Chapter 12 : The Divine Fans

Mr. Yao Tong, an older student who was fifty years old, came to me one time for a consultation. Yao Tong had been married for thirty years, but he and his wife were childless.

"Is it in our destiny to have children?" Yao Tong asked me. "Master, you are a Living Buddha and have helped many people with their problems and illnesses. Please bless us and fulfill our wish."

"If it is in one's destiny to have something, one will eventually get it. Otherwise, the situation should not be forced," I replied.

When Yao Tong heard this, he said calmly, "I know such things are, indeed, predestined and cannot be forced. But I just wish to find out whether or not it is in my fate to have any children."

"No," I replied.

Two years after the consultation, Yao Tong's wife gave birth to a pair of beautiful twin boys. They had full foreheads, high-bridged noses, and thick earlobes. All who saw them commented on their fine features.

Yao Tong and his wife brought the twins to show me and wanted me to name them. I named them Yao Jing and Yao Xian.

Yao Tong said to me, "Master, for many years, we have had faith in your psychic powers of divination. That is why, after having these two sons, we came to you to have you name them for us. We have great respect in the Master's reputation. However, two years ago, when I consulted you regarding whether or not we would have any children, your answer was no. Now we have these sons. Why have things turned out this way?"

Yao Tong was a straightforward person and I could not help but feel embarrassed about my previous forecast. How could my psychic divination have erred? Actually, Yao Tong had not blamed me. He had even brought the babies to me to name them, and he still had great reverence for me. He merely wanted to find out why the prior consultation was wrong. If such a thing had happened to another individual, that person might have shunned me, criticized and cursed me behind my back, or told everyone about the inaccuracy of my readings.

I said to him, "There must be a reason behind this. In fact, you look different from the last time I saw you. Today, you have a red light covering your crown, where, in the past, there were traces of black vapor. Something has changed."

Yao Tong said, "I know Master is very good at observing people's chi, but I also wish to find out the reason behind the birth of my sons."

"Let me do some investigating, and I will get back to you,"

I said, my face reddening.

"Thank you!" said Yao Tong.

That night I had a dream. In the dream, I found myself arriving at a magnificent, ancient-looking temple. Upon my arrival, beating drums and gongs sounded, and two rows of ghosts and spirits prostrated before the temple.

The main diety of the temple, Duke Wei-ling, stood at the front door, and he brought his palms together in greeting.

I stopped, afraid to step forward.

Duke Wei-ling called out, "Please come inside, Lian-sheng. Why are you still standing outside the temple?"

"I don't feel I have the virtues or abilities deserving of this welcome," I replied, embarrassed.

"A lofty heart is a great virtue and trying one's best indicates great ability."

I walked into the temple and sat down at the guest table while Duke Wei-ling and the other spirits sat at the host's and side tables respectively. Immediately, food and liquor were served. Although the food at this banquet could not compare with the delicacies found in the realms of devas, it was still very good. The liquor was smooth yet strong and, after one sip, my whole face turned red.

Duke Wei-ling laughed, "I used to have two divine fan attendants. On hot days, with one wave of their fans, all heat would disappear. If they waved twice, the weather would turn chilly. Three waves of their fans would send frost and snow hailing from above."

"That sounds like the plantain leaf fan from Journey to the West," I said.

"Not quite the same, but almost."

"Where are your two divine fan attendants now?" I asked Duke Wei-Iing.

"They have been reborn into the human world."

"To which family have they been reborn?"

"Into the home of Yao Tong."

When I heard Yao Tong's name, I was shocked. Just as I was wondering how I would find an answer to my puzzle, the answer popped up quite by chance.

"But according to his life reading, Yao Tong was not supposed to have any sons!" I remarked. "Why were the divine fan attendants born into his family?"

"It is true that his life reading held no sons," Duke Wei-ling concurred. "Yao Tong has visited my temple and prayed to me many times. And, though he was very sincere, I saw the trace of black chi upon his face and did not grant him his wish. However, I later received an edict from the Jade Emperor, ordering me to give him the divine fan attendants as sons so he would have a line of illustrious descendents."

"He must have undergone some transformative experiences in his life. What exactly happened?"

Duke Wei-ling answered, "I don't know the details of the story but, what I do know, is that Yao Tong saved the life of a woman named Wu Yan and also maintained his integrity by rejecting a sexual liaison offered to him. Because of these honorable actions, he was blessed with two more years added to his life, enlistment into officialdom, and the birth of his two sons. In the future, these two sons will rise head and shoulders above others and enjoy great fortunes. In fact, when Yao Tong visited my temple after the birth of his two sons, I saw that his facial features, chi, and complexion had improved. I also saw a reddish halo above his head."

"So, that was what happened," I said to myself.

Afterwards, Duke Wei-ling and I had a pleasant talk.

Later, when I again met with Yao Tong, I discussed with him the transforming of his fate and told him that his two sons were the incarnations of the divine fan attendants.

Yao Tong then related to me a dream he had had the night before his sons were born. "In my dream, I saw thousands of auspicious, beaming lights above the roof of my house. From the sky, two fans descended. They were not ordinary fans. They looked antique, and were covered with very intricate and elaborate designs. I could see the patterns very clearly. When the dream was over, the babies were born. It was such a strange dream that, until now, I had not dared to share it with anyone."

"Also, there was the incident regarding Wu Yan."

"You know about that as well?"

"Please tell me the details."

Thus Yao Tong proceeded to tell me the following true story of his encounter with Wu Yan.

One night, while strolling along the riverbank, Yao Tong saw a young woman standing for a long time by the side of the river. Yao Tong watched as the woman slowly started walking towards the middle of the river. She had soon walked so far that her head was no longer above water.

It was late at night, and no one else was around. After calling out several times for help and receiving no response, Yao Tong ran into the water to save the girl. Luckily Yao Tong had been a frogman in the navy when he was young. He loved swimming and had received training as a lifeguard, so in no time, he rescued the young woman and brought her safely to shore.

The woman was Wu Yan. When Yao Tong asked her why she had tried to drown herself, she told him that because of her naiveté, she had been swindled by a group of con artists and gambled away three million Taiwanese dollars The debt collectors had been pressing her daily to pay the money. Afraid of being reprimanded by her family, and with no means to pay off her debt, she had decided to kill herself. When Yao Tong heard her story, his compassion was aroused. He decided to help her and pay off her debt. Wu Yan was extremely grateful to Yao Tong. Not only had he saved her life, but he had also paid off her entire gambling debt. It was as if he had given her a new life. When she learned that Yao Tong had no descendents, she willingly offered herself to him as a concubine to bear him sons.

Yao Tong's wife saw that Wu Yan was young and quite pretty. Although she had made a mistake in her life, the girl seemed like a kind person, and so she also agreed that Yao Tong should take her in as a second wife. If Wu Yan could bear her husband a son, she would accept it as part of a divine plan.

But Yao Tong felt differently about the matter. To him, such a proposal was immoral because it meant he would be taking advantage of someone in a crisis. He had acted out of good intentions, and to culminate the incident in lust and an improper sexual liaison seemed to him a breach of honor. Also, he felt that the difference in their age would render the whole affair quite unethical, so he solemnly rejected the offer. He would rather have no sons than risk such a sexual transgression.

Wu Yan and Yao Tong's wife tried many times to persuade him to change his mind, but Yao Tong steadfastly refused.

Soon afterwards, Yao Tong's wife actually found herself pregnant, and a medical examination showed that she would have twins.

As stated in these verses:

What a wonderful change in one's fate;

Fortune comes hand in hand with auspiciousness;

Saving another's life and abstaining from lust are true virtues;

Lucky stars will appear and life will sail smoothly.

Yao Tong once related the conversations he had with me to a Buddhist monk. The Buddhist monk said to him, "If you had remained childless, Sheng-yen Lu would have claimed his reading to be accurate. If your wife gave birth to a son, Shengyen Lu would tell you his divination was still correct, but that something had happened to change your fate. Either way, his divination would be correct. I don't see how you can still trust spiritual divinations, or Sheng-yen Lu for that matter."

Yao Tong replied, "The Buddhist sutras have said that in this world, there are fixed as well as unfixed dharmas. All phenomena are impermanent, and everything undergoes change. The Buddha himself did not say that one's destiny is fixed, and he believed that fate could be changed. Thus there are practices one can study to establish a new life. The purpose of spiritual divination is primarily to teach people to act properly and avoid disasters in their lives. It is based on good intentions. What has happened to me is karma. Causes in previous lives had shaped a destiny of no children in this lifetime, but actions in this life resulted in a change of luck. As a result of luck enhancement, I now have two sons."

The Buddhist monk asked, "How can one tell if Sheng-yen Lu really is capable of spiritual divination, or if he was just making it all up?"

Yao Tong replied, "He knew about the incident with Wu Y an."

"Perhaps he had made investigations into your affairs and found that out."

Yao Tong made no reply.

The Buddhist monk remarked determinedly, "Sheng-yen Lu is evil, and he is also a heretic."

Yao Tong replied, "The Living Buddha has taught us that observation of the five precepts and ten wholesome actions is virtuous. Conversely, breaking the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds is evil. The Buddhist scriptures have said that the world abounds in heretics. In fact, seeking dharma beyond one's heart is a transgression. The Living Buddha has taught us that practicing Buddhism is to cultivate the Buddha Mind to transcend birth and death and realize one's true nature!"

When the Buddhist monk heard this, he could not disagree. Yet he still argued, "I have heard that he swindles people out of their money!"

Yao Tong replied, "In his whole life, the Living Buddha has never stipulated a fee for anything. He allows people to pay whatever they like, so how can that be considered swindling? In fact, he never even wanted ownership of any of the True Buddha School temples."

The Buddhist monk was silent for a moment. Then he came up with another accusation, "I have heard that he takes sexual advantage of female students."

"Have you witnessed any of this?" asked Yao Tong.

"No, but I have heard such accusations from other people," was the monk's response.

Yao Tong remarked, "I have known Living Buddha Shengyen Lu for many years and spent quite a bit of time with him. He spends his days writing, painting, and meditating. He does his practice every day without fail and, to date, he has published one hundred and forty books. At times, he will put aside part of his day to help others resolve their problems and crises. He truly demonstrates earnest compassion for people of this world. He abides in the nature of the mind, and his actions are in keeping with his words. There are not that many people like him in the world. Take, for example, his allowing others to pay him whatever they like. People outside of the school may have no knowledge of this, but anyone who has had any contact with him will know this is true. So, the rumors that claim he swindles money are great injustices. Although there is much outside slandering, the Living Buddha has always remained unperturbed. He has only instructed us to do the following two things. First, do not argue. Instead use disagreements as opportunities to practice 'the art of perfecting patience and endurance.' Second, regard a negative encounter as an opportunity to resolve one's karmic hindrance. For thirty years, he has learned from the tormenting of slanderers to become as expansive as the heavens and the earth. This virtue has earned him a great deal of respect from the realm of spirits."

The Buddhist monk was silent.

Yao Tong came back to tell me of his encounter with the Buddhist monk. I, in turn, was silent.

I thought to myself, "I have devoted this entire life to the study and practice of Buddhism and the cultivation of the Tao. I have discovered that the most important goal in life is the transcending of birth and death. Anything else is auxiliary. I have always ignored outside rumors and slanders. To achieve liberation, I have steadfastly studied and practiced the Tantric Dharma in seclusion. Now that I have finally attained Enlightenment and transcended the six realms of transmigration, I can commune with Buddhas in all times and space. My original intent was to completely reveal the secrets of the workings of the divine, but I was afraid that evil people would obtain this knowledge and use it maliciously.

"The teachings of the Buddhadharma are inexhaustible. What I have attained is so real and practical, yet people of the world do not recognize this. How can I awaken all these people from their dreams? When I tell them the truth, they cannot recognize it and mistake it to be false.

"My master once told me that there are only three options for a truly enlightened being. The first is to immediately enter nirvana. The second is to live as a mountain hermit. The third is to pretend that one is a lunatic. He made this comment because the survival rate of an enlightened being is not high, and one will eventually be persecuted to death by others."

Yet, I am someone who cannot bear to see the fallen people of this world rolling and suffering amidst a world of red dust and bitter seas. So the best way for me to transmit my teachings is by writing books, day after day, year after year. I shall be waiting on the other shore!

As for the circulating rumors, just let them be!

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