the energy was disturbed.
The company soon discovered that the clay wasn't suitable for making bricks, and left without filling in the hole, leaving a gap in the mountain.
Because of this, the center of the dragon is ruined, and the energy of the mountain has been slipping away.
That is why the Yu-Ta-jen Temple has been built-to prevent the energy from continuing to slip away.
The festival today celebrates this event. Am I correct?"

The old man replied, "Oh my! Oh my! Dear brother, who is your master? Who taught you this? I have studied Feng-Shui for 40 years. I learned from the Fukien San-yuan School. I thought I was the only one who could recognize the energy here! Yes, this is why I built this temple.
It is unbelievable that you can recognize the energy too. Tell me, who is your teacher?"

"My Feng-Shui teacher was Master Ch'ing-chen. He was a Taoist and he lived on Lien-t'ou Mountain."

"Master Ch'ing-Chen? I've never heard of him," the old man said, shaking his head.

"He was a hermit. Not many people have heard of him," I explained.

"How about taking a look to see how well this temple has been built?"

Without giving me a chance to respond the old man grabbed my arm and took me to the front of the temple.
My assistant, Mr. Huang, and a few other villagers followed along. I walked around the temple.
It was quite small.
It held an 8-inch tall figure titled "Yu Ta-jen" and other figures whose names weren't familiar to me.
After looking around the temple I said: "This temple has three doors, seven posts, and is divided into five sections. The incense holder is placed upside down. All of this is designed to absorb back all the earth's energy that has been lost."

The old man was astonished. "Don't tell me you have already studied the Earth Spirit Sutra?"

"What Earth Spirit Sutra?" I asked, really not knowing what it was.

"The Earth Spirit Sutra is the most sacred of knowledge. Everyone who studies Feng-Shui dreams of being able to know it. The knowledge is not written down. It is acquired through direct transmission. It cost me my entire fortune to learn only a little of it from the San-yuan School.
Who is Master Ch'ing-chen?
How could he have given you such precious knowledge?
How much did you pay him?"

"Not a single dime."
"I'm not kidding. Really," I sincerely said.

"According to your judgment," he said, "when will this temple become prosperous?"

I looked at the hexagram design on the ceiling and said, "In 12 years."

"My dear brother, I very much admire you. You are correct. I put 12 houses on the design. If you do any Feng-Shui as a profession you will make a fortune. I've never met someone so young who has such great knowledge!"

"Sir, please tell me, who is Yu Ta-jen?" I was curious because I felt no energy in the figure.

"You've found out already. It's not appropriate for me to talk about that here."
He took me outside and very solemnly said, "I am Yu Ta-jen."

"Oh, is that so?" I nodded my head and said no more.

The old man had written his birth date on the eight hexagrams on the ceiling design.
Then he had taken a piece of his hair and fingernail and put it inside the figure.
He will die in 12 years. He himself knew this.
When he dies his spirit will stay in the statue in the temple to enliven it and he will receive people's worship.
This is a very special soul transformation method.
Master Ch'ing-chen taught it to me also.
However, unless one really knows what he is doing, he shouldn't try .

Another experience happened on Brush Tip Mountain:
Because of the numerous hills and valleys on the mountain, it was difficult to move the surveying instruments around. Once my assistant grabbed his instruments and went running down a hill to set up for a measurement of the hill's height. As he was on his way down I stopped him, calling: "Wait a minute. It is really difficult to get down there. Let me 'read' it."

"Are you going to use spiritual reading?"

"Yes, I'm going to give it a try," I said.

I mobilized and extended out my psychic energy and measured the distance. The latitude was 63 meters.

However, I was afraid my reading wasn't accurate so, in the end, I asked him to go down the hill anyway.

His instrument read 65 meters - two meters different than my reading.

That was strange.
Why was my reading two meters off?

My assistant came hiking up the hill and after caching his breath he said: "The bottom wasn't flat. The place where I stood was two meters below the flat ground. "

"Ah, now I see. Thanks!" I said.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

25-7-2011 Visiting The City God Of Peng Hu

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 8 - Visiting The City God Of Peng Hu


Captain Wei and I were flying to Peng-hu, an offshore island near Southwest Taiwan.
We were going to do some surveying on the military base there.

"I've heard that you are a sincere believer in Buddha," he said.

"Yes, I am. How about you?'

"Me? I don't believe in anything," Wei said.

"As far as I'm concerned, as long as I follow my conscience that's good enough.
I have had people preach to me before, and I've attended church a few times.
I heard that as long as you believe, you will be saved.
Christianity and Buddhism seem the same to me.
My wife wants me to worship Kuan-Yin, but I think that as long as I hold respect in my heart that's good enough. Why is it necessary to do such tedious things as burn incense and bow?"

"You have a point," I conceded.
"If everyone had as good a heart as you that would be great, but it's also true that some people experience the presence of the Bodhisattvas."

"Oh, you must be talking about spiritual reading. I'll believe that when I see it. I was told you have this talent, but unless you prove it to me I won't believe it. You may think I'm stubborn, but if indeed it is true, maybe I will convert to Buddhism."

The flight to Peng-hu took 30 minutes.
Peng-hu is famous for its wind.
From the plane window I watched blue waves tumbling on the ocean.
When we landed, the wind was blowing with gale force.
The doorman at the hotel said it was like this every day.

Captain Wei and I toured the town.
He told me that he and his wife had lived here some years before.
His wife used to be sickly, and she went to Kuan-Yin Temple to pray for better health.
She promised a special offering to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Kuan-Yin.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was nine o'clock-too early to go to sleep, but there was no place to go for entertainment.
Captain Wei reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of coins.
He stretched his closed hand in front of me and said, "Let me test how accurate your spiritual reading is. Guess how many coins are in my hand. If you guess right I will believe in Buddha, otherwise you will treat me to a movie."

This kind of test always took me by surprise and I didn't like it.
Yet I had to face it.
I closed my eyes, placed the palms of my hands together, and silently prayed, "Disciple Lian Shen, in accordance with highest dharma, respectfully invites any gods in the vicinity to come to me. I need help,"
I repeated over and over.
Finally, a god appeared.
He was very colorfully dressed in a robe with a dragon on it.
He looked very stately.
He emanated rays of light.
Of course Captain Wei couldn't see the god.
At that time I could see most of the gods, except the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who exist in the formless realm.

"I'm the god in charge of this territory," the being said.
"I don't know what you need, but you used a dharma method to call upon me."

"I feel really embarrassed bothering you like this, however, the Captain has given me a test. He has asked me to tell him how many coins are in his hand. I'd like to answer him. Could you please find out for me?"
I was thinking that to bother the city god over such a trivial matter must really anger him.

The city god replied, "How trivial. Why are you so foolish as to do this sort of thing?"

"If I can answer accurately, I can convert one more person to Buddha. There is great merit in that. Just this time, please? I won't ask again."

"There are fourteen." The god disappeared.

I told Captain Wei there were fourteen coins in his hand.
He counted out the coins one by one. He hadn't known how many were in his hand.
He came to the thirteenth and found one left in his hand. There were exactly fourteen!

Captain Wei looked at me. "Amazing," he said. "Your readings are really very accurate, aren't they? I will keep my promise. When we have time I will escort you to all the temples in this town. In the meantime I am going to fulfill for my wife the vow she made to Kuan-yin by visiting the Kuan-Yin Temple with a special offering."

Captain Wei did keep his promise.
After we finished our work he escorted me to all the temples in town, both Taoist and Buddhist.

Finally we went to the City God's temple.
The City God was sitting in the middle near the altar.
He saw us come in and immediately got up from his chair and said to me, "Oh, now I recognize you! You are the disciple of Master San-shan-chiu-hou. No wonder you can use such a high chant to call upon us. I apologize for my rudeness."

"Oh no, no. I have come to thank you for your help. Now the captain has converted to Buddha. One day, if he becomes a Buddha, it will be all because of you."

"Oh don't say that," the City God humbly said.
I saw two guardian ghosts wink at us.

By the time Captain Wei had returned to Tai-Chung, he had changed.
He became a very devoted Buddhist.
He printed many of the sutras to give away.
He worshipped Buddha in his home.
The Weis had three sons and Mrs. Wei had been praying for a girl.
Later, she was blessed with a fourth baby, a girl.
They were very happy.
His wife's health improved and Captain Wei became even more devoted.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

25-7-2011 A Temple Affair

he 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 7 - A Temple Affair

On January 9th, 1970, it was the Jade Emperor god's birthday.
Two plays were being staged in front of the Yu-huang Temple.
The priest in charge also arranged a parade in which the Jade Emperor's statue and other Dieties' statues were honoured. It was a big event for the temple.
Devotees stood in front of their homes holding incense to show their love for the gods as the parade passed. Throngs followed the procession as statues carried on shoulder carts moved slowly through the streets.
When the parade was finished, the statues were returned to the temple and placed on the altar with the Jade Emperor god in the center.
On his left was the figure of Lao Tzu, and on his right the god of infinity and the Golden Mother.
The temple was crowded with pilgrims and hazy with incense smoke.

While everyone was involved in burning incense and worshiping, a woman dressed in rags suddenly appeared, her mouth foaming with saliva.
She knelt, scratching the ground with outstretched arms and crying out to the Jade Emperor god, "Justice! Justice! Give me back my life!". She seemed to be insane.

The crowd stirred and people gathered around her as she yelled and pleaded for help. "Give me back my life! You murdered me! I want my life back from you. Oh, Jade Emperor, deliver me or return my life to me. How painful!. . .Ha! Ha! I will not let you go so easily!"

She was laughing and crying in despair and confusion, alternating between screaming, laughing, clapping her hands, and bowing her head over and over again. Her tangled hair flew loosely around her head, heightening the appearance of one demented.

The priest in charge, Shih Hui-ling, stood behind her.
He prayed to the Jade Emperor, but the crazy woman continued with no indication of recovering.
In fact, she became worse. She smashed a candle and a fruit offering, sweeping it onto the floor with her arm.
Some people tried to restrain her, but she scratched and bit at them.

No one knew what to do.
The temple was very crowded and became more so as people clustered in to watch, yet no one could do anything to ease the situation.

Finally, a tall man walked toward her.
Some people recognized him and said that everything would be taken care of now because Master Ch'ien of the Nine Heaven Temple had arrived.
He stepped forward, holding a bowl of water in his right hand, while his left hand formed the sword mudra.
He filled his mouth with water and sprayed it into the air. "Bright and luminous, the sun rises from the east. This sacred water will wipe out all evils," he intoned.

The woman was dazed.
She glared at Master Ch'ien and yelled, "This is none of your business!"
She reached out to grab him.
Master Ch'ien continued to spit mouthsful of water.
The woman clawed at him until he was bleeding, but he continued to make the sword mudra, calling out, "Take the command of the Prince General."
The woman became frantic and began swinging her arms.
People stepped back.

Master Ch'ien at last was exhausted and turned to the priest. "I can't handle her. The entity is too powerful."

Mother and I had watched it all.
I turned to her and said, "I think I can handle it."

I had confidence.
I took off my coat and stepped over to the woman.
I closed my palms together and chanted silently the Diamond Protection chant.
The crazy woman dropped her hands.

"Who are you?" she growled. "Don't mess around with me."

"My name is Lian Shen. I'm a disciple of Master San-shan-chiu-hou.
I have come to ask you to stop this revenge.
One should dissolve feelings of revenge instead of letting them accumulate.
Otherwise, the cycle will continue without end.
It's alright for you to ask the Jade Emperor for justice, but you shouldn't interfere with the temple fair."

"In my previous life I was murdered by this woman.
Now I possess her body and I am asking the Jade Emperor for justice.
This is a rare opportunity because the Jade Emperor is here today.
I have to get even.
You shouldn't meddle.
I respect you as a Taoist practitioner so I am not going to fight with you."

"Good friend, if I can deliver you, would you then stop this nonsense?"

"Can You?" The woman burst out laughing.

A buzz of worried chatter surrounded us.

I asked Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to be the witness.
Silently, I chanted the deliverance chant and circled the crazy woman 33 times to the left, then 33 times to the right. I continually changed my hand Mudras as I circled.
It was a method taught to me by Master San-shan-chiu-hou, and it was the first time I had tried using it.
I didn't know whether it would work! I was nervous.

Remarkably, the crazy woman slowly closed her angry eyes, stopped swinging her arms, and sat quietly.
By the time I had finished the chant, the entity had vanished and the woman had regained her normal state of consciousness.

"How come I'm here?" she cried.

The crowd applauded.
People surrounded me.
One of the woman's neighbours said, "She has been crazy for nine years! No doctor was able to cure her. This is the first time she has recovered. Thank God! Finally she's cured!"

I was grateful to Master San-shan-chiu-hou.
His method worked the first time I tried it!
I was elated, and so was my mother.

However, Master Chien was embarrassed, "Actually this healing was done by the power of the Prince General God," he said.
"That guy Lian Shen merely took advantage of the situation. How could just a few mudras expel the entity? It was really the power of my sacred water."

I didn't say anything. I was disappointed in human nature.

I thought about Master Ch'ing-chen.
He was truly an advanced master, yet he chose to live alone.
Had he chosen seclusion because he had became so disappointed in human nature?

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

25-7-2011 Studying At Lien T'ou Mountain

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 6 - Studying At Lien T'ou Mountain

Through the guidance of Spirit Master San-shon-chiu-hou (Three-Peaks-Nine-States), I went to the Lien-t'ou Mountain to ask Master Ch'ing-chen to become my teacher.
In the Taoist tradition there is a ceremony for initiation called Kuo-Kung-fe (a ceremony of walking through fire.) Master Ch'ing-chen performed the ceremony and I formally became a Taoist practitioner.

There are many mountains in Taiwan.
Most people are not familiar with the one called Lien-t'ou; it is actually a small peak on another mountain.
Master Ch'ing-chen came from mainland China.
When I met him he was about 80 years old.
As a young man, he studied the Tao in the temple of Ch'ing-Ch'eng Mountain.
His family name was Chang, the same as the Heavenly Master Chang who founded the Taoist religion.

Since Master Ch'ing-chen had come to Taiwan he had been living in seclusion in a thatched hut, tilling a small portion of land.
He worshipped the three Pure Ones: Upper Pure, Jade Pure, and Great Pure.

Master San-shan-chiu-hou told me Master Ch'ing-chen had been cultivating himself for over 50 years and had learned many spiritual secrets.
He could travel out of his body at will.
He also told me that although Master Ch'ing-chen didn't accept students, if I went to him he would accept me.
He said that I would learn a great deal from him.

When I arrived at his hut, Master Ch'ing-chen was meditating.
He opened his eyes slightly and asked, "Why have you come here?"
"ln accordance with Master San-shan-chiu-hou's guidance I have come to learn from you," I replied.
I knelt and bowed my head.

"When is your birthday?"
"May 18, 1945, noon," I answered.

Master Ch'ing-chen appeared startled. "You were born on the same day and hour as the Heavenly Master Chang! Get up, get up, don't bow down to me! I recognize you!"

I felt as if I had met Master Ch'ing-chen before.
I thought for awhile, then suddenly remembered he was the Abbot in the dream I'd had, the one who said he had an appointment with me and hit me over the head with his duster.
Master Ch'ing-chen also had a duster.
I told him about my dream and he laughed loudly.

Master Ch'ing-chen taught me how to write symbols on rice paper and how to energize it for healing.
He taught me prayers for calling upon helpful energy.
I learned Taoist alchemy-a sacred method for increasing health and vitality, and restoring original energy.

Master Ch'ing-chen told me: "If you are able to return to your original nature you will become a great celestial being. To restore your original nature is to re-establish the Ch'ing-ch'i and Shen (vital energy, the life force and spiritual force.)
You should bring the energy back to its source.
To be able to separate your soul from your body at will is possible.
It sounds like a fairy tale, but it can actually be done.
The ability comes from spiritual cultivation."

I studied with Master Ch'ing-chen by visiting him on weekends and on holidays.
During the week I had an ordinary job to perform.
Yet I took my study very seriously.
I practiced diligently.
Master Ch'ing-chen encouraged me to study hard so I could serve people in the future.
He taught me the Diamond Protection Chant-protection from evil energy, and many others.

He said: "To rescue and deliver human beings requires great compassion.
Teach the people the divine laws.
All beings in all the worlds need to hear the teachings and be liberated."

He added, "As long as positive energy exists, negative energy will also exist.
Yet, don't concern yourself with negative energy.
Be concerned only with positive energy.
If it is dominant, then negative energy will be sublimated.
As long as you abide in positive energy and cultivate the highest realization, you will eventually reach Tao."

Once he asked: "Lian Shen, would you like to learn how to read the past and the future?"

"Yes, I would," I answered.

"Study the Juang-Chi Sutra in depth and then I will teach you divine reading and everything will be known to you."

Master Ch'ing-chen awakened my soul.
If a person's soul is awake he is able to see into spiritual realms.
Some people can see, others can hear.
Some people are able to use the help of spiritual beings to foretell future and past events.
This method is different from those methods such a astrology, face reading, palm reading and bone reading.
Not many people know how to do spiritual reading, because to do it your soul must be awakened.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School

25-7-2011 The Worship of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva

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 5 - The Worship of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva

Before I began worshiping the Bodhisattvas, there was not one Buddhist statue in my family's home.
My mother worshipped ancestors.
My family never anticipated that their home would hold a large shrine.
At first, I kept my study of dharma secret even from my family and co-workers.
At that time Master San-shan-chiu-hou gave me my dharma name: Lian Shen (Lotus Reborn).

One evening I asked," Master, may I set up statues of the Bodhisattvas and worship them?"

"Yes," he replied. "Actually there is a good reason for you to do so.
In the future your family's home will have a large shrine."

"What Bodhisattvas should I worship?"

"Anyone who pleases you most."

"May I worship a Statue of you?" I asked.

"Most people don't know my original face.
Even in the Taoist sutras my name is hidden.
I'm in everything, everywhere, yet no one recognizes me.
How can you worship me?
Besides, I've gotten used to not being called upon, so don't worship me?
Worship the other Bodhisattvas."

ls there any merit attained by worshipping the Bodhisattvas?

"Buddha says:

'To give rice to 100 unrighteous people is not as good as to give rice to one virtuous person.
To give rice to 1,000 virtuous people is not as good as to give rice to one person who follows the 5 precept vows.
To give rice to 10,000 people who follow the 5 precept vows is not as good as to give rice to one Srota-apanna (one who has entered the stream of holy living).
To give rice to one Srota-apanna is not as good as to give rice to one Sakrdagamin (only once more to be born).
To give rice to 10 billion Sakrdagamin is not as good as to give rice to one Anagamin (non-returner).
To give rice to 100 million Anagamin is not as good as to give rice to one Arhat (free, exalted one).
To give rice to one billion Arhats is not as good as to give rice to one Buddha.
To give rice to one billion Buddhas is not as good as to give rice to all the Buddhas of the past, present and future.
And yet to give rice to 100 billion Buddhas of the past, present and future is not as good as to give rice to one common person. '

"Lian Shen, to give rice means to make an offering. Do you understand?"
"I understand," I respectfully answered.

One day I went to a department store in Tai-Chung.
I was in the ceramic section when suddenly I saw a stage of Kuan-Yin Bodhisattva.
It looked different than the other Kuan-Yn statues I had seen.
It was about 8 inches tall, was a light green color with a grayish undertone, and a solemn, dignified face.
The figure sat on a lotus flower.
I liked it right away and inquired about the price.

The salesman said: "This Kuan-Yin has already been worshipped by other people.
The vase she holds is broken. The person who owns it asked me to sell it for him because the broken vase is a bad omen. If you still want it, how about 15 yen?"

"Fifteen yen? Wow, that's really inexpensive!" I immediately bought I it and took it back to my apartment.
I put the stage on my desk and lit a stick of incense.

That night I had a dream. I saw a vast ocean.
A beautiful lotus flower emerged from it, and on the lotus flower sat Kuan-Yn, with a devout and serene face.
She came closer to me and smiled.
In the sky behind her shone a bright cloud, and on it stood a gold-armored god holding a weapon.
Later I learned that his name is Veda Guardian and that he is the guardian of Kuan-Yin.
He thundered out: Lian Shen, the Buddha has commanded me to give you the name of your shrine: Tz'u-hui-lei-chung Temple. Remember, remember."

Then both Kuan-Yin and Veda disappeared and I woke up, recalling what had occurred.
I looked at the Kuan-Yin I had bought earlier that day.
To my surprise, the Kuan-Yin in the dream looked just like it.
I got out of bed and respectfully bowed to the Kuan-Yin statue three times.
As I bowed I smelled incense, then felt my spirit master present.

"Master, did I do it right?" I asked.
"Lian Shen, because you worshipped Kuan-yin today, once in the future Kuan-Yin will save your life."
"Save my life?"
"Yes," my Master said. "When the time draws near I will tell you more."
Later his words came true.
It was an amazing experience.

During the period I was worshipping Kuan-Yin, the man I worked for, Captain Chuang, talked to my parents and said, "Mr. Lu, I've been noticing that your son is behaving peculiarly. He even worships Kuan-Yin in his apartment. Do you think there's anything wrong with him?"

"I don't think so," my father replied.
"He is very sincere in his beliefs and when I talk with him he seems to have a clear mind. Is there a rule against worshipping Buddha in your organization?"

"No, but I feel he's acting strangely. He predicted that I will get transferred to Taipei in the middle of July. When did he learn divination?"

"The middle of July is still half a year away," Captain Chuang said.

"Divination? I didn't know that about my son!" my father said, startled.

Later that year, on July 17th, Captain Chuang transferred to Taipei.

After that he always mentioned to people that my predictions were very accurate.

The method I learned, taught by Master San-shan-Chiu-hou, was the use of the hexagram of the I Ching.

He said the hexagram contained the transformation of the whole universe. Full mastery of it allows one to know everything on earth, past, present and future.

Amituofo

Lotuschef

Pure Karma

True Buddha School