Chapter 2 - A Whole Monastery Takes Refuge

This should be an ordinary story but, from the ordinary, a trace of the extraordinary is revealed....

It happened in a rural monastery in Southern Taiwan. The monastery is located half-way up a mountain.

With many, huge apple trees surrounding it, the setting provides an ideal atmosphere for spiritual practices.

A young lady from a wealthy family was staying in the monastery. In the quiet atmosphere she prayed to the Buddhas and studied in preparation for the university entrance examination. In addition to the textbooks she had to study, she had also brought along some religious literature, including a few of my spiritual books.

At this time some strange events began to happen. One night, the abbot of the monastery dreamed that he was walking around inside the monastery. He came to the door of this wealthy young lady and saw her reading a book which was not a textbook nor a Buddhist scripture. Strangest of all, this book emitted billions of rays of golden light, which were so strong that he had to close his eyes. He woke up as a result of this.

Although the abbot felt the dream was strange, he did not concern himself about it. The following night, however, he had the same dream again. This he did not understand and he began to wonder. The third night he had the same dream again. He decided to investigate, believing that the dream must contain some unusual meaning. What a person dreams once cannot be considered unusual. For the same dreary to occur twice is a little strange. When it occurs three times, one must look into it.

Restless, the abbot went to the young lady's quiet, secluded room and saw her reading a book. Her back was to him. He thought that this was just like what he had seen in the dream. Then, the young lady saw the abbot.

She rose immediately and bowed to him.

"What book are you reading?" He asked.

"It's...it's..." she replied, hiding the gold-lettered, chocolate-colored book behind her. She hesitated, feeling uneasy.

"Let me see the book; I will tell no one," the abbot said.

The young lady handed the book to him. When he looked at it, he saw it was a book written by Master Sheng-yen Lu, entitled The Method of Vajrayana.

"Do you know Sheng-yen Lu?" The abbot asked.

She said, "I have not met him, but I find his writings make a lot of sense. I wrote to him to request refuge and I have received remote-empowerment from him. I am practicing the Guru Yoga, reciting the Guru Heart Mantra and reading his books to learn the Dharma."

"Before I became a monk, I heard many things about him, mostly criticisms, from many great monks. They said Sheng-yen Lu had gone astray and become possessed by demons, but I have not yet read his books. Since you have his books here, which is really wonderful, would you lend me some to read?"

She was extremely happy to hear this. From her luggage she removed The Realization of the Master, The Bon Religion and Sorcery, Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra, A Little Taste of Zen, Between Buddha and Mara, and others, and handed them to the abbot.

Once the abbot started to read them, he found, to his surprise, that he was reluctant to put them down. He read them day and night, whenever he had time. He was totally absorbed in reading them, like someone who had found the Truth. The abbot told the young lady that the teaching of Buddha was inconceivable and the power of Master Lu was unimaginable. Master Lu's books were written in simple words. Every sentence was clear and comprehensible. They were not books written by someone who had gone astray and become possessed by demons. Master Lu had great compassion. He was not a liar and not an evil person, as had been rumored outside.

The abbot ordered all nine monks and nuns in the monastery to set up an incense table in the monastery's main hall. For the next three days, they burned incense, while praying and chanting the Great Compassion Dharani one hundred eight times. Feeling everything empty, and free from the grasp of prejudices, the abbot sincerely knelt down with all the monks and nuns, asking permission from the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara (Kuan Yin) Bodhisattva to allow them to take refuge in Master Sheng-yen Lu of Redmond, Washington, USA, who was the incarnation of Padmakumara.

Then, they used the prophecy blocks, a method of divination, and received seven holy blocks, which meant the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva had granted approval.

Then, a stranger thing happened. On the night of the approval by the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, all nine monks and nuns saw, in their dreams, the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master sitting magnificently on a lotus, amid auspicious clouds. Wearing a Five-Buddha-Crown, the Master emitted a billion rays of golden light and was surrounded by many Dakinis (sky-dancers) who waited upon hire.

Interestingly, one of the nuns had a growth on her neck, which had been hard and visible to everyone. After the dream about Master Lu, the growth became soft, shrunken, and gradually began to disappear. The abbot mailed a list to me in America of all the names of the monks and nuns. He requested initiations and remote empowerment and detailed his reasons for doing so. This is an absolutely true story.

In the past, there have been many people who have taken refuge due to dreams, and some of these have been mentioned in my previous spiritual books. One such person is General Wang Lien of Taipei, author of Maintain the Health by Taoist Breathing Exercises, Curing through Taoist Breathing Exercises, and other books. In Toronto, Canada, there was Chao Li Ch'an, and in Edmonton, Canada, there was Liang Yung Ming and other lay Buddhists. People who have taken refuge through dreams had the ritual of refuge done first in the dreams, then later they came to seek refuge in person.

There are many more monks and nuns who have taken refuge through remote empowerment. For example, recently there was Dharma Master Shakya Kuo Hsien, the abbot of Hui Ch'uan monastery in Hong Kong, Dharma Master Nai Tung of P'u Men Pao En Monastery in Thailand, Shakya Wu Chin and Shakya Hui P'o (mentioned in my previous spiritual books). In fact, there were many more from all over the world. Some of these monks and nuns did not want their initiation publicized. I understand their circumstances and therefore do not reveal their names in my books.

When monks and nuns took refuge in me and asked for advice, my replies were sent in plain, white envelopes, without my name and address on them, so that the students would be spared sarcastic remarks from other monks and nuns. Sometimes my replies had to be sent via a third party instead of directly to the monastery.

This was to avoid unnecessary troubles, as it was not easy for many of the monks and nuns to seek refuge in me. It was a rare occurrence for a whole monastery of monks and nuns to come to take refuge. This was a destiny that was a direct result of my book, The Method of Vajrayana, which emitted golden ray in the dreams of the abbot.

The seven holy blocks approval of the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the dream about the Master by the nine monks and nuns, and the disappearance of the nun's neck growth - these are all great mystical experiences.

I would like to disclose the name of this monastery and of its abbot; however, the abbot requested in his letter to me that I withhold their names from the public, as the high monk who ordained the abbot into monkhood still harbors misunderstandings toward me. I understand the abbot's difficulties and I beg the reader's forgiveness for keeping the names secret.

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