|
- Book 60 - The Inner World of the Lake
- By Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated by Janny Chow and Kender Tomko,
Revised May 24, 1991
- Copyright Purple Lotus Society
|
Appendix B.2. The Taking Of Refuge By Elders
There will come a time when the great teachings of the True Buddha
School shall spread to all corners of the world and, soon after,
people from all over the world shall come to take refuge.
Here, at the home of Holy-Red-Crown-Vajra-Master, the number of
letters arriving daily has increased from several dozen to several
hundred and on to several thousand. The number of people seeking
refuge daily has also escalated from a dozen to a hundred to more
than a thousand. The deluge of mail is so great that its management
has become difficult. Here, the Master would like to ask forgiveness
from his students for any delays in replying and in the brevity
of the replies. The Master hopes the students will understand that
sometimes a delay is unavoidable.
Due to the rapid increase in the number of people seeking refuge
daily, it is becoming too much for the Master to handle himself.
In the future, the Master shall designate trustworthy personnel
to give out Refuge Certificates and then to collect the lists of
refuge seekers to be forwarded to a centralized area. Otherwise,
it will be impossible to handle the thousand letters and refuge
seekers arriving daily.
Here, at the Master's residence, all receipts and mailings are
done by Li-hsiang Lu, envelopes are addressed by Fo-ching, research
is done by Fo-chi, and I write the content of the replies. In addition,
I have helpers who open the mail, dividing the letters into categories,
such as: "refuge seeking," "requests for blessings,"
"requests for ceremonies," "seeking teachings,"
"problem solving," "offerings," and "greetings."
It is really a team approach.
Among the students who have recently come to take refuge, we have
besides the usual young ones some older people, and we also have
people from races other than Chinese. The oldest student is Lian-hua
Jin-ming in Spain. He is now ninety-eight years old and will be
a centenarian in two years. He is still physically healthy and we
send him our blessings.
Lately, there has been an increase in the refuge seeking of elders
and I am disclosing this letter in illustration:
| Dear
Master Sheng-yen,
We haven't had
the pleasure of meeting each other but, because of my intense
admiration for you and eagerness to take refuge in you, I
am writing this letter. I hope you will not think me rude.
My son, Hsiu-huai
Wong, has taken refuge for more than ten years in Dharma Master
Shakya Quo-hsian and he was given the refuge name Chang-yung
(Always Brave). During this summer, when Master came to Hong
Kong, my son was able to meet you, through Master Quo-hsian
's introduction, and take refuge in you, obtaining the refuge
name "Lian-hua Chang-yung. " When my wife and I
heard of this, we were extremely happy.
My son recently
gave me a few of your books to read: The Method of Vajrayana,
The Bon Religion and Sorcery, The Realization of the Master,
and The Psychic Experiences of line Buddha Disciples. After
a thorough reading of them, I suddenly saw the light. I could
feel intently the depth of Master's knowledge and the vastness
of Master's spiritual achievement. Master has studied many
schools in depth and is, like a lighthouse on the vast ocean
's shore, trying to fulfill his great vows of salvaging human
beings by spreading the teachings of Correct Dharma and dispelling
the teachings of devious schools. This is to enable future
truth seekers to turn away from false paths. So great are
your merits that all Devas and Bodhisattvas must surely be
moved to come and aid you. By sowing a great cause, Master
and the school shall reap a great harvest.
My wife and I
have been Buddhists for a very long time and have for more
than ten years enshrined a picture of the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin
in an altar. Every morning and evening, we light an incense,
pray silently, and recite the name of the Buddha the way the
Pure Land School teaches.
There is no opportunity
at present for me to meet you personally, since the distance
to travel is so great. However, mulling over what I have read
in your writings, I found that they have left an indelible
mark on me. I have composed four poems to be offered to the
Master. Please accept them and give me your evaluation. I
would be most grateful.
Please take care
of yourself; it is just impossible to express a11 of what
I would like to express to you.
(Preface to poems:)
Master Sheng-yen
is a giant in the recent history of Buddhism, as well as the
founder of a new school. After extensive studies in various
schools, he has attained a profound spiritual level and is
now aiding the world. His prolific, excellent writings are
rare, indeed; therefore, many devotees *om East and West are
taking refuge in him. Though I have not had the opportunity
to meet with the Master personally, after reading his profound
writings, I deeply marvel at his ability to fathom the mysteries
in the worlds of men and devas. Now is the era of confusion
and of the last epoch of the Buddha Dharma. Master's appearance
is, as the illumination from the sun and moon, a beacon in
darkness. After contemplating on this in the middle of the
night, I was moved to compose the four poems below as an expression
of my sincere admiration for the Master.
(1)
Like a pure
jade, Master's spirituality is noble and his knowledge deep,
Who in this
world has not heard of him?
Taking refuge
in the Buddha, after studying extensively in various religions,
He attained
realization, understanding the past and future, under the
Bodhi Tree.
(2)
After attaining
realization, understanding the past and future, under the
Bodhi Tree,
Heaven has endowed
Him with an indestructible Vajra Body;
Bringing salvation
to aid the world, without asking any return,
How many people
can emulate his high character?
(3)
His world-illuminating
books are as many as trees in a forest;
His psychic
divination reveals the past causes of current events;
Delivering all
beings to the other shore,
Like the Barge
of Compassion, he provides guidance in the Dharma Sea.
(4)
Like the Barge
of Compassion, he provides guidance in the Dharma Sea;
His transcendence
of the mundane and merging with the holiness command our
reverence;
Devotees from
East and West come to take refuge in the Lotus,
The Bon Sect
will find it hard to extend its influence.
I am enclosing
my birthday below. I am now eighty-four years old and was
born in
X(month), X(date),
X(time), 1901.
My wife, Ciu-rung
Zhong, was born in 1923.
May the peace
of Tao be with you.
Sincerely,
Zhen-huan Wong
July 9, 1985. |
Lian-hua Zhen-huan is eighty-four years old. He writes with an
extremely elegant styleof calligraphy and is also a very scholarly
person. What is rare is that he is a devout Buddhist and engages
daily in the practice of the Pure Land School. Now, with the refuge
taking in the True Buddha School, he can benefit from the combined
practices of the two schools, and his understanding and achievement
will be extraordinary. Lately, in addition to the elders, Buddhist
monks and nuns are coming to take refuge.
For example: Dharma Masters An Ding, Chuan-Zheng, Jian Wu, Miao
Yin, Guo Ren, and Guo Jian. There are also several other Dharma
masters who, due to certain factors, do not want their names made
public and are taking refuge in secret in order to learn the Master's
practices. They are waiting for opportunities to ripen and, when
they do obtain great realizations, they will declare their identities
in a lion's roar.
As far as the Bon Sect is concerned, there is really no need to
talk about it any more. People who have studied Tibetan Tantric
Buddhism all know that the Bon Sect no longer exists in this world.
The original Bon Sect in Tibet was destroyed by Padmasambhava. In
the 1980's, whoever is trying to represent the Bon Sect or seemingly
propagating the Bon Sect may not necessarily understand what the
Bon Sect really was. The founder of the original Bon Sect in Tibet
probably would never have imagined that the Holy-Red-Crown-Vajra-Master
knows even the sorcery of the Bon Sect and is now speaking out to
stop its revival. Wherever the original Bon Sect founder is, if
he is aware of what is happening now, he probably regards the Holy-Red-Crown-Vajra-Master
with both hate and respect.
|
|
