I
work at a vegetarian restaurant in Paris, the staff members of which
are all fellow initiates. On the evening of December 28, 2002, the restaurant
staff who lived far away from the restaurant left work before me as
usual. And after the last customers had finished their meals and left,
I lowered the roller gate in front of the restaurant to half of its
length, indicating that business hours were over, and we had stopped
serving customers. Then I tidied up the eating utensils, cleaned the
tables, closed the day's account, and prepared to go home.
Just
before I left, I suddenly remembered that I needed to call a friend
so I went back to the counter, picked up the telephone and called her.
Just as I was talking to my friend, four youngsters, about sixteen or
seventeen years old, suddenly crawled in from beneath the partly opened
gate. I said to them, "Sorry, we're closed!" but they paid
no attention to my words and walked straight towards me. Two of them
stopped in front of the counter, while the third one approached the
cash register. "What do you want?" I asked. At that time,
the fourth person got behind me and encircled my neck with his arm.
He also covered my mouth with his other hand and yelled to his companions:
"Take the cash drawer! Take the cash drawer!"
The
moment I saw the intruders enter, I already had the feeling that they
did not come to eat. And while I was being held captive, I had only
one thought in mind: "At the worst, I'll die!" I closed my
eyes naturally and thought about Master, just as in daily meditation.
My heart was calm and peaceful and my body relaxed, waiting for the
worst to happen. However, within a few seconds, before I even had time
to chant the Holy Names, a miracle occurred! I was released, the youth
who had grabbed the cash drawer put it down, and the four robbers hastily
escaped without even taking a cent!
This
is a real-life event that lasted less than three minutes and that ordinary
people would find hard to believe, but to Quan Yin practitioners, it
was merely one of Master's innumerable wonders.
That
evening, after the incident, I was filled with the utmost gratitude.
I was grateful to the Master Power; I was grateful to the Quan Yin Method;
I was even grateful to the four youngsters who had planned to rob me.
Thanks to their attempt, I had experienced something very close to "doing
without doing." As Master once said, "The Quan Yin Method
is also a kind of martial art. With this martial art, we can conquer
all kinds of negative forces within ourselves and without ourselves."
I marvel at the fantastic power of this extraordinary martial art, which
not only saved me from danger, but also wonderfully transformed me from
within.
Before
initiation, I was emotionally unstable, easily became impetuous or dejected,
and feared disasters and death. Any unexpected incident would cause
me to become extremely frightened. And when Master initiated me ten
years ago, I was already forty-seven, an age at which it was hard for
me to change my personality and habits. Nevertheless, at the perilous
moment of the attempted robbery, my reaction and mindset allowed me
to realize the tremendous change that had come about in my consciousness.
I experienced no fear or terror and did not struggle or resist. I did
think of death, but it only calmed me even more. Besides, at that moment,
I had virtually no intention of getting outside help. Instead, I instinctively
prayed for help from the Inner Master and the Quan Yin Method. Thus,
I came to realize that it is very difficult to find a better form of
self-defense than the Quan Yin Method!
For
many years, day after day, I have devoted myself to self-cultivation
and meditation. Now I have finally seen some encouraging results. How
I wish that this insignificant spiritual achievement could transform
into a thin, soft tissue with which to wipe from Master's face the countless
tears She sheds for us. I also wish that it could transform myself into
a pair of nimble hands to massage Master's back to ease Her pain and
soreness. Finally, I want it to transform into a sweet melody to comfort
Master's heart, which is constantly exhausted by Her imperfect disciples.
The Highest Martial Art
