Eradicating All Disasters
■Book 148 - The Power of Mantra
■Written by master Sheng-yen Lu
It was ten years ago when Sheng Ding`s aunt passed away. Before she died, she gave him a painting of a portrait of the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva. The mantra of this Bodhisattva was written alongside the painting. His aunt had recited every word carefully to Sheng Ding and he had actually chanted the mantra correctly, with the right pronunciation. His aunt told him that the painting with the mantra has been kept and worshipped over a long period of time. The mantra was to be recited in the course of one`s lifetime, and should not be forgone. According to his aunt, the mantra was very magical.
Sheng Ding kept this painting properly and recited the Mantra of the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva for a short period. After his aunt`s passing, he put the painting away and it did not see the light of day. He had since stopped chanting the mantra.
I told Sheng Ding, `Hang up the piece of painting of the Bodhisattva immediately.`
`Yes.` Sheng Ding answered.
`Recite this Mantra of the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva twenty times a day.`
`Yes.`
`Do you need my coaching?`
`It`s OK. I still remember how to chant this mantra.`
Surprisingly, Sheng Ding was able to write down this mantra:
The Mantra of the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva
Homage to the All Compassionate and All Merciful Kuan Yin Bodhisattva (3 times).
Homage to the Buddhas.
Homage to the Dharma.
Homage to the Sangha.
Homage to Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, the Great Compassionate One.
Tadyata Om Garavata Garavata Gahavata Ragavata Ragavata Svaha.
Summon the Gods in Heaven,
Summon the Gods on Earth,
Deliver us from all disasters.
Remove us from all evils.
Reduce all disasters to nothingness.
Namo Maha-prajna-paramita
When Sheng Ding returned home, he hanged his painting of the Bodhisattva on the wall and worshipped it with much reverence. In preparation for his daily chanting, he would clean his hands, light incense and prostrate before the image of the Bodhisattva before chanting the mantra.
After completing his chanting, he would recite the dedication verses:
May karmic hindrance and anxiety be removed.
May wisdom and true realization be attained.
May all transgression be eradicated completely.
May I follow the path of Bodhisattva life after life.
Sheng Ding added, `Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, please protect me from any fatality and offer me longevity.`
At home, he could keep to the routine of his practice. But Sheng Ding was, after all, a traveling chief engineer with his deep-sea fishing ship. He spent most of his time away from home. Nonetheless, he taped a photo of the White Robed Bodhisattva at a corner of his cabin on board his ship. He continued his daily practice without fail.
His friends sneered at him and thought he was superstitious, crazy, and had lost his mind. But Sheng Ding ignored them.
Besides chanting the mantra, Sheng Ding would commit himself to charity work whenever possible.
* * *
When he was thirty-seven, Sheng Ding`s fishing ship anchored at Hawaii before sailing to Guam the following day. That very night, Sheng Ding had a bad stomachache and was in great pain.
When he was rushed to the emergency ward in the hospital, he was diagnosed with acute colitis and needed an operation right away. Under the circumstances, Sheng Ding had to stay behind at the Hawaii hospital.
However, the ship was scheduled to Guam and could not wait for him. So the ship sailed on without Sheng Ding and would arrange to meet with him again after his surgery.
Sadly, the ship sank on its journey to Guam when it encountered a heavy storm. None of the crew survived the tragedy. The ship with its load of crew sank without a trace. Despite rescue attempts from the shipping company to search the area with helicopters and other rescue ships, they could not locate the missing crew. It was as if they had all vanished into thin air.
Because his acute colitis required him to stay behind in Hawaii for surgery, Sheng Ding became the sole survivor of this tragedy.
Sheng Ding later returned to Hong Kong and met up with the fortune-teller.
He told the fortune-teller, `Your divination is off the mark!`
The fortune-teller was astonished and exclaimed, `What happened?`
`I chanted the Mantra of the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, that`s all!`
The fortune-teller marveled and said, `The mantra has such miraculous power. It is indeed rare. I would like to recite it too.`
Since then, Sheng Ding developed a deep faith in the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, and knew that the compassionate Bodhisattva would certainly answer the cries of all. He knew he must trust the Bodhisattva completely and be sincere. Only then can a miracle be evoked. Sheng Ding later took refuge with the True Buddha School.
I taught Sheng Ding how to practice the Four Preliminary Practices and the Guru Yoga. Eventually, he was to regard the White Robed Kuan Yin Bodhisattva as his Principal Deity during his cultivation.
Sheng Ding felt sorry for the shipmates and crew who had perished in the ocean. He decided to chant the Mantra of the White Robed Bodhisattva one hundred twenty thousand times. He would then dedicate the merits of the mantra chanting to their Souls.
After the dedication of merits, Sheng Ding had a dream. he dreamt of sailing in the ocean and his ship being surrounded by about fifty white birds. The circling birds seemed to come to say their thank you to Sheng Ding, and one by one, they each flew away. When he woke up from his dream, he realized that the Souls of his friends had all been liberated by the White Robed Kuan Yin and left the sea of suffering.
And thus:
From dust to dawn he chants diligently.
The White Robed Kuan Yin enters his dream frequently.
The shipmates of the boat have been salvaged.
Bonded by old friendship of great affinity.
