Chapter 12 - Teaching At The Kung-An Temple

Hu Ch'en Hsiung, a good friend of mine, lived in the town of Ts'ao T'un. One time, on my way to visit him, I passed the Kung-an Temple and took a look inside. I noticed that there were three statues on the altar with faces painted red, green, and black respectively. A banner hung above them which read, "The Hall of the Three Lords."

When I reached my good friend's home, I asked him,

"Lao Hu, do you know who those three lords enshrined at the Kung-An Temple are?"

Hu Ch'en Hsiung turned to me, "I have heard that they are the Lords Chang, Lee, and Mo. They are supposed to be quite inspirational, though I have not been to the temple myself. Why? Don't tell me that your interest is piqued again!"

"I don't know why, but I have become more and more interested in visiting temples and paying homage to gods. I feel as if I am missing something if I pass by a temple and do not go inside to take a look."

"Sheng-yen, I have heard people talking about how accurate your psychic readings are. Do gods really exist? Does every temple have a god or a Buddha present?" Hu Ch'en Hsiung asked.

"Lao Hu, a temple does not necessarily have any divine presence in it. I have been to a temple in central Taiwan which has some of the most majestic statues of Buddha Shakyamuni, Bodhisattvas Manjusri and Samantabhadra, the Dharma Protector Weit'o, and Temple Guardian Ch'ieh Lan. I was delighted to see such majestic statues and immediately knelt down to pay homage to them. To my surprise, an earth god with a long white beard emerged from under the altar and stopped me, saying,

'Hold it, don't worship here.' I was extremely astonished and asked him for an explanation. The earth god sighed, 'I am the earth god here. For forty years this temple has been under the control of Dharma Master xxx. He is a wicked person and his disciples lead a fast and dissipated life. They have disobeyed all the temple rules and broken all monastery vows. The spiritual energy of the Buddha stopped descending to this temple forty years ago. Originally, the Dharma Protector and the Temple Guardian had intended to punish the abbot and his disciples. However, the abbot had accumulated many merits in his previous lives, so although he has committed many bad deeds in this life, the retributions are not due for fifty years. Since then, the Dharma Protector and Temple Guardian have left the temple. Without the spiritual energy of the Buddhas and the temple guardians, all these gilded statues here in the temple are just empty shells. Only lower astral beings inhabit here. All of the monks and nuns here in the temple are just ordinary people who are not psychically aware that the Buddha's energy has not been present for forty years. They still carry on with their daily rituals.'

Shaking his head, the earth god disappeared in a flash. I later walked around the temple and found that the architecture and construction of the temple were both very sound. However, I could not sense any kind of spiritual energy in that place. After confirming the words of the earth god, I felt sad for the monks and nuns living in the temple."

"Such things do exist?" exclaimed Hu Ch'en Hsiung.

"How amazing! Let us go over to the Kung-an Temple, and you can see if there are any gods present there."

When we arrived at the temple, which was just in the neighborhood, Hu Ch'en Hsiung told the manager, who was a casual acquaintance of his, about my psychic ability. The manages smiled and said incredulously, "Oh, is that so?" Using a Spiritual Divination method, I conversed for a while with the divine beings in the temple. Afterwards, I turned to the manager, "Sir, there are six trance mediums in this temple The three Lords enshrined in this temple have gained their fame and fortune in the Anhsi Hall in Tainan. The affairs in this temple are currently in a state of confusion. The mediums and the manager of this temple often argue over money matters. In fact, one of the mediums is violating the temple rules by indulging in drinking and all kinds of reckless behaviors. The spiritual energy of Lord Mo is not presently in residence here but has travelled to a village in Bamboo Hill on a healing errand. One of the mediums in the temple is also currently ill. I wonder if this is all true?"

When the manager heard this, he was greatly shocked.

At that moment, three mediums were also inside the temple chatting, and they also heard me and were terrified. One of the mediums who channeled for the Lord Chang came up to me,

"Sir, you are absolutely correct. Do the gods request anything from us? What can we do to make this temple thrive again?"

I related the gods' message to them. "According to the gods, the most important thing is harmony. When people get along well with each other, the temple will thrive. Men should not pay homage to certain gods because they are more powerful or because they could bring them more money. Human existence is precious because it can be used for further advancement on the spiritual path. One should seek help from oneself instead of from the gods. The purpose of a human life is not to scheme after food or clothing or to completely abandon oneself to the seven emotions and six desires until one has exhausted oneself. The purpose of paying homage to the gods and doing spiritual cultivation is to return oneself to the Original Nature!"

I had a pleasant discussion with the manager and the mediums. I also taught the mediums a spiritual magic called "The Seven Steps Soul Releasing Method." They were extremely happy to learn it. Finally, it was time to go home. While I was riding the bus on my way back to the Taichung Surveying Unit, I sensed that there was a stream of spiritual energy following me. When I boarded the bus, it had also boarded the bus. When I got off the bus, the energy also got off with me. When I reached my dormitory, I lit an incense stick and put it in the censor.

Above the censor, a red faced Bodhisattva appeared. It was the Lord Chang of the gunman Temple. The Lord Chang first greeted me by cupping one hand in the other before his chest, then saying,

"I am the Lord Chang. I saw that you were able to communicate with the spiritual world, so I have followed you to find out who you are." "Bodhisattva, you really do not know?" "I really have no idea."

"I am Lian-shen, the disciple of Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States and Taoist Master Ch'ing Chen, and a practitioner of the Primordial Ultimate Correct Dharma."

"Just as I expected, a disciple of great masters. Lian shen, how would you like to come and stay at my Kung-an Temple?"

"Please forgive me, Bodhisattva. I already have a shrine at my home. I only enjoy cultivating the Tao and do not like to get involved with the business of psychic consultation. Psychic consultation is one of the least of the methods of liberating sentient beings. I want to start with self-cultivating and reach Enlightenment first, then I shall use my writings to persuade others to do good deeds and cultivation. This way, I will be able to bring more people to take refuge in the Buddhas, Dharma, and the Spiritual Community. Thus, sentient beings can attain the realm of No-birth and No-death, realize their Own Nature, and abide forever in the Fullest Perfection." Lord Chang was moved to reply,

"You are right, Lian Shen. Although psychic consultation is one way of helping the sentient beings, it does not help always and can sometimes mislead others. In the future, if there is any way that I can be of help, just light an incense and recite my name while facing in my direction. I will surely come to help you." "Thank you, Bodhisattva."

"I shall leave then." The Lord Chang gradually disappeared.

With my palms joined, I stood reverently while the Bodhisattva departed.

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