- Book 31 - The Flying Carpet of the East
- By Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Shan Tung Hsu
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Chapter 3 - Travelling Through The Great Void
After I visited the temple with my mother, I returned to my apartment.
So much had happened that day that I went to bed to think about
it. I couldn't fall asleep. Suddenly, I smelled incense. I closed
my eyes. In a misty haze I saw a circle of light surrounded by a
shimmering golden aura. I felt my body float up into the air and
fly through the circle of light. I heard the wind blow. It felt
as if I flew a very long distance, and then discovered myself in
an entirely different world. Somehow it was clear to me that this
was the world of the great void. I was guided there by some kind
of force. I met many Bodhisattvas whom I couldn't recognize.
They bowed in salutation. I saw lotus flowers as large as car wheels,
in many colors, and on every lotus flower stood a boy. Each boy
held in his hand a different color lotus. Ladders, surrounded by
gold-armored gods, came down from the sky. A beautiful mist floated
up from the ground.
I saw an elaborately carved palace with golden light reflected
from its windows. The palace had two pillars that stretched up to
the clouds. I heard a voice tell me that one pillar represented
Kun-Lun Mountain and the other represented Sumeru Mountain.
I walked to a huge temple on one of the mountains. There stood
a man and I heard a voice that told me to check the truth of this
by reading on a specific page in the sutras. I was told never to
reveal my origin to anyone.
I travelled on to many other places. I saw and heard things I had
never seen or heard before.
When I awoke it was seven o'ciock in the morning. I rushed over
to the Tai-Chung Jui-Ch'eng Bookstore which specializes in Buddhist
books. I found the sutra and page that I was directed to look up.
Astonishingly enough, there was written the name of the person I
was told about! I was stunned, filled with both joy and sorrow.
Now I understood the reality of reincarnation. I wondered how I
could deny the experiences I'd had last night and the days prior.
They were so unusual, yet so real.
I thought, "If I don't cultivate myself in this lifetime then
when will I?" Before leaving the bookstore I bought many Taoist
and Buddhist Sutras. At that time I didn't know the difference between
the two.
After the experience of traveling through the great void, I hoped
to experience it again, even if only for ten minutes.
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