Sitting In A Buddha's Palm

By Fellow Initiate Yan-Shou Chang, Taoyuan, Formosa

　The incident happened on one happy Sunday. As usual, we drove our car and headed to Hsihu Center to participate in the special one-day retreat. On our way we were hit by a car that was trying to make a turn. The force of the crash was so strong that both of the cars swung one hundred and eighty degrees before they could be fully stopped. Miraculously, none of the drivers or passengers were seriously hurt. The most unbelievable thing was that the other driver did not fasten his seat belt, and at the moment of impact, the door on his side flew open, causing the car to be jammed in between the deep ditch by the roadside and a pole. At the same time, he was thrown out of his car across the ditch and landed on the soft ground next to it. His forehead had some small cuts caused by the broken glass from the car window. He was later treated at a hospital and was found to have no serious injuries.

　We were so amazed that the driver was so lucky. When we saw his honest, kind face, we could not help but asked him, "Are you a Buddhist?

　The driver answered, "Yes."

　We asked him again, "Are you a believer of Avaloketesvara?

　This time he said, "Oh, well, I believe in Supreme Master Ching Hai. How excited we were, when we heard him say that, that he was one of our brothers. We greeted each other happily.

　This brother then told us that before the crash, he was playing Master's Buddhist chanting tape in his car. That could explain why when both of our cars collided into one another, he felt he was lifted up, carried by a giant Buddha's hand and flown to the safest ground. Even when the policemen came to examine the accident site, they could not believe what they saw and one exclaimed, "I just can not believe this!"

　There is no worldly logic to explain the Master's wonderful way.