Chapter 10: Dumb Children

A man named Cheng Chou came to my house to request a consultation. He wrote down his son's name and the time of his son's birth, and inquired about his son's future.

I sat quietly to meditate. Then I wrote down a poem on the reply sheet:

The trouble of bad habit has long existed,
How does one know black and white in daily life?
The karma of speech is so heavy that probably he can hardly speak.
Only confession and repentance can prevent your karma from encroaching.

Cheng Chou saw the poem, and said, "I don't understand."

"Is there any physical defect concerning your son?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"He's dumb."

I pointed at the third line of the poem which stated, "The karma of speech is so heavy that probably he can hardly speak", and I said to Cheng Chou, "Isn't it quite accurate?"

Cheng Chou nodded, and said: "Yes, it is quite accurate."

Cheng Chou said: "Now, my wife is pregnant again. Because our first son is dumb, she is a little bit worried. She has taken an X ray, and the doctor told us that this would be a girl. Will this girl be the same as our son?"

I sat quietly in meditation, and the answer was, " I don't know."

Cheng Chou said to me: "You are a wise and skillful expert. I have heard from others that you are capable of knowing everything. It's absurd that you do not know. Could you please try to closely observe again?"

I nodded and again entered quiet meditation. As soon as I quieted my mind, I had a clear vision. A flash of red light appeared in front of me, and there appeared the deity on daily duty. The deity on daily duty told me: "Lien-sheng, because of his heavy speech karma, this person Cheng Chou is destined to have two dumb children. Tell him that if he immediately repents his error, he can save his daughter from becoming handicapped as a dumb person!"

I came out of meditation, and told Cheng Chou what I had seen in my meditation. I advised Cheng Chou not to commit offensive speech.

Cheng Chou did not understand, asking, "What is this offensive speech?"

I answered, "I don't know either. The deity on daily duty only told me as much as I told you. You should think about it yourself."

Cheng Chou left.

Later, the wife of Cheng Chou indeed gave birth to a daughter, and the baby was dumb after all. Their son was dumb, and their daughter was dumb too. This was too much to bear for this nice family - now with two dumb children.

Cheng Chou and his wife dared not to have any more children.

One day, Cheng Chou came to visit me, and discussed the divination I had done last time. Cheng Chou recalled his past speech and actions. On several occasions, he in fact did gossip over the private affairs of others. Moreover, Cheng Chou enjoyed making sex jokes. Making sex jokes was his specialty, and it often led others to embarrassing laughter.

Cheng Chou said: "Sex jokes can relax people, and they can also make people laugh. Why can't I do it? How can this be offensive speech?"

Cheng Chou gave me an example of one of his sex jokes:

A mother solemnly advised her daughter that when she goes out on a date with her boyfriend, she should be sober and careful, and must not be too casual. The mother taught her daughter: "If your boyfriend wants to kiss you, you should say 'don't'! If his hand goes down, you must say 'stop'!"

Her daughter agreed.

When her daughter came back, she was complaining tearfully.

The mother said to her, " Didn't I tell you what to do?"

The daughter answered: "My boyfriend kissed me and his hands went down. I continuously told him: 'Don't stop, don't stop!'"

Cheng Chou had so many endless sex jokes that he could talk about them from morning until night. He could make up sex jokes wherever he was at: on a tourist trip, on a tour bus, or in an office.

The nickname of Cheng Chou was "prince", a play on the term "yellow prince" (the word yellow in Chinese can be referred to as being pornographic).

Upon hearing Cheng Chou's "yellow joke", I laughed loudly. It is another matter as to how one can measure this kind of joke. Different people have different views about whether this kind of joke is yellow or not yellow.

Nevertheless, there is a precept in Buddhism of refraining from false speech. This precept includes refraining from lying, deceptive speech, slandering, and immoral language.

Ordinary people would smile at this, and they wouldn't think that there is something wrong! However, what if he said this kind of joke in a Buddhist temple to monks and nuns? Of course, it would be inappropriate.

I pointed out a heavenly law to Cheng Chou:

"The law deals with problems such as when someone takes pleasure in being deceptive and speaking obscene words, honeyed speech and flirtatious language so that people's minds are disturbed, using exaggeration to describe disgusting mannerisms, slandering and giving false speech by which other people's reputations are ruined, gossiping over other people's private affairs, and so on. If one commits one of these karmic offences of speech, one incident is counted as ten faults, and twenty incidents are counted as one offence. One offence will cost the reduction of one's lifespan by one year, and a hundred offences will cost the reduction of one's lifespan by three years. One's stock of fortune will be reduced. One's lifespan and fortune will be reduced according to one's offence. One's heavy offence will cause misfortune to one's children, who may be reborn with defects."

Cheng Chou was shocked upon seeing this law.

I expected Cheng Chou to change his habit of indulging in false speech.

Cheng Chou asked: "By changing my habit of false speech, will my daughter really be able to speak?"

I said: "The deity on daily duty told me so."

"How do I repent and change?"

"You have to make a vow not to indulge in offensive speech."

I handed Cheng Chou a piece of paper with the instructions for making a vow:

At a certain date, month, and year, I make a vow, and am willing to refrain from adultery, including deceptive speech. For this occasion, disciple so-and-so fasts and bathes, and lights incense and makes an appeal in writing. With respect and sincerity, I make a vow in front of the God Wen-ch'ang. A wise sage of ancient teaches: Filial piety has the highest priority among hundreds of virtues, and debauchery is the worst of all evils. From now on, I vow to refrain from committing the offence of deceptive talk as karma of speech. Throughout my lifetime, I will not change my mind. If I commit this offence again, I deserve to be punished. Let me repent. With the kindness and compassion of the Dharma protectors and deities, please be merciful, and protect me always so I will have good health and a peaceful life.

Disciple so-and-so sincerely submits.

One signs and affixes the seal.

Cheng Chou filled out this appeal, and I took him to the temple of the God Wen-ch'ang to burn the writing appeal in thurible in front of the temple.

I saw the deity on daily duty take the appeal and go up to heaven.

Since then, Cheng Chou has stopped deceptive speech and he no longer makes sex jokes. Instead, he has changed to making normal jokes that are also funny.

Furthermore, Cheng Chou has practiced virtuous deeds and acts of generosity.

He has made donations for the poor, for the printing of virtuous books, for the building of bridges and roads, for the building of temples, for the building of Buddhist statues, and for reciting the name of the Buddha and the recitation of mantras.

Cheng Chou's wife had a dream later on. She dreamt of herself taking her little daughter along on a walk in a desert. The weather was hot and they were dying from thirst.

In her dream, Cheng Chou's wife called out: "Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, please help."

The Bodhisattva immediately appeared. Radiating a fabulous light, sitting on a precious lotus flower, and riding on a five-colored cloud, the bodhisattva held a willow-branch and dipped it in her vase of sweet dew. With her willow-branch, the bodhisattva sprayed the sweet dew on the desert. Instantly, an oasis appeared in the desert where a pond of clear water emerged. Upon seeing it, both Cheng Chou's wife and daughter drank the spring water. Having drunk pure and cool water, she woke up from her dream.

Strangely enough, the problems that Cheng Chou's wife previously had, such as stifling asthma and headaches, had completely disappeared.

The most curious thing was that Cheng Chou's daughter began to speak, and her problem of dumbness was miraculously cured. The doctor, who had previously diagnosed her as being born dumb, came to diagnose her again, and found her to be normal like other children. This was hard for people to believe. The doctor was overwhelmed by such a miracle, and did not know how to explain such a phenomenon.

As a result of this incident, Cheng Chou's entire family took refuge in the True Buddha School.

Although Cheng Chou's daughter, who had been born dumb, was cured, his son did not show any sign of improvement from his dumbness.

Cheng Chou came to consult me.

I entered meditation, and observed. I saw a piece of iron.

I forced a smile, replying: "This is determined destiny."

"Iron" implies determination. All illness has its determined destiny or undetermined destiny. Undetermined destiny can be changed, but determined destiny cannot be changed!

Toolbox

Back Top Print Bookmark Tell a friend:

© 2008 Padmakumara. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright & Terms of Use.