Melanie, 2, Dec 2012
On January 29, I attended Wu Chueh Miao-Tien Shifu’s Dharma Service held at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan, with other practitioners. During the service, Shifu described Śākyamuni’s journey to attain Buddhahood. He also explained the importance of Chan practice in our life. Before he ended the Ceremony, Shifu blessed all those present, over 10,000 people in all, by “connecting their Ren and Du channels, cleansing their karma, opening their wisdom door, and opening their Buddha gate.” When I heard Shifu say it, I said to myself: there are more than 10,000 people at the scene, how can Shifu have such power to eliminate all our karma? I felt the power a couple of days later when I sat there meditating. All chakras, from the Sacrum Chakra to the Wisdom Chakra, I felt them all, and every easily! This had never happened before.
Shifu talked for two hours, and we could see on the large-screen that Shifu stood there steadily without moving his body at all. And certainly he had no script to read from.
I was also fortunate enough to have met Brother Miao Ming, an American nuclear physicist currently working in Shanghai, who has seen his True Nature after receiving heart-to-heart transmission from Shifu. We meditated and had meals together with him. I felt that he is someone who is completely at ease. There was a tea party after the service, and he was surrounded by many people, either to ask questions or to take pictures with him. He had no time to drink tea throughout, but he always had a smile on his face. He answered our questions very earnestly, and was full of wisdom. We learned a lot from him. The next morning, because of the jet leg, we got up at 3:30 am. Our bedroom was next to the meditation room, so we started to meditate. Suddenly, Brother Zhenyao felt a bright light around him even though he was meditating with eyes closed. He realized where the light came from when he opened his eyes after finishing the meditation: Brother Miao Ming was sitting right beside him, meditating.
We stayed at Chi Hang Guan Yin Buddhist Temple in Hsinchu. The tall and stately temple was presided over by Sister Yang Lian. Shifu has blessed the Temple, thus it is full of clean energy. Shifu kindly arranged us, who came from United States for the service, to stay there. The bedroom is for more than 30 people, and to my surprise I slept soundly in that room. The jet leg didn’t bother me at all. During the 7 nights in the temple I slept sweetly, even on the plane on my way home, I slept very well (I had never managed to fall asleep on a plane before). When we were on our way to Taiwan, Brother Zhenyao told me that the temple is full of clean energy and that people sleep there very well. It is indeed true.
We also visited the “Brahma” and “Pharmacists Buddha” temples and also the “Colored Light Lotus World.” We were pleased to have the opportunity to attend classes with other brothers and sisters in Taiwan. Beside Sister Yang Lian’s class, we attended Sister Yin Lian’s class. In both classes I felt very strong energy, and my Chakras reacted powerfully. Practitioners in Taiwan attend class every week, in the evening. Some of them live far away, and they stay to have discussions after meditation. The groups were formed by those who meditate together regularly. In Sister Yang Lian’s class, there were children, from 5-6 year olds to the teens, practicing together with us and their parents. Sister Yang Lian talked for half an hour, we meditated for half an hour, and then people shared with each other about their practice. I really admired those young children who sat in meditation position from the beginning to the end, seriously and quietly. Maybe that’s the characteristic of Chan babies.
Sister Yang Lian and Sister Yin Lian, in sharing with us their experiences in spiritual practice, were full of touching and amazing stories. If I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes and listened to their stories in person, I would have found the stories hard to believe.
In spiritual practice, one not only needs to practice meditation, but also to act. Practitioners in Taiwan take Chan medication classes, and they also help others in many ways. They came to clean the temple and maintain its garden right after the Chinese New Year. When we were there, they took turns cooking tasty meals for us. One sister’s husband runs a very big successful business, but she was very kind and came to cook for us twice. I really appreciate their kindness.
Shifu met Brother Miao Ming in the following afternoon after the service, and Brother Zhenyao had the honor to be at the scene, interpreting for them. At that point, Shifu reminded us to focus on maintaining discipline, saying that without discipline a practitioner cannot achieve much no matter how good a meditator he/she is. Hearing this, we reflected on ourselves. We realized it’s indeed really hard to comply with the commandments in our everyday life.
All of us from the US attended the dinner on Friday per Shifu’s arrangement. Several dozens of tables lined up in the restaurant, and only 4 people from each meditation Center were allowed to attend. You can imagine how many Chen centers there are in Taiwan. We took advantage of the opportunity to take photos with Shifu. Brother Zhenyao introduced us to Shifu one by one. Shifu sang a few songs for us. His voice was deep, mellow, and very pleasant to hear. The song “Seagull” expressed Shifu’s determination and vision to liberate sentient beings from suffering. I was deeply grateful!
While I was in the temple, I saw Sister Yang Lian and others salute earnestly to the image of Buddha. It bothered me, because I had always thought that it was something done by illiterate women in the country, and I was really not used to it. But with clarification by brothers and sisters, I realized this: by saluting the Buddha our true nature and the Buddha are paying respect to each other. It is something that practitioners should perform, and I should get used to it. It is also a method to purify our hearts. So I should overcome the obstacles, do the salutation with a grateful heart.
I owe this successful Taiwan trip to the help of many practitioners in Taiwan, especially Brother Yenkang. He helped me to apply for visa, order plane ticket, and in both San Francisco and Taipei he was the one who picked us up and dropped us off. He did so much for us, and I am very, very grateful! Not only Yenkang, all of the brothers and sisters I met in Taiwan are following Shifu’ teaching in purifying their hearts, and making great efforts to advance. I was impressed. Therefore, I also regard it my mission to introduce Shifu’s dharma, which perfects one’s heart and fulfills one’s life, to my friends, and introduce it to all those people who are suffering in the mundane world.
During the 7 days in Taiwan, we had no time for those famous tourist attractions, nor shopping at these famous malls. We only visited Shifu‘s temples and meditation classes. We felt especially clean, both physically and mentally. Sister Yang Lian and Brother Yenkang helped us to accomplish the most important things. I seemed to have lived in the Buddha’s Pure Land for a week, and now I have returned home. Spiritual practice is very popular in Taiwan. On our way to Shifu’s temples we saw many temples and Chan centers. This, I think, helps in maintaining a peaceful society. I also hope that the Mainland will also become a more tolerant society that will allow my family members and friends to start their journey of spiritual practice as early as possible.
I am glad that I was able to join our meditation group. Because of this I not only have confidence in my present life, I am also confident about my future. I am full of happiness.
Thank you, Shifu!
Thank you, everyone!
