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Chapter 5 : A Second Chance at Life During a spiritual consultation, a man once asked me how long he would have to live. "I never do readings to determine the length of one's life," I replied. "This is an established rule that all who come for consultations know well." The visitor insisted, "Well, you don't have to tell me exactly when I will die. Just tell me if I will live long." "You will live long," I answered him. The man left happily and upon returning home, shared news of his longevity with family, neighbors, relatives, and friends, who all felt happy for him. About two years later, at the age of forty-nine, this man, while standing outside his front door, began feeling dizzy and suddenly dropped dead! Family members rushed him to the hospital emergency room where doctors announced that he no longer exhibited any vital signs. So, the family brought the body home again to prepare for the funeral. His son, Jiang Xing, angrily came to question me about my prior prediction. "You said my father would live long. Why is he now dead at forty-nine?" "But that is impossible!" I replied, surprised. "What do you mean impossible! He is clearly dead now. You, Sheng-yen Lu, are a swindler. How dare you claim your spiritual divination to be the best? Your predictions are pure rubbish!" I opened my mouth but was speechless. "Don?|t give me this.. .at all. You owe us a life!" "If I gave you my life, would I still be alive?" "I just want you to pay back my father?|s life, nothing else." Jiang Xing?|s voice quivered with wrath as he raised his fist in a gesture to punch me. I said to him, "Will you allow me to make an investigation and get back to you about the cause of his premature death?" "Give us a proper and acceptable answer," Jiang Xing furiously replied. "Otherwise, our family will not let you off. I will call a press conference and tell everyone that you are a swindler!" I quieted my mind, tuning into my spirit body, and maneuvered it out of my physical body. The skill to traverse heaven and earth Is possible for a Bodhisattva, Descending through the nine levels of heaven. Enveloped by blazing lights, A multitude of Dharma Protectors stand on each side; From the golden censor, Sandalwood smoke arises; A Dharma Body grounded in pure awareness, With the roar of a single thunderclap Vibrating through the three thousand worlds, Realizes nirvana beyond the three realms. I began my search for Jiang Xing?|s father and came upon him on the road to the netherworld. Two men dressed in green held him on either side, and as soon as Jiang Xing?|s father saw me he called out desperately, "Sheng-yen Lu, help me! Shengyen Lu, help me!" Blocking the two men dressed in green I asked, "This man?|s life span has not yet been exhausted. Why are you taking him to the netherworid?" Noticing the three lights emanating from my body, the two men bowed
respectfully. Then, one removed a bundled document from within his
sleeve and handed it to me to inspect. Below the name of Jiang Xing?|s
father, many passages recorded the various fortunes of his life
and the life span indicated for him was indeed quite long However,
at the bottom, appeared the following notation: "On the XX
day of the XX month in the year XXXX, a woman was raped by the man
named above. This will result in a shortening of his life span.
He will die at the age forty-nine." Turning to Jiang Xing?|s father, I asked, "Is this true?" "I committed the act out of a moment?|s lust. I really do feel sorry now! Sheng-yen Lu, if you help me, I will definitely mend my ways and make a fresh start. I don?|t want to go to the netherworid. I promise to do more good deeds from now on. Please help me!" My heart was moved, and I asked the two men dressed in green, "Is there any hope of saving him?" "No," they replied shaking their heads. "The decree was ordered that he must die. Unless this criminal here makes a vow to do good deeds and a deity notarizes the proper documents for him, there is no hope!" "I will make the vow!" shouted Jiang Xing's father. "Who will notarize the documents?" one man asked. "Mister," the other said, "Your body is emanating the three lights of Buddha Light, Spiritual Light, and Golden Light. You can sign for him!" The two men dressed in green took hold of Jiang Xing's father, turning him toward an expanse of ocean ahead. They told him to make the following vow: "With the utmost effort, I shall abstain from all lusts and licentiousness, never deviating from this vow. If I deviate from this promise, disaster will descend upon me. From now on, I shall use my life to warn others against the harms of sexual lust. With utmost effort, I shall perform good deeds until the day I die, and I shall diligently cultivate the practice of Buddhism." I then placed a seal on the bundle of documents as notarization, and the two men in green pushed Jiang Xing's father into the ocean.... Back at the house of Jiang Xing's father, the corpse had been lying motionless in bed. The heart had long stopped beating, the body temperature had dropped, the eyes had rolled up, and both legs had become extended and rigid. The man had been dead for an entire day and was surrounded by his children, relatives, and friends. But, suddenly, his heart started beating, the area around his chest warmed, and sensation gradually began returning to his four limbs. His eyelids started twitching, and his fingers also began moving. Jiang Xing's father suddenly came to life again! As if awaking from a dream, he felt thirsty and asked for water. News of this man who had died and come back to life had caught the media's attention and was published in newspapers. When Jiang Xing asked his father what it was like when he had died, his father only replied, "It was like a dream." "What did you dream of?" "Nothing," his father refused to say anymore. Although Jiang Xing's father did not elaborate on his death experience, he did, from then on, warn all who crossed his path about the disastrous effects of sexual misconduct and licentiousness. Some time afterward, Jiang Xing's father came again to see me. "Sheng-yen Lu, I have come to see you!" "I knew you would come." "I want to thank you for saving me and also for helping me by notarizing the documents." "It was nothing," I replied. "I have come to take refuge in you and to learn more about Buddhism." "That is good." "Grand Master, please be seated." I sat on the meditation cushion as Jiang Xing's father respectfully
prostrated before me to take refuge. I said to him, "Here, taking the triple refuge has greater implications. To take refuge in the Buddha is to eradicate the three poisons, to sweep away the six desires, and to constantly abide in pure thoughts and awareness. To take refuge in the Dharma means abstaining from immoral speech, abstaining from viewing immoral images, and committing any immoral acts. Be mindful. This is true refuge-taking in the Dharma. As for taking refuge in the sangha, one should abide in purity, transcending the three realms of Form, Desire, and Formlessness, in search of one's Dharma Body. Understanding one's true nature-one's past before birth, and one's future after death-understanding the path of entry and exit to and from life, and the realization that the Dharma Body is timeless and undying is true refuge-taking in the sangha." Not until hearing this, did Jiang Xing's father truly understand the meaning of triple refuge-taking. "Grand Master, what you teach really is the truth. How can I thank you for accepting me as your student? In the future, where will you be? Grand Master, how can I always serve you?" he asked. "Traveling from south to north, I shall roam freely and happily among the five continents. If one asks to where my body will return, it will always be meditating in the Heaven of Stillness above. Understand that you don't have to serve me to pay me back. By following the instructions of the triple refugetaking, practicing diligently and observing the five precepts, you will be serving me and paying me back." Jiang Xing's father prostrated and paid homage before leaving. I have heard that Jiang Xing's father printed many virtuous books such as "The Jade Almanac of Good Advice to World People," "The High King Avalokitesvara Sutra," and the "True Buddha Sutra" to donate freely to others. He sincerely and earnestly warned people against sexual misconduct and sexual indulgence. Later, Jiang Xing's father took the vows of renunciation and became a monk. Occasionally, at the temple where he resided, some monks would bring up Sheng-yen Lu's name and begin insulting me. Jiang Xing's father remained silent, continually chanting the Buddha's epithet. He has written and sent me the following verses: Others are Buddhas, I am a Buddha; Others are Immortal, I am Immortal; Amid the torrents of red dust, All is pure and free. Jiang Xing's father has seen the truth!
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