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- Book 16 - Encounters with the World of
Spirits
- By Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Janny Chow
- Copyright© Purple Lotus Society
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Chapter 3 - Traveling To The Illusory Realm Of The Great Void
That same night after I left the temple, I returned to the Surveyor
Unit where I was working. I was twenty five years old then, unmarried,
and lived by myself at a dormitory for singles. Pondering over what
had happened during the day, I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep
right away. Suddenly I smelled wafts of fragrant sandalwood, and
I closed my eyes. I entered into a trance and saw a circle of light
appear in front of me.
The circle of light was as bright as a mirror surface, with glittering
golden sparkles all around. At this time, my body felt as if it
were rising lightly, then it flew into the light circle. I could
only hear the wailing sounds of the wind, and I felt that I had
flown to a place very far away. I had, indeed, arrived at a different
world. In the trance, I had the distinct and unmistakable feeling
that I had come to the Illusory Realm of the Great Void, and I was
to travel throughout it under the guidance of a certain force. There,
I met many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas whom I did not recognize, and
they acknowledged my presence with nods. I saw large blossoms of
lotus, the size of automobile tires, in many different colors. In
each lotus, a child stood holding lo tus blossoms of different colors.
I saw ladders descending from the space above and golden armored
gods standing all around.
The ground was covered in mist. I saw beautifully sculpted abodes
of gold, silver, and crystal emitting lights in great splendor.
I saw two pillars suspending amid the clouds in the sky. A voice
explained in my ear that one of the pillars was Mount K'unlun while
the other was Mount Meru. Then I found myself walking into a great
temple inside a certain mountain, and again, a voice spoke into
my ear, "This is XXX, your previous incarnation. If you have
doubts, when you return to your body, you can look up page 89 of
XXX scripture, and you will find the name of your previous incarnation.
This must be kept secret; otherwise, you will be punished."
Dutifully I consented to the request. Please excuse me for not
being able to divulge the name of my previous incarnation - it was
a secret of the Heavens! I then travelled to many other places and
saw and heard many things that I had never encountered in this life.
When I awoke in my body, it was already 7:00 a.m.
Following the instructions from the previous night's travelling,
I hurried to the Jui Ch'eng Bookstore in Taichung, which specialized
in Buddhist books, and looked up the scripture indicated by the
gods.
Eagerly I turned to page 89 and was astonished. There, indeed,
was the name, XXX, on that page. Standing there stunned, I was filled
with both joy and sadness. I had confirrned my experiences from
last night! Men indeed reincarnate!
Could I deny that my travels last night did not happen? From that
time on, I have believed in reincarnation and the laws of karma.
To this day, I still have mixed emotions about my unusual experiences.
However, the urge to do spiritual cultivation arose in me. If I
do not practice it this life, when shall I do it? I purchased many
Taoist and Buddhist scriptures and classics at the bookstore. At
that time, I was not yet able to distinguish the similarities and
differences between Taoism and Buddhism.
Ever since that one time of travelling in the Illusory Realm of
the Great Void, I have very much wanted to reexperience it, even
for just a few minutes. But, it has not happened again. I asked
the gods about it, but there was no reply. Perhaps in this life
of mine, I only could experience it that one time. I once told a
monk about my travelling to the Illusory Realm of the Great Void.
Behind my back, this monk told other people, "Lu Sheng-yen
tells lies."
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