Avoiding a Land and Mud Slide
■Book 148 - The Power of Mantra
■Written by master Sheng-yen Lu
I once had a discussion on Buddhism with Venerable Zhou Ying.
' Master Lu, you claim that you're enlightened. May I ask what the enlightenment is?'
I replied, 'This is beyond words.'
'How does one know?'
'You know what you experience, whether it is warm or cold.'
'Even a three-year-old can say that!' Venerable Zhou Ying said.
'Yes, indeed. But you need to ask yourself if you're truly free within, or not.'
'Does the Tao have a form?'
'As it is, the Tao is formless.'
'If the Tao is formless, how does it seek its balance?' Venerable Zhou Ying asked.
'It does it naturally.'
Having been practicing Zen for the past twenty years, Venerable Zhou Ying thought he could shut me up once and for all by discussing the Buddhadharma with me. All it would take is one flaw in my speech and he would go for the kill.
I smiled, remaining firm in my verbal defense.
'Master Lu, you are neither preaching Buddhism nor Taoism. People talk about you!'
'Let me ask you this: is the highest peak connected with the deepest sea?'
The Venerable Zhou Ying said, 'Why do you have to include the spirits?'
'As mighty as the universe may be, it is nothing more than a bubble.' I uttered.
Venerable Zhou Ying could no longer question me any further.
This time, he asked, ' Master Lu. You claim you have supernatural power. Can you offer me some proof?'
'I wish to save your life!' I uttered.
'Save my life?' unconvinced, Venerable Zhou Ying sneered at me and said, 'I can liberate myself. I don't need your help.'
'Whether you are liberated or not is of no concern here. You have a pending disaster coming your way.'
'Rubbish! This is just one of those fortune-teller's tricks.'
'Believe it or not, it's up to you.'
'Alright then, go ahead and tell me about it!'
'There are four men in black who are near you, and they want to take your life!'
'How do I protect myself?'
'Chant the Marici Bodhisattva Mantra.'
I spoke in no uncertain terms to the monk, 'Chant the Marici Bodhisattva Mantra: Om Marichiyeh Svaha.'
I added, 'When you chant the mantra, you must also recite the following:
Protect me against troubles from any ruler.
Protect me from thieves.
Protect me in my travels.
Protect me from disasters of fire and water.
Protect me from harm in a war.
Protect me from psychic attack.
Protect me from being poisoned.
Protect me from wild beasts, poisonous insects and all enemies.
Protect me in all places and at all times.'
Venerable Zhou Ying said, 'You saw four men in black around me and I see nothing. You want me to recite the Marici Bodhisattva Mantra. I can do this. You say that I will encounter a disaster. If nothing happens to me, I will expose you as a fraud, and your so-called enlightenment will be reduced to nothing more than just plain mental knowledge.'
I told him, 'It's really up to you.'
The Venerable Zhou Ying clasped his palms and left.
Actually, when the monk first approached me, I already sensed that he would face a disaster. That was because he had four men in black, who were spirit officials waiting for him.
These four spirit officials were ahead of the monk, and they wanted to rush into my house. I stopped them before they could enter and they had to linger around the vicinity as they were waiting for him.
This is how I secretly save many sentient beings. Many face calamities and they do not necessarily know about them. I would not let them know. I help them resolve their situations without their knowledge.
Actually, there is bound to be some degree of calamity in our lives. Shakyamuni Buddha foresaw this when he said, 'The human life is one of uncertainty.'
Thus:
The Three Realms of Existence are engulfed in one scorching flame.
Even the ordained are not ensured safety.
Impermanence awaits one nonetheless.
Calm your thoughts and prepare yourself for the final journey.
I am aware that people are afraid of calamity and disaster. Thus, I cultivate myself daily and secretly help many go through their hard times. I chanted the Marici Bodhisattva Mantra, and I dedicated the merits to Venerable Zhou Ying. With my help, Venerable Zhou Ying would be saved.
* * *
Venerable Zhou Ying lived alone in a small hut, deep within the Bagua Mountain in Changhua, Taiwan.
He practiced Zen meditation and sat cross-legged in yoga posture.
The monk was once a student studying abroad in Japan. However, while in Japan, he developed a strong interest in Buddhism and was ordained as a monk in a famous Zen monastery of the Soto-shu Sect in Kyoto. His lineage thus comes from Japan.
I learned that the Patriarchal lineage of the Zen School had stopped with the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng, due to a dispute over the Fifth Patriarch's Dharma robe. It has since blossomed into the five sects of Zen Buddhism, which are the Lin Ji Sect (Rinzai Sect), T'sao Tung Sect (Soto-shu Sect), Wei Yang Sect, Yun Men Sect and Fa Yen Sect.
Zen Buddhism is known as the teaching of the heart.
The name of Zen or Dhyana was adopted for this school during the beginning of the T'ang Dynasty. Zen or Dhyana means cultivation of one's thoughts, which is the process of contemplating on truth itself. This is a practice of serene, reflective meditation.
The First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, a Southern Indian, arrived in China during the Liang Dynasty to transmit the School of Buddha Mind teachings. His method emphasizes the importance of serene meditation and silent recital, expressing the Buddha Mind and focusing on the practice of concentration and purification. In so doing, the method gives the impression of sitting in meditation; hence it is known as the Zen or Meditation School.
The Zen School stresses the following:
Omission of the written language,
Direct revelation of the mind,
Attaining Buddhahood through Enlightenment, and
Active discussion on Prajna, or wisdom
