Master's Wonders |
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| Brother Wong's encounters with Master were like a miraculous story, which always fills him with gratitude and warmth. |
"Countless
miracles to talk about, and endless love to be grateful for." These words are most appropriate to describe brother Wong's feelings now.
The affinity tied between Master and brother Wong started with a fantastic encounter thirty-four years ago. Born and educated in Penghu, brother Wong was a student at a junior secondary school thirty-four years ago. One day he went alone to play at the Quan Yin Pavilion in Magong, Penghu. Near the fountain in front of the Pavilion, he saw a very noble person dressed in a curious style. Unknowingly, he exclaimed in his heart: "Master! Master!"
He then walked around the fountain towards that person. Very soon, Master appeared before him and asked him cordially, "How old are you? Have you taken your meal?"
Brother Wong replied, "I have eaten already." Master continued to say, "Take a rest at noon; take a break."
Brother Wong was deeply impressed by Master's appearance. He recalled: "She was wearing a round, dark blue colored hat and had short hair. She also wore a classic styled vest - the buttons of which were made of cloth. The vest and the hat were of the same color. Her trousers were a plain light color, with a pair of nun's shoes on Her feet. She was not wearing any make-up; there was even some perspiration on Her face." Brother Wong had never seen any clothing in this design, and it is still vivid in his mind. Love and care emanated from Her, and Her noble deportment and elegant quality was implanted deep in his mind. Ever since he saw Master that time, he missed Her very much and always longed to see Her again. This feeling persisted even when he joined the National Armed Services, fading only a little after he got married and moved to Formosa.
Brother Wong remembered when he was sleeping at home that night that he dreamt about Master whispering in his ears, "I am an Au Lac monastic practitioner." According to calculations, Master was then only about twelve years old. How could She have appeared to brother Wong in the physical form of a forty year old and talk to him? This was truly incredible!
Only after he had received the initiation did brother Wong notice one of Master's photos, which looked the same as the master he saw thirty-four years ago. He was extremely delighted, and has been wearing this photo of Master on his chest since then; feeling so complacent, so very proud, contented and happy!
The Saviour Of Our Time
He was devoted to Christianity since the age of twenty-seven, a sincere Christian. Several miracles occurred before he eventually found Master, when he was forty-eight. At the age of twenty-eight, he was working at a construction site. One day he was injured in an accident - hit in the abdomen by a huge barrel weighing over a thousand catties (680 kilos). He felt severe pain and then fell unconscious. Just as he was about to collapse, he suddenly saw a person appear who held him. That person was petite, wearing a robe and holding a stick with a radiant cross hanging on it. The person's whole body was emitting light. He thought it was Jesus Christ who came to save him but he found out that he was wrong. He thought that was the end of him, believing his internal organs must have been seriously damaged. However, after a medical examination at the hospital, it was found that he was suffering only from slight injuries.
After the initiation, a fellow sister gave him a huge portrait of Master, which he felt looked very familiar. Then he suddenly recalled the accident which happened twenty years ago. So, it was Master who saved him! The only difference was that, in the photo, a water gourd was hanging on Master's staff, while it was a cross in his vision. He thought perhaps God observed that he was a Christian so Hes showed him a cross to let him know that the Lord is always protecting him!
After getting married and fathering a child, brother Wong worked even harder to sustain his family. In the daytime he worked as a plumber and electrician; in the evening he drove a taxi to earn more money for the family. Those were bitter days. Not owning a house, they had to live in rented accommodation everywhere.
One day, when he was going to take his taxi out to work, he found the car had been vandalized - sprayed with paint all over. He was so sad and agitated that he prayed very sincerely to Jesus Christ, "Oh, Lord! I am so hurt. Despite working hard day and night I don't even have my own house, and I could not even keep my car from being vandalized. Please bless me and give me a house soon."
When he was sleeping that night the Lord appeared to him looking just like the person who saved him last time. However, this time, the body of this Lord was as gigantic as a small hill. The Lord spoke to him in Latin, "I love you! I shall forever love you!" Although the words were in Latin, he could understand. Nevertheless, he still asked the Lord, "Oh, Lord! Why don't you speak to me in English or Chinese?" On the next night, the Lord appeared to him again and repeated the words in English. And then, on the third night, the Lord talked to him in Chinese, "I love you! I will help you find a house." On the fourth night, the Lord appeared again and told him, "I love you. Tomorrow go out on the bike with your son and just wander about. I will point out where your house is."
The next morning, brother Wong delightfully took his son out on his motorbike and wandered aimlessly. As they approached Cheng Qing Lake, both father and son were shocked to see a big hand appear in the sky and point to a vacant piece of land ahead, saying, "The house you want is here."
They immediately knelt by the roadside, crying and exclaiming gratefully, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"
Brother Wong said, "If some people had happened to pass by and see us, they would have thought that we were nuts."
After the miracle vision vanished, brother Wong went to look at the place and found that it was only a wasteland full of wild grass. He felt very strange, and so left the place on his motorbike. As they passed by a property sales office, he suddenly stopped the bike and walked in. He said boldly to the boss of the company, "I want to buy a house!"
Observing his poor and shabby appearance, the boss said to him, "If you are really keen to buy one, I shall sell one to you for 1.9 million N.T. dollars."
Having worked hard, brother Wong had saved over three hundred thousand N.T. dollars. Since the savings were sufficient to pay for the first instalment, and the price was so cheap, he consented to buy the house. He had not the slightest idea as to the location of the house that he was buying, yet he simply bought it without knowing why. Then, the boss sent someone to lead him to the site, and it happened to be the vacant land which the Lord had just shown him. And, the house that he bought was exactly on the spot where the finger of the Lord had pointed to.
Overwhelmed by gratefulness, he again knelt on the ground, and kept exclaiming, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!" The man who led him to the place was totally stunned.
Although the days were bitter when brother Wong was striving to establish his career, he never lacked spiritual comfort within. He always felt the Lord's merciful love taking care of him at all times.
Once, he was in financial difficulties so he prayed to the Lord for help. A few days later, when he was driving the taxi, he drove a man to his destination and charged him about thirty dollars for the trip. However, the man gave him over three thousand dollars. When brother Wong received the money he immediately turned around and told the passenger, "You have given me too much money!" But the man had already vanished without a trace. He thought that the Lord must have heard his prayer and sent this man to give him the money.
The Fabulous Encounter On Channel Four
The year 1994 was the most exciting year in brother Wong's life. During the Lunar (Chinese) New Year Festival, he took his son to tour Buddha Light Mountain - a Buddhist sightseeing spot in Formosa. As the never ending stream of tourists flowed before his eyes, suddenly, two female monastic practitioners emerged from the crowd - glowing with vigor and elegance. They drifted past him and completely caught his attention. He then recalled that one of them was the Au Lac monastic practitioner whom he met thirty-four years ago in Penghu. Although She was then clean shaven and wearing a monastic robe, he could still instantly and definitely recognize Her. Totally stunned, he stood there motionlessly absorbed in memory. When he became alert again he tried to look for the two female monastic practitioners, but they had already disappeared.
After he saw Master appear on Buddha Light Mountain wearing a monastic robe, he suddenly realized that he could not eat meat any more when he began taking his lunch. Any meat disgusted him. Naturally, he was very anxious to know the whereabouts of this monastic practitioner (at the time he didn't know She was Master).
Shortly afterwards, he was watching TV's Channel Four at home when he suddenly saw the program of Master's lecture, which made him extremely happy. After watching the program, he immediately phoned to ask where he could find Master. He then hurried to Master's Book Circulation Center in Fengshan district and bought all Master's lecture books to study at home. As he read Master's books, he became increasingly amazed and was as excited as if he had discovered a new continent. He received the initiation very soon.
After the initiation he knew that Master had given up wearing monastic attire for quite some time because She wanted to educate Her disciples and break the ignorant attachments of sentient beings. She wanted everyone to know that the essence of monastic devotion is the intent of the heart, and not any superficial form. To pursue spiritual practice one must find a true Master and the true Method which can enlighten one's inner soul, which is the real objective of spiritual practice. Without a correct method and a good master, one may be dressed in rags; be clean shaven; meditate all day long without going to sleep; or take only one meal in two days, but remain unenlightened within. There is no way to deceive people on this point.
Then, how to explain the incident when brother Wong saw Master at Buddha Light Mountain? Later, it was known that the other female monastic practitioner who appeared with Master was one of Master's monastic disciples. According to records, Master was actually not in Formosa then. These miracles astounded his mind and soul.
Master's peerless wisdom dissolved brother Wong's previous misconceptions towards religions. He understood that God and the Truth have no boundaries or discriminations. When Jesus Christ walked on Earth, so-called Catholicism or Christianity did not exist; when Shakyamuni Buddha was alive, there was no Buddhism. All the struggles between religions and sects originated from the ignorance of humans who created troubles for themselves. This is not the will of God, or the Buddha.
Master's Love Saved A Neighbor
After understanding Master's teachings, his heart was filled with indescribable cheerfulness and bliss. His faith in the Lord was ever firmer than before because he understood that he had found the 'true Lord on Earth'.
One day, he was working in the shop when a woman living on the opposite side of the street came to ask him, "Do you have time to fix the water and electrical problems at my home? However, my husband is in a bad mood as he suffers from a chronic disease. He has already chased away three plumbers and electricians. Are you willing to come?" Brother Wong promised to give it a try.
Upon reaching her home he learnt that the woman's name was Liu and that her husband, Mr. Chen, had been suffering from the effects of a stroke for the last eighteen years. During this time he had undergone two kidney operations and his condition was deteriorating. In the last few years he could not even control the passing of his urine, or turn or move his body. Fortunately, his eyes and ears were still functional and he could still speak with some effort.
While working at their home, brother Wong accidentally noticed a pendant with Master's photo kept in a cabinet. On enquiry, he found that the mother and sisters of Mrs. Chen had been Master's disciples for years. They had given her this pendant to be worn by her husband. However, Mrs. Chen was all the while an atheist - she believed only in herself and totally rejected religious concepts about transmigration, karma and so on. Naturally, she did not believe in Master either. She was absolutely baffled by her relatives' adoration of Master and thought that they were very superstitious. For five years, she had often harshly defamed and criticized Master in front of her mother and sisters.
Having grasped a clear picture of the situation, brother Wong told Mr. and Mrs. Chen frankly that he was also a disciple of Supreme Master Ching Hai, and then told them about all the miraculous stories in his life. After listening to his stories their views towards Master changed. Brother Wong continued to say, "Although we have met each other only for the first time today, I wish you would listen to me just once. I will teach you how to recite Master's holy name. When you encounter any difficulties or suffering, you may pray to Master for help. Give it a try, maybe your illness will improve. In teaching disciples, our Master never solicits any money. She only teaches people to be life-long vegetarians and to observe the five precepts strictly. She then teaches people to meditate to find their Buddha or God within. You don't have to worry about losing anything. Even if you do not get any miraculous response, at least you have not been cheated. At the most, you have been cheated only into becoming a vegetarian and a virtuous person who keeps the five precepts, that is all."
Touched by brother Wong's compassionate and righteous speech, Mr. Chen started to sincerely recite Master's name: Namo Ching Hai Wu Shang Shih. Suffering from such a grave illness, everyone was getting tired of caring for him so he was quite desperate. At only the third recitation, his tears started to flow uncontrollably and then a beam of warm light suddenly shone on him. He was as emotional as a helpless victim drifting in the ocean who suddenly sees a life-saving ship. Brother Wong was equally touched to see this and he volunteered to give him a photo of Master to be hung by the bedside. He also gave him Master's Buddhist Chanting tapes, which Mr. Chen listened to continuously all day long. He even started to switch to a vegetarian diet.
After about two months, Mr. Chen looked more lively and reddish; his health had improved, and so had his temper. He was not easily enraged any more and he became more cheerful. Each time he saw brother Wong he would keep praising, "It is great listening to the Buddhist Chanting! Really great!"
After about three months he could even get out of bed and walk. Although his movements were still not very nimble, it was an incredible miracle for a patient who had been bedridden by a stroke for the past eighteen years!
The happy couple went to brother Wong's home kneeling and bowing, wishing to express their gratitude. Brother Wong told them gently, "You should thank Supreme Master Ching Hai because I am only a tool. All glory goes to the Lord. Just like me, the Lord has bestowed innumerable miracles and graces upon you. So, you don't have to thank me."
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After knowing Master, the lives of Mr. Chen and his wife have been filled with new hope. |
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Observing the miracle concerning her husband, who now practices the Convenient Method, Mrs. Chen also followed Master to practice. However, after the initiation she faced strong objections from her two sons. Sister Liu observed that the way her sons objected to her spiritual practice and vegetarian diet, and their critical remarks towards Master, were exactly the same as what she had done before. Her heart was overwhelmed with shame and embarrassment, because previously in her ignorance, she had offended Master so much by what she had said about Her. She could only reply to her sons with, "The words you are saying now are identical to what I used to say to your aunts. The day will come when the time is ripe, then you will know who Master is."
The Tumour Vanished Miraculously
Sister Liu's younger sister once told her a true story: "Before I was initiated, I once went to Hsihu Center just to accompany mother. I virtually did not understand Master then; at the most, I was only curious about what Master really looked like. At that time, a tumour bigger than the size of a thumb had grown on the back of my ankle. I had not been able to get rid of it for two years. That day, when Master was strolling around to see the fellow practitioners and guests, a guard escorting Master unintentionally stepped on my foot with the tumour. It was very painful, so I turned around furiously to scold him. As I turned, Master was already by my side. She looked at me and my anger subsided. The next day, my tumour reduced to half its size, and then completely vanished in a few days. Only then did I realize Master's fantastic power, so I followed Master to get the initiation."
When sister Liu heard her sister talking about these miracles before, she would simply scold her for talking nonsense or telling myths. She never expected that these miraculous incidents could happen to her too!
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Jesus Christ Hands Me To You