Chapter 9 : The Golden Seal of Lord Guan Sheng

I often lament that, in this world of roaring dust, from ancient times until now, the number of people awakened are few and far outnumbered by those who are deluded. While it is difficult to encounter a spiritual adept, those ignorant of the spiritual truth can be found everywhere. This fact truly saddens me and reminds me of the following song:

How easily one is bedazzled by illusory fame and wealth;

All these sons of Buddha

Imprisoned in the world of red dust,

Only know how to enjoy themselves and struggle for power;

With total disregard for karma,

Accumulated debts

Silently entwine.

Frankly, my state of spiritual realization is completely natural, invisible, and inexpressible. So when worldly people and spiritual cultivators are suspicious or uncertain about me, they are not to blame. The state of realization is beyond words and cannot be seen or heard. Even if Mount Meru transformed into a paintbrush with the water of the four oceans as ink, such a state would be indescribable.

I can only say this:

Enlightened,

Resting in the Nature of the Mind,

Liberated from birth and death,

Emanating great lights,

One resides in the Ten Dharma Realms.

Once, while traversing the Ten Dharma Realms, I spotted with my wisdom eyes a jet stream of virtuous energy rushing forth and manifesting auspicious forms in the distant sky.

As the figures approached, I recognized the images of Lord Guan Sheng with his two generals, Zhou Cang and Guan Ping.

Then, from the roaring dust below, I saw a man slowly rise up to the sky. Enveloped by red clouds, he knelt before Lord Guan Sheng, as a golden seal was awarded to him. I asked in surprise, "Who is this man?"

Lord Guan Sheng answered, "Mr. Wen Ping."

"Is he an accomplished adept?"

"Though not an accomplished adept, he is already half a saint."

"To be half a saint is already quite rare in the world. I've got to remember his name."

Lord Guan Sheng laughed, "Your future will soon reveal whether or not there is affinity between you two."

I responded, "I do wish Mr. Wen Ping will continue on the path to Enlightenment, seeking the root of birth and death and reuniting with the Buddha Land."

By chance or perhaps through karma, I witnessed the awarding of the golden seal to Mr. Wen Ping by Lord Guan Sheng, Zhou Cang, and Guan Ping. The thirteenth of the fifth lunar month was the Descension Day of Lord Guan Sheng. To be awarded a golden seal from him on that day was a true blessing, a result of Mr. Wen Ping's enshrinement and past twenty years of making offerings to the lord. Twice each day, in the morning and at night, Mr. Wen Ping offered incense and fruits to Lord Guan Sheng and chanted Jue Shi Zheng Jing (the Awakening from the World Sutra).

His sincere devotion had moved the deity. In his dreams, Mr. Wen Ping also saw Lord Guan Sheng awarding him the golden seal and, as a result, his life suddenly took a prosperous turn.

In another book of mine, I detailed the story of Master Cheng Yen of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation who in her early years had suffered a great many hardships. While staying temporarily at the Mother Empress Temple in Taitung in eastern Taiwan, she cried out from her heart to the Deity Mother Empress, a manifestation of the Golden Mother. When the Golden Mother saw that the Buddhist nun was a filial daughter, she bestowed upon her a wish-fulfilling bracelet that then led to a complete change in her luck.

Because of her compassion and hard work, along with blessings from the Golden Mother's wish-fulfilling bracelet, Master Cheng Yen founded and developed the Tzu Chi Foundation. People of the world know her charity work to be very successful, but only I am aware of the brilliantly radiating lights from the wish-fulfilling bracelet of the Golden Mother.

Let us return to the case of Mr. Wen Ping and the golden seal. Before the awarding of this seal, Mr. Wen Ping was living comfortably with small investments in restaurant and real estate businesses.

Suddenly, however, business in his restaurants began to flourish. Even when business in nearby establishments slowed, his restaurants would be crowded with customers. He expanded and opened many more restaurants throughout Taiwan, all which did extremely well.

With his restaurant profits, he increased his real estate investments, and with the escalation of the real estate market, Mr, Wen Ping quickly became a very rich man. His wealth brought him fame, and everyone soon knew his name. He moved into a luxurious home, drove imported sedans, dressed in expensive designer clothing, and dined on gourmet foods and wine.

Then one day, Mr. Wen Ping actually came to visit me.

"How many lifetimes of wealth will I enjoy?" he asked.

"One should be satisfied with one lifetime of wealth," I responded.

Showing slight displeasure at my answer, he then asked, "Will I go to heaven?"

"I am heaven, and you are hell," I replied.

Enraged he demanded, "Sheng-yen Lu, do you know what I have on my body?"

"I know and I also don't know," I answered.

"Stop being ambiguous. Apparently you have no idea at all. People say you are an expert diviner, yet it appears as if you are just a charlatan after all."

"I don't know but I also know," I said.

"What is that supposed to mean? Whether you know or not, you better give me a straight answer. If you get it right, I will be convinced. If you say something vague, I will have your shop dismantled so you can't work anymore!"

Seeing that he would not be easily dismissed, I wrote down the words "Chop from Heaven" and showed them to him.

"What does that mean?"

"A chop is a seal, and this seal was bestowed by the heavens."

He became silent for a moment.

I continued, "A seal from heaven, of course, calls for celebration, but, one must know how to cherish and keep it. Understand the importance of purification and practice it; otherwise, when one's rewards are exhausted, disaster will descend."

Wen Ping became angry and indignant, retorting, "I can see that you are just some quack who enjoys playing evil tricks on people. What 'purification' are you referring to? I don't need to hear any more of your garbage!" And with that, he left.

I sighed as I thought to myself, "What a pity! Although Mr. Wen Ping has been chanting the Awakening from the World Sutra for twenty years to merit a golden seal from Lord Guan Sheng, he only chants with his lips and does not truly understand the sutra's meaning. I am worried that when his fortunes are exhausted, disaster will befall him. He was so enshrouded from the Self Nature that he did not even give my hints any consideration. There is no alternative but to let the situation run its course.

Later, I heard that Mr. Wen Ping was denouncing me to others, "Sheng-yen Lu's psychic readings are inaccurate and vague. Don't be deceived by this fraud. He is only after money and women." With every visit to the temples, Wen Ping would also criticize me before the monks as "a quack, a swindler, a great mara, and a heretic."

And all the while, he continued bragging about his moneymaking abilities while showing off his wealth. Dissatisfied with his luxurious residence, he purchased a piece of land upon which sat a huge mansion. After completely demolishing this mansion, he built a new, Versailles-like palatial home. As stunning as a castle and surrounded by baroque style sculptures and statues, each wall, brick, and tile was sculpted by hand. The floors inside were all laid with sparkling and resplendent Italian marble, and the room decorations were modeled after those of the Versailles Palace, the Palace of Fontainebleau, and Buckingham Palace. A man-made waterfall was installed in the courtyard, and the garden was specially commissioned with exquisite designs. Such a house was an awesome sight, and the owner's extravagance was just as awesome!

Under the negative influence of some friends, Wen Ping began frequenting bar-restaurants, becoming fascinated with the nightclub lifestyle. Every night, he would feel amiss if he did not visit these restaurants. Along with gourmet foods, liquor, dancing and karaoke singing, tall, beautiful bar girls in dazzling, high slit chongsams waited at customers' tables. Some girls even had a unique way of "serving" wine by "feeding" their customers. The bar girl would first take a sip, hold the drink in her mouth, then press her lips against the customer's lips, feeding the wine from her mouth into his. The customer would drink the wine, kiss the girl, and the two would fall all over each other, playing around and enjoying themselves.

Wen Ping quickly became drunk and giddy from the song and dance, food, wine, and women.

At such times, did Wen Ping recall the teachings from the Awakening from the World Sutra? The sutra advises against lusting after food, especially meat, which incurs the killing of lives, as well as liquor, which confuses the mind and diminishes judgment and control. When drunk, one's sense of shame and embarrassment are no longer an issue, and one may also turn violent, cruel, and arrogant as one's morals and ethics are disregarded.

Regarding promiscuity, the Awakening from the World Sutra calls for the observing of protocol and etiquette where one should observe moral customs and restrain one's desires. A sense of shame is appropriate, as humility is one of the traits distinguishing humans from other beasts and birds.

In his drinking days, Wen Ping fell in love with a bargirl named Mei Fei. His corrupt friends encouraged him to take her out for a night and soon Wen Ping ended up taking almost every bar girl out for a night. He felt like an emperor with the girls as his concubines, and he began spending extravagant sums of money on them and the bar-restaurants.

In one cautionary moment, he had asked his friends if they found his actions sinful. Yet they replied, "This is just a fair trade involving monetary exchange between consenting parties. How can that be sinful?"

The bar girls were of course after his money and, knowing that Wen Ping was a rich man, they all vied to please him. As one might imagine, these girls are quite enveloped by material delusions and also carry heavy karmic hindrances. Disregarding their virtues and self-respect, they had long subjected their bodies to abuse from others. How sad that they do not understand their true Self Nature and meaning of life. By leading others into delusion, they continually trap themselves in cycles of transmigration. Unaware of the benefits of spiritual cultivation, they engage in non-righteous professions for the sake of money, ignorant to the truth underlying birth and death.

Some bar girls in Taiwan even worship statues of swine gods cradling women. The statues represent the womanizer Piggy from the novel, Journey to the West, and by praying to Piggy, the bar girls hope to enhance their profits by turning all men of this world into womanizing pigs. Many women working in the sex industry also worship in "common-folk temples" praying for better business and an increase of customers. Others pray that the "evil gods and wandering ghosts" from those temples will give them winning lotto numbers. With money as their ultimate goal, they turn to the worshipping of evil gods.

With evil leading evil, they will all continually cycle through the realms of transmigration.

Based on my knowledge, the following incident occurred in the world of the spirits.

On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month-the day the kitchen god (Si-ming Zheng-jun) ascends to heaven to report the good and bad conduct of certain households-Wen Ping's kitchen god ascended to heaven to make his report to Lord Guan Sheng.

Si-ming Zheng-jun stated,

Born of sex,

Died from sex;

He is lost as if in a dream,

Befuddled and dazed,

Completely blind and unaware;

This investigation reveals moral degeneration and lasciviousness.

Upon hearing the report, Lord Guan Sheng flew into a rage. His golden seal was intended to serve many honorable purposes. A person with the seal would not only have a hundred gods of fortune aiding and protecting him at all times, but he would also have the affinity to encounter the Buddha's teaching to attain transcendence and liberation. How could someone wearing the golden seal act in such a frivolous and despicable manner?

Lord Guan Sheng immediately ordered his general Zhou Cang to withdraw the golden seal from Wen Ping and, with the sounding of a loud thunderclap throughout the heavens, the golden seal appeared in his palm. This golden seal, also known as the golden chop from heaven, is invisible to the naked eye and has existed since time immemorial.

When I learned of this incident, I became worried for Wen Ping. I even asked someone to send him an urgent message advising him to do a quick repentance.

But he refused to listen. With his great wealth, he now felt invincible. He had amassed so much money in this lifetime, he believed it could never be exhausted. As long as he avoided gambling, he thought, his lifestyle of frequenting bar-restaurants, dancing halls, and spending money on bar girls would not cause him to lose his money.

On one hand, he was right. One of the worst dreads facing a wealthy man is the habit of gambling. No matter how much money one has, an addicted gambler will eventually lose everything. If one does not gamble, then expenditures on bar-restaurants and dancing halls should not lead to a complete loss of wealth.

But Wen Ping also had a dream in which Zhou Cang appeared to retrieve the golden seal.

Wen Ping asked, "But you have already given me the golden seal. How can you take it back?"

Zhou Cang replied, "We are not only taking back the golden seal, we are also taking back your life."

"How are you going to take my life?" Wen Ping asked.

Zhou Cang replied, "Haven't you read the Awakening from the World Sutra? You, man of debauchery, dare you test the power of this Green Dragon Crescent Sword?"

Upon awakening, however, Wen Ping felt no remorse or need for repentance It had only been a dream, he thought to himself, and there was no need to be afraid.

The removal of the golden seal, which is, after all, an invisible chop from heaven, does not guarantee the befalling of disasters. Yet life is filled with unexpected storms and unpredictable vicissitudes.

Suddenly things started to go wrong. Several hundred people came down with food poisoning after consuming meals at one of Wen Ping's establishments. They were all taken to hospital emergency rooms and the origin was traced to bacteria contaminated food from his restaurant. Although there were no ensuing mortalities, it was a serious incident.

Wen Ping owned many restaurants. Numerous cases of food poisoning were suddenly reported at several of his restaurants and, after the news hit the newsstands, business took a swift dive. Customers dwindled and, though his businesses once flourished, Wen Ping started losing money. One after another, his restaurants all folded. Although he opened new restaurants with new advertisements, none were successful.

Wen Ping's real estate possessions had also been very profitable. However, like his restaurants, these businesses also met the same fate. A large community project on which his company had started construction suffered severe damage in a fierce storm. The foundations were destroyed in a mudslide, and several of the tall buildings tilted and, had to be condemned. As a result, his company had to reimburse hundreds of thousands of dollars to the buyers. And to top it off, he was being sued for illegally colluding with government officials in the building of the project. It was a complete disaster!

In addition to financial troubles, Wen Ping had long been afflicted with cirrhosis of the liver, a result of his years of drinking. Half a year later, failing all medical intervention, he died!

From the bestowing of the golden seal to its revocation and Wen Ping's eventual death, I am reminded of the escalating darkness and turbidity in today's world. The sex industry is on the rise. Pornographic books and images plant improper thoughts in young people's minds. With its circulation, the publication of one pornographic book brings invisible harm to tens of thousands.

Perhaps authors of pornography feel they are only doing what they do for fun and for a profit. They may feel they should not be responsible for the actions of readers who, after all have the freedom to read or not read their publications. Yet, these authors should also consider this: if they had not produced such books and magazines, would images of half naked men and women be displayed on bookstands? When young people walk by the bookstands, they are drawn to these images. Who is responsible for creating and planting those seeds of lust and wickedness?

An individual who comes to mind, Zhang, a classmate from my elementary school days, had fallen prey to such temptations. He always received very good grades and, after performing well on the high school entrance examination, entered a prestigious school. Then, he became addicted to pornography, secretly buying pornographic books. At the time, although the government prohibited the selling of pornography, many books were sold on the black market. This friend would read the pornographic books and masturbate. He introduced the books to me as well and, when I first took a look, I was greatly shocked. It was a good thing that I did not get hooked.

Zhang was young and still growing but, before his physical vigor had a chance to fully mature, much of his vital chi was already lost. He gradually became sallow and emaciated and was sick all the time. Seeing his condition, his parents were extremely worried but unable to help him. Eventually Zhang had a nervous breakdown and had to stay for some time in a psychiatric ward.

Who were the culprits? Pornographic images and their creators were to blame.

Zhang, of course, is not the only person who has been harmed by pornographic books and pictures. The number of youngsters victimized is innumerable. Especially because young people are curious, they are easily influenced and excited by these books and magazines. They want to buy and read them, and even share them with their friends. Bedazzled and infatuated by the images, their bodies and minds suffer a leakage of invisible energy. They will also develop mistaken and abnormal ideas about human relationships.

Do not think that only young people are vulnerable; adults are just as susceptible! Older people who cannot withstand the temptations of pornography are everywhere. In Holland and Denmark, there are the "window ladies." In Bangkok, the "bathing girls." In Hong Kong, people visit prostitutes at their own apartments. In Taiwan, call girls work in places called "personal workshops."

While in New York, I was stopped on the street one night by a young, black teenager. She handed me a slip of paper with the words, "Would you like a date with me?" I shook my head. The pretty black girl said to me, "I can make you a king." I shook my head again. She then said, "I give good blow jobs. I'll make you feel like you are in heaven." I said, "No." She then opened her coat and, to my surprise, she was completely naked underneath! I turned pale with fright. As I ran away, I could hear her laughing loudly behind me.

Today, sex industries are everywhere. While visiting France, I noted the promiscuous practices of "wife trading," "transvesticism," and "homosexuality." Promiscuous women voluntarily fling themselves at men, and one only needs to look at the advertising industry to see the often subtle, but sometimes overt manifestations and exploitation of sexuality. The tentacles of sex have, indeed, penetrated every stratum and corner of society.

The constant barrage of such images and sounds unconsciously influences one's mind. Especially when destructive friends urge one on, it is easy to succumb if one is not grounded in a stability developed from routine spiritual practice.

As one's morals degenerate, the body and mind imperceptibly wastes away. The damage is not only confined to a loss of generative and spiritual energy, but more serious consequences, such as venereal diseases, infertility, and the loss of life may result. If one must face such consequences of sexual misconduct, one will probably be extremely remorseful. So I advise everyone to be careful and avoid entrapment by the world of pornography.

For Mr. Wen Ping, the golden seal from Lord Guan Sheng was originally a very auspicious and beautiful award. Unfortunately, after encountering such great luck, he did not take good care of the gift and began committing transgressions of sexual misconduct. As a result, Lord Guan Sheng revoked the golden seal, and a most auspicious event thus transformed into an extremely disastrous situation.

Misfortune can lead to fortune,

Fortune can lead to misfortune,

Joy and grief share the same portal,

Luck and disaster coexists in the same domain.

All adverse and unfortunate situations contain seeds of luck and opportunities for positive transformation. All blessings may be accompanied by misfortune and disaster. Human existence is filled with both joy and sadness, just as luck and misfortune may spring from the same source.

If Mr. Wen Ping had not received the golden seal, he would have lived a relatively carefree, leisurely life. However, with the awarding of the golden seal and the bestowal of great fortune, his desires were aroused. As soon as one's desires increase, misfortune follows. Viewed from this perspective, the awarding of the golden seal can be seen as a challenge.

Although our ordinary senses cannot detect them, I have discovered that invisible gods and ghosts in the spirit world are supervising us. People who perform virtuous deeds will encounter improvements in their fate, with increases in prosperity, luck, life span, and wisdom. People committing non-virtuous acts will fall ill, be demoted, encounter unpredictable accidents, and have their life spans shortened.

The case of Mr. Wen Ping serves as a good testimony.

A student of mine obtained a talisman for good health which was drawn personally by me. He always carries the talisman with him and greatly cherishes it.

One time, while socializing at a club, he struck up a conversation with a pretty girl, but when his colleague urged him to take off with her, a voice suddenly spoke into his ear, 'Don't!"

"How strange! That was obviously the voice of the Grand Master," he thought. But when he glanced around he did not see the Grand Master present. A while later, he heard another "Don't!" Terribly suspicious, he looked around again, but the Grand Master was nowhere to be seen. From where had the voice come?

This student worked in the public relations department of his company, and it was hard for him to avoid socializing scenes. Until that day, he had always successfully suppressed and resisted temptation from other women. Married and the father of a young child, he had taken the Bodhisattva Vows and practiced the True Buddha Tantric Dharma.

Yet, at that moment, he felt a karmic attachment from a previous life drawing and entwining him to this pretty girl. At first sight, he was immediately attracted to her innocent face and her soft, delicate physique. There was no way to tell that she was a call girl and, as soon as they started to converse, they got along extremely well. He started paying her extra attention, and when she gave him the "go-ahead" signal, he did not rebuff her advances. His friend urged him on, as sexual scenes flashed through his mind. Just as he was about to give in and take off with the girl, he heard for the third time, "Don't!"

Suddenly pulled to reason, he remembered the teachings of the Tantric gurus: "All leakages lead to falls." Without the arousal of sexual desire, generative energy disperses throughout the five major internal organs and runs through the left, right, and white channels. When sexual desires flare, the five major internal organs will be consumed by the fire of lust, and one's essence will drain through the gate of vitality, the area between the kidneys. Even if no overt drainage occurs, once stirred, the fire of lust will slowly heat and dry the body like a fierce fire drying a clay pot of evaporating water. Many young people are filled with vigorous sexual desires and, if this desire is not moderated or channeled properly, these thoughts can drive the individual to poor health and actual illness.

This student of mine, alerted to remember these teachings, took his chance to flee from the trap. That night, his colleague took the pretty girl home and spent the night with her. Although the encounter had been a one night stand, his colleague came down with an extremely painful urinary tract infection and had to be taken to the emergency room for treatment. It was then that they learned he had contracted a venereal disease from the innocent-looking, pretty lady.

Although his colleague did not die from the infection, he suffered pain and distress. Other colleagues made fun of him, and he complained that he had been unfairly victimized.

My student later came to relate these events to me, thanking me for the good health talisman that he felt had saved him. "Grand Master," he asked, "did you voice that warning to me because you knew what I was about to do?"

I only smiled.

He asked again, and I answered, "Although we are not aware of it, the world of spirits surrounds us."

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