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Venerable Master
Lu:
The last time
I left Chicago, it was stormy and snowing. Chicago is the
well-known "Wind City" of the United States. The
plane was unable to take off, even after two attempts. Many
people were frightened but I was calm as usual because it
was the first time that I was going to meet the Holy Red Crown
Vajra Master Lian Shen, the Illustrious Acharya. If something
wrong was going to happen, Bodhisattva Lian Shen would have
prevented me from going in the first place. Finally, at the
third attempt, the plane took off and soared into the clouds.
Everyone applauded and cheered. I was grateful for the care
of Bodhisattva Lian Shen.
Looking out of
the plane from the skies above Chicago, it was flat for hundreds
of miles in all directions. There wasn't a mountain or even
a hill that I could see. However, when we were above Salt
Lake City, I was transfixed to see the continuous mountain
ranges. It was January the 5th when I landed in Seattle, where
there were unbroken mountain ranges edged by the ocean, coupled
with thin fogs that gently encircled the slopes. Streaks of
white snow lay everywhere. The blue of the sea joined the
azure sky canopy. It was difficult for people to know whether
they were in the sky or on the land. No wonder master praised:
"The geographical spiritual energy of Seattle is the
most exuberant in the U.S.."
With the instructions
given by Mrs. Lu over the phone, I rented a car at the airport,
headed for Highways 405, and drove for about one hour, enjoying
the scenery on the way. Entering the city of Redmond, I stopped
by a flower shop on top of a hill, where many people were
enjoying the flowers. A girl was busily walking in and out
of the shop; I asked her where Master Lu lived. Everyone started
to point to the west where there were a few houses. Just looking
at the houses, and without anybody telling me, I knew the
one with a red roof and white walls was the residence of Master.
I felt there was spiritual energy spreading out in all directions.
This was:
Red rays beaming
up, reaching the heavens, White walls shining to all directions;
Spiritual energy
soaring millions of yards, Enveloping the realm of the human
tuorld.
Where is the
divine place of the great immortal?
Simply look
towards Seattle; the number one divine place is there.
Once I entered
the house, I felt an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness.
Fo-ch'ing and Fo-ch'i came up and said, "Master is upstairs."
I knew Master could be in meditation and I did not dare disturb
him. So, I went first to the altar and bowed to all Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas. Dharma brother Hung and his family from
Vancouver, Canada were also there. Together in the sitting-room,
we viewed the pictures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on the
wall. Suddenly, I felt rays of energy approaching. I looked
it was Master coming down the stairs. Suddenly I was at a
loss what to do. I hurriedly joined my palms bowed to Master
and said, "I am Yang Chen-chia from Chicago. I've come
to pay homage to the Master." Master replied, saying,
"I know you."
After seeing Master,
I realized that the spiritual energy radiating light from
Master's face was so strong that it shone like a big star
at night. Green, white, gold, and yellow lights converged
into a bright and radiating light. Especially in group sessions,
Master was like the sun and the rest of us became little fireflies
and stars.
I am grateful
for the Master's loving care in personally empowering me.
I felt a current of energy entering me and cleansing my negative
karmas. My body felt light and floating, and I had a flying
sensation. In my meditation, I reached the samadhi stage,
which made me understand the greatness of the Master.
Master has already
attained "the key to secrets " and "vajra samadhi"
and, therefore, has the compassionate heart of a Bodhisattva
as well as the diamond quality that can get rid of millions
of problems. His power of mental concentration is unparalleled,
because he did not have to wait for me to ask questions to
answer them for me. I felt he was extremely effective. That
evening in the regular group practice, I met many young Americans
who bowed to the Master with reverence. To my understanding,
they have extremely deep knowledge of Buddhist teachings.
Perhaps in the future, they will be the Dharma teachers who
will propagate Buddhist teachings throughout America.
I saw Master's
spiritual light moving around, and was stunned and speechless
to watch the hundreds and thousands of different mudras he
displayed. How many years would it take for ordinary people
like us to learn these several thousand kinds of Mudras? The
hand manipulations were absolutely wonderful, and their purpose
was beyond the comprehension of laymen. After I returned to
Chicago, I found it was still covered in snow. The wind was
chilly, but my heart was a ball of fire. As a matter of fact,
the thing that made me happiest and most excited was Master's
empowerment and his patience in teachings. That night, after
a few minutes of meditation I had a mystical experience I
felt my crown chakra open up and saw a ray of white and red
light passing in front of me. From the top of my crown, Master
descended, entered my body, and sat on a lotus in my heart.
My inner spirit started to become activated. I felt a happiness
that was hard to express. Here is a verse:
The gate to
Heaven has been unlocked,
Good deeds and
cultivation are the True Ways;
Master is indeed
unparalleled in the past and present,
One howl breaks
up the illusion of thousands of lifetimes.
Last night and
the night before, I did my usual meditation and recited the
name of the Holy Red Crown Vajra Master Sheng-yen Lu. After
about fifteen minutes, I saw a ray of white light coming down
from the sky, inducing my true spirit to move. In each practice,
I felt the presence of the master. I shall be grateful and
delighted, forever and ever.
I would like to
offer another verse to pay homage to the Master:
Receiving empowerment
from the Red Crown Vajra Master,
I vow to follow
the master to the nether world;
Never receding
with the vows of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha,
Until all beings
attain Buddhahood.
Yang Chen-chia
Student |
