Section 9

Healing from Sha Illness and Gastroenteritis

1. Rapid Recovery from Sha Illness

On the second day of the second lunar month of 1924, Huang Sinong's mother, then sixty-four, suddenly came down with sha illness—a traditional Chinese ailment linked to summer heat, marked by vomiting, chills, and reddish-purple eruptions on the skin. She grew dizzy, her vision blurred, and her mind wandered; then vomiting set in, along with severe chills, heart palpitations, and a trembling in her muscles. Drinking alum water seemed to ease her chest and abdomen, but she recoiled from noise and refused to speak. Huang's wife tried gua sha (scraping therapy) on her, leaving her neck and back flushed a deep purple, but she stayed unconscious. Huang hurried to the Guanyin shrine, knelt, and began reciting the Bodhisattva's holy name, begging for her swift recovery. He also prayed for Great Compassion Water and told his mother to chant the name and drink it. That night, drifting between sleep and waking, his mother saw a Dharma Protector standing by her bed, as tall as the eaves. She was terrified at first, but the figure tossed something beside her and vanished. Her dizziness slowly lifted, her mind cleared, and she stayed conscious. By dawn she was up and about, slipping into the kitchen to cook breakfast as though nothing had happened.

2. Appendicitis Healed Instantly

Lay Buddhist Yang Zhijian's youngest son, Yang Cheng, was just five years old in the autumn of 1940 when appendicitis struck. At first there was little pain, so the family didn't take it seriously—until it turned into peritonitis. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery, but afterward he begged for water, crying out and tossing through the night, talking without pause. The doctors had warned him to lie still—essential after surgery and especially critical with peritonitis—but at five he was too young to understand. No sooner was he still than he was thrashing again. The doctors, fearing he had worsened the case past all hope, sat helplessly by. All they could do was earnestly recite Guanyin's holy name—and soon the boy was out of danger and on the mend. Surely it was the Bodhisattva's protection; what else could explain it?

3. Gastritis Brought Under Control

Luo Hanzhang, a lay Buddhist from Jiangxi, lived at No. 31 Liuyanjing in Nanchang. His eldest son, Peiyuan, was studying at Shanghai's Tongde Hospital. In July 1933, during summer break, Peiyuan came home—and on the night of the 27th, acute gastroenteritis hit him without warning. His belly cramped, he vomited and purged by turns, his hands and feet went cold, sweat poured off him, and he slipped into unconsciousness. It looked dire. Suspecting cholera, every doctor refused the case. It was the dead of night, and Luo happened to be away in Shanghai; the family was paralyzed with indecision. His eldest daughter-in-law, Xiong Xiaozhao, recalled her father-in-law's words: "Guanyin Bodhisattva hears every cry and saves from suffering—her miracles are extraordinary." She went to the altar, bowed devoutly, and recited the White-Robed Mantra and Guanyin's holy name for hours. Utterly spent, she dozed off and seemed to hear a voice say, "Jizhong Water can cure this." When she woke, she bought five bottles, gave one to her husband to drink, and to everyone's astonishment he turned the corner. The Bodhisattva's inspiration truly passes all understanding.

4. Repeated Relief from Enteritis

My second son Zhiren came down with acute enteritis around ten o'clock on the evening of July 6, 1974. He had cramps, diarrhea, chills, and a fever, but bit his tongue rather than wake me. After a second bout, the pain grew too fierce to bear, and at midnight he gently called out. I hurried to wash up, lit incense, knelt before the statue of the Three Saints, recited the Great Compassion Mantra seven times and Guanyin's holy name ten times, and prayed for a large cup of blessed water. He drank it and the pain stopped on the spot. One more bout of diarrhea flushed out the rest, and that was the end of it. A light sweat broke, the fever faded, and he slept in peace. On the evening of August 4, summer heat caught him again and the same symptoms returned. I gave him Compassion Water I had blessed after my morning and evening recitations, and he eased a little, but the diarrhea persisted—more than ten bouts—and he couldn't get out of bed or sleep. The 6th was the 19th of the sixth lunar month, Guanyin's birthday. I rose a little past three in the morning, washed, recited the Great Compassion Mantra and the holy name, prayed for water, and gave it to him. After one sleep he was well. That day he joined the Guanyin Dharma Assembly at Songshan Temple and attended a life-release ceremony at Shimen Reservoir, with no trace of weariness.

Section 10

Healing from Nephritis and Back Pain

1. Illness Cured, Life Extended

Zhong Zhang Bingru, a lay Buddhist from Pingxiang, Jiangxi, fell ill in the spring of 1947 and was admitted to Gulou Hospital in Nanjing. Mistaken for typhoid, she grew steadily worse. She quietly chanted the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin's holy name, and in a dream a deity handed her pure water. When she woke she told her husband, Zhong Huanzhen, and they knew the Bodhisattva had shown mercy. The next day a friend brought a doctor, who diagnosed renal tuberculosis and prescribed new medicine—and she gradually recovered. In 1952 her old illness returned, and she was admitted to National Taiwan University Hospital, hovering near death. Her husband vowed to recite Guanyin's holy name three hundred thousand times, begging that her life be spared. No sooner had he finished than the medicine began to work and she recovered. She grew even more diligent in her practice, took up the precept against killing, and released living creatures. On May 9, 1965, she passed away with a clear and focused mind—at the age of sixty.

2. From the Brink to Safety

Zhu Nan, the five-year-old grandson of Zheng Yingbi, a fellow practitioner at the Linji Temple recitation assembly in Taipei, was struck with severe nephritis in 1955. Admitted to National Taiwan University Hospital, his body swelled like a winter melon, his eyes were reduced to slits, and his breathing was about to stop. The doctors gave up hope, but his family kept reciting Guanyin's name and praying for his rescue—and slowly his breathing returned. They asked for Compassion Water and had him drink it over several days, and he pulled through, returning home to rest and recover.

3. Woke Well

Lay Buddhist Zhang Jueming's back pain had begun after a difficult postpartum recovery; it came and went, and no medicine seemed to help. In the spring of 1928, shortly after she had recovered from a serious illness, the back pain flared up worse than ever. She happened to be on a small boat bound for the Tiaoxi River and slept on the deck boards; the pain was unbearable. Silently she recited Guanyin's name, earnestly praying that her karma might dissolve and her illness lift. She drifted into a light sleep and dreamed of a tall, broad-shouldered man in a blue robe, holding a sutra scroll, who said, "Your illness can be cured." Suspicious and afraid, she lowered her head and couldn't bring herself to answer. Suddenly the figure changed into a kindly old woman, hair streaked with grey, wearing an old-fashioned blue cotton tunic, who said gently, "Let me cure your illness—turn your back to me at once." Zhang turned, and the old woman tapped her back lightly more than ten times. The spot felt strangely warm, and a wonderful ease flooded through her. When she woke, the pain was gone and never returned. At the time her husband was on official business in Fujian; he had commissioned a carved lacquer statue of the Bodhisattva, which arrived in Shanghai two months later. The figure's clothing and bearing matched exactly the man she had seen in her dream.

4. A Vow, and the Pain Stopped

Lay Buddhist Meng Suzhi of Taiwan had been unable to bend over since 1961, when she had caught the wind after sweating and developed severe back pain. At work she had to brace herself against a chair or desk to lower herself and slowly straighten back up. Three years of this came and went without a cure. One day the pain was bad and she was sitting in a chair after lunch, frustrated, when the Heart Sutra came to mind; she recited it silently once. She also realized that her morning incense and prostrations had no set practice attached—no sutras, mantras, or Buddha-name recitation. From the next morning on, she decided, she would recite the Heart Sutra once at her prostrations. She made this vow, rose from the chair—and the pain was gone, never to return. She had not asked that the recitation cure her pain; it simply did. Truly, Guanyin Bodhisattva responds whether we ask or not—every sincere feeling finds an answer.

5. Medicine, and Recovery

I had suffered from rheumatism for over thirty years, with no lasting cure. In June 1965 I caught a chill and developed severe back pain. Just as I was praying for Guanyin's blessing, my colleague Huang Jin's brother arrived unannounced and shared a tested prescription: one liang of pubescent angelica root (duhuo), three qian each of eucommia bark (duzhong) and teasel root (xuduan), a cup of rice wine to guide the formula—all decocted in water. One dose, and the pain vanished. Afterwards, whenever I met others with rheumatic back pain, I passed on the prescription, and it worked wonders again and again. If they sincerely recite Guanyin's holy name while taking it, the effect is even faster.

Section 11

Healing from Dysentery and Water Retention

1. A Lingering Illness, Cured at Once

Luo Hanzhang was a well-known lawyer in Nanchang. He had contracted dysentery in his youth, and a quack's wrong prescription had worsened it drastically. The illness dragged on for years; he grew gaunt and exhausted, and though he sought out the best doctors, none could help. A friend told him about the miracles worked by the White-Robed Mantra, and Luo vowed to recite it twelve thousand times. The moment he finished, he dreamed that night of an old woman who said, "Tomorrow someone will come to see your illness. Wait for him." When he woke he was overjoyed. He waited quietly until evening, but no doctor arrived. Just as he was puzzling over it, he saw Mr. Yingzhong pass by on his way to visit a friend. He remembered that the man was learned and skilled in medicine—could this be the visitor from his dream? He invited him in and asked for a consultation. Mr. Yingzhong readily agreed, took his pulse, wrote out a prescription, and left. Two doses of the medicine, and the long-standing illness was gone.

2. Eating the Blessed Rice

Dong Shu'an had a son late in life, named Huafeng, who was born delicate and had always been weak. In June 1943, when the boy was just four, he suddenly came down with diarrhea—more than ten times a day. He could eat nothing, taking only a little rice porridge. Within days his stool showed blood and mucus, and a doctor diagnosed fasting-type dysentery. Medicine and injections brought no relief, and the condition worsened. By late July he was passing only thin reddish water, hovering at the edge of death. Nothing seemed to help. His nephew Li Zhishu's mother urged the family to set up a Guanyin shrine and recite the Bodhisattva's holy name, seeking her compassion. She had also heard that Ms. Li Chanru kept a bag of Great Compassion Rice blessed by Master Yinguang, said to cure every illness with extraordinary power. Dong begged for some of the rice, was told how to use it, and once the boy ate it the dysentery eased—he could take food again and gradually recovered.

3. Cured by a Silent Prayer

The wife of lay Buddhist Li Peizhi of Kuimen, Sichuan—Li Qiuhengbai—had suffered from water-retention illness for three years by the autumn of 1933. Every few days it flared: relentless vomiting, sharp abdominal pain, no medicine that helped. She prayed silently to Amitabha Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva: "If you grant me healing, I will write a record of this miracle and publish it in the Buddhism Semimonthly, to spread the word far and repay your kindness." The thought had barely formed when the illness vanished—as if her prayer had rung out and been answered at once.

Curing Malaria and High Fever

1. Vows Fulfilled, Full Recovery Shan Xiaomo’s second son, Shao Zhou, fell gravely ill in July 1930 (the 19th year of the Republic of China), and all doctors were at a loss. Shan went to the Buddhist Studies Association to pray before Guanyin Bodhisattva, vowing to donate 500 yuan for flood relief. He immediately remitted the money to the China International Famine Relief Commission to aid refugees, and his son’s illness was cured the next day. The following autumn, when Shan returned home from Jiashan, he suddenly suffered from malaria and dysentery for over a month. One night, he dreamed of bowing before the White-robed Bodhisattva, who gifted him two lotus flowers. When he looked up at the plaque above, he saw it was the Guanyin Hall at the Shimen Pavilion. He woke overjoyed. The next day, his dysentery was cured; only malaria remained, which also cleared after he prayed at noon and by evening. He then vowed to donate 50 yuan for winter clothing for those in need.

2. Cured Instantly After Drinking the Water Lay Buddhist Shi Xi from Changde, Hunan, returned home in the wake of a frenzied enemy air raid on May 7, 1939 (the 28th year of the Republic of China), when he suddenly contracted malaria, with alternating chills and fever, unquenchable thirst, and profuse sweating. He lapsed into unconsciousness until well after midnight. On the 9th, he took refuge outside the city at Wanyuan Conglin, and his malaria flared up just as it had before. On the morning of the 11th, sensing an attack was imminent, he knelt devoutly before the Guanyin Bodhisattva altar and begged for Great Compassion Water, drinking it and finding himself cured on the spot.

3. Cured Immediately Upon Waking Fang Shenghui from Taiwan lived in Shanghai as a child. At the age of 18, he contracted a severe illness in summer, with high fever, weak limbs, inability to move, inability to eat or drink, and great pain while bedridden. At the time, the area was under Japanese occupation, life was hard, and he had no money for medical care. His mother urgently prayed to the Bodhisattva for protection. That night, she dreamed of Guanyin Bodhisattva, wearing a white robe, holding a pure vase in her left hand and a willow branch in her right, dipping the branch into consecrated wine and pure water. Though she was tucked under a bedsheet in the dream, every drop of the sacred water felt piercingly cool. The next morning, when her son got up, he felt very relaxed, could walk and run, and his illness had vanished entirely.

4. Fever Subsided, Illness Lifted Lay Buddhist Ni Wenqing and his wife both took refuge with Master Yinguang, and devoted themselves exclusively to Pure Land practice. On July 20, 1942 (the 31st year of the Republic of China), his wife suddenly fell ill with a very high fever, severe chest tightness and pain that grew worse at night, leaving her unable to sleep. Neither Chinese nor Western medicine brought relief after more than ten days. As she was elderly and frail, the couple was deeply anxious. Then Ni remembered he still had some Great Compassion Rice blessed by Master Yinguang. He prepared it for her to take, and recited the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin’s sacred name as she drank it. After a few doses, her chest tightness and pain eased, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep. By the next morning, her fever had broken and her illness had lifted, and she steadily regained her strength.

5. The Prophecy Proved True My second son, Mao Zhiren, was 16 years old in 1974 (the 63rd year of the Republic of China). On September 1, the lunar Zhongyuan Festival (Ghost Festival), he was invited to a classmate’s home for an ancestral memorial dinner and did not return until late that night. He woke the next day with a mild cough, felt chilled by the following afternoon, and spiked a high fever of 39.8°C. We gave him the offering water from the home altar and specially fetched Great Compassion Water, but neither brought quick relief. I prayed again to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and drew a divine lot that read: “The illness will be cured at once.” But by the afternoon of the 3rd, when he was due to register for school, his fever still hadn’t broken. My wife was frantic, and urged me to take him to the hospital for emergency care. We drew another lot, which read: “No medicine is needed for this illness.” When I asked when he would recover, and if he could attend school on time the next day for the start of term, the final line of the 72nd lot read: “Only when the monkey, dog, and golden rooster trade places.” This made clear he would recover on the Shen day (the Monkey), and could return to school on the You day (the Rooster): Shen corresponds to the Monkey, You to the Rooster, and Wu to the Dog. We checked the calendar: the 4th was a Wushen day, and the 5th was a Jiyou day. Sure enough, his fever broke during the Wu hour (3–5 p.m.) on the 4th. By that day he was already recovered without medication, eating a flatbread, a cup of milk, and a pear at each meal. His energy was a little low after the high fever, so he kept drinking Great Compassion Water, and was well enough to return to school by the morning of the 5th. The prophecy proved true.

Section 13

Curing Serious Illnesses in General

1. Cured After a Dream Diagnosis When General Wu Peifu first arrived in Wan County, Sichuan, his wife Madame Zhang accompanied him to visit the Guanyin Pavilion at the nunnery on the left side of Cengong Cliff. Soon after, Madame Zhang fell ill. Wu prayed to the Bodhisattva on her behalf, and that night Madame Zhang dreamed the Bodhisattva diagnosed her condition, saying: “The sea of samsara is vast; turning back is the shore. If you can truly see through the emptiness of all things, I will accept you as my disciple.” She immediately climbed out of bed and kowtowed in gratitude. Though she was half-convinced, half-doubting when she woke, her illness was gone entirely. When they returned to the Guanyin Pavilion to burn incense soon after, she told the old nun of her dream. The nun said: “Madam, you must pray with deep devotion to receive the Bodhisattva’s blessings. I have heard your husband, General Wu, is often tied down by military affairs; do you think he too has any intention of seeing through the illusions of the mundane world?” Madame Zhang replied: “The General once said he wished to become a monk in the mountains, to finally escape disaster. But he is surrounded by attendants on all sides, and cannot break free decisively.” From that moment on, she resolved to become a nun. Later, as Wu’s power waned further, she was forced to flee with him, a life she found deeply exhausting. She finally told Wu: “If you will not agree to let me become a nun, I will throw myself into the water and end my life.” Wu had no choice but to consent, and she was tonsured at Shuiyun Nunnery in Dazhu County in 1928 (the 17th year of the Republic of China). Some say Madame Zhang took this step hoping to awaken her husband. It is clear that after her husband lost his position, Madame Zhang let go of all worldly ties and left him to become a nun. She truly had deep karmic roots from past lives. Alas, Wu never did awaken. Later, when he was living in Beiping, he refused to collaborate with the Japanese invaders and was assassinated, unable to escape disaster in the end. This was the karmic consequence of his many acts of killing in this very lifetime; no matter how he tried to evade it, he could not.

2. Cured When the Bodhisattva Touched Him in a Dream Li Shifu, from Jieyang County in Chaozhou, was doing business in Shima, Fujian when he contracted a serious illness. His mother, still in Jieyang, heard the news but could not reach him given the great distance. She could only pray devoutly to Guanyin Bodhisattva, single-mindedly reciting the Bodhisattva’s name. One night, as Li drifted in and out of sleep, he suddenly saw the Bodhisattva, dressed in white, enter through the window. The Bodhisattva placed a hand on his chest and said: “Your illness is cured.” Then the Bodhisattva departed, and Li woke to find he was perfectly well.

3. Saved by Reciting the Bodhisattva’s Name Dai Dengzhao of Zhenhai had been sick for months, and no medical treatment could help him. Someone told him that sincere prayer to Guanyin Bodhisattva would cure him at once, so he began worshipping and reciting the Bodhisattva’s name without pause every day. Soon after, he was given medicine that matched his condition and recovered immediately. His friend Dai Rongyang was distressed by a string of family misfortunes, and urged him repeatedly to worship and recite Guanyin’s sacred name, saying it would turn his luck around. Dai Dengzhao wasn’t yet convinced. In the spring of 1932 (the 21st year of the Republic of China), he was traveling with his wife and son from Hankou back to Ningbo on a Yangtze River boat when his son suddenly fell ill and lost consciousness. With no medicine on hand, they were in a state of panic. Suddenly Dai remembered his friend’s advice, and he and his wife recited the sacred name together with full sincerity. Their son’s condition shifted from critical to stable in an instant. From that day on, Dai recited the Buddha’s name single-mindedly, and believed without a shadow of a doubt.

4. A Doctor Sent Through Divine Grace Lay Buddhist Wei Daman had believed in Buddhism for many years. Under the influence of her husband, Xu Dabe, director of the Hangzhou Buddhist Lotus Society, her conviction only grew stronger. She received the Three Refuges and precepts, recited the Amitabha Sutra daily, held the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in mind, and devoted herself to seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land. In 1932 (the 21st year of the Republic of China), she fell ill, and Western doctors said surgery was the only possible cure. Her husband cast divination and received an inauspicious result, so she prayed for Guanyin Bodhisattva’s blessing. Just as they were chanting praises, Dr. Zhang Yicheng suddenly arrived, saying he had received a call to come for a house visit. They asked him to examine and treat her, and she was fully cured after taking his prescribed medicine. Moved by this miracle of a doctor being sent to her through divine grace, her faith deepened, and her practice became more diligent. She passed away with a smile on August 28, 1936 (the 25th year of the Republic of China).

5. Mother’s Illness Cured Instantly Hengyu, a lay Buddhist from Changsha, often recited Guanyin Bodhisattva’s name when he was young, as his mother was frequently ill. He carefully wrote a plaque for “Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva” on red paper and pasted it on the family ancestral altar. Later, his mother’s illness took a turn for the worse: she lost consciousness, and neither acupuncture nor medicine could help. Hengyu knelt devoutly before the altar and begged for a cup of water, then clasped his hands and recited Guanyin’s sacred name before bringing the water to his mother and urging her to drink it. She recovered completely the moment she did.

6. Cured After the Bodhisattva Appeared in a Dream Lay Buddhist Wu Yuxiang, whose Dharma name was Kuanxiang, was from Taixing, Jiangsu, and the father of Wu Haifeng, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Taipei. His family had practiced medicine for generations, and he was known for his honesty, kindness, and for saving countless lives. At 56, he contracted a serious illness that confounded all his fellow physicians. He recited Guanyin’s sacred name devoutly and without cease, and soon dreamed the Bodhisattva sprinkled him with pure water from a willow branch. He woke fully recovered. He lived to the age of 79, and on the 15th day of the first lunar month in 1957 (the 46th year of the Republic of China), he foreknew the time of his passing, and died peacefully.

7. Illness Vanished When the Incense Burned Out Lay Buddhist Lin Juexian of Fujian had taken refuge in the Three Jewels, and often recited the sacred names of Guanyin and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas. Whenever he faced danger, disaster, or illness, his recitation grew even more intense, and every prayer he offered was answered. In August 1939 (the 28th year of the Republic of China), he contracted a life-threatening illness. His father and elder brother were both skilled physicians, but even they found the case hopeless. They were frantic with worry, and even his closest loved ones shook their heads and sighed, convinced he could not be saved. Though Lin was critically ill, his mind remained clear, and he knew that if he wished to recover, he could only rely on the blessings of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Master Xingchang heard of his illness and came to visit, giving him a bundle of long incense sticks and saying: “Burn this incense, and recite the sacred names of Guanyin and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattvas with the utmost sincerity. You will surely recover without needing medicine.” From then on, he recited day and night with even greater devotion, and his family joined in recitation from time to time as well. His illness soon took a turn for the better. By the time the bundle of incense was fully burned, his illness had vanished entirely.

8. Gradual Recovery After Taking the Blessed Rice Lay Buddhist Renbi of Suzhou suffered terribly from illness in the winter of 1942 (the 31st year of the Republic of China). His condition worsened the following spring, lingering for half a year. Neither Chinese nor Western medicine brought relief, and he came close to death several times. His aunt was a devout Buddhist who regularly practiced Pure Land devotions. She urgently sent her nephew Xianggong to Lingyan Mountain to receive the Three Refuges on Renbi’s behalf from Master Miaozhen, and also requested Great Compassion Rice blessed by Master Yinguang. She gave the rice to Renbi, who took it devoutly each day following the proper ritual. After three days, his fever broke, and he slept soundly through the night. After seven days, he began to feel hungry and thirsty, and his mind grew clear. After 21 days, he could sit up on his own, and by autumn his strength was fully restored. He then resolved to devote himself exclusively to Pure Land practice, seeking rebirth in the Pure Land.

9. Health and Strength Restored Over Time Lay Buddhist Zhang Caiqi of Taiwan was frail and sickly as a child, and no medical treatment could help him. Later, his mother went to a temple to pay her respects to the Buddha, followed the abbot’s guidance to recite Guanyin Bodhisattva’s name and the Great Compassion Mantra with devotion, and taught her son to recite Guanyin’s sacred name himself. His illness gradually improved, his health grew stronger day by day, and his faith deepened steadily. In gratitude for his mother’s kindness, he composed the Ode to Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Section 14

Section 15: Rescuing People from Strange Illnesses Caused by Evil Spirits and Demons

1. Soul Possession Causing Abdominal Distension Venerable Fazhen, the current supervisor of Xuanzang Temple on Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan and editor-in-chief of the Lion's Roar Monthly, is a native of Henan. His mother had many sisters; his third maternal aunt was widowed early and later died of a severe abdominal distension condition. One evening after dinner, his mother was leaning against the door missing her, and had just silently invited her spirit to join her for a moment when suddenly a painful, bloating tightness seized her chest. Her chest swelled rapidly, her whole body went rigid, she could not bend or stretch, and she could not speak. Remembering that Guanyin Bodhisattva responds to cries for help and eases suffering, she immediately gathered her family to chant the Bodhisattva’s holy name together. She herself took a cup of clean water, prayed for Great Compassion Water in front of the Buddha statue, and since time was urgent, only chanted the Great Compassion Mantra once before pouring the water into her mother’s mouth. She then asked what the water was, noting it was very sweet and fragrant, and felt very refreshing after drinking it. Fazhen said: "This is Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Great Compassion Water." His mother replied: "Your third aunt had such a hard life. I was standing at the door missing her, and she ended up attaching herself to my body. Thanks to Guanyin Bodhisattva’s compassion, my illness is cured, and she has also been liberated."

2. Soul Possession Causing Fainting Zunwu, a lay Buddhist from Guizhou, had been reciting the Great Compassion Mantra for years. In the first month of the 23rd year of the Republic of China [1934], Ms. Zhang Daoxuan from Pan County was staying in the wing of Zunwu’s residence in Guiyang. She went to pay her respects at the funeral of her relative Ms. Zhou, and Ms. Zhou’s spirit attached itself to her on the journey home, sharing her body and space. Zhang was so terrified that she fainted. It was already midnight when Zunwu’s wife went to check on her. When she reached the outside of the room, she saw a ball of white light, so she quickly chanted the Six-Character Great Mantra, and the light disappeared. She entered the room and saw Zhang lying unconscious. A doctor tried applying a lit moxa stick to her skin, but there was no response. She quickly fetched Great Compassion Water, called out to Zhang not to be afraid, and Zhang woke up at once. After drinking the water, her mind cleared immediately, and she said Ms. Zhou’s spirit was already gone. In the ninth month, the son of Ren Xianqing from West Street in Guiyang came home late after being out on the street. His eyes suddenly rolled up, his fists clenched tightly, and every rescue attempt failed to rouse him. When Great Compassion Water was brought over from Zunwu’s home, he woke after a single dose, and was completely back to normal.

3. Fainting from Colliding with an Evil Aura A-Zhu, whose husband drove for the Zhonglian Freight Transport company in Taichung, rented a room from lay Buddhist Li Zhun on Jianzhong Street in Taichung’s East District. On the 20th day of the 12th month of the 56th year of the Republic of China [1967], she went to a Western-style clothing store on Nanjing Road to pick up her custom-ordered new clothes. Suddenly she heard loud music and drums, and saw eight people carrying a large coffin. She was so startled she cried out that her head was pounding, her chest felt as if a stone were crushing it, and she fainted. She was driven home, and when Li Zhun saw her unconscious, eyes rolled back, he shouted in alarm: "Amitabha Buddha, please come save her!" Employees from the neighboring Zhonglian Freight Transport office heard the commotion and rushed over, all saying there was no hope of reviving her. Li Zhun placed his prayer beads on her chest, and quickly chanted "Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva," earnestly praying for their intercession. After chanting for roughly 20 minutes, her eyes and skin gradually returned to normal. She exclaimed: "Sister, you are truly my lifesaver. I felt like my breath was going to be squeezed out of me, the pain was unbearable. I only started to feel better once I heard the sound of chanting. Thank you so much for saving me." Everyone offered their congratulations, and added: "Last year, a young girl from the alley across the street was watching a funeral procession, and collided with the coffin’s evil aura. She died of a headache the moment she got home. When that girl’s funeral was held, the lady of the house at No. 1 in this same alley was standing at the doorway watching, and she suddenly died of a headache too. You came back to life thanks to the power of Guanyin Bodhisattva."

4. Headache from Colliding with an Evil Aura Xiao Axue lived in Banpingcuo Village, Taichung County. In the second month of the 57th year of the Republic of China [1968], she was less than a month postpartum when she suddenly heard the sound of a band playing gongs and drums. Assuming it was a procession welcoming the local gods, she went out to watch the spectacle. She suddenly caught sight of a coffin being carried past, her hair stood on end, and she rushed back inside. She was soon struck by a pounding headache, heart palpitations, chills, and a fever. She called a doctor for injections, but they did nothing to help, and her condition only grew worse. She immediately sent a car to fetch her brother Xiao He, a lay Buddhist, to pray for Buddhist aid. He burned incense and chanted "Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva" for roughly half an hour, also chanted the Great Compassion Mantra, prayed for blessed water, and gave it to her to drink. Her headache stopped at once, her fever broke, and she recovered fully.

5. Recovering from Demonic Illness through Pure Land Practice Wang Yansheng of Zhucheng served as a trial official in Ye County, Shandong in the 12th year of the Republic of China [1923]. He occasionally suffered from demonic possession, and his symptoms gradually eased after he repented sincerely. In the 16th year [1927], he resigned from his post as a trial official in Yidu, vowed to practice Pure Land Buddhism, observed the Guanyin vegetarian fast, and recited the Buddha’s name and sutras with the goal of being reborn in the Pure Land. He was finally cured completely.

6. Demonic Possession Ceases after Hearing the Mantra Zhang Zhenmu, a farmer who lived in Shagang outside the west gate of Pinghu, Zhejiang, supported himself through farming. In the 16th year of the Republic of China [1927], his illness suddenly took a turn for the worse: he began dancing erratically, claimed to be General White Horse, and said he was going to take Zhang to the underworld to work as a servant. He told his family not to bother with useless medical treatments or rituals. His wife begged him, and promised to build a temple and set up a shrine in his honor, so he agreed! From then on he grew calm, and his illness cleared up quickly. But the demon still occasionally possessed him, chattered randomly about good and bad fortune, and harassed him relentlessly. In the third month of the 21st year [1932], a flower festival was held in the area, and local revelers invited him to attend; the crowd of people coming to pray to him was packed wall to wall. The monk Shi Chong happened to pass by, and saw Zhang sitting cross-legged on a table, eyes closed, making hand seal gestures, foam bubbling from his mouth. He claimed: "The White Horse Superior Saint has descended. I know the past and future of all who seek my counsel. Tomorrow’s flower festival, the winning name will be X." He shook his head and wagged his tail, speaking with absolute certainty. Shi Chong realized he was possessed by an evil demon, so he silently chanted the Great Compassion Mantra to see what would happen. To his surprise, after just three repetitions, Zhang suddenly stood up, looked around in panic, and shouted loudly: "Golden-armored gods are coming, I’ll hide for now!" He then collapsed to the ground, and only regained consciousness a long while later. From then on, the demon left for good, and Zhang was completely well.

7. Father's Face Went Numb Tang Jichuan formerly served as director of the Construction Bureau of Ningyang County. In the 20th year of the Republic of China [1931], after borrowing and reading a book titled The Truth About Suicide, he decided to take up Buddhism, for the benefit of both himself and others. In the ninth month of the 22nd year [1933], his father contracted a wind pathogen, half his face went numb, and no competent doctor could be found. Tang chanted the Amitabha Sutra, the Universal Gate Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and Guanyin’s holy name for three consecutive nights. At 2 a.m. on the first night, his father began to sweat; he was slightly better the next day, and fully recovered after five days.

8. Mouth Crooked from Wind Blow Lay Buddhist Sun Zhang Qingyang currently lives in Yonghe Township, Taipei County. In the 24th year of the Republic of China [1935], she followed her husband, General Sun Liren, who was stationed near Ningbo, Zhejiang, and they lived in an old house. One evening she went out to take in the view; it was pitch black, with a quiet, flowing small river, and the atmosphere was gloomy and eerie. She hurried back inside, then ran out again as if drunk and crazed. A gust of cool wind, thin as silk, blew down from above her head, her mouth went crooked, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Everyone said it was caused by an evil wind. After all kinds of treatment from top Chinese and Western doctors, her face grew even more crooked. Stricken with this strange illness, she lost all hope. Her mother, a lifelong devout Buddhist, rushed over from Nanjing, ordered the whole family to fast for a day, set up an incense altar in the courtyard, burned incense and prayed, chanted the Great Compassion Mantra 21 times, and asked for a cup of blessed water. She gave it to Sun to drink that morning, and by evening her mouth had straightened. She recovered fully without taking any medicine.

9. Whole Body Felt as if Bound A man surnamed Zhang from Futang Village, Qingjiang County, Jiangxi. In the 12th month of the 30th year of the Republic of China [1941], he went out, and when he returned home his whole body felt as if bound, as if thousands of pounds of heavy objects were pressing down on him. The area below his left breast was blocked by stagnant qi that would not pass, he felt as if his life was about to be taken, the tendons and meridians all over his body sometimes felt as if they were being torn apart, he was in extreme pain, and on the verge of death. His mother cried and went to beg for help from the Chinese medicine doctor Yu Ousheng, who said there was no cure for the illness, so he taught him to chant "Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva," and wrote the six-syllable Great Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum on yellow paper in cinnabar. He gave it to Zhang to take home, instructed him to burn incense, chant the holy name, then dissolve the paper in water and drink it. He recovered immediately. Because Zhang and his mother faithfully followed this practice, they received such a swift miraculous response.

10. Revived After Being Dead for Three Days Zhong Lingyu served as the general affairs section chief of the Yuemei Sugar Factory in Houli Township, Taichung, once contracted a strange illness. He was bedridden for three months, unable to move at all, urinated and defecated in the bed, the skin on his buttocks had rotted away, and both Chinese and Western medicine were powerless to help. Finally, he lay dead for three days. His landlord urged his family to arrange his funeral, and relatives and friends all despaired of reviving him. Only his mother and wife prayed to Guanyin Bodhisattva for compassionate rescue every day. Sure enough, he came back to life without medicine, and even recovered his full health. 第十五节

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Section 16: Rescuing People from Eye, Throat, and Tooth Illnesses

1. Eyes Opened After Chanting the Verse Huang Lintang of Qingjiang, Jiangxi, was the younger brother of Yu Ousheng, a lay Buddhist and tenant farmer. In the winter of the 30th year of the Republic of China [1941], his two eyes suddenly swelled severely and closed tightly, unable to be opened. When forced open by hand, pterygium covered the entire eyeball, and he could not see the sun, moon, stars, or firelight. The pain felt like being twisted by a knife, he cried out day and night, and the suffering was indescribable. I was called in to treat him, but both oral and topical medications were ineffective. I brought Great Compassion Water and had him wash his eyes frequently, and the pain eased slightly. I knew his karmic obstacles were very heavy, and medicine could not help, so I told him to chant Guanyin’s holy name to help eliminate his karmic obstacles, and he followed this instruction sincerely and faithfully. On the winter solstice, I returned for a follow-up visit. Huang was living in an ancestral hall, where a sacrificial ceremony was being held, with crowds of old and young people gathered. I examined his condition and it was unchanged, so I had him drink the Great Compassion Water I had specially brought, and again told him to chant the holy name with full sincerity, assuring him he would recover fully, to set his mind at ease. Onlookers all laughed and said: "His eyes are already blind, this is incurable. If he can recover, there will be no blind people in the world." I smiled and ignored them, told Huang to chant the following verse seven times: "Immaculate pure light, wisdom sun shatters all darkness, can subdue disaster wind and fire, universally illuminates the worldly realm." After he finished, I told him to open his eyes. Everyone laughed wildly and said: "Even we have to use our fingers to pry our own eyes open, it’s not easy. Asking him to open them is just wishful thinking!" To everyone’s surprise, Huang tried, and actually opened his eyes. When pointed to objects like an abacus, pen, and inkstone, he could clearly distinguish each one. Everyone present was amazed. I told him to chant the verse frequently without stopping, and also chant Guanyin’s holy name. He recovered after a few days, and his vision was even sharper than before.

2. Both Eyes Regained Sight There was a monk at Tianning Temple in Changzhou who had been blind for many years, and suffered greatly because of it. Later, the abbot taught him to worship the Buddha every day, chant "Greatly Compassionate, Greatly Merciful, Saving Suffering and Saving Difficulty Guanyin Bodhisattva" 1,000 times, and recite the Universal Gate Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, assuring him he would regain his sight after sustained practice. But he struggled to memorize the full texts, so he only learned to chant four lines of verse from it: "Immaculate pure light, wisdom sun shatters all darkness, can subdue disaster wind and fire, universally illuminates the worldly realm." He chanted these lines with full sincerity every day, and after a few months he suddenly regained his sight and could see the sun and sky again. This was personally witnessed by Master Zhuyun.

3. Pain Stopped After Smelling Fragrance Liu Zhiyuan served in the military. In the 45th year of the Republic of China [1956], at the age of 50, he suddenly lost his sight, and long-term treatment brought no improvement. The following year, an army hospital diagnosed that one eye was already blind, but the other still had a chance of recovery. Three days after surgery, he suddenly developed inflammation, was in agony and lost consciousness, and his condition was extremely critical. His wife, lay Buddhist Xie Guiying, urgently and sincerely chanted Guanyin Bodhisattva’s name without stopping. In an instant, she and her husband both smelled the fragrance of sandalwood, and his eye pain stopped immediately. He gradually recovered from there.

4. Both Recovered from Throat Pain Lay Buddhist Cui Shuping of Nantong lived in the countryside of Pinghu City. On the night of the 23rd day of the 11th month of the 21st year of the Republic of China [1932], his wife was suddenly struck by excruciating, unusual pain in her throat and stomach, her head was sweating like beads, her condition was extremely severe, and she could not bear it. He quickly chanted for Great Compassion Water and had her drink it, and she actually slept soundly through the night. By the next morning, her stomach pain was completely gone, only her throat was slightly itchy. After drinking more, the pain stopped entirely. At that time, her cousin’s son Yao Pengshou was also suffering from throat pain, and after drinking some of the water, he too recovered immediately.

5. Bone Dissolved into Nothingness Lay Buddhist Qiu Pan Xiuchun served as a county councilor in Kaohsiung County. In the 43rd year of the Republic of China [1954], her son accidentally got a chicken bone stuck in his throat while eating, and the doctor said he needed surgery to remove it. It so happened that the Fengshan Lotus Society was holding a chanting assembly. Lay Buddhist Mo Peixian had brought a bottle of Great Compassion Water blessed by lay Buddhist Zhou Yang Huiqing from Taichung. Master Zhuyun chanted an extra round of the Great Compassion Mantra over it, [Mo] took it back and had the son drink it. In less than three minutes, the bone had dissolved entirely, and the effect was miraculous.

6. Toothache Stopped Immediately I had a decayed tooth that often ached severely and was loose. In the spring of the 53rd year of the Republic of China [1964], I prayed for Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Great Compassion Water, drank it, and the pain stopped at once. Soon a friend introduced me to Dean Li Xilin of Minxin Dental Hospital at No. 169, Section 2, Yanping North Road, Taipei City, for treatment. He pulled out all my decayed teeth and fitted me with new dentures. His work was excellent, his fees were reasonable, the dentures have stayed firm for decades, and no one can tell they are false teeth. I specially commissioned a plaque inscribed with "Medical Virtue Universally Admired" and a written eulogy to honor him, hoping that medical practitioners will follow his example, and that anyone suffering from tooth pain will seek out his care. 第十六节

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Section 17: Rescuing People from Cough and Asthma

1. Chronic Cough Stopped Abruptly Zhi Xiaorong of Shanghai ran a shipping transport business. In the winter of the 32nd year of the Republic of China [1943], his eldest son Zhong Quanfu, 7 years old at the time, had a very severe cough that was far worse at night. He coughed until his face was bright red, gasping for breath nonstop. He was treated with every kind of Chinese and Western medicine, but the cough never let up at all. The following spring, they moved into the home of lay Buddhist Luo Hongtao. Seeing him chanting the Buddha’s name at night, [Zhi Xiaorong] asked him to pray for Great Compassion Water to cure the boy. [Luo Hongtao] thought to himself: "I am just an ordinary person full of karmic obstacles, how could I possibly cure such a severe illness?" So on February 17th, he asked his neighbor, the elderly layman Zhang Delin, for several dozen grains of Great Compassion Rice blessed by Master Yinguang. He gave nine grains to Zhi, told him to prepare them according to the proper method and take them with water, and that night he saw a miraculous effect: the chronic cough stopped abruptly, he slept soundly through the whole night, and after taking the rice for three days, he was completely cured.

2. Recovered Immediately After Drinking the Water The wife of Fuzhou lawyer Wang Songsen was seriously ill, staying at the Kaohsiung Public Clinic. Lay Buddhist Chen Huanglin, a fellow townsman, went to visit her, and saw she was suffering from severe asthma attacks, had had a high fever for many days, and was extremely panicked. He said to her: "You chant the White-robed Goddess Mantra so diligently, this is the perfect time for you to drink Great Compassion Water and pray for Guanyin Bodhisattva’s blessing." He immediately brought the Great Compassion Water enshrined before the Buddha at his home and gave it to her, saying: "This water has been blessed by many living Buddhas, lamas, and vajra masters. You can mix a few drops with hot boiled water and drink it, and it will have an inconceivable effect." He also told her to chant Guanyin’s holy name more often, and her illness would be cured quickly. Sure enough, she recovered immediately after drinking it. 第十七节

Rescue from Qi Masses and Tumors

1. Spit and It Vanished

Layman Tian Chaolin had always been extremely frail, earning him a reputation as a sickly man, and he was often mistreated by others. Though resentful, he could not fight back, and as this resentment accumulated over the years, a mass of stagnant qi and a tumorous illness took shape in his abdomen. Treatment by both Chinese and Western doctors proved ineffective, and for several years he suffered unbearably. He reflected that the Buddha is the Great Physician King, and so recited "Namo Amitabha Buddha" several dozen times. He thought further that the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, who hearkens to the cries of the suffering, would more readily respond, and so switched to reciting her holy name. After several dozen recitations he seemed to drift into sleep. Suddenly he felt an itch in his throat and coughed upward, spitting out a white strip two to three feet long. By lamplight he searched for it but could find nothing, while the qi mass in his abdomen had vanished without a trace — where it had gone, he did not know. It felt as if a great burden had been lifted. He at once burned incense and bowed in gratitude for the Buddha's kindness! From then on, the qi mass was dispelled, his various illnesses gradually healed, and his body grew stronger day by day. He took refuge in the Three Treasures, resolved to reform his past and cultivate toward the future.

2. Vomiting It All Out, Then Gone

Hangzhou layman Qin Fusheng's wife, Madam Wu, had long revered the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin and kept a vegetarian diet in her honor. In the 22nd year of the Republic (1933), owing to various worldly afflictions, a qi mass developed in her. When it flared up, the mass rose to her chest, her breath was blocked nearly to the point of death, and she suffered unbearably. No medicine helped. In the summer of the 26th year of the Republic (1937), she planned a pilgrimage to Putuo. Qin, seeing her bedridden and unable to walk, asked how she could possibly cross the sea and tried earnestly to stop her. Madam Wu's resolve only hardened, and she swore: "If I can reach Putuo, I will not regret even death." On the fifth day of the sixth month, just before crossing the river from Hangzhou, she managed with great effort to eat half a bowl of congee. By the next day, in Ningbo, she ate a full bowl of rice. On the eighth day, arriving at Putuo, she ate two bowls per meal and walked even more briskly. On the eighteenth day she took a boat to Luojia. The wind and waves were tremendous, and as they neared the shore she suddenly began to vomit — first rice grains, then dark, enormous blood clots, the largest the size of a chicken's egg. Once she had vomited everything out, a wave of cool relief swept over her, and her illness vanished as if it had never been. Without the Bodhisattva's blessing, how could she have recovered without any medicine?

3. Brain Tumor Finally Healed

Layman Du Bingru, a native of Jiangsu, lived in Taichung City. He and his neighbor Heng Yu both took refuge under Dharma Master Baisheng. His son Songnian graduated from a vocational school in the 44th year of the Republic (1955) and was transferred to Fengshan for military training. In November his right leg suddenly went numb and lifeless. He was sent to the Kaohsiung Army Hospital, where after more than a month there was no improvement, and he was transferred to the Taipei First Army General Hospital. The examination revealed a brain tumor requiring immediate surgery; since there were no prior surgical cases, safety could not be guaranteed, and there was no specific medicine for it. The Du couple had only this one son, so they constantly recited the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva in the hospital, pleading for his rescue. Another soldier with the same illness was in the ward, and they were both scheduled for detailed re-examination after one week's wait. Finding the hospital tedious, the son requested to stay outside briefly and then return. When the examination day came, a hired car brought him back to the hospital. He suddenly said: "This morning I dreamed of a monk who gravely warned me: do not undergo the examination, it is dangerous." He firmly refused to go. The second soldier was examined in his place ahead of time and, unfortunately, became the first test subject and perished. Yet his son eventually recovered without any medicine, and went on to enter and graduate from the College of Law and Business. There were many such spiritual responses — too many to fully describe.

4. Neck Tumor Gradually Disappeared

Aunt Pu'ai of Taitung, over sixty years old, developed a large tumor on her neck. Hearing that Layman Lin Fayuan of Taichung had finished a Dharma lecture at Haishan Temple in Taitung, she asked about a method to remove her illness and suffering. He kindly answered: "If you seek to avert disaster, avoid calamity, remove illness, and extend your lifespan, recite one volume of the Amitabha Sutra in your morning and evening lessons, the Rebirth Mantra seven times, and the Buddha's name several hundred, thousand, or tens of thousands of times. Those who cannot recite sutras or mantras need only recite 'Amitabha Buddha.' After the dedication of merit, sincerely recite the holy name of Guanyin for whatever matter you seek, and use Great Compassion Mantra water for the person to drink. If their worldly lifespan is not yet exhausted, their suffering from illness will lessen. If their worldly lifespan is about to end, by the Buddha's power they will be reborn in the Western Pure Land, forever free from the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. This is the ultimate method." She immediately put these instructions into practice daily, and the tumor gradually vanished. Everyone marveled at its wondrous efficacy. This method is most wondrous — regardless of gender, age, wealth, or status, anyone may practice it, and those who seek will not fail to obtain. Please do not regard it lightly!

5. Tumor Excised, Immediate Recovery

My wife Zheng Lümei, cut off from news of her family and missing her parents and children, was full of sorrow and sickness. She consulted many doctors, but her illness only grew worse. In August of the 56th year of the Republic (1967), through the introduction of Elder Layman Chen Ziping, we consulted Dr. Meng Xianjie, Director of Gynecology at Veterans General Hospital, who kindly diagnosed her at Hong'en Hospital nearby as having a uterine tumor and a duodenal ulcer. She was admitted on October 3rd. On the 4th, Madam Wang Zhou Cuiping joined me in reciting Guanyin's holy name outside the operating room. My wife lay waiting on the operating table for a long time without any fear. When Dr. Meng finally arrived and excised the large tumor, all went very peacefully. Madam Liu Li Yuying assisted by nursing her day and night in shifts, piously reciting the holy name. In just one week she was discharged, her chronic illness immediately healed. The duodenal ulcer, which had not been specifically treated, also recovered.

Section 18

Rescue from Sores, Toxins, and Scrofula with Strange Itching

1. Breast Infection Healed at Once

The wife of Xu Xintai of Changshan developed a breast infection in the second month of the 8th year of the Republic (February 1919). Owing to improper medication, the pain penetrated to her heart and liver and was unbearable. Her father, Layman Xu Lianchen, burned incense and recited Guanyin's holy name to seek rescue; his wife also knelt and recited. In just a few minutes the pain ceased, and the infection gradually healed.

2. Eyebrow Sore Vanished at Once

A-Sen of Taiwan suddenly developed a sore above his eyebrow in the 47th year of the Republic (1958), and medical treatment proved ineffective. His friend Yonglong, recalling how Abbot Zhende of Puji Temple often spoke of the miraculous responses of the Great Compassion Mantra, wished to try it. He piously burned incense and recited the Great Compassion Mantra seven times, then had A-Sen drink in one gulp the offering tea before Guanyin Bodhisattva. By the next day the sore had vanished without a trace, leaving only a faint mark.

3. Hemorrhoid Fistula Fully Healed

Zhou Yongxiang, an active-duty soldier, suffered from hemorrhoid fistula in the second month of the 45th year of the Republic (February 1956) and was admitted to Tainan 817 Hospital for treatment. After seven surgical procedures, it remained uncured. Before the eighth surgery, deeply feeling the weight of his karmic offenses of speech, he resolved to recite the Great Compassion Mantra. He had recited for only half an hour when he suddenly smelled sandalwood, which grew from faint to strong and faded after about ten minutes. The fistula healed completely following this surgery. There were many other spiritual responses — too many to fully describe.

4. Hemorrhoids Suddenly Healed

Prolonged sitting and lack of exercise had given me constipation that developed into hemorrhoids. In the 39th year of the Republic (1950) I hired a hemorrhoid specialist to corrode and remove them with medicine, and they were indeed completely healed. Unexpectedly they recurred three years later and gradually worsened. Each morning bowel movements took the longest time, with a prolapsed rectum and bloody stools that had to be washed with water — extremely painful. In the winter of the 54th year (1965) I retired to Beitou and closed my door to recite the Buddha's name. After my morning and evening lessons, I recited the Great Compassion Mantra seven more times and Guanyin's holy name five hundred times, praying to live free from illness and suffering, and upon death to be reborn in the Pure Land. The next year I suddenly received from Elder Layman Zheng Enpu — now Dharma Master Xingci — the generous gift of three jars of asparagus root paste. After only one, I was suddenly and completely healed. After finishing the course, the stubborn phlegm produced by deficient fire from my weak constitution also gradually dispersed. I then entrusted him to purchase twenty jin of asparagus root on my behalf and to prepare ten jars. The root cause was completely cured. He told me this prescription came from the Esoteric tradition: carefully select plump, bright asparagus roots, remove the heart and skin, simmer into a paste in a copper pot, add cream and milk powder, pound evenly until thick, store in clay jars, and before morning and evening meditation, take one teaspoon with warm water. The Materia Medica records it as "nourishing yin and moistening dryness, dispersing phlegm and aiding elimination" — truly not falsely. This is not a prescription for hemorrhoids, but because the holy name of Guanyin was constantly recited during its consumption, such wondrous efficacy was obtained.

5. Scrofula Eventually Healed

Layman Zhang Zhong of Yongjia had been sickly since childhood. After the age of twenty he developed scrofula along with bloody stools, which persisted for over ten years despite exhaustive treatment by both Chinese and Western doctors. In the autumn of the first year of the Republic (1912), he suddenly recalled that reciting sutras and chanting mantras could miraculously heal illness. He therefore recited the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin's holy name morning and evening. After only three days the illness slightly lessened; after three more, the chronic illness suddenly vanished. Because his karma was heavy, it still recurred. He subsequently studied Buddhist scriptures and realized that the Buddha-dharma is limitless. In the 18th year (1929), now fifty years old, he sincerely repented toward the Western direction and vowed to earnestly cultivate the Pure Land practice. He set up a Buddha image, never ceasing in his worship and recitation, and the chronic illness finally did not recur.

6. Nodules Vanished, Itching Stopped

Layman Dong Yunchu, dharma name Huicheng, lived in Zhaozhuang, Zhucheng, Shandong, and conducted business in the city. In the 19th year of the Republic (1930), having endured the dangers of war, he took refuge in the Three Treasures, piously recited the Great Compassion and Shurangama mantras, repented his past karma, and vowed to transcend the three realms. He sincerely practiced his Pure Land recitations without daily interruption. On the 19th day of the 8th month of the 23rd year (1934), returning home from the city, his wife, surnamed Li, suddenly developed nodules all over her body with strange itching. She prepared to seek a doctor. Dong said the Buddha is the Great Physician King and can cure all diseases, so he immediately recited the Heart Sutra, earnestly beseeching Guanyin Bodhisattva to silently bless and heal her. After reciting it only twenty times, all the nodules vanished and the itching stopped at once.

Section 19

Rescue from Hand and Foot Illnesses and Paralysis

1. Right Wrist Indeed Healed

Xing Naimei, wife of Yang Xiaofan of Dangtu County, had always had a weak constitution. In the 20th year of the Republic (1931), her right wrist suddenly became swollen and painful. Chinese and Western medicine proved ineffective, and fearing it would eventually become contracture, she was deeply worried. Her father, Layman Yang Leshou, was virtuous and a faithful Buddhist; the family hung an image of the White-Robed Bodhisattva, offering incense and flowers morning and evening. Her mother, grieved over her daughter-in-law's illness, privately prayed for her daily. In the second month of the 23rd year (February 1934), her mother suddenly dreamed one night that the White-Robed Bodhisattva, holding a willow branch and a bowl of pure water, entered the room and washed her daughter-in-law's wrist. The next morning she told the whole family. Xing also said: "Last night I dreamed of a white-robed person holding my hand, and I awoke suddenly — the wrist pain has stopped." She then piously recited sutras and kept a vegetarian diet, and the illness indeed healed without medicine. From then on she took refuge in the Lotus Throne, her faith and devotion growing ever firmer. Each day she recited the Heart Sutra, the White-Robed Great Compassion and other mantras, and the holy name of Guanyin as her regular practice. Her body became healthy and strong.

2. Leg Pain Transferred to Hands, Then Healed

The elderly aunt of Layman Renbi of Suzhou devoutly believed in the Buddha-dharma and regularly practiced the Pure Land recitations. In the summer of the 33rd year of the Republic (1944), now seventy-six years old, her qi and blood had declined, and she suddenly developed leg pain. Before the winter solstice it transferred to both hands, with strange pain unbearable to endure. Because the Buddha hall enshrined Great Compassion rice consecrated by Master Yinguang, she piously and sincerely requested it and prepared and drank it according to method. In three days the pain lessened; in five it stopped; after several more days she recovered. She then vowed to cultivate the Pure Land practice and grew even more diligent.

3. Leg Swelling Immediately Reduced

In the South, many were afflicted with "big foot disease." Wrapping the leg with fresh papaya in cloth made the swelling immediately reduce. If fresh papaya was unavailable, dried papaya slices from the pharmacy could be used, also with great effect. There was an old man who brought his daughter to Baoguo Temple in Suzhou, and both took refuge with Master Yinguang. His daughter, aged twenty-five, had suffered from leg swelling for seven or eight years. The Master instructed her to recite Guanyin Bodhisattva to dissolve her past karma, and also told her to buy papaya and wrap her leg. In just four days she was indeed healed.

4. Foot Swelling Completely Reduced

Wu Zunyuan, who lived on Shuitou Street in Nan'an, Fujian, had a father aged sixty-seven suffering from a serious illness: both feet were swollen, and he could not take a single step. Medicine proved ineffective. Wu recalled that a friend had given him the Universal Gateway Chapter, which recorded various miraculous responses. His mother had believed in the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin for over thirty years and regularly recited the Great Compassion Mantra, so she vowed before the Bodhisattva to recite the Diamond Sutra, seeking to cure her husband's illness. Within a few days the illness was removed and the swelling reduced. The whole family gave thanks and praise.

5. Nodule Pain Vanished

Layman Huai Guichen, who served at the College of Agriculture, Shanghai University, had been a Buddhist for over thirty years. In the 8th month of the 32nd year of the Republic (August 1943), a nodule suddenly formed on his right leg, gradually swelling as large as a chicken's egg, with severe aching pain. A Western doctor diagnosed it as lymphadenitis, and repeated applications of medicine were ineffective. He therefore recited the holy name of Guanyin day and night, praying for rescue. On the night of the 30th, he dreamed he was lying on a seaside rock with his leg extended. A white-haired old woman of kind and compassionate appearance scooped up seawater and sprinkled it on the affected part of his leg, and he immediately felt comfortable. He awoke with a start to find the aching pain had eased. Realizing that the white-haired old woman was a transformation-body of the Bodhisattva, he rose in the morning to burn incense and recite the Buddha's name and Guanyin's holy name, kneeling in gratitude for his rescue! A friend also obtained Guanyin Suffering-Relief Plaster on his behalf, which was applied to the affected area. After about two weeks, the nodule gradually disappeared and he walked normally again.

6. Joints Suddenly Healed

Ying Jinyutang had suffered leg arthritis for ten years. Treatment in Shanghai brought slight improvement but no complete cure. After coming to Taiwan it recurred, and the doctor said surgery was needed. Fearing the pain, he piously prayed to Guanyin Bodhisattva, reciting the holy name daily without ceasing for half a year. Suddenly he was completely healed — all suffering vanished. Deeply moved that compassionate rescue answered every prayer, in the 44th year of the Republic (1955) he specially placed a newspaper advertisement urging all to piously recite the holy name, and never to regard it as superstition.

7. Tendon and Bone Pain Eliminated

Jin Xing's mother, who lived near Nanmen Bridge in the East District of Taichung, was diligent and frugal in her farming. Before a full month had passed since giving birth, she went to work in the fields. Overworked, with rheumatism setting in, she suffered cramping pain in her foot tendons and could not walk well — already for over ten years. In the 55th year of the Republic (1966), when Layman Lin Kanzhi lectured on the Universal Gateway Chapter at Ciguang Orphanage, her son used a pedal cart to take her to listen. She came to understand the miraculous response of reciting Guanyin's holy name and the Bodhisattva "who hearkens to cries to rescue from suffering." She set up a family Buddhist shrine, enshrined images of the Western Three Saints, and worshipped morning and evening. Suddenly one midnight, both legs and her entire body's tendons and bones experienced severe, unbearable pain. She urgently cried out the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and by dawn all the pain had vanished — she was healed without any medicine.

8. Limb Pain Stopped

Since the 21st year of the Republic (1932), I had served at the Chongyang County government in Hubei for five years. Owing to damp housing — I both worked and slept there — I contracted rheumatism, with aching pain in the joints of my limbs and both hands unable to bend backward. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, with no medical treatment effective. In the 55th year (1966) I retired to Beitou. While meditating, wind blew on my knees and the condition suddenly worsened, making it impossible to sit in the lotus posture. Right after my morning and evening lessons, I prayed to Guanyin Bodhisattva for blessing. Brother Wang Zijie suddenly came by on some matter and generously gave me this tested recipe for rheumatism: Quan Danggui (whole Angelica sinensis), Zheng Chuanxiong (genuine Ligusticum), Nüzhenzi (Ligustrum fruit), Chuan Niuxi (Sichuan Achyranthes), Heshouwu (Polygonum multiflorum), Cao Heche (see note below), Gouqizi (Lycium fruit), Wujiapi (Acanthopanax bark), Yi Mugua (suitable papaya), Ming Tianma (Ming Gastrodia), Gouji (Cibotium), and Qinjiao (Gentian), five qian each; Guizhi Jian (tips of Cinnamomum), two qian; Qianghuo (Notopterygium), Duhuo (Angelica pubescens), and Gancao (licorice), two and a half qian each. Grind together into powder, soak in five jin of rice wine for one month, then take. After finishing one dose the pain stopped; after two more, supplemented by exercise, I recovered. Decades of athlete's foot were also cured. Note: Cao Heche is also called Qi Ye Lian, Zaoxiu, or Chonglou Jinxian. When this formula was given to fellow sufferers, all achieved wondrous effects; reciting the holy name of Guanyin more frequently makes the medicine's effect swifter.

9. Paralysis Suddenly Healed

Laywoman Huang Shangxian, wife of Li Shaoda of Meixian, Guangdong, came to Taiwan after the mainland fell to the bandits. She happened to contract a serious illness: her whole body was paralyzed, her four limbs numb, unable to move, requiring assistance for daily activities and meals. Bedridden for over a year, having believed in Buddhism since childhood, she constantly recited the holy name of Guanyin during her illness. One day, while in a daze, she saw people carrying a coffin over and wanting her to lie in it. Huang said: "In life there's always one time to enter a coffin, but I really cannot move. If you won't support me, let me climb in slowly." Suddenly an old woman came and said: "This is not for her to lie in." She then said to Huang: "Your karmic obstacles are too heavy, hence you have contracted this serious illness." Huang suddenly realized it was Guanyin Bodhisattva come to give instruction. She immediately knelt and earnestly implored rescue. The Bodhisattva, holding a willow branch, swept it over her whole body and said: "Your illness is healed at once. From now on you must recite the Shurangama Mantra to dissolve your karmic obstacles." Startled awake, drenched in sweat, she immediately felt relaxed and the illness was gone. She rose at once to bathe, and added the recitation of the Shurangama Mantra to her morning and evening lessons.

Section 20

Rescue from Mental Illness and Contagious Fatigue

1. Mental Illness Quickly Healed

Mr. Fei, a friend of Layman Dai Shaoxian of Yueyang, Hunan, suffered severe mental illness, with both eyes staring fixedly ahead. He often wanted to throw himself into the water, sought gods and called on doctors, but a hundred attempts proved ineffective. His sister recited the White-Robed Bodhisattva's Spiritual Mantra daily on his behalf to dissolve his past karma, and taught him to recite it himself. He quickly recovered.

2. Exhaustion Suddenly Dispelled

Laywoman Chen Miaozhu, a lifelong vegetarian who recited the Buddha's name, was diligent in her cultivation. Thus throughout her life she received the most protection from Guanyin Bodhisattva, and each time she encountered suffering or danger, it was transformed into safety. In the 43rd year of the Republic (1954), she participated in the Ordination Ceremony at Lion Head Mountain in Taiwan. At the time her body was already weak and sick, with difficulty walking; climbing over two thousand stone steps of mountain path would be even more arduous. But her heart was set on receiving the precepts, so she climbed the mountain alone. After more than a hundred steps, her vision filled with golden sparks and she grew dizzy and blurred — yet regardless of everything she kept climbing upward. After over eight hundred steps, unable to endure further, she collapsed, utterly exhausted, with even breathing a strain. In this deep mountain with no one around, both advancing and retreating were difficult. She could only entrust her life to the Bodhisattva, single-mindedly reciting the holy name in silence. Suddenly a miracle appeared: exhaustion instantly vanished, her vision cleared, and her feet felt strong. Bravely going straight up, she did not realize she had already reached Yuanguang Temple. Catching up just in time to register, she received the Bodhisattva Precepts and became a lay Bodhisattva.

Chapter 5: Rescue from Childbirth Difficulties

In a letter written to all inquirers, Master Yinguang says: 'When a woman is about to give birth, the suffering is unbearable, and she may even lose her life. There are also dangers such as postpartum hemorrhage and the child's slow or acute convulsions. If at the time of delivery she sincerely and earnestly recites aloud "Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva," she will surely be spared the suffering of difficult labor, postpartum hemorrhage, convulsions, and other afflictions. Even in the most dire cases of obstructed labor, when the mother is near death, have the mother herself and all those attending her recite aloud together. Family members in other rooms may also recite for her. Without needing more than a moment's effort, the child will be born safely and naturally. But don't recite silently—silent recitation carries less mental power and so a weaker response. What's more, since the mother is pushing hard at this stage, reciting silently might cause her to hold her breath and become ill. Although the body is exposed and impure during childbirth, this is unavoidable and not a matter of impropriety. Not only is there no fault, but mother and child plant great roots of goodness.'

He also says: 'The causes of difficult labor usually stem from killing karma accumulated in past or present lives. If from childhood a girl frequently recites "Namo Amitabha Buddha" and "Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva," she will naturally dissolve that karma. With killing karma dissolved, no force will arise at delivery to block the child's birth. If she hasn't yet encountered the Dharma and at delivery the child won't come, the mother and all attending family members should recite "Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva" with utmost sincerity. All enemies and obstructers from past lives who would block the birth, upon hearing the Bodhisattva's holy name, will flee far away through the Bodhisattva's majestic power and dare not cause further trouble. I once had a disciple visiting a friend's home in Sichuan. He heard a woman in labor had been unable to deliver for two days, and her life seemed past saving. He told them: "Tell the mother to recite the Holy Name of Guanyin right away. Burn incense in the courtyard, kneel, and recite—she'll be sure to give birth immediately." The man told his wife and recited himself. Before long, the child was born—the mother didn't even realize it until she heard the baby cry. The mother said: when she first tried to give birth, she saw someone holding cloth beneath her lower body, preventing the birth. After reciting the Holy Name of Guanyin, she saw the cloth removed, and the child was born without her even knowing it.'

I earnestly urge everyone, at home and abroad, to recite the names of Amitabha Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva regularly, dissolving the karma and obstacles of past and present lives. At the time of delivery, please especially recite the Holy Name of Guanyin aloud to protect mother and child. Please pass this teaching along, so that mothers and infants may be rescued from suffering and peril. To benefit oneself and others—boundless merit!

Section One
 Rescue from Difficult Births and Stillbirths

1. Difficult Birth Resolved Instantly

Mrs. Yang was the wife of Yang Weixin of Zhenyuan, Guizhou. At nineteen, the pain of difficult labor was so severe she lost consciousness. In a dream she knelt before the Buddha, pleading for the Bodhisattva's great compassion to grant her a son. Suddenly a lady in white appeared, holding a gourd, followed by a maid carrying a plump, fair-skinned baby boy, whom she placed in Mrs. Yang's arms. She then offered the gourd for her to drink. She felt a sudden coolness throughout her body and mind, and heard a baby cry. When she opened her eyes, family surrounded her—some reciting Amitabha, others exclaiming that Guanyin was truly efficacious. She had been dead a full day. Her mother-in-law had prayed to Guanyin for Great Compassion Water to protect daughter-in-law and grandchild, vowing that both she and her daughter-in-law would keep lifelong vegetarian fasts and serve the Buddha in gratitude! The water had scarcely touched her lips when she revived, and the child had already come forth. From then on she kept lifelong vegetarian fasts and recited the Buddha's name and the Holy Name of Guanyin. Her son, named Yang Shaoxin, was easy to raise, received an education, joined the military, and rose to the rank of commander. When he returned home in victory, his mother was already over ninety. On the day the National Protection and Disaster-Averting Dharma Assembly concluded in June of the thirty-seventh year of the Republic, she mounted the platform and cheerfully told the assembly: 'My pure karma is complete. Guanyin Bodhisattva has chosen today to come for me.' She departed amid laughter.

2. First Birth Without Suffering

The second daughter-in-law of Yuan Haiguan of Hunan was over fifty in the twelfth year of the Republic and lived in Shanghai. She had two sons and two daughters. When her elder daughter-in-law was about to give birth, someone said: 'When your daughter-in-law gives birth, your family mustn't make offerings to the Buddha for a month, and you shouldn't recite the Buddha's name either.' She was troubled by this. Just then Master Yinguang came to Shanghai, and she asked him about it. The Master said: 'Don't heedlessly believe heterodox teachings. Tell your daughter-in-law to recite Guanyin Bodhisattva often. At delivery she must recite aloud, and you and those attending should also recite aloud. There will be no difficult birth, and no suffering such as postpartum hemorrhage. Afterward, there will be no dangers of any kind.' She was overjoyed. Within days her grandson was born, weighing nine and a half jin, and though it was a first birth, there was no suffering at all. One can see that the great compassion of Guanyin is beyond conception.

3. Mother Revived, Child Born

In Suzhou there was a poor woman who died in childbirth. Her husband went to the hospital to ask a Western doctor to operate and remove the baby. The doctor demanded two hundred yuan for the surgery. Having no money, the doctor left without a second thought. Next door was the home of the director of a medical school; husband and wife were both Buddhist believers. The wife went to see them and told the household to recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and she joined in. Before long, the mother revived and the baby was born.

4. Obstacle Dissolved, Birth Immediate

Zhou Zhen was a native of Hunan. He deeply believed in Buddhism, recited mantras and sutras, and was extremely diligent. In the spring of the thirty-first year of the Republic, his wife went into labor at their home in Guilin, the baby stirring and causing pain. She tossed and turned in bed for four full days without giving birth. The War of Resistance was at its height, with enemy air raids and warnings sounding constantly. They couldn't go out all day to call a doctor or midwife. Forced by circumstances, they lit incense and candles in the living room, set out a cup of clear water as offering, and knelt reciting the Great Compassion Mantra, asking for Guanyin's silent blessing. Suddenly their heads swam and eyes blurred, and the living room transformed into a Buddha hall filled with extraordinary fragrance. Guanyin's wondrous form stood majestically in the jeweled hall, holding a pure vase and willow branch. Looking behind, they saw many animals gathered there. They made a vow and prayer: 'May the Bodhisattva in compassion bless my wife to give birth swiftly, mother and child safe and free from suffering. And may all these animals be led to rebirth in favorable realms.' The Bodhisattva then tilted the pure vase, dripping sweet dew into the cup of water, and with the willow branch sprinkled sweet dew upon all the animals. In a moment, the living room was as before. Overwhelmed with both sorrow and joy, they gave her the Great Compassion Water to drink, and the baby was born immediately, mother and child safe. Note: the animals behind them were all manifestations of past and present killing karma, obstructing the birth. Upon praying to the Bodhisattva to lead them to favorable rebirths, the karmic obstacles dissolved and, upon drinking the water, birth occurred immediately.

5. Difficult Birth Transformed to Safe

Layperson Heng Yu of Changsha, in the fortieth year of the Republic, was pregnant in Taichung. After slipping and falling in the rain, she went to the hospital for examination and was told the baby's position was wrong. Her belly grew, sitting and lying were uncomfortable, and delivery seemed near. She had only two small children with her, no relatives, and the hired help hadn't arrived. She was extremely anxious. Each morning and evening she prayed before Guanyin Bodhisattva. Suddenly a shoemaker came with his wife, offering to keep her company for the month. That very night she felt abdominal pain. She told them to hire a car and take her to the hospital. Reciting the Holy Name of Guanyin single-mindedly, by the following noon she had safely given birth to a boy weighing over ten pounds. Later the nurse laughingly said: 'Do you know that was a difficult birth? The baby's foot came out first. We were all very worried. The most amazing thing was that the doctor simply gave it a slight turn and the baby was born—the difficult birth became a safe birth. This was the first time ever.' All were protected by the Bodhisattva, the danger turned to safety. She then took refuge with Master Baisheng and vowed to keep lifelong vegetarianism.

6. Born Through Recitation

Layperson Zheng Gongqiao, residing in Taichung. In September of the forty-fifth year of the Republic, his wife was admitted to the Provincial Taichung Hospital for delivery. Because of her usual high blood pressure and lack of exercise, at delivery her blood pressure rose to 224. After laboring for a day and night she was nearly at her last breath. The doctor was helpless, saying: 'The only option is a cesarean, but whether the mother can be saved is completely uncertain.' Fellow practitioners, including Layperson Heng Yu, rushed over upon hearing the news and recited the Holy Name of Guanyin together with those present. The baby was then safely born. At the end of the month she took refuge in the Three Jewels and kept vegetarian, abstaining completely from meat.

7. Stillborn Fetus Safely Delivered

Li Zhihua, in the winter of the thirty-eighth year of the Republic, withdrew with the army into Vietnam; the following year they moved to Phu Quoc Island. In the forty-first year, his wife suddenly developed abdominal pain for several days. They didn't know what it was, medicine was scarce, and the illness grew grave. Neighbor Layperson He Yisheng urged them to recite the Holy Name of Guanyin. After about two hours, the wife suddenly miscarried. The fetus was only three months old, already dead in the womb, foul and unspeakable. Were it not for the awesome spiritual power of the Bodhisattva, there would truly have been no way to save her life.

Section Two
 Rescue from Postpartum Hemorrhage and Miscarriage

1. Hemorrhage Suddenly Stopped

Layperson Ma Shunqing of Hunan was originally of the Muslim faith. He and his wife and five children all took refuge with Master Yinguang. In the autumn of the eighteenth year of the Republic he wrote to Master Yin: 'My wife has borne five children. The first two were relatively peaceful, but the third involved postpartum hemorrhage, the fourth was worse, and the fifth even more severe. She's about to give birth again soon; if there's hemorrhage, her life will be lost. Please teach me a way to help, and please bestow dharma names upon the unborn child.' Master Yin replied, instructing them to recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva with utmost sincerity, and that at the time of delivery she must recite aloud. When the letter arrived, husband and wife read it together. The wife immediately began reciting. The next day she gave birth, reciting all the while, peacefully and without suffering. Ma immediately wrote back: 'Beyond all expectation—the Bodhisattva is truly greatly compassionate.'

2. Uterine Poison Gradually Healed

The wife of Layperson Yang Zhijian, in the autumn of the twenty-eighth year of the Republic, suffered a miscarriage. The afterbirth was putrid, blood poisoning set in, and she fainted, unconscious. She was carried to the hospital for surgery. As her temperature kept rising, the doctors felt helpless and warned her family repeatedly. They then devoutly recited the Heart Sutra, the Great Compassion Mantra, and the Holy Name of Guanyin. After three days the illness gradually lessened, and within ten days she regained consciousness and gradually recovered.

3. Miscarriage Survivor

A-Lan, the daughter of Lai Linzhi of Taichung, lost consciousness due to hemorrhage from a miscarriage. In a trance she arrived at a remote, gloomy place but kept walking straight forward. Suddenly a maiden of dignified appearance blocked her path and pushed her down. Standing up, she scolded: 'Who are you? Why did you push me for no reason?' The maiden answered: 'This is not a place for you. You should return quickly. Once home you will understand.' After saying this, she reverently joined her palms and recited "Namo Amitabha Buddha." Upon awakening she told her mother, who said: 'This was a transformation body of Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, come to save you.' Her health immediately recovered, and she recited the Buddha's name along with her mother.

Section Three
 Rescue from Postpartum Illnesses

1. Postpartum Convulsions

Layperson Fei Huimao of Nantong, whose whole family recited the Buddha's name, in the first month of the twenty-third year of the Republic brought back a bottle of Great Compassion Water blessed by Master Yinguang, prepared to help in times of illness. In early February, Lü Chong's daughter-in-law, several days after childbirth, suddenly had a whirlwind appear in her room and developed a strange illness—she was at death's door. Just as they were at their wits' end, Lü's wife hurried to inform Fei's mother, who gave her Great Compassion Water to take back. When she gave it to her daughter-in-law to drink, the obstruction in her chest vanished immediately, and the convulsion and strange illness were cured at once.

2. Postpartum Cold

Layperson Shi Zhiming, a native of Nantong, Jiangsu. In the second month of the thirty-second year of the Republic, his wife, née Dai, suffered a very severe cold after childbirth; medicine proved ineffective. They invited Layperson Ni Jinxiu and others to devoutly recite the Universal Gateway Chapter and the Great Compassion Mantra, praying for Great Compassion Water for her to drink. The crisis turned to safety. From then on the family deeply believed in the Buddha Dharma, and the whole household took refuge with Master Yinguang. Daily they recited the Buddha's name and the Holy Name of Guanyin, seeking to dissolve calamities in this life and go directly to the Lotus Land at the end, personally receiving the true benefits of the Dharma.

3. Severe Postpartum Illness

The wife of Zhong Lingyu, head of the general affairs section of the Yuemei Sugar Factory in Taichung, developed a serious illness while giving birth to her fifth child. Sent to the Railway Hospital, she was judged beyond help and moved to the mortuary to await death. At that moment she could only silently recite "Rescue-from-Suffering, Rescue-from-Difficulty Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva." Her whole family also prayed to the Bodhisattva for salvation. As a result, among the four patients in the mortuary suffering from the same illness, three had already died, but Mrs. Zhong alone recovered from her illness and was discharged.

Section Four
 Rescue from Convulsions, Smallpox, and Measles

1. Slow Convulsions Fully Recovered

Layperson Yang Zijing of Shan County, Henan, who had received refuge and precepts, enshrined the Three Saints of the West at home and revered Guanyin Bodhisattva especially devoutly. Whenever family members fell ill, their prayers were always answered. In the spring of the twenty-first year of the Republic, when an epidemic raged, countless infants perished from measles. Yang's second son, De Jian, just one year old, fell severely ill with epidemic measles on the sixteenth day of the third month, his whole body purple and black. By the twenty-third, the measles toxin had subsided, but mistaken cooling medicine had brought on slow convulsions—he was in grave condition. He quickly gathered the family to recite the Holy Name of Guanyin together, vowing to release living creatures at each of the Bodhisattva's fasting periods, and praying devoutly for blessings. The second dose of cooling medicine was accidentally knocked over and spilled. He also picked up a friend's copy of the "Fuyou Pian" (Treatise on Saving Children) and happened to read Zhuang Zaitian's case of treating his nephew: 'Head-shaking, abdominal distension, unconsciousness with eyes half-open, throat rattling, and abdominal rumbling are all signs of slow convulsions. Although externally there appears to be false heat, internally there is true cold. Without a strongly acrid and strongly heating prescription, the cold stagnation cannot be broken through to transform danger into safety. Unskilled doctors don't understand this, which is why they kill patients.' The symptoms matched exactly. They immediately used the original prescription: one qian each of cinnamon and pepper, four slices of pao jiang, boiled and given. Phlegm came down with the medicine, and the child could nurse immediately. They then administered the second prescription, "Lizhong Dihuang Decoction"—after one dose the wind convulsions lessened, and after four doses he was completely cured. Were it not for the silent blessing of the Bodhisattva, how could such a fortunate coincidence have occurred?

2. Convulsions Stop Instantly

Guo Jinkang operated the Jinchang Furniture Shop on Jiangxi Road in Shanghai. On the nineteenth day of the sixth month of the twenty-ninth year of the Republic, when his seventh son was first born, he immediately developed severe convulsions. All manner of treatments proved ineffective, and all said the child had no hope of life. They planned to throw him into the river to lessen his suffering. He then made a vow to print and distribute one thousand copies of the White-Robed Deity Mantra, hoping to rely on the Bodhisattva's compassionate power to preserve this one thread of life. The moment the vow was made, the illness turned and ceased completely. The child became extraordinarily intelligent.

3. Recovery from Critical Smallpox

Zhu Hanyuan of Shanghai had never believed in Buddhism. In the seventh month of the thirty-second year of the Republic, his little grandson Rusong, just one year and four months old, developed critical smallpox, with white films forming on his eyes and his scrotum already shrunken. He invited the smallpox specialist Xu Lianzhou to examine him; the doctor repeatedly shook his head, indicating nothing could be done. The child was moved to lie on the ground. His eyes tightly shut, he cried dryly without sound, yet his two little hands kept groping left and right, apparently searching for his mother—unaware that his mother, persuaded by the grandfather, had withdrawn to another room. In this state he remained for two days and nights. It happened to be a Sunday, and Zhu was in anguish at home. At the office, he saw Zhu Shisheng's "Menghen Lu" (Records of Dream Traces) on the desk. Picking it up, he read a passage: 'When a person is at the point of death, if he can recite the Buddha's name with utmost sincerity and receive assistance from others, he can be received by the Buddha and guided to rebirth in the Pure Land. Even if his karmic obstacles are profound and heavy, he can still be reborn there bearing his karma.' He memorized this in his heart. After lunch, he suddenly thought of going to the Rainbow Temple to pay respects to the Buddha. Seeing Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva seated centrally, he knelt in silent prayer: 'My little grandson Rusong is in critical condition from smallpox. If his lifespan is not yet exhausted, I pray the Bodhisattva bless him and swiftly grant his recovery. If his lifespan is at its end, I also hope he may be quickly liberated from suffering. Hanyuan lacks virtue and knows that his sins from past and present lives are deep and heavy. If through compassion I am permitted to repent, I vow to take refuge in the Buddha Dharma and extensively practice expedient means, hoping to dissolve past karmic obstacles.' After bowing he returned home and saw Rusong still lying on the ground. He tried calling his name, and the child could still raise a small hand in greeting. At night, all the family members were exhausted and fast asleep. Only Zhu remained at his side. He recited the Buddha's name aloud, watching the child's movements as he recited. He saw the child's small mouth opening and closing. He took reed-root and water-chestnut soup to feed him, and also applied eye drops, fearing damage to both eyes. Eventually he too became exhausted and fell asleep. When he awoke at daybreak, Rusong was lying face-down on the ground. When he turned the child's body over, he suddenly saw a strip of thick yellow nasal mucus outside the left nostril. Secretly thinking it strange, he still did not know the child had received the Buddha's compassionate blessing. He applied eye drops again, but the child raised his small hand in resistance and suddenly burst into crying—the family members were all startled awake by the cry, for the child had been unable to cry audibly for several days. The nursemaid lifted him from the ground and changed his diaper. Seeing that his scrotum had returned to normal, they suddenly realized he had been blessed by the Buddha and recovered without medicine. He recovered swiftly thereafter. From then on he recited the Buddha's name and remembered the Buddha, deeply regretting his former disbelief.

4. Measles Cured Immediately

Xiao Axue, residing in Banpingcuo, Taichung. In the third month of the fifty-seventh year of the Republic, her little daughter A-Ying developed measles that suddenly turned into another condition—she lost consciousness, fell to the ground, and was on the verge of death. They hurriedly called her brother, Layperson Xiao He, who loudly recited "Namo Rescue-from-Suffering, Rescue-from-Difficulty Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva," prayed for Great Compassion Water, and poured it into the child's small mouth. She was immediately cured. Afterward, medication took effect, and her body gradually recovered.

Section Five

I. Infant Cured of Diarrhea Immediately

Zhou Azhang lived on Jinjia Lane off Xinzha Road in Shanghai. He made his living growing flowers, and his wife helped out by taking in laundry. Their son, barely a year old, came down with diarrhea in early June of the 32nd year of the Republic (1943). They tried folk remedies—boiled herbal decoctions—but the illness only grew worse. The family was poor and scraped together what they could to see a doctor, but three doses of medicine did nothing. The child's face turned sallow, his body wasted away, and they didn't know where to turn. A neighbor in the lane, Upasaka Zhang Bailiang, worked at the Postal Savings and Remittance Bureau. His home displayed porcelain images of the Western Three Saints and Guanyin, and he recited the Buddha's name morning and evening. On the seventeenth, when Zhang came home after his shift, Mrs. Zhou was at his door with the child in her arms, holding three sticks of incense and asking him to pray to Guanyin Bodhisattva on her behalf. Moved by her sincerity, he rinsed a cup with boiled water, burned incense, bowed, and devoutly recited the Great Compassion Mantra seven times and the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva a hundred times. After completing the dedication, he gave the water to Mrs. Zhou for the child to drink. That night Mrs. Zhou dreamed that someone broke through the door and gave the child's belly a firm pinch. She woke with a start, knowing the Bodhisattva had come to heal him. She rose at once, burned incense, and bowed in gratitude toward heaven. By the next morning the child's stool had grown thick and well-formed. That afternoon, when Zhang returned home, she asked earnestly for the blessed water once more. The stool returned to normal and the illness was cured. He urged them to keep a vegetarian diet and recite Guanyin's holy name, and they left gratefully, overjoyed.

II. Restored from the Dead

Zhong Tenghao, Chief of Statistics at the Overseas Affairs Commission, had a three-year-old son who, in the winter of the 35th year of the Republic (1946), came down with a high fever. He was admitted to the Central Hospital in Nanjing, where after nearly ten days of treatment he died. The doctors urged them to prepare the coffin at once and pressed them again and again. Zhong couldn't bear to do it and kept putting it off. He and his wife Gong Zhidao stepped outside and wept bitterly, when suddenly he recalled that Mrs. Yang Huiqing—the wife of Zhou Qingguang—had once said the spiritual power of Guanyin Bodhisattva was beyond all imagining. He went at once, late that night, to the Zhou home, burned incense, and reverently asked for some of the consecrated Great Compassion Water. He wiped the child's face, mouth, and nose first, then his chest, belly, hands, and feet. Worn out, he leaned against the bed and dozed off, but woke with a start when he felt the child's hand stroking him. He wiped the body again, pried open the teeth, and poured in the water. The child suddenly began to move, moan, and cry out that he was hungry—joy beyond words! The next morning, when the doctor arrived, he sternly scolded them for not yet having prepared the coffin. They told him the child had recovered and could even laugh and talk. The doctor examined him, astonished, and asked what medicine could possibly bring the dead back to life. Zhong pointed to the bottle of water. The doctor, disbelieving, took it away for analysis, but found nothing unusual in it. Gong, a Christian, was so struck by the experience that she brought the child to bow in thanks to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and she would talk about it with evident delight for years to come.

III. Driving Out Demons to Save the Child

Lin Achuan's younger sister, a member of the Donor Class of the Taichung Lotus Society, lived near Nanmen Bridge in the East District of Taichung, where she farmed for a living. In the 37th year of the Republic (1948) she gave birth to her second son, Jin Xing, who was frail and thin, always carried in her arms, and perpetually on medicine. When the boy was three, his illness grew grave and he was reduced to a single breath. Suddenly, three or four fierce demons appeared and tried to snatch the child from her arms. She held him tightly and would not let go. Guanyin Bodhisattva descended from the sky, waved a willow branch once, and the demons vanished without a trace. "You must recite Namo Amitabha Buddha," she said, "and the child will be easy to raise." But the mother did not know how to recite. When she mentioned it to her elder sister, the sister explained at length the meaning and merit of reciting the Buddha's name and the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Only then did she begin to recite. The child turned from weak to strong and was easily raised to adulthood.

IV. All Illnesses Cured

Upasaka He Yisheng was from Pingnan, Guangxi. His mother was most devout in her veneration of Guanyin Bodhisattva. When he took up military service upon reaching adulthood, she admonished him at parting: "When you encounter hardship and suffering, only sincerely recite Guanyin's holy name, and disasters will surely be dispelled." In the winter of the 38th year of the Republic (1949), he led his unit in withdrawing from the mainland, retreating into Vietnam, and settled on Phu Quoc Island. In the 40th year (1951), his eldest daughter Yun Xia was born, and the following year she contracted malaria complicated by jaundice—her entire body turned yellow, with high fever and suppressed urination. On this desolate island there was no medicine and no doctor, and her condition grew critical. Remembering his mother's words, he devoutly lit three sticks of incense and, facing the sky, began to recite Namo the Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva. After about an hour, urine flowed freely and the danger was dispelled. He continued reciting the holy name for several days, and all her illnesses were cured. She has now graduated from the Economics Department of National Taiwan University.

V. Cough and Asthma Rooted Out

Upasaka He Yisheng returned to Taiwan from Vietnam in the summer of the 42nd year of the Republic (1953). On November 12th, his second son He Jie was born. A typhoon struck around the time of the birth, and the family was living in a large thatched hut; the infant developed a cough and asthma. Having no money for medical treatment, they let the illness drag on, his constitution grew weaker day by day, his fever reached 39.5°C, and he could no longer lift his head. Dozens of relatives sharing the quarters shook their heads and sighed! By their experience, once an infant's illness progresses to the point where the head cannot be held straight, it is a sign beyond rescue. That very night he took the child to the grain-drying ground and walked around reciting Guanyin's holy name throughout the night. By dawn the fever had subsided, the head could be held straight, his spirits had lifted, and he knew to suckle milk. He kept up the recitation for several days, and the child was pulled back from the brink of death. The asthma, however, was not cured by age four. In the 44th year (1955), he wrote to ask Master Nanting to accept him as a lay disciple, and the master graciously sent an ancient Chinese remedy for asthma that had stood the test of time. The remedy called for only a few ingredients, but it had to be applied with ginger water at noon on the first, middle, and last days of each of the three dog-day periods of summer to be effective. Following the prescription for three years, at very little expense, the asthma was indeed rooted out. He is currently studying at National Cheng Kung University.

VI. Revived by Light

Upasaka Lai Linzhi, whose husband was named Ajun, lived in Beitun Township, Taichung County, and recited the Buddha's name morning and evening. Their daughter A-Lan had married a son-in-law who came to live with them, and they had a son called A-Da-Zai. In the 44th year of the Republic (1955), the boy—then just three—was knocked down by a pig at the gate and immediately developed a high fever and fell into a coma. Doctors diagnosed meningitis, and neither Chinese nor Western medicines helped. After twenty days he breathed his last and was laid on the ground in the main hall, covered with a torn cloth bag, awaiting burial at dawn. During the evening recitation, Lai was overcome with grief and wept as she recited, lamenting: "Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, why do you not protect me?" She wept until she fell into a stupor, then tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Around four o'clock, a golden light suddenly shone into the hall, dazzling and brilliant. She heard crying, hurried to look, tore open the cloth bag, and with joyful surprise lifted him up. She gave him warm water to drink, and he knew to swallow it. The next morning he was sent to the pediatric department of Taichung Hospital, which required a four-month hospital stay, with recovery still uncertain. They couldn't afford such a long stay, so the Upasaka Lin Kanzhi who had accompanied them counseled them: "Since the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have helped him come back from death, all you need to do is combine the treatment with devout prayers for their protection, and he will recover. Stay for two weeks for now, but someone must stay by his side reciting the Buddha's name without interruption." Within about a week, the fever gradually subsided and he could see and speak, gradually returning to normal. Lai wanted to go home, so she called her daughter to take her place at the bedside. But just as they stepped out of the hospital gate, the illness suddenly worsened and he fell into a stupor, his mouth full of blood. They rushed back to the hospital and recited the Buddha's name with all their hearts; within half an hour he had fallen asleep, and upon waking the illness had vanished, gradually returning to normal. On the thirteenth day, the doctor said they could be discharged the next day. At midnight the illness worsened again with high fever, and countless small red spots appeared on his chest and back. The doctor shook his head and said: "After meningitis, breaking out in measles is most likely to cause pneumonia, and there is no cure." Grief and remorse overwhelmed them. Lin encouraged her again: "Perhaps the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in their compassion are arranging for the measles to appear here in the hospital, where they can be treated. Stay one more week and you can leave the hospital in peace. You must intensify your Buddha-name recitation and not lose heart." Just as she had said, a week later he was discharged in good health, and he was renamed A-Zhou. He is now grown.

VII. Awakened and Immediately Cured

Upasaka Fang Dungu was a serving soldier, and his family had been Buddhist for generations. On the evening of September 15th of the 58th year of the Republic (1969), upon returning home from work, his eldest daughter Fang Yin suddenly developed a high fever. He rushed her to Martin Hospital for emergency care. While he was busy finding someone to register, a young girl accidentally knocked Fang Yin to the ground. He hurriedly picked her up, but she only cried out once, then fainted—her face turned black and she did not respond to repeated calls. After emergency treatment by the doctor, she still did not cry out. He then recited the Divine Mantra of the White-Robed Goddess silently and with single-minded devotion. She woke crying at once, and was discharged with the illness cured.

Section 6: Saving from Lack of Milk and Night Crying

I. Abstinence Brought Forth Abundant Milk

Mrs. Ge Dai was a farming woman who had taken refuge in the Three Jewels and observed the ten vegetarian days each month. In the autumn of the 32nd year of the Republic (1943), she gave birth to a daughter and lacked milk. Her aunt taught her to make a vow, observe pure vegetarianism for three years on behalf of her daughter, and to obtain and drink Great Compassion Water. She took the advice to heart and followed it without hesitation, reciting the Great Compassion Mantra daily and chanting Guanyin's holy name without interruption. Her milk then flowed abundantly, and both mother and daughter were healthier than ordinary people.

II. Broken Abstinence Brought Scant Milk

A certain woman, whose name is withheld, was educated and literate. Her husband's family honored the Buddha, and her father-in-law led the Lotus Society of their hometown. She too had taken refuge in the Three Jewels and observed the ten vegetarian days. Later, moved by the merit of abstaining from killing and adopting a vegetarian diet, she vowed to keep a permanent vegetarian fast for three years and even wrote essays urging others to do the same. In the spring of the 32nd year of the Republic (1943), after giving birth and fearing she wouldn't have enough milk, she was misled by someone's advice and broke her fast. Her milk never flowed freely again, and nothing she tried could nourish the child. The child eventually fell prey to illness, becoming thin and only half the size of those born at the same time. The following July, she herself suffered a severe attack of cholera. The doctor tried to inject saline, but her pulse had faded and her skin had withered; no matter how many times they tried, the needle wouldn't go in. Her father-in-law told her: "The illness is now critical. Quickly make a great vow: from now on observe permanent vegetarianism and honor the Buddha; perhaps you can be saved." She followed his advice, and her father-in-law knelt to pray before the Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva. The needle was then able to enter, and the crisis was averted. According to the Earth Store Sutra: "People of Jambudvīpa, at the time of childbirth, must be most careful not to kill, taking all kinds of fresh delicacies to nourish the mother, and widely gathering relatives to drink wine and eat meat, which will cause both mother and child to be unable to find peace and happiness." This passage makes clear that killing is to be especially avoided at the time of childbirth, and that vegetarian practice and recitation of Guanyin's holy name are especially fitting—something abundantly evident.

III. Night Crying Stopped at Once

Xue Guowei served as secretary of the Health Center in the Chengzhong District of Taipei City. His wife worked at the Taipei Telecommunications Bureau. After the birth of two daughters, the babies took turns crying at night, so no one in the household could sleep. Fearing they would disturb the neighbors, every night he carried the babies out and walked them up and down the street, trying every soul-calling ritual he could find, but nothing worked. In the summer of the 58th year of the Republic (1969), he invited Upasaka Heng Yu to his home, who recited the Heart Sutra once, the Great Compassion Mantra and the White-Robed Goddess Mantra each seven times, and prayed to Guanyin Bodhisattva for blessing. That very night the children stopped crying.

IV. Peace Came Only After Praying to the Buddha

Li Xiongjie, residing at No. 58, Lane 25, Zhulin Road, Yonghe Town, Taipei County, served at the Detention Center of the Taipei District Court. After having five daughters in succession, in the 62nd year of the Republic (1973), at over forty years of age, he finally had a son, who often cried at night. He had long been a Christian and had been baptized years before; his wife, a Taiwanese woman who believed in many gods, found prayer to the Lord ineffective and prayer to the gods equally fruitless. They finally invited their colleague Upasaka Heng Yu to his office to recite the Great Compassion Mantra and pray for Guanyin Bodhisattva's blessing. There was a response, and the child slept peacefully that very night. He then followed the advice to enshrine an image of holy Guanyin, burning incense and paying homage morning and evening, and the whole family has been at peace ever since.

V. Sleep Came Immediately After Prayer

Liu Shumin resided on the second floor of No. 495, Wuxing Street, Taipei City. In June of the 62nd year of the Republic (1973), at nearly fifty years of age, he was overjoyed to have a son. When he brought the customary red eggs to Upasaka Heng Yu, he at once arranged for his son to take refuge, with the plan to visit after the baby's first month. But every night the child cried and had to be carried and walked until dawn, causing him immense anxiety! He consulted doctors who found no illness, and soul-calling rituals were also ineffective. Passing in front of Songshan Temple, he recalled that he had not yet performed the refuge ceremony, so he burned three sticks of incense toward the sky and recited: "Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva, I pray you bless my son to sleep soundly tonight. Tomorrow morning I will take him to Songshan Temple to take refuge with Venerable Dao'an." The child slept peacefully the entire night. The next morning he carried him to take refuge, and the dharma name Hui He was given. From then on, the baby would fall asleep as soon as he nursed, plump and lovely. He later led his wife and daughters to take refuge together, earnestly practicing good deeds.

Chapter Six

Good and Evil: Encouragement and Punishment

The world has drifted far from ancient virtue, and human hearts have grown cold and thin. People indulge in greed, hatred, delusion, and arrogance, freely committing killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech. Neither moral instruction can admonish them, nor can legal punishment restrain them. Only by spreading the Buddha's teaching and illuminating the principles of cause, condition, and karmic retribution can we stir the conscience within, turning them toward good and away from evil. A person who fears no national law will still fear cause and effect. One might slip past human law through power and cunning, but cause and effect never overlooks anyone—no matter how rich, how powerful, how hidden, or how obscure. The Nirvana Sutra says: "The reward of good and evil is like a shadow following its form; the cause and effect of the three periods of time cycle without fail." A proverb puts it well: "Sow hemp, reap hemp; sow beans, reap beans. Heaven's net is vast and loose, yet nothing slips through." This is the unchanging law of karmic cause and effect.

Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech are the heaviest of evil karmas, and the retribution they bring is the most tragic. By making this known, we may warn people to repent and reform—for to punish evil is itself a way of encouraging good. Stealing and false speech can still be restrained by anyone with a measure of self-respect. But the easiest of the four to commit is killing, and the hardest to give up is sexual misconduct. The world calls these mere matters of food and desire, the basic stuff of human nature, and so regards sexual misconduct and killing as altogether natural.

As for killing: the strong preys upon the weak, taking another's flesh to fill his own belly, caring only for the pleasure of a moment's taste. Who would believe in the repayment that comes after countless kalpas? The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: "Because humans eat sheep, the sheep die and become humans; humans die and become sheep. So it goes through ten kinds of birth—dying and being born, they devour one another. Evil karma arises together with them, reaching into the boundless future. By such causes and conditions, through hundreds of thousands of kalpas, they remain forever in the cycle of birth and death." This is the karmic law of humans and animals transmigrating through the three periods of time, endlessly devouring each other. Even if a person has never killed in his entire life, by eating meat day after day, he kills day after day. The butcher, the hunter, the fisherman—each simply does the killing on behalf of those who demand meat for their table. Hence the saying of the ancient masters: "If you would spare the world from the calamity of blade and spear, there is no way but for sentient beings to stop eating flesh." Chan Master Yuanyun's verse on abstaining from meat reads:

For thousands of years, soup in the bowl— grievance deep as the sea, resentment hard to quell. If you would know the wars of blade and spear, just listen to the slaughterhouse's midnight cry.

So we see that killing and eating meat are truly the root of our own rising and falling, of the world's order and chaos. This is no small matter. Moreover, the Buddha, in the Sutra of the Ten Good Precepts, said: "Those who eat meat fall into many illnesses." Modern science and medical research have proven the point: eating meat is a kind of slow poisoning, bringing on rheumatism, cancer, and diseases of the stomach, intestines, heart, liver, and kidneys, and hastening an early death. As for one who kills others, others will in turn be moved to kill him. He who kills another's father will see his own father killed. He who kills another's brother will see his own brother killed. If the retribution in this life is already so, how much heavier is what follows in lives to come.

The Flower Garland Sūtra says: "The karma of killing causes sentient beings to fall into the hells, the animal realm, or the realm of hungry ghosts. If reborn among humans, they receive two kinds of fruit: a short lifespan, and frequent illness." The explanation runs: "The three evil paths are the direct retribution; rebirth among humans is the residual retribution." So certain is the punishment for the evil karma of killing and eating meat—not by a hairsbreadth is it missed.

As for sexual misconduct: young men and women, given over to passion and lust, wear out their bodies through indulgence. Some go so far as debauchery and depravity, priding themselves on their romantic pleasures—only to corrupt public morals, ruin their families, and lose their lives. When regret finally comes, it is too late. How deeply sad this is! Sexual misconduct includes any act in which a lecherous mind violates the spouse or child of another. Even with one's own spouse, to engage at an improper time, in an improper place, or during a sacred festival when heavenly beings forbid it—all of this counts as sexual misconduct. Readers may consult the Shòu Kāng Bǎo Jiàn (Precious Mirror of Longevity and Health) for the full details.

As for prostitutes and entertainers of either sex: owing to the evil karma of former lives, they have fallen into this degraded state. Yet instead of showing them compassion, people wallow in lewdness with them—the loss of virtue and the retribution thus incurred are truly to be feared! To violate a virgin or a young man, to privately assault a servant or a bondservant, to engage in relations with a widow or a widower—such things even beasts would not do, and both humans and gods alike hold them in detestation. To break the proper order of elders and juniors, or to defile monks and nuns of the pure assembly—this is especially beyond the tolerance of heavenly law and beyond the forgiveness of the underworld's reckoning. These are grave and terrible offenses. One should reflect on them with alarm, feel awe and dread, keep a careful guard over oneself, and tremble at the thought of ever committing them.

The way of Heaven brings swift punishment upon licentiousness. If one's conduct is left uncultivated, disaster will arrive at once. In the unseen darkness, blessings may silently be reduced, lifespan secretly cut short, merit and honor quietly stripped away, and illness and misfortune sent down. Or the repayment may be exacted through wife and daughter, the retribution visited upon descendants. Or one may meet the five punishments in this life, and after death endure the suffering of the three evil paths. The Flower Garland Sūtra says: "The karma of sexual misconduct also causes sentient beings to fall into the three evil paths. If reborn among humans, they receive two kinds of fruit: an unfaithful spouse, and no companions of their desire." The Sutra of Karmic Retribution for Sin and Blessing says: "Those who violate the wives or daughters of others, upon death enter hell—men embracing bronze pillars, women lying on iron beds. Emerging from hell, they are born into lowly wombs, falling as chickens and ducks." Women who commit sexual misconduct meet the very same fate. The punishment for the evil karma of indulgence and lewdness, too, is not missed by the slightest fraction.

Throughout the world, there is scarcely anyone who has not committed these two karmas of sexual misconduct and killing. Yet who realizes that I and all sentient beings alike are caught in the six paths of transmigration, endlessly violating and being born of one another, endlessly killing and devouring one another? They have surely been my parents, my sisters, my family, my children. I too have surely been theirs. Under the force of evil karma, again and again—whether in human form or in some other species—they have been subjected to my lust and my killing. I too, again and again, have been subjected to theirs. Through long kalpas we have violated and given birth to one another, killed and devoured one another, without end.

Common mortals do not see this. The Thus Come One sees it clearly. Better not to think of it at all, perhaps—but if one does, one cannot help feeling a wave of shame, sorrow, and compassion. The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: "All sentient beings, from beginningless time, have wandered in the cycle of birth and death without cease. There is none who has not been parent, brother, husband, wife, family member, or even friend, loved one, or servant, who was then easily reborn into the body of a bird or beast. How can one take such beings and eat them?" The Brahmaṇāla Sūtra says: "All men are my fathers, all women are my mothers. In life after life, I have never been born apart from them. Therefore all sentient beings of the six paths are my parents."

If we give rise to a heart of filial devotion and compassion, we shall hardly find time enough to rescue and protect them by every means at our disposal. How then could we bear to give rise to a vile heart—to defile them, or to kill and eat them?

The Sutra on Patience records the Buddha's words: "There is no greater good than filial piety, and no greater evil than unfilial conduct." This truth moves Heaven and Earth most swiftly. From ancient times down to today, unfilial sons and unfilial daughters-in-law have been struck by lightning, slain by spirits, brought to prison, met with disaster, sickness, and early death—or born to ungrateful children who repay the cruelty upon themselves. The retribution in this life is bitter enough; in lives to come it is worse still. The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Heavy Debt of Parents' Grace says: "The unfilial person, when the body decays and life ends, falls into the Avīci Uninterrupted Hell and endures suffering for kalpas without a moment's rest." The punishment for the evil karma of unfilial conduct, especially, is not missed by even a hairsbreadth.

As for the filial son and the filial daughter-in-law—Heaven and the gods watch over them with the utmost care. They may be granted blessings and a longer life, or have disasters averted and difficulties removed. Their various rewards and blessings are beyond all reckoning. The Contemplation Sūtra sets forth the three foundations of merit, beginning with filial devotion in serving one's parents, the perfect keeping of precepts, and deep faith in cause and effect, as the direct cause of pure karma. The Brahmaṇāla Sūtra says: "Among the myriad practices of the precepts, filial piety is the foundation." If one goes further, changing evil and cultivating good, keeping the precepts and reciting the Buddha's name, then in this life one will gain blessings, longevity, wisdom, reputation, profit, good descendants—whatever one seeks will come. And at death, one will be reborn in the Pure Land, departing from suffering to gain bliss, with blessings and life beyond all measure. The various cases recorded in this compilation may serve as clear proof. As the saying goes: "First one draws them with what they desire, then leads them into the Buddha's wisdom." The immediate retribution of such encouragement to goodness, too, is not missed by even a hairsbreadth.

But one must not, after all this, slander the truth of cause and effect or persist in evil without repentance. Nor, after having received some blessing, may one still harbor a heart unkind—going so far as to forget kindness, destroy sacred images, break the precepts, take life, and go on creating evil karma, drawing down heavenly punishment upon oneself. This is not because bodhisattvas are uncompassionate, refusing to extend their protection. It is because all Buddhas and bodhisattvas encourage good and do not shield evil. Cause must yield its fruit; there is no escape. The only way to escape is this: confess each fault as soon as it is committed, cut off the continuation of that conduct in the mind, and never repeat it. Then, however severe the heavenly sentence, it will not fall upon the one who has truly repented.

To punish evil is, in the end, to encourage good. I earnestly urge all our compatriots at home and abroad to give rise, and quickly, to a great resolve to abandon evil and turn to good. Constantly recite the holy names of Amitābha Buddha and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and universally dedicate these merits toward rebirth in the Pure Land. Then one may transform the heavy retribution of future lives into light retribution experienced in this life; even the retributions of this life and lives to come may be turned to an auspicious end. At the hour of death, one will surely be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, will see the Buddha and hear the Dharma, will attain the patience of non-arising and gain great supernatural powers. One will manifest transformation bodies throughout the ten directions, widely delivering the parents, family, benefactors, enemies, loved ones, and all those sentient beings one has violated, killed, eaten, or worn through past lives—bringing them all to be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, forever free from the cycle of rebirth. This further retribution that follows from the encouragement of good, too, is not missed by even a hairsbreadth. The only difference lies in the length of the interval between cause and fruit.

If one only sees people creating causes, but does not personally witness the results of their reward or punishment; or if one only sees people receiving retribution, but cannot trace the prior good or evil causes that led to it—and from this concludes that cause and effect is groundless and unworthy of belief—then the good lose all means of encouragement, and the evil lose all means of restraint. The dutiful will lose the vigilance that stirs them to active goodness; the reckless will privately nurse the bold thought of daring to do evil, with no fear of consequence. In time, right and wrong become confused, the sense of integrity and shame perishes, human desires run wild, greed and hatred grow sharper by the day. People compete in selfish schemes of harming others for their own gain, and nations in their rivalry are filled with violence—the strong oppressing the weak—until the world falls into great chaos with no peace from day to day, and the horror of nuclear destruction passes all telling.

I, for my part, have the heart to save the world, but lack the power to turn back these calamities. I have therefore reverently recorded several recent instances of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva's inspiring response—the punishment of evil and the encouragement of good, where karmic retribution has been clearly revealed, where the wicked have reformed and found safety, and where ill fortune has been transformed into good. May the good, hearing these accounts, be further stirred—so that, without waiting for any reward, they practice good with ever greater vigor. May the wicked, upon seeing them, feel a wholesome dread—so that, more powerfully than the threat of legal punishment, they mend their ways and become new. If one who has met with calamity quickly reforms, that very calamity is changed to blessing. If one who has gained blessings strives on, those blessings will only grow. This will not only rescue the human heart and turn aside the great catastrophe, helping the rule of the sovereign so that all may share in peace and prosperity; it will also save the very life of wisdom, that together we may accomplish the Buddha-way, transforming this sea of suffering into the Pure Land without remainder. To save oneself and to save others, to save the nation and to save the world—all of it is as easy as turning over one's hand. It depends on nothing but our common faith and our common practice.

Section One

Continued Records of Guanyin's Spiritual Responses

Section One

Filial Piety Increases Blessing and Longevity

1. Blessing, Longevity, and Peace

Master Yucheng, dharma name Yanpu, courtesy name Tuoshan, was a native of Tai County, Jiangsu. His lay surname was Shen. By nature he was compassionate, filial, and bright. At seventeen he crossed the river with his father. Their boat capsized in a violent storm, but they were rescued. Through this he awakened to the illusory nature of human life and resolved to leave the household. He took ordination under the venerable Master Yinghuai of Hongkai Monastery and studied the teachings without wearying. After receiving the full precepts, he went to the meditation halls of Jinshan and Gaomin to practice Chan, where he gained a measure of insight. He then made pilgrimages to Mount Putuo, Mount Jiuhua, Mount Tiantai, and other sacred peaks, seeking instruction from accomplished masters in the essentials of the mind. While listening to Dharma Master Tongzhi of Jiaoshan expound the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, he arrived at the passage on "the mind sought in seven places" and awakened in a single flash.

Summoned back by his teacher to handle temple affairs, his filial nature being innate, he immediately brought his widowed mother to the temple, where she passed away peacefully without illness. Mindful of his roots and the source from which the tree draws its nourishment, he built the Shen Family Ancestral Hall, enshrining a Buddha image in the center and the Shen ancestral spirits on the sides. He redeemed family property, supported the Sangha, and arranged for the perpetual offering of incense and ancestral rites. He also restored the dilapidated Guanyin Monastery, Xilai Nunnery, and Zhulin Nunnery, enshrining the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin in each.

In the nineteenth year of the Republic, communist bandits ravaged Tai County with indiscriminate burning and killing. He took refuge at Beishan Monastery. When the bandit scourge had somewhat subsided, he packed his belongings and boarded a vehicle to return to Hongkai Monastery, but was suddenly seized with severe diarrhea and had to stop. That very night, a shop assistant named Xiang Dengrong from the Xia Zhenxing General Store next to the temple, hearing that bandits were coming, hid beside the monastery. The bandits searched and killed him. Because the Master had not returned owing to his diarrhea, he was spared. The next day, without taking any medicine, his diarrhea suddenly stopped. This was the response of his sincere heart—he had been rescued by the Great Bodhisattva.

In his later years he devoted himself entirely to the samādhi of Buddha-recitation, practicing with a diligence beyond the ordinary. His six senses remained keen, and he was uncommonly vigorous. In the autumn of the twenty-fifth year of the Republic, he foresaw his time of passing. He summoned the monks of all the temples and gave instructions for matters after his death, ordering a designated session of Buddha-recitation lasting forty-nine days. On the seventh day after the session's completion, in the tenth month on the ninth day, he uttered a gāthā and passed away serenely. He was eighty-three.

Note that although the Master had left the household, he still brought his mother to be cared for in her final years, built a family ancestral hall with a Buddha image in the center and ancestral spirits on the sides, established property to support the Sangha, and arranged for the perpetual offering of incense and ancestral rites. Laypeople too should follow this example, so that their ancestors may all be delivered through the Buddha's power. This is indeed the great fulfillment of filial piety.

2. Boundless Blessing and Longevity

Upasaka Fu Erzang, courtesy name Shouchen, was a native of Zhenhai, Zhejiang. He was by nature a filial son. Though his family was poor, he learned the pastry trade to support his parents. In the second month of the eleventh year of the Guangxu reign, his mother, Madam Yu, fell ill. He cut flesh from his thigh and mixed it with the medicine he offered her. In the ninth month his father likewise fell ill, and he cut flesh from his thigh as before. After his parents passed away, he took lifelong vegetarian vows, recited the Buddha's name and the holy name of Guanyin, refrained from killing, and released living beings, to merit blessings in the unseen realms and repay the Buddha's grace. Later he took refuge with Dharma Master Chirui and received the precepts on Mount Putuo.

In the second month of the twentieth year of the Republic, he suddenly fell ill. On the eighth day of the third month, he said aloud that he saw the Buddha coming to welcome him, holding a lotus. He sat in the lotus posture and passed away. Wondrous fragrance filled the room. He was seventy-nine. The auspicious signs were manifest; he was certainly reborn in the Western Pure Land—blessing and longevity beyond measure.

3. Wealth, Honor, and Full Years

Upasaka Zhu Qinglan, courtesy name Ziqiao, was a native of Shanyin County, Zhejiang. His father served as an official in Shandong, and he was born in Jinan. From childhood he was known for his filial piety. He served successively in posts at the prefecture and county level, and as provincial governor and military governor. He felt the people's suffering as if it were his own. He was broad in love, compassionate, loyal, and devoted to benefiting others. Any good work he saw, he threw himself into without hesitation. After leaving office, he resolved to devote himself entirely to saving others. He served successively in relief efforts for the droughts in Henan, Shaanxi, and Gansu, the floods of the Yangtze and Huai, and the famines of the five northern provinces as well as Sichuan and Guizhou, saving tens of millions of lives.

After the age of fifty he took refuge with Elder Master Yinguang and devoted himself exclusively to the Pure Land teachings. Day and night he recited the holy names of Amitābha and Guanyin, never pausing for a moment. Whatever concerned the Buddhist Dharma—the building of the Harbin Jile Monastery, the repair of the Chang'an Daxingshan Monastery and various stupa courts, the revival of Buddhism in Shaanxi, and the photographic printing of the Qisha Tripiṭaka—he supported and promoted without exception. As for organizing Dharma assemblies and all kinds of meritorious works that came his way, the list is too long to enumerate.

When the War of Resistance broke out, he traveled from the capital to Hubei, to Chongqing, and to Shaanxi, busying himself with refugee relief, military farming, and the propagation of the Dharma for the benefit of beings, never willing to rest. On the twelfth day of the first month of the thirtieth year of the Republic, he was residing at the Xi'an Disaster Orphans' Training Institute. He rose early, bathed, and shaved his head. He wrote out the more than one hundred inscribed screens and couplets that he had previously been asked to provide but had not yet completed. His son urged him to rest, but he smiled and said, "There's no need. Later I'll be able to rest for a long time." In the evening he summoned the friends assisting him in relief work and entrusted to them the unfinished tasks of relief, military farming, and the ancestral lands in Shanyin, asking them to complete them on his behalf. As for his descendants, though they were many, they were still able to rest content in their simplicity. "I'll have no further concerns," he said.

The next morning at six o'clock he rose, changed his clothes, washed his face, and returned to his bed, where he passed away seated in meditation. His face bore a smile, indistinguishable from his appearance in life. He was seventy. When he was placed in the coffin two days later, his limbs were still pliable and the crown of his head was still warm.

4. Filial Piety Extends the Mother's Life

Upasaka Huang Huichun of Jiangsu lost his father, and before three years had passed, on the night of New Year's Day of the fifteenth year of the Republic, his elderly mother fell critically ill. Famous physicians were at a loss; there was no hope of survival. With no other recourse, he could only devoutly seek the blessing of Bodhisattva Guanyin. He sincerely recited the holy name and resolved to cut a piece of flesh from his waist, mixing it with medicine to offer her. After his mother took it, she felt cool and refreshed in body and mind, was able to sleep a little, and from then on gradually recovered. After several days she was completely well. Her life was extended by ten years, and on the twelfth day of the first month of the twenty-fourth year she passed away peacefully without illness.

5. Chastity and Filial Piety Extend Life

My great-great-grandmother, the Lady Li née Mao, was from a long-established family in Magang, Tongcheng, Hubei. She devoutly honored Bodhisattva Guanyin. My great-great-grandfather, Mr. Duanyuan, died young despite his learning. My great-grandfather Mr. Shengzhou, my great-grandmother the Lady Zhang, and my great-great-grandmother the Lady Jin were all in the household. She was then but thirty-two years old. She maintained her chastity, raised her orphaned son, served as both mother and father, fulfilled her filial duties to her parents-in-law as a daughter-in-law in place of a son, and moving between the two aunts-in-law, exhausted herself in filial devotion. Moreover, she was generous and chivalrous, possessed of a manly spirit. She rushed to help those in difficulty and raised the children of others, never shirking toil or complaint.

During the Taiping Rebellion at the end of the Qing dynasty, the Hunan Army repeatedly fought in this area. One day, hearing of an enemy attack, she urgently carried her parents-in-law ahead on her back, while her three small sons were bound to her behind, fleeing in panic. Seeing her nephew abandoned and wailing, she addressed her parents-in-law: "I have three sons; to abandon one would be acceptable. My brother has only this one son—how could we bear to see his line cut off?" She then left her eldest son by the road and carried her nephew along in their escape. The son, unable to catch up, was about to be slain by the bandits, but upon learning of the circumstances they were moved by her righteousness and spared him. When the bandits withdrew, the family was reunited.

Later, when her parents-in-law passed away one after another, although the family had fallen into reduced circumstances, she saw to it that the funerals and sacrificial rites were conducted with full propriety. Yet her grief was so excessive that when her second son predeceased her, and many of her grandsons and great-grandsons died young, accumulated sorrow brought on breast cancer. The ulceration and pain were severe, and the physician declared there was no cure. My grandfather personally led my father in prayer before the seat of Bodhisattva Guanyin. He suddenly dreamed that the Great Bodhisattva instructed him to crush and apply a green loofah, and the disease was cured. Her life was extended by two twelve-year cycles. Four generations lived under one roof. Her later years were full of joy, her spirit was vigorous, and she passed away peacefully without illness at the age of eighty-five. Mr. Xia Shaoping and Mr. Zhongwu of Mianyang composed a record of her chastity and filial piety, which was published in the family genealogy.

6. Filial Piety Extends the Lives of Both Parents

My father-in-law, the venerable Mr. Zheng Wencheng, and my mother-in-law, the Lady Wu, were from a long-established family in Zhengjialing in the southern district of Tongcheng, Hubei, and later moved to Hejialong at He Poqiao. They believed in both the Buddhas and the gods, and especially revered Bodhisattva Guanyin. My father-in-law's father died early. He served his mother with utmost filial devotion, paying morning and evening visits with the utmost respect, and saw to it that funerals and sacrificial rites were conducted with full propriety. Their natures were both compassionate, without any pretension. They loved goodness and delighted in giving, but did not let others know. Although the household was comfortably well off, they did not allow themselves surplus. Accumulated virtue nourished their persons, and thus they received the blessings of the Great Bodhisattva, sharing together in blessing and longevity.

In the spring of the thirty-eighth year of the Republic, my wife and I retreated and returned to the homeland. The fifth day of the fourth lunar month happened to be my father-in-law's seventieth birthday. To celebrate their seventieth birthdays together, we found them both in good health, with cheerful spirits and no sign of old age. After parting, all communication was cut off. Suddenly twenty-six years have passed. My wife, being purely filial, in seeking blessing, longevity, and peace for her parents, added the recitation of the holy name of Guanyin to her morning and evening devotions, devoutly directing the merit. We trust they are protected by her compassion; whatever is sought will surely be granted. But we do not know whether, when the counterattack comes and we return home, we'll still be able to be reunited.

Section Two

Filial Piety Cures Illness

1. Filial Piety Cures One's Own Illness

Upasaka Nie Yuntai, given name Qijie, was a native of Hengshan, Hunan. In Shanghai he founded the Hengfeng Cotton Mill. His wife, née Xiao, was filial and compassionate by nature. When her mother was critically ill, she once cut flesh from her arm to decoct medicine for her. Following her mother-in-law's instruction, she observed the Guanyin Vegetarian Fast on every day containing the number nine each month, burning incense and performing prostrations. In the winter of the first year of the Xuantong reign, she suffered from eclampsia—convulsions and loss of consciousness. After the child was delivered, she remained in a coma, eyes closed and jaws clenched, for two full days and nights. Nie stood by the bedside, utterly at a loss. Suddenly he heard her calling her husband and son: "Quickly bow in supplication to Bodhisattva Guanyin." He asked where the Bodhisattva was. She answered, "On the windowsill." After he had bowed, her eyes were able to open; her mind was clear, her speech as usual, and the illness was cured. Because of her sincere heart and devoted filial piety, the Great Bodhisattva manifested miraculously to rescue her. It was no coincidence. Asked what clothing the Bodhisattva wore, she replied: "A white robe, embroidered with the swastika symbol." The following year he specially had a robe embroidered with the swastika made and personally delivered it to a monastery on Mount Putuo, to requite the Bodhisattva's grace.

2. Filial Piety Cures the Father's Illness

Upasaka Ni Shizhao, courtesy name Xingsan, was a native of Yongjia County, Zhejiang. In middle age he happened upon the Diamond Sūtra and gained insight; he immediately reformed his former errors and strove to make a fresh start. He vowed to adopt lifelong vegetarianism and promoted the Pure Land teachings with tireless devotion. In the eighteenth year of the Republic, his father fell critically ill, and medicine and treatment proved ineffective. He silently prayed to Bodhisattva Guanyin and cut flesh from his thigh to save his father; the illness was indeed immediately cured. He cultivated Buddha-recitation with ever greater diligence.

3. Filial Piety Cures the Mother's Illness

Chen Lin Ajiao of Taiwan had been ill and bedridden for a long time. In the forty-fifth year of the Republic, she moved from Shalu to Daya Road in Taichung City. Her eldest son Zhenzhong, then only eight years old, never left her side as he prepared her soups and medicines. The leader of the Buddha-recitation class at the Lotus Society, Upasaka Chen Jinzhi, seeing that Ajiao's illness had reached a critical stage—she lay in bed moaning, while her son wept at her side—was moved by his commendable filial heart. She specially obtained an image of the Three Saints of the West for her, mounted it in a frame, and hung it at the head of the bed. She taught the boy to join his palms and recite the names of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, and after about two hours she taught him the dedication of merit, praying that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would bless the mother's swift recovery. She also urged Ajiao to listen quietly and recite along.

Ajiao followed the instructions and put them into practice, sincerely and constantly reciting, with heartfelt entreaty that her mother's illness would soon be at peace. With her eyes upon the holy image, her ears filled with the holy name, and her mind taking refuge, after several days mother and son both dreamed of a white-clad woman holding a bundle of medicinal herbs, who introduced herself as "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva" and said, "If you eat this medicine, your illness will be at peace." She handed it to her to chew and swallow, and upon waking she felt light and well. Day by day she recovered. The mother's love and the son's filial piety together enjoyed the happiness of family life.

Note that the son, only eight years old, was already able to attend his mother with soups and medicines without ever leaving her side, sincerely reciting the Buddha's name and seeking his mother's recovery. It was because of this pure filial devotion that the Great Bodhisattva bestowed medicine to restore her health, allowing them to enjoy the happiness of family life. Those who wander afar in pursuit of fame and profit, abandoning their aging parents in illness and at death—should they not feel deeply ashamed?

4. Filial Piety Cures the Wife's Illness

Upasaka Liu Xingxin of Beiping entered the business world at a young age. In the twentieth year of the Republic he took refuge with the Elder Master Pu of Tongming Monastery in Beiping, and for many years his household enshrined Bodhisattva Guanyin in the main room. His wife, née Xue, had been suffering from a bloating ailment for over a year, and medicine and treatment proved ineffective. One day he returned home and found his wife lying gravely ill, her whole body swollen. That evening, after returning to the shop and completing his devotions to the Buddha, he prayed with single-minded devotion: "This disciple earns his living away from home. Above, I have two eighty-year-old parents; below, I have small and weak children. I have no brothers or sisters. Only my wife manages the household affairs at home. If anything should happen to her, the elders will have no one to care for them. I earnestly pray that the Buddha, in compassion, will extend her life-span, that she may care for my parents in my stead." He thus prayed three times, seeking a response!

The next day he returned home to find his wife sitting calmly on the bed, smiling pleasantly, saying: "My illness is cured." He asked who had cured her. His wife said: "Last night an old woman came with a small child, saying she'd come to cure the illness. She took a plaster from her bosom, applied it to my navel, and the illness vanished at the touch of her hand. When I asked where she lived, she said, 'I've lived in your main room for many years. Your illness is already cured; there's no need for further treatment.' She then stepped down from the bed and left. By early morning, my body felt refreshed, and most of the illness was gone." Liu said: "That was Bodhisattva Guanyin who came with the Red Boy to cure your illness. Because I had prayed three times before the Buddha, beseeching the blessing of your recovery so that you might care for the elders, this miraculous response appeared." She was soon restored to health, and her body grew strong.

Section Three

Filial Piety Escapes Danger and Calamity

1. Escape from Danger and Ascension to Heaven

My paternal grandfather, the Venerable Yongheng, was upright in character, deeply devoted to filial piety and brotherly love. He supported his mother and tutored his brothers, running about to make a living—year after year the income was barely enough. Yet in offering simple fare to please his parents, he saw to it that the meals were always generous and respectful. In his later years he was fond of wine and a good drinker. Whenever he obtained fine wine or delicacies, he would present them to his mother and brothers, and they would all become pleasantly drunk together. Once drunk and retired, he would curse the wicked without restraint, making those of bad character afraid to act wrongly. Those of poor conduct feared to meet him. They slandered him as a drunken fool, but in fact he was shrewd and upright, using wine to feign foolishness and his drunken cursing to warn the wicked and turn them toward goodness.

My paternal grandmother, the Lady Hu, assisted her husband and served her mother-in-law with the utmost devotion, often accompanying them in worship of Bodhisattva Guanyin with the deepest sincerity. One winter, while spinning thread under the eaves, she heard her mother-in-law calling her. She hurriedly rose and rushed forward, but suddenly the wall collapsed and crashed down where she had been sitting, shattering the mat to pieces. Had she been a moment later, the outcome would have been too horrible to contemplate. People all regarded this as a sign of her supreme filial piety; in truth it was the protection of the Great Bodhisattva, allowing her to escape swiftly from danger. Otherwise, how could the summons have come neither before nor after, but at the very instant before the wall fell? She lived to the age of sixty-two and passed away peacefully in her inner chambers.

My paternal grandfather was tireless in self-improvement all his life and bold in doing good. Whenever he met those in poverty, he would give unstintingly from his purse, and remain at peace. Hence his longevity and health. One day in the eleventh month of winter in the eighteenth year of the Republic, he assisted in rites at the Mao Ancestral Hall. All day long he knelt and prostrated without showing weariness, and his appetite did not diminish in the slightest. After the rites he returned in the evening, gathered around the stove for a family talk, laughing and chatting as usual. Suddenly he gave instructions for matters after his death, ordering that the spirit paper be taken and burned in the next room. My father, seeing that he showed no sign of illness, intended to keep half of it for his final hour. He answered knowingly and rebuked my father, saying: "The paper should be burned completely. What use is it to keep half? You think I shan't die? The carriage, horses, and attendants who have come to welcome me are already at the door. Because the time is not yet auspicious, I've told them to wait a little." He sat in conversation until dawn, then said the auspicious hour had arrived. He ascended the couch, lay down, and departed. He was seventy-two.

Soon afterward, the campaign against the bandits and the War of Resistance began, the nation was broken and the family ruined, and dangers and calamities followed one upon another. Observing how he departed his body without suffering, his heart free of attachment, the carriage and horses coming to welcome him, and his passing at ease and of his own volition—could this not be the ascent to the heavenly realms through supreme filial piety, thereby escaping the calamities of the human world?

2. Escape from Hardship and Natural End

My late father, the Venerable Wocheng, and my late mother, the Lady Guo, were both by nature supremely filial. They took constant joy in obtaining their parents' approval and pleasing them. They followed my great-great-grandmother and my paternal grandparents in honoring the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, with the utmost sincerity and reverence. Though they managed the household with diligence and thrift, the filial offerings were always abundant. They anticipated their parents' wishes and understood their hearts with care. Beyond providing for the family's livelihood, they did not accumulate property. When people were in urgent need, they assisted with all their strength; if that was insufficient, they pawned or borrowed to continue the aid, without a trace of reluctance. Those too poor to repay, they would burn the IOUs, while the small sums they themselves had borrowed from others were repaid to the last fraction. Unjust wealth, not a single coin would they take. Once, while trading in Honghu, Mianyang, they found a large sum of money on the road; they waited long for the loser to return and gave it back, with no expectation of gratitude.

All the so-called worldly acts of goodness—they knew of none they would not do, and did them all with vigor. Throughout their lives they labored in body and mind, wearing shabby clothes and eating poor food. At times they were on the verge of having no rice and no clothing, yet showed no sign of resentment. When my paternal grandmother fell ill with atrophy and paralysis in her later years, my father and mother prayed to the gods and sought physicians, vowing to shorten their own years to lengthen the mother's life. They tasted her soups and medicines, attended her from dawn to dusk, and went for eight full months without removing their clothing, yet in the end she did not recover.

Within ten years, my great-great-grandmother and my grandfather's brothers all passed away one after another; my father and mother mourned each with grief beyond the ordinary, and conducted the funerals and sacrificial rites with full propriety. The family's fortunes were thin, and the powerful and violent freely bullied them. My father abandoned farming for commerce, and withdrew to a distant city. The grain and goods stored at home were plundered completely. Relatives and friends all urged him to bring a lawsuit, but my mother said: "I've heard the ancestral teaching, 'When virtue is not cultivated, outside insults will come. What do external possessions matter? I'll cultivate my own virtue.'" My father greatly approved her words, and they encouraged each other to reflect on themselves continually.

In one year, after fattening a pig for sale in order to redeem pawned property, a relative of the clan came begging for a loan, and they emptied the purse and drove the pig to give to him. That person later grew rich and violently refused to repay. Some said they ought to demand repayment, but my mother stopped them, saying: "My virtue is insufficient; I should examine myself." A man in the village offered to sell them his field, but then broke the agreement and neither gave them the field nor returned the money. Some said they ought to sue him, but my mother stopped them, saying: "My virtue is still insufficient; I should examine myself." My father's poverty coupled with his love of giving, maintained to the end without retreat, and my mother's self-denial for the sake of others, completing her husband's goodness—all were strict adherence to the ancestral teaching, taken up to delight their parents, and willingly done.

In the tenth month of the twenty-seventh year of the Republic, I had just retreated and returned to the homeland when the Nationalist forces also withdrew to defend Jiuling in Tongcheng. My home happened to be directly in the path of the enemy. Through a hail of bullets, we urgently carried the elders and led the family in flight to Xiangshi Mountain, and were spared from the disaster. My mother then passed away after a long life. My father ordered me to take up brush and pen before departing for military service; carrying my grandson back home, I once mistakenly stepped on a land mine that did not explode, slipped off a cliff without injury, and during years of back-and-forth warfare, was captured and escaped. Enemy soldiers fired three shots at me with rifles, yet none struck. The neighborhood was reduced to ashes, yet the few rooms of my family's old house were untouched. In a countryside where killing filled the wilds, my father in every case safely escaped danger, and lived out his full six decades, passing away naturally in his bed. He and my mother were buried together in the tomb prepared in their lifetime to the right of the house. Mr. Zhang Hairuo of Puqi, a member of the Hanlin Academy, composed a joint biography for them, which was printed by photography and circulated in the world. All regarded this as the reward of supreme filial piety and the cultivation of virtue, receiving the grace of the Great Bodhisattva's protection.

Section Four

Filial Impiety and Its Swift Retribution

1. A Whole Family Destroyed

Deng Kexin was from Yangxin County, Hubei. His mother had been unfilial toward her own mother-in-law, and so distraught was she by Kexin's lack of filial devotion that she hanged herself. Kexin's unfilial conduct, meanwhile, had been stoked by his wife Xu Baoji, who was herself lacking in devotion. Because of his reputation for unfiliality and the thin ranks of his branch of the family, Kexin was easy prey for Deng Baichuan, a more powerful clansman. He ended up joining the bandits' underground operations; when the bandits grew strong, so did he. When the Red Army passed through, the local gentry and bullies nursed a deep grudge against him.

Baichuan was cunning and managed the ancestral hall. When the National Army came through, he gathered the clan in the hall and, in his cups, declared to the crowd: "Kexin is a Communist. Every one of you who've suffered — he was behind it all. If I were young, I'd take him on myself. But none of you have the nerve." He pressed them again and again, then added: "There's no time to waste. Whoever has the guts, strike now." Under Baichuan's goading, the men tied stones to Kexin and drowned him in the river — a hideous death.

Then Baichuan said: "When you cut the grass, dig up the roots. Kexin's wife Xu Baoji is pregnant — her revenge will be terrible one day." The men hurried to Kexin's house, but Xu had already fled. She ran to a cornfield at Changtan, where she gave birth to a son; she abandoned him there and fled again, and the child was torn apart by dogs. She made her way to Wuchang and sought help from Shi Ying, the provincial Director of Construction and a fellow townsman. Shi took her in as a maid and paid her two dollars a month.

Eventually Deng Baosun, a justice of the Supreme Court's criminal division and a Yangxin native himself, came through Wuchang and called on Shi. Xu came out weeping and poured out her story, begging to avenge her husband. Baosun took her to the Yangxin Guild Hall and promised to help. Around that time, more than ten clansmen who had suffered under Baichuan turned up, and Baosun kept three of them — Deng Yongzhuo among others — behind. He gave them a plan and official papers so the military police would not delay them on the road.

One night, while Baichuan was in the ancestral hall settling accounts and drinking, the three men burst in, seized him, and dragged him out the door. Immediately a cry rang out: "Kexin has come! It's all over! My life is done for!" When asked where Kexin was, Baichuan gasped: "Isn't that Kexin ahead? Kexin! I was wrong. I'll hold a great memorial service to deliver you from suffering. My mother is already seventy and has no one to care for her — please, spare me!" For hundreds of li he did not dare speak another word.

When the train pulled into Xujiapeng in Wuchang, Xu seized her petition, grabbed Baichuan, and made straight for the Garrison Headquarters, crying out for justice. Together with the three witnesses, she demanded an immediate hearing, and Baichuan was taken into custody. That night, Baosun's wife dreamed that Kexin came to thank her.

Baichuan came to his senses and repented. He sent people to beg Baosun for help. Baosun told them: "In prison, he need only constantly invoke Guanyin Bodhisattva and repent with a sincere heart, and a day of deliverance will surely come." Because Baichuan pleaded so urgently, Baosun offered this as his only encouragement. Sure enough, the Bodhisattva's merciful protection was with him: he was sentenced to only seven years. Before he had even served a few, he was paroled, fathered one son, and only afterward died.

Xu Baoji later remarried a man surnamed Chen, and was herself killed by bandits — her end, too, was tragic.

A Reflection: The entire Deng Kexin family was unfilial to the core. The mother hanged herself; Kexin was drowned; the grandson was mauled by dogs; the wife was murdered — the whole line was wiped out, with no one left to carry it on. Such is the swift and terrible retribution that falls upon the unfilial in this very life. What awaits them in lives to come will be worse: the Avīci hell, with suffering without end. How dreadful to contemplate!

Deng Baichuan incited murder and by law should have been put to death. Yet at the moment of his arrest, a single thought of filial concern for his old mother arose in him, and in prison he constantly invoked Guanyin and repented. He received a reduced sentence and parole, and fathered a son to carry on his line. His retribution in this life was already softened; what comes after may yet be transformed. Even a crime as vast as the sky cannot withstand a single word of true repentance. Let all who are unfilial, or who freely commit evils like sexual misconduct and killing, know that they must turn back at once!

2. A Daughter's Death by Torment

Wang Liangxian was from Xindian Township, Yongchuan County, Sichuan. She had finished junior high school; she was fair-skinned, refined, and skilled with her hands. Her father had once been a bandit chief who had killed for gain, and had later turned to making paper. In the spring of 1940, when his old bandit comrades came demanding money and plotting to kill him, he bought a long rifle and slipped it beneath his bedding for defense, then shortly afterward bought a handgun. One morning after breakfast, he was cleaning the handgun in the main hall. His mother had gone out to gather vegetables; the papermaking workers had left for the shop. Only father and daughter were at home.

Because he had forbidden her from seeing Zhang Hongsong — a young man from her hometown then studying at Lida Middle School in Chengdu, whom she wished to court — she took the long rifle, shot her father in the back, then put the gun back where it had been. She ran out crying that her father had been cleaning the rifle when it slipped and went off. The local militia hurried to investigate: on the table lay the disassembled handgun; the rifle beneath the mat was still warm, and the spent shell matched perfectly.

The case was reported, and the prosecutor investigated and brought charges. The girl suddenly changed her story, claiming that a bandit had come in with a gun and shot her father; she had only heard the shot from the kitchen and come out to find the man already gone. Since everyone in the township knew that bandits had indeed planned to rob and kill her father in the days before the incident, neither the two judges who heard the case nor the presiding judge dared to render a hasty verdict.

In May 1941, the newly appointed presiding judge Deng Baosun went carefully through the case file. The house had three bays. The father had been cleaning his rifle at a table in the central hall, facing outward; the back wall had no window, and the rooms to either side were both within clear view. Below the courtyard, a long corridor led to the kitchen. The bullet had entered the father's back. Had a bandit come from outside, he would have had to bring his own gun and shoot from the front. Had someone come in and taken the rifle, the father would surely have noticed; and after firing, the bandit would either have taken the gun with him or dropped it and run — why would he have tucked it back under the mat? The reasoning was clear.

The next day in court, Deng pressed the girl on each of these points. Though she was glib, she had no answer. He then spoke gently: "Father and daughter share a bond of nature. You were deceived by Zhang Hongsong. I've already asked the Chengdu court to arrest him. He's fled, but in his trunk were found seven or eight of your photographs. I'll show them to you now." The girl's eyes were already brimming, but still she would not confess. Her aunt by marriage, standing nearby, called out: "Wang Liangxian has met her retribution! I knew a clear-eyed judge would come!"

Deng, being cautious, did not close the case that day. That night, he tried it again in a dream. In the dream court he pronounced the verdict: "Wang Liangxian, for killing a lineal ascendant, is sentenced to life imprisonment, with all civil rights revoked for life." Several figures in long robes and mandarin jackets standing nearby called out: "Justly decided! Justly decided!"

A few days after he woke, the Ministry posted Judge Yao Zhenjia to the court. Yao had passed the higher civil service examination in 1939 and was a capable man. Deng assigned him the Wang case. Wang was making children's clothes for Yao's wife and pressed her case with him morning and evening. After two hearings, Yao reported back to Deng: "The Wang case is a miscarriage of justice; I mean to find her not guilty." Deng laid out his reasoning in detail, but Yao would not be moved. To respect the principle of judicial independence, Deng could only urge him to weigh the matter carefully.

The day before the hearing, Yao told Deng again: "Wang really is innocent — your argument is very sound. Her father was killed by bandits, no question about it." But toward evening, Yao suddenly hurled himself from the upper floor to the ground below, shrieking about ghosts, leaping and thrashing, blood streaming from his head. He was carried to the president's office, where he came to his senses and gasped: "Ghosts seeking justice! And many ghosts with strange faces glaring at me in fury."

For three days and nights, men were posted to watch him; his hands and feet were bound so he could not move — yet still he cried out about ghosts. He was sent to the hospital for nearly a month, his mind wandering one moment and clear the next. The Wang case Deng then judged himself: because Wang had not yet turned eighteen when she killed her father, the sentence was reduced to life imprisonment, in keeping with the dream verdict. Once the judgment was handed down, Yao immediately came to his senses and was discharged.

Deng was a devout Buddhist. Late one night, after reciting the Buddha's name, he was walking in the courtyard under the moon when he heard a sudden crack from the bailiff's quarters. He rushed over to find the door already locked. He called for someone to open it, and saw a small hole in the inner wall — Wang had been tunneling through from her cell, trying to escape.

Wang appealed; the case was transferred to the Chongqing High Court, and all three rounds of appeal were rejected. Wang tunneled again to escape, was slapped hard across the face by a female guard until blood ran, and was put in shackles. After about a month of torment, she died. In all this, cause and effect ran true; retribution did not miss its mark.

Only Wang's mother recited the Buddha's name and invoked Guanyin. The daughter had constantly scolded her as superstitious and paid no attention. The mother was spared her life and went on to become a nun.

A Reflection: Wang Liangxian, thwarted in her desire for romance, stole a gun to kill her father, then lied in her testimony, trying to wriggle out of guilt — killing, theft, sexual misconduct, and falsehood, all four grave offenses complete in one person. Truly she was the depths of unfilial depravity, abandoned by Heaven and despised by the gods. Thus, when Yao tried to pervert the law to free her, he was seized at once by the vengeful dead; when Deng pronounced judgment according to the law, he dreamed of a host of ghosts praising the righteousness of the verdict. Though the judgment spared her the death penalty, Wang was still driven on by the force of her own karma, tunneling again and again to escape, suffering torment, and dying within the month. What awaits her after death is too dreadful to speak of.

Her father had been a bandit, robbing and killing, and had escaped the punishment of human law — only to be killed in the end by his own daughter. Who is to say she was not one of the people he had killed, reborn into his household to settle the score? It is the most ingenious and inescapable form of retribution: it leaves no loophole. The daughter died without an heir; wealth could not follow her to the grave, but the karma of killing and theft went with her. The retribution to come is the more to be feared.

Her mother, alone among them, recited the Buddha's name and invoked Guanyin, and so was able to leave home and become a nun. She now enjoys the pure blessings of a tranquil life, and in lives to come will attain the supreme bliss of the Buddha's fruit. Good and evil are clearly distinguished; not the slightest account is overlooked.

3. A Daughter-in-law Burned to Death

In Henan there lived Hou Yuji. His mother, née Shu, was the second wife of his father. She treated the son of the first wife poorly, and that son left home to do business in Wuxi. Shu bore Yuji and then Jiji; the two brothers despised each other, and both defied their mother. Within that one household, between mother and sons, between mother-in-law and daughters-in-law, between sisters-in-law, quarrels and abuse were a constant sound. Among them all, Yuji's wife, née Xing, was the most unfilial.

On the sixteenth day of the sixth month of 1944, Yuji quarreled with his mother and, in a moment of blind fury, blurted out that he would burn the house down. His mother goaded him on, and he suddenly hurled a flaming brand wildly. It struck the pile of firewood, and the fire could not be checked. Xing perished in the flames.

When the fire first broke out, Xing had not been inside. But out of attachment to her belongings she went in again and again to retrieve things, and at last never came out. Rescuers risked the flames and went in after her, only to find her lying face-down clutching a quilt, the skin of her back peeled loose, her breath already gone. The house had six bays in all: Yuji occupied the eastern half, his brother the western. Because the brother had opened a shop in town, the western room was rented out to a man named Wen Jun, who moved in with a concubine and enshrined an image of the holy Guanyin along with Buddhist scriptures; that room was left entirely untouched by the fire.

A Reflection: The Hou family's mother was unkind to her stepson, and her own two sons despised each other and were unfilial, and so in the end they destroyed the house themselves. The daughter-in-law, most unfilial of all, died in the flames — a tragic retribution. This is the retribution that falls in this life, like a warning blossom; if she had not reformed and walked in filial piety, what came after would have been far worse. How dreadful!

The Classic of Poetry says: "Alas, our parents, who bore us with such toil — to repay their grace, the height of heaven has no bound." How then can one be unfilial? Confucius said: "Filial piety is the constant way of Heaven, the righteousness of Earth, and the conduct of the people." It springs from the natural goodness of Heaven-endowed nature, the innate conscience of all sentient beings. The lamb knows to kneel in suckling; the crow knows to return food to its parents. Even an infant in arms knows to love its kin — untaught, yet knowing; unlearned, yet able. Surely it does not await exhortation!

Yet the ways of the world grow colder with each passing day, and human hearts are not all alike. Some are blinded by desire for things; some are led astray by fallacious doctrines. So they destroy their heavenly conscience and drown their true nature, defying parents and parents-in-law without a flicker of shame, even going so far as to slay father or mother while thinking themselves justified. This is why the world descends into chaos. Without the law of karma and retribution to encourage the good and chastise the wicked, no one could say where it all would end.

The foregoing cases all encourage filial piety and chastise defiance; their retribution is plainly manifest. So anyone who seeks blessings and wishes to avoid disaster must fulfill the way of filial devotion to the utmost. When parents and parents-in-law are still in the home, they are as living Buddhas. Serve them with your labor; support and nourish them so they may live in peace. Better still, establish your character and walk the Way to bring them honor. Urge them to keep a vegetarian diet, to refrain from killing, and to constantly recite the holy names of Amitabha and Guanyin — that in this life they may enjoy blessings, longevity, health, and peace, and at death be reborn in the Land of Supreme Bliss, repaying a fraction of the debt of their nurture.

I offer here, with additions and omissions, an ancient song to encourage filial devotion. Whoever reads this and is still unfilial is no longer human.

A Revised Song to Encourage Filial Piety, after Wang Zhongshu

Filial piety is the foremost of all conduct—
The classics and books cannot record them all.
Whether rich and honored, or poor and low,
One may still walk in the fragrant footprints of old.
If you do not fulfill the way of filial piety,
How shall you be set apart from the birds and beasts?
I now set down these plain words
As loyal counsel offered you.

Before the hundred bones form into a person,
For ten long months the mother bears you within.
In thirst she drinks her own blood;
In hunger she feeds on her own flesh.
When the child's body is about to come forth,
The mother's body is as one fallen into hell.
The father grieves for the mother;
The wife weeps before her husband.
They fear that at the hour of birth,
Her body may become a ghost's kin.
Once she sees the child's face,
The mother's life finds joy renewed.
She treasures the child as her own heart,
Day and night she tends him close.
The mother lies on the damp rush mat,
While the child sleeps on the dry quilt.
The child sleeps in peaceful comfort,
And the mother dares not stretch or turn.
At the first cry from the child,
Her heart leaps and her spirit fails.
If the child wails fretfully through the night,
Tossing, refusing to rest,
She tries a hundred ways to soothe him,
Anxious at heart, not daring to be rough.
She does not find the child's dung foul;
For the child's sickness she offers her own body.
Sleeping and eating, she finds no peace;
She calls on the gods and performs blessings.
Hairpins thrust sideways, comb awry,
She has no thought of bathing.
When the child can walk,
At every step she fears he'll stumble.
When the child can eat,
She goes without herself to feed his wants.
Three years of suckling and feeding—
A thousand measures of blood and sweat poured out.
The mother's toil and hardship are spent
By the time the child is four, five, or six.
Food and clothing the father provides;
Rites and righteousness the father teaches.
The father, poor, may be farmer or laborer—
His bitter hardships are hard to tell in full.
Day and night he labors without cease,
Hoarding his small wealth with pain,
All for the sake of raising his child;
Food and clothing worry the meager home.
He hopes his son will become a dragon;
He invites a teacher to drill him in study.
Paper, brushes, and the teacher's fee—
He finds them wherever he can.
If the child is bright, he fears he tires;
If dull, he worries he'll amount to nothing.
When the child errs, he shields and covers;
When the child does well, he boasts first.
The child travels ten li,
The parent's heart follows a thousand.
At dusk the child has not returned,
She leans at the gate, candle in hand.
Parental love is rooted in nature,
True and real, without pretense.
A thousand acts of tender care
Until the child reaches fifteen or sixteen.
His temper grows stiff and unyielding;
His conduct becomes hard to restrain.
When the son is grown and seeks a bride,
His parents search for a maiden of grace.
Betrothal gifts consume their money;
Clothes and ornaments cost their grain.
Once the daughter-in-law enters the door,
The parents' hearts are warmed.
Who would have thought, with such a bride won,
The in-laws would meet with cold neglect?
The parents' faces she treats as dust;
Her wife's face she loves as jade.
When parents chide, she glares with both eyes;
When her wife scolds, she feels no shame.
Her wife's wishes, none she refuses;
Her wife's words, none she dares cross.
Delicacies are hidden from her parents,
Shared with her wife in a private room.
Her parents wear old cloth shirts,
While she dresses her wife in new silk.
Her parents may be widowed and alone—
She does not pity their loneliness.
Morning and evening duties lie forgotten;
Sweet cakes are given first to the children.
In health she gives but one bowl of rice;
In sickness only one bowl of thin gruel.
Clothing is left thin against the cold;
The bedding loses its warmth.
When her parents grow old and long-ailing,
She tires of nursing them time and again.
She hoards money, will not call a doctor,
And resents that they did not die sooner.
She lets the women of the household
Speak words that pierce to the heart.
When her parents' illness turns critical,
The brothers divide the fields and houses.
They do not think of the toil of building,
But grumble the inheritance is too thin.
Once impermanence arrives,
A lonely coffin lies in the mountain valley.
The rites of offering are empty form;
Banquets are held for their own pleasure.
No fresh earth is heaped on the grave;
The weeds and brush are not cleared.
Just like a tomb with no one to tend it—
What was the point of raising a son?
There are even more abandoned sons:
When the father dies, with none to restrain them,
They squander all their father left,
And fall into evil, ending in prison.
The filial crow still returns food to its parents;
The lamb still kneels to suckle.
Man is the spirit of all creation—
Why should he fall below the beasts?
Why does he not reflect: this body,
Who raised this form and feature?
Why does he not reflect: this virtue and nature,
Who shaped and filled it?
Why does he not reflect: this family estate,
Who brought it all to fullness?
Parents are Heaven and Earth—
Their boundlessness is hard to repay.
Though Heaven and Earth are vast,
They cannot contain the clan of the unfilial.
Sooner turn from past wrongs,
And wait not for Heaven's punishment.
I urge all who are children:
Read the Classic of Filial Piety early.
To nourish your parents, act while there's time,
Lest you weep by the é plant in vain.
If you are a daughter born,
The thought of filial piety matters more.
Forget not the root and the source,
And always recall the wind and the tree.
When sons go out to seek a living,
Daughters-in-law must be wise and good.
When parents-in-law grow old and frail,
They are like a candle in the wind.
For food and drink, for rising and resting,
They lean on the daughter-in-law as on their heart.
Serve them with a truthful heart;
Let your bearing be gentle and reverent.
In the turn of an eye, you'll be the parent-in-law—
Karmic retribution is ever swift.
Raindrops on the eaves before you,
Each drop follows the last without fail.
I urge all people in the world:
Serve your parents as you would the Buddhas.
Of all virtues, filial piety comes first;
Faith and devotion add blessing and fortune.

Section 6: Abstaining from Killing Extends Lifespan

1. Living to Nearly Seventy: Zhao Mujin, lay devotee Guangliang, was from Taixian, Jiangsu, and the mother of Venerable Mo'an. She wed Zhao Bingrong at the age of nineteen, and earned a reputation for her devoted filial care of her parents-in-law. She had five children; the Venerable was her second son. He suffered from chronic illness in childhood that never seemed to heal, so he left home to ordain at Jingye Temple, after which his sickness cleared up suddenly. Overjoyed, his mother awakened to the Dharma, took refuge in the Triple Gem, adopted a vegetarian diet, and vowed to abstain from killing.

When the Venerable prepared to travel to other regions for spiritual practice, his mother missed him deeply, so he introduced her to the Pure Land method, urging her to focus single-mindedly on reciting the Buddha’s name and not to distress herself over the illusory ties of family. She immediately developed firm faith, practiced Pure Land Buddhism devoutly, and recited the Buddha’s name and Guanyin’s holy name without ceasing all day, supplementing her practice with sutra recitation and life release.

In the autumn of the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), her husband passed away. Deeply struck by the swiftness of impermanence, she deepened her recitation practice, resolved wholeheartedly to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. In the 20th year of the Republic (1931), widespread flooding struck the region, and the Venerable brought his mother to live with him, accompanying her on a pilgrimage to Putuo Mountain to pay respects to Guanyin Bodhisattva, where she witnessed the Bodhisattva’s emanation at Fayin Cave. They then traveled to Ayuwang Temple to venerate the Buddha’s relic stupa, and saw the relics emit light.

On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month in the 22nd year of the Republic (1933), she fell gravely ill at home. Knowing her time for rebirth in the West was near, she recited the Heart Sutra repeatedly, amassing merit as provisions for her journey. On the 5th day of the 9th lunar month, she bathed, lay on her bed facing west, and her whole family chanted aloud to support her practice. She passed away peacefully while reciting the Buddha’s name, at the age of 69. The crown of her head remained warm for a long time after her body had cooled completely.

2. Her Husband Lived to a Ripe Old Age: Lady Zhang, known as the Honored Dragon Mother, was the mother of lay devotee Long Can of Tongcheng, Anhui. When her husband coughed blood in his middle years, she feared his life would be cut short, so she vowed to abstain from killing. She chanted the Guanyin Sutra daily for his recovery, and he ultimately lived to a ripe old age, his chronic ailment never returning for the rest of his life. This is a striking, verifiable example of the power of sincere prayer.

3. Living to Eighty-Five: Venerable Benji, whose Dharma name was Chengche, was born Long Can (courtesy name Jianxing). He graduated from Anhui Public School, joined the Tongmenghui (the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance), promoted revolutionary causes, and held positions in military, government, and education. Misled by the common belief that meat was nourishing, he took countless lives, going against his mother’s final wishes and accumulating vast karmic offenses through killing. He eventually developed advanced pulmonary tuberculosis, growing gaunt and frail, with no medical treatment able to help him.

At fifty, he recognized the error of his ways, and began abstaining from killing and eating vegetarian. He chanted the Buddha’s name and Guanyin’s holy name regularly, and urged everyone he met to do the same, repenting his past karmic offenses. By fifty-six, his strength had returned, even surpassing what it had been in his youth, and he felt the Buddha’s grace deeply. He wrote a public essay urging people to give up meat immediately to avoid disaster, calling on all those with similar karmic burdens to reflect on their own actions.

In the winter of the 40th year of the Republic of China (1951), at age 69, he was ordained in Taiwan, founded Haiyin Temple in Keelung, and spent his days in recitation and quiet contemplation. On the 11th day of the 8th lunar month in the 57th year of the Republic (1968), he passed away peacefully at midnight while chanting the Buddha’s name, at the age of 85. Seven sarira relics were recovered from his cremation.

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Section 7: Abstaining from Killing Cures Illness

1. Husband Recovered from Illness Immediately: Li Peizhi, a lay devotee from Kuimen, Sichuan, fled to Wanxian with his wife Li Qiuyanbai to avoid bandits in the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928). In the autumn of the 21st year (1932), he heard Venerable Dayong give a Dharma talk, so he and his wife went to the Eastern Sichuan Buddhist Study Society, where they practiced devout, unceasing Buddha recitation.

The following August, he came down with dysentery (blood and mucus) that did not improve after ten days. The doctor said his pulse was extremely weak and his condition critical, and his wife was so frightened she wept. They burned incense and prayed to Amitabha Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva, begging them to extend his life. They vowed to uphold the precept against killing forever, adopt a full vegetarian diet in five years’ time, and if their finances allowed, print and distribute a Guanyin Faith-Establishing Essay to encourage others to follow the path.

When they finished praying, he suddenly called his wife close to his bedside and told her, “Just now I saw a figure standing by my bed, like a golden arhat, who vanished moments later.” From that point on, the medicine took full effect, and he recovered completely in a few days.

2. Severe Palm Boil Healed: Wu, the wife of Hangzhou resident Qin Fusheng, suddenly developed a severe boil on the center of her right palm in July of the 23rd year of the Republic of China (1934). It started as a tiny spot, but the pain was unbearable, keeping her from sleeping day or night. In less than ten days, her entire hand was red and swollen, spreading to her upper arm, her chest felt tight and suffocated, and her condition grew dire. Repeated visits to surgeons brought no solution, as they were all at a loss.

Qin prayed devoutly to Guanyin Bodhisattva for rescue, and Wu also vowed to abstain from killing. The next day, their maid went out to buy medicine, and on her way met pediatrician Wang Yongshang, who offered to treat Wu with his remedy. He saw her over ten times, lancing over a hundred poisonous boils, draining a large bowl of toxic pus, and she was fully cured.

3. Breast Abscess Healed Gradually: Huang Huidun was a lay devotee from Hengjing Town, Suzhou. On the 13th day of the first lunar month in the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938), overwork, low mood, external wind-dampness, and eating too much fresh fish led to a breast abscess on her left side. Medical treatment did nothing to help; the swelling grew as large as a bowl, oozing pus and blood. She had always been physically frail, prone to liver qi stagnation, chills, fever, and coughing, and could not keep food down.

By the 14th day of the second lunar month, her doctor refused to prescribe further treatment, and she assumed she would not survive. Lying in bed, she chanted Guanyin Bodhisattva’s name devoutly, repented of her past actions, and made a vow: “From this day on, I will never eat fish again. I beg you to protect me with your compassion.” Roughly three hours after making this vow, she suddenly vomited up a large bowl of pus and blood. Convinced that expelling pus through her mouth meant she would not survive, she focused solely on chanting the Buddha’s name, waiting for death.

Three minutes later, she suddenly smelled a delicate fragrance, her chills and fever vanished completely, her liver qi settled, and her illness was already half gone. She even found herself craving congee. The next day, a friend visited to check on her, and mentioned their family had Western medicinal cotton they could bring for her to try. She used it that day and saw an immediate, miraculous improvement. A few days later, she was able to get out of bed, and her illness healed gradually. She was still in good health in the 31st year of the Republic (1942).

Note: A chronic, unhealing boil is what Western medicine calls incurable cancer. Both Wu and Huang made vows to abstain from killing—Wu from all killing, Huang from eating fish—and both were healed through Guanyin’s intervention. All those suffering from cancer are urged to chant Guanyin’s holy name earnestly, abstain from killing and release life, for there is no illness that cannot be cured.

4. Chronic Illness Healed Repeatedly: Zhang, the wife of Shanghai lay devotee Hua Hongli, held the Dharma name Haize. She believed in Buddhism from childhood, took refuge with Venerable Xingci, abstained from killing and followed a vegetarian diet, enshrined a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva in her home, and chanted the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin’s holy name regularly. She had always been physically frail, suffering from blood deficiency, liver qi reversal, and other chronic conditions, and her old ailments would flare up whenever she overworked or faced disappointment.

On the 19th day of the first lunar month in the 34th year of the Republic of China (1945), she first developed chills and fever, followed by splitting headaches, coughing, vomiting, and an inability to eat, with her condition worsening each day. Neither Chinese nor Western medicine had any effect. By the 25th, her condition had grown critical: her jaw was clenched shut, she could not swallow a drop of water, she lost consciousness four or five times a day and night, and was unresponsive. Her entire family was frantic.

Suddenly, Hua’s mother’s spirit possessed Zhang’s body, calling out to Hua’s wet nurse by name: “Your daughter-in-law’s illness is extremely dangerous. Do not overlook it. I have prayed to Guanyin Bodhisattva to bless her; fortunately she believes in Buddhism, so she may yet be saved.” Hua immediately washed his hands, burned incense, held the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin’s holy name, and tearfully begged for blessed Great Compassion Water, which he had her sip slowly. She seemed to calm down and fall asleep.

Soon she woke and said: “Just now, a high monk holding a willow branch and a small bottle came through the window on clouds, turned once by my bedside, and vanished. Did you all see him?” She described the monk’s clothing and appearance in detail, and her headache was completely gone. Hua said: “This must be the Bodhisattva’s emanation, come especially to save you from your suffering. It is a response to your constant, sincere devotion. Rest quietly, chant the holy name silently, and when you recover, practice even more diligently. Do not grow lax.” A few days later, her strength gradually returned.

That July, her old illness flared up again. Both Chinese and Western doctors diagnosed it as typhoid fever; her fever rose higher each day and did not break for forty days, leaving her emaciated as a stick and on the brink of death. Through a friend’s introduction, she was treated by elder lay devotee Chen Wanyi, but her fever still had not broken, and she had also developed abdominal pain, bloody dysentery, coughing, and gum abscesses. She asked for a follow-up consultation, and he warned that if the dysentery did not stop, she might not survive.

He instructed her to force herself to get up that night, repent in front of the Guanyin statue, and pray devoutly for a dream that would reveal the karmic obstacles she had created. After repenting, she fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed of an old woman standing on the seashore. The old woman asked her, “What brings you here?” She replied, “I am praying for the Buddha’s blessing, and asking for forgiveness for my wrongdoings.” The old woman said: “Karmic obstacles are inevitable for all beings; it is fortunate that you have come to know abstaining from killing and repentance.” She asked, “When will my illness be cured?” The old woman replied: “You will see some improvement in ten days, and will be fully cured after your birthday on November 21st.”

She woke and told Hua, who said: “Since you have seen the Bodhisattva’s emanation, you are sure to be saved.” Sure enough, ten days later she recovered without any medicine. By the winter solstice, she had regained full health, and all who saw her were amazed.

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Section 8: Abstaining from Killing Averts Disaster

1. Wife Survives Against All Odds: Zhang Congxin, a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang, lived in Shanghai. He believed in Buddhism, abstained from killing, and revered Guanyin Bodhisattva with deep devotion. In the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), his wife Zhu consulted fortune tellers multiple times, and all predicted she would face grave danger that year, and that Zhang would be fated to lose her.

At 7:30 on the morning of the 11th day of the 7th lunar month, the small vegetable market in Tangjiawan, Ximen, Shanghai suddenly collapsed during peak shopping hours, killing and injuring more than 200 people. Zhu happened to be there buying vegetables at the time. She was pinned beside an empty pickled vegetable bucket, but protected by the Buddha’s grace, she remained fully conscious. A small wooden beam fell to prop up the debris above her, and she was able to climb out of the rubble, covered in mud, completely unharmed. She took a car home, and her mother and husband were overjoyed, all celebrating her survival. After this, her faith grew even stronger. She chanted the Buddha’s name with utmost sincerity, vowed to abstain from killing forever, and dedicated her life to repaying the Buddha’s grace.

2. Crushed Under Rubble, Escaped Unharmed: A man surnamed Bingrong, the vegetarian cook at Shanghai’s Xieqiao Pure Land Nunnery, whose full name is unknown, ate a vegetarian diet and abstained from killing in his daily life, and reverently chanted Guanyin’s name with deep devotion. When the Tangjiawan market collapsed, he was inside it too. Though his body was pinned under debris, his mind remained calm, and he chanted “Namo Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva” aloud in urgency. Suddenly he felt his head emerge outside the collapsed hole, and a curved section of the roof happened to fit around his neck, allowing him to avoid serious harm.

This proves beyond doubt that the Bodhisattva’s ability to respond to the cries of the suffering and save them is inconceivable, and that the merit of chanting the Buddha’s name and abstaining from killing is never wasted. May all who read this believe deeply and put these teachings into practice.

3. Unharmed in Air Raid: My elder cousin Mao Jintang (courtesy name Qijia) lived on the main street of the north gate of Tongcheng County, Hubei, and ran the Mao Jintang Pen and Stationery Shop, which also sold paper and stationery. He offered genuine goods at fair prices, and was honest and kind to all customers, young and old. In his later years, he joined the Tongshan Society, practiced sitting meditation, observed the precept against killing, often recited Guanyin’s holy name and the White-robed Guanyin Mantra, was generous in giving, and his devotion only grew stronger with age.

In October of the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938), when Japanese invaders attacked Wuhan, they bombed wildly along the Yuehan (Guangzhou-Hankou) Railway and the Hunan-Hubei Highway. Tongcheng happened to lie at the center of the highway, and the government ordered residents to evacuate. He led his whole family to take refuge at the Wang family home in Shitanbei, southern district. One day, he led his eldest son Kaiyin into the city to retrieve belongings, when they happened to encounter an enemy air raid. All city houses were bombed and destroyed, and the elderly, weak, and children left behind were either killed or injured.

When he was unable to escape in time, he and his son leaned against a wall and squatted, silently reciting the holy name. A bomb hit the roof, and the entire building collapsed. Fortunately, the wall leaned outward, leaving half the wall standing, propping up the fallen beams and floorboards, blocking shrapnel, bricks and tiles, leaving enough space for them to hide, and both were unharmed. This is a present-life karmic response from Guanyin’s protection, given to encourage people to abstain from killing and do good.

Master Yinguang taught on abstaining from killing: “All beings love life and fear death—a truth shared by humans and animals alike. If I cherish my own life, how could any creature willingly face death? Thinking on this, how can I take life? All sentient beings cycle through the six realms, rising and falling according to their good and evil karma. For eons, I and these beings have been each other’s parents, each other’s children. I should strive to save them; how can I bear to kill them? All sentient beings possess Buddha nature, and will all attain Buddhahood in future lives. If I myself fall into lower realms, I still hope to be rescued. Since I have created evil karma, I will fall into evil realms to repay past karmic debts, and we will kill each other in turn, with no end in sight. Thinking on this, how dare I kill? The root of killing lies in eating meat. If you understand the causes and conditions laid out above, you will naturally not dare to eat meat. Fools call meat delicious, not knowing it is formed from essence and blood, filled with excrement and urine inside, mixed with filth outside, foul-smelling and rank. Where does its deliciousness come from? If you often contemplate the impure nature of meat, you will feel nauseous at the thought of eating it. ‘Living beings’ refers to humans, birds and beasts, maggots, fish and shrimp, mosquitoes, lice, fleas—all beings with life. You cannot claim that large beings should not be killed, but small ones may be.”

The Ten Good Deeds Sutra states: “If one refrains from killing, one will attain ten states free from affliction: 1. One gives fearlessness to all sentient beings without exception; 2. One constantly generates great loving-kindness toward all sentient beings; 3. One forever cuts off all habitual tendencies of anger; 4. One’s body is constantly free from illness; 5. One’s lifespan is long; 6. One is constantly protected by non-human beings; 7. One constantly has no bad dreams, and experiences joy both when awake and asleep; 8. One eliminates enmity, and all resentments resolve on their own; 9. One has no fear of the evil paths; 10. One is reborn in heaven after death. If one dedicates this merit to Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi (complete, universal enlightenment), after one becomes a Buddha, one will attain the Buddha’s freely controlled lifespan.”

Explanation: “The ten states free from affliction are the flower reward (immediate karmic fruit), and the freely controlled lifespan is the fruit reward (ultimate karmic fruit).”

Master Lianchi said: “Households that abstain from killing are guarded by benevolent spirits: disasters and misfortune are averted, lifespans are extended, children and grandchildren are wise and filial, and all manner of auspicious signs arise, too many to count. If one abstains from killing and also reverently chants Guanyin Bodhisattva’s name, the merit is especially great and the response especially swift. All the cases of extended lifespan, cured illness, and averted disaster through abstaining from killing come from a single thought of kindness resonating with Guanyin’s great compassion, so the response comes quickly and the effect is profound.”

Today, wars and conflict rage across the world, while famine, flood, fire, natural disaster, and human calamity arise one after another. All of this is brought about by the killing karma of all sentient beings, and cannot be averted by heaven, earth, ghosts, or gods. I sincerely urge all my fellow Chinese and people of all nations to awaken great bodhicitta without delay: abstain from killing and release life, eat vegetarian and repent, and chant Guanyin’s holy name exclusively. You will naturally receive divine blessing, eliminate disaster and misfortune, cure illness and extend your lifespan, with clear and unmistakable responses. What possible doubt could you have that would stop you from believing in this deeply and practicing it with all your heart?

Releasing Life Extends Lifespan

1. The Physical Body Remains

Master Nianchun, dharma name Zhiyi, was a son of the Guo family of Taihe, Jiangxi. His mother dreamed of a white lotus when she conceived him, and at his birth auspicious light filled the room. From childhood he was repelled by meat and strong-smelling foods. At ten he had mastered the inner teachings; at eighteen he passed the jinshi examination and rose through the ranks to serve as Metropolitan Censor, touring inspector of Guizhou and Guangdong. At twenty-five he gave up his post to become a monk, receiving full ordination from Great Master Yunqi Lianchi. He spent ten years traveling in study, illuminating his innate mind-ground, and practiced Chan and Pure Land side by side. He received certification from Zibo and Hanshan, who praised him as a pillar of the Dharma. In the sixth year of the Ming Tianqi reign he founded the Lotus Society Hermitage in Nanxiong, excavating four life-release ponds and championing the practice. He devoted himself to Pure Land cultivation, reciting the names of Amitabha and Guanyin one hundred thousand times a day. He later built Aoshan Temple, Qinglian Hermitage, and Zhantanlin to receive the public. People near and far were drawn to his way, and countless were transformed through him. On the thirteenth day of the seventh month of the jihai year—the sixteenth year of the Qing Shunzhi reign—at noon, in perfect health, he told the assembly: "Strive to propagate and spread the Buddhadharma." With that, he sat upright, recited the Buddha's name, and passed away at the age of seventy-three. A hundred days later his body remained lifelike, with a faint fragrance never fading. Prefect Luo, together with local gentry and devout laypeople, preserved the body as an object of veneration at the Lotus Society Hermitage. For more than three hundred years since, it has remained as though alive.

2. The Relics Endure

Upasaka Yang Yuquan, dharma name Deqia, was a native of Wuxi. At fourteen he went to Suzhou to learn the silk-satin trade. After completing his training he set up a business at Tianhou Palace Bridge, brought his parents to live with him, and fulfilled his filial duties thoroughly. His mother was a Buddhist, and he accompanied her on pilgrimages to Mount Putuo and Mount Jiuhua, paying homage to Guanyin and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. After his parents passed away, his devotion to the Buddha and to Guanyin only deepened. He took refuge with Master Yinguang and received the Bodhisattva precepts. He founded the Fragrant Light Lotus Society, holding regular sessions of Buddha-recitation and life-release, and kept it up for many years as steady as any single day. When he once suffered diarrhea, he was cured simply by drinking Great Compassion Water. In the eighth month of the thirtieth year of the Republic, his dysentery returned. He refused medicine; whenever friends came to ask after him, he asked them to recite the Buddha's name on his behalf and would discuss nothing else. He often patted his bedding like a drum and recited the Buddha's name in a strong voice. On the eighteenth day, at the xu hour, he had his son help him rise to wash and rinse his mouth, then lit candles, burned incense, and bowed. Gazing at the Buddha's image without looking away for a moment, he sat upright, recited the Buddha's name, and passed away at the age of sixty-eight. On the twentieth day he was placed in the casket in full lotus position, his body still soft as cotton. On the fifth day of the ninth month he was cremated. A great many relics were recovered and placed in the Universal Sameness Pagoda on Lingyan Mountain.

3. Ascending to a High Lotus Rank

Upasaka Shi Yanshi was a native of Chongming County, Jiangsu. He lost his wife early and handled most household matters himself. He had a particular fondness for releasing living beings, saving tens of thousands of lives each year. At twenty-seven he fell gravely ill, nearly dying. His breath ceased for a full day and night, and then he suddenly revived. Shaken by the impermanence of human life, he turned from Confucianism to the Buddha's path. He printed and distributed Buddhist books, actively expounding the teachings and urging others to follow. His circle of believers steadily grew. Diligent in spreading the Dharma, he was even more devoted in his own practice—performing morning and evening devotions daily, reciting the holy names of Amitabha and Guanyin through summer's heat and winter's cold alike. A fellow townsman, Upasaka Dong Guoliang, who cultivated the Pure Land diligently and kept the precepts strictly, on the day before his passing in the twelfth month of the thirty-second year of the Republic briefly ceased breathing and then revived, saying: "I've already reached the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and my lotus rank is there. Shi Yanshi's lotus rank is there too, but higher than mine." The story spread as a local marvel. The following year, on the twenty-eighth day of the third month, Shi Yanshi sat up clear-headed and cheerful, chatting and laughing easily. He asked others to recite the Buddha's name and joined in himself, and he instructed that after his death he should be dressed in monastic robes, since it was fitting to appear in a monk's form. With these words he passed away in the auspicious reclining posture, at the age of over seventy. Even after his body had gone cold throughout, the crown of his head alone remained warm. He sat upright in the casket, his joints supple, his complexion fresh as in life.

Section 9

Releasing Life Cures Illness

1. Healed the Moment They Were Released

Upasaka Cai Mu Yang Qixian was a native of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. In the twenty-second year of the Republic, persuaded by her son Zhongju, she devoted herself to cultivating the Pure Land. She set a daily practice, reciting the Buddha's name over a thousand times a day and gradually increasing to more than thirty thousand. She also recited the Heart Sutra and the Rebirth Mantra several hundred times daily. She later took refuge with Venerable Quanlang of Nianhua Temple in Beiping and vowed to redouble her efforts. In the ninth month of the twenty-fourth year she came down with a violent epidemic fever. When her condition grew critical, her mind became unclear. Her son recited the Buddha's name at her bedside to support her right thought, and through the night invoked Guanyin's holy name, praying that her illness be lifted and her years extended. Every time she closed her eyes she would see a white-robed figure pressing and massaging her, and her moaning would quiet a little. On the eleventh day she grew confused again; her daughter-in-law bought several hundred black fish, carp, and eels and released them into the Yangtze River, dedicating the merit to transferring her mother to the Western Land. By the time she returned from the release, her mother had already sat up, and her symptoms had eased. Later, deep in the night, she twice again saw a white-robed figure reach out and press her, and three times caught the fragrance of sandalwood rising from beneath her bed. Her illness gradually healed.

2. Healed the Moment the Vow Was Made

Qin Fuchang of Hangzhou was the younger brother of Upasaka Qin Fusheng. In the seventh month of the twenty-eighth year of the Republic he developed chills and fever that turned into typhoid. By the fifteenth day he had suddenly taken a turn for the worse: blood streamed from his mouth and nose, his ears stood rigid, and his tongue stiffened until he could make no sound. Five Chinese and Western doctors were called in succession; all pronounced the case incurable. By evening he was at his last breath, and the family began preparing for the end. His elder brother knelt before Guanyin Bodhisattva in supplication and drafted a written vow on his behalf, firmly resolving to refrain from killing, to release living beings, and to do good with all his might. His wife, not yet a Buddhist, was persuaded by her sister-in-law née Wu and pricked her finger for blood to sign the vow at the bottom, devoutly making the resolve in her husband's place. Less than two hours after the written vow was burned, he suddenly opened his mouth and could speak again, to the astonishment and joy of the whole household. By the next morning, when a doctor was called, he declared the patient out of danger. Within a few weeks he was as strong and healthy as ever.

Section 10

Releasing Life Escapes Calamity

1. Released at the Point of Execution

Great Master Yongming Zhijue Yanwang, the Sixth Patriarch of the Pure Land lineage, was a native of Danyang. He had once served as a clerk in Yuyao County. Whenever he saw fish or shrimp he would buy them and release them, running up a deficit of tens of thousands in the public treasury. When the authorities questioned him, he answered simply that he had used the money to buy living beings for release, never expecting the loss to grow so large. The charge carried the death penalty. At the execution ground his expression did not change, and he said: "I have freed countless lives. Now, though I die, I go straight to the Western Land—is that not a joy?" King Qian heard of this and granted him a pardon. He left home to become a monk and dreamed that Guanyin poured sweet dew into his mouth; day by day his wisdom-nature opened. He authored the Collection of the Convergence of Ten Thousand Virtues and other works. He lived at Yongming Temple, releasing life in the morning, giving food at night, and reciting the Buddha's name ten thousand times a day, dedicating all merit toward the Pure Land. He passed away at ninety-eight, sitting upright with palms joined. Later a monk entered the nether realms and saw the King of Hell with an image of the Master enshrined on the left side of his hall, paying it reverent homage. On inquiry he learned this was his own teacher, who had already reached the highest grade of highest rebirth in the Western Land. The King honored his virtue, hence showed him such respect. (Note: The newly compiled Records of Guanyin's Inspiring Responses, Part Three, and "Fortune and Wisdom" on page four, have already included Master Yongming, but did not mention the lost treasury funds from life-release and his reprieve at the point of execution. This account is added here as encouragement for those who release life.)

2. From the Brink of Disaster to Safety

On the tenth day of the twelfth month of the thirty-eighth year of the Republic, I retreated hastily from Chengdu with the government. There were too few aircraft for so many people, and the first flight to Kunming could not take families. At the invitation of Section Chief Huang Yigong of the Ministry of National Defense, I was asked to go to Xikang to rouse the Yi people for guerrilla operations, so I asked my colleague Section Chief Sun Bawu and others to obtain leave from our posts, and we brought our families along. We rode a military vehicle and waited to cross the river at Xinjin. Sun bought a large fat duck to slaughter for the meal, but a local woman said sternly: "You're fleeing for your lives and still taking life?" My wife, Zheng Lumei, heard this and was deeply ashamed and moved. She urged me to ask for the duck's release, and silently called on the great Bodhisattva Guanyin, vowing from then on to refrain from killing and to release life, praying for safety. The next day we set out for Ya'an. As our vehicle passed through Qionglai, the bridge suddenly collapsed, and we had to turn back to Xinjin. Only then did we learn that Liu Wenhui, chairman of Xikang Province, and Lu Han, chairman of Yunnan Province, had both defected, and the planes and people who had flown on to Kunming had all been seized—yet we had been spared. We changed our route, taking the Leshan–Xichang highway straight to Xichang. Pursued by bandits of whose presence we were unaware, we were fortunate that the Great Bodhisattva took the form of a soldier and a young girl who repeatedly warned us the bandits were closing in, letting us press on through the night and so escape capture and slaughter. When rebel forces tried to block us at a strategic pass, a shell jammed in their gun and they scattered in retreat. When we retook Fulin, we learned that the Xichang garrison had defected at the same time. Fortunately, Tan Rongzhang, chief of the Investigation Section of the Xichang Guard Command, led his men to recover the counties of Ning prefecture and sent troops far out to meet us; we reached Xichang safely. Acting on the Ministry's telegram, I flew with Sun and others, with our families, first to Haikou and then on to Taiwan, escaping the danger. Xichang later fell to the bandits; Huang was betrayed by the Yi people and died a martyr's death, but once again I narrowly escaped. Each time I was brought from the brink back to safety, it was that one sincere thought of refraining from killing and releasing life that called down the rescue of the Great Bodhisattva—just as the duck facing slaughter was spared.

The Yijing says: "The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is called giving life." The Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom says: "Of all karmic offenses, the offense of killing is the gravest; of all virtuous merits, releasing life is foremost." Bodhisattva Maitreya's verse says:

Persuade you to diligently release life; In time you will gain long life. If you give rise to the bodhicitta, When great calamity strikes, Heaven itself must save you.

Master Hanshan's verse on releasing life says:

Humans love their own lives; Creatures love their own lives. Releasing life accords with Heaven's heart; Releasing life follows the Buddha's command. Releasing life averts the three calamities; Releasing life escapes the nine sudden deaths. Releasing life brings long lifespan; Releasing life brings flourishing rank. Releasing life brings thriving descendants; Releasing life brings a household in celebration. Releasing life removes worry and distress; Releasing life lessens illness and disease. Releasing life dissolves karmic enmity; Releasing life purges karmic stains. Releasing life is Guanyin's compassion; Releasing life is Samantabhadra's practice. Releasing life and killing life— Their fruits are clear as a mirror.

The Records on Refraining from Killing to Extend Life says: "If one truly seeks blessings, one must broaden one's goodness. How is goodness to be broadened? Nothing surpasses releasing life. One person's mouth and belly are limited, so one person's refraining from killing amounts to little. Even if one urges others on, half will believe and half will not; how many can be transformed? Only in releasing life is merit boundless. A lifelong vow can be fulfilled in a single day; the goodness of thousands can be taken up by one person. With faithful heart and steady practice, disaster can be dispelled at once, blessings can arrive at once—not one person has been found to fail. And though any good deed may move Heaven, it usually must wait for its occasion: reuniting a separated couple, restoring a lost child, returning a mislaid sum of gold, saving a human life—surely these are no less than releasing life, yet they are extraordinary events one may never meet. Even when met, they are accidental; there is no way to keep them coming, day after day. Only releasing life can be done anywhere, at any time. With plenty of money, release much; with little, release little—measured by your own means, with no fixed limit, and open to anyone who wishes to practice. So when a person falls into illness or sudden calamity and vows to do good to extend their own life, the heart may be sincere enough, but to cling to an empty wish—how can that bear any fruit? Better to turn at once to releasing life. In a single morning or evening the vow can be fulfilled, and within that same span the result can be felt. The practice is simple and easy, the reward swift and the merit great. One person practicing it can rescue themselves from calamity; many practicing it can turn the fate of an age. To broaden the fruits of goodness, truly nothing rivals this."

Birds, beasts, and human beings differ in bodily form, but in feeling and awareness they are the same. Watch them when they are seized for slaughter—how they flee in terror, cry out in anguish, their spirit scattering, their soul trembling. Is this any different from when one of our own kind is seized and killed—fleeing, wailing, terrified and panicked? How could there be any real difference? To steel one's heart and kill them—what resentment that must kindle! To buy them and let them go—what gratitude that must awaken! If, when releasing life, one also bows and recites the holy name of Guanyin Bodhisattva, universally dedicating the merit on their behalf, the merit is great, the reward swift, and the response comes like an echo. Look back over the foregoing accounts of releasing life to extend lifespan, to cure illness, and to escape calamity—all the more reason to trust that these things are real and verified.

I urge our compatriots, Chinese and foreign alike, to give rise to a compassionate heart at the sight of any living being, and to spend a little of their means to save a precious life. With much money, release much—hidden merit will pile up; with little money, release little—still it is by no means no kindness. Add a little day by day, accumulate month by month, and one's practice broadens while one's blessings grow. And by reciting the holy names of Amitabha and Guanyin, dedicating the merit to the Western Land on those beings' behalf, may they leave the evil paths forever. The heart behind it grows ever larger, the store of virtue ever vaster, and the cultivation of the Way will swiftly reach completion, with blessings and lifespan beyond all reckoning.

Section 11

持斋延寿

一、寿逾百龄

Master Qiyuan, whose Dharma name was Chun Jing and lay surname Wang, was from Puding County, Guizhou. Even as a child he preferred quiet, never married, and spent his spare time reciting the Lotus Sutra’s “Universal Gate” chapter. After his parents passed away, he traveled to Mount Jizu in Yunnan to ordain as a monk, and soon received the full precepts. He set out on pilgrimage, and his footsteps covered every famed mountain in the land. When he arrived at the Great Golden Stupa to venerate the Buddha’s relics, he undertook a seven-day fasting retreat. On the sixth night, he felt the Buddha’s light shine on his body, and his recitation of the Buddha’s name grew even more diligent. He traveled to Mount Putuo to pay respects to Guanyin Bodhisattva, built a thatched hermitage on Incense Mountain, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to reciting the Buddha’s name and Guanyin’s name.

When Mount Putuo was struck by drought, he resolved to burn one finger each at the Puji Temple on the front mountain and the Fayu Temple on the rear mountain; rain soon fell from the sky. He burned another finger at his Incense Mountain hut, and sweet spring water burst from the earth; it never ran dry even in the worst droughts. Later he burned a fourth finger before the Buddha relic stupa at Ayuwang Temple. With four fingers gone in total, people of the time called him the Six-Fingered Elder, and countless people took refuge with him. He wore the same worn monastic robe year-round, never accumulated savings, and practiced boundless compassion and generosity. Whatever offerings pilgrims left as alms, he sent to monasteries to host public meals for the sangha or to aid the poor. In daily life he kept a vegetarian diet and recited the Buddha’s name, never concerning himself with worldly affairs. When people asked his age, he always said he was eighty-six; in fact he had already reached one hundred by the 22nd year of the Republic era [1933].

Passing through Jinshan Temple, he happened to coincide with a seven-day retreat. Too old to join the group, he stayed alone in a room and completed three consecutive seven-day fasting retreats, for a total of twenty-one days. His energy remained steady throughout, and everyone was amazed by his conduct, inviting him to stay at the Lotus Society. The following March, he foreknew the time of his passing and traveled to Shanghai to bid farewell to his disciples. On the 17th he led his followers back to Jinshan, and the next day he came down with a slight illness, free of pain. He asked his disciples to help him recite the Buddha’s name, and on the 21st he passed away with a smile on his face; the crown of his head stayed warm for a long time after. He lived to the age of one hundred and one. On the 28th his body was cremated, and several yellow relics were found.

二、寿延八九

Master Tanxu, a native of Ninghe County, Hebei, was born into the Wang family. His secular name was Futing, and his mother dreamed of a monk from India before his birth. He could not call out to his parents at age three, but would only say the words “eat vegetarian,” which he picked up without being taught. His mother kept a partial vegetarian diet for him, hoping it would make him easier to raise. At eleven he began attending a local school, and at fourteen he went into business. After seeing two of his uncles, who had been hale and hearty, die suddenly, he realized how fleeting human life is, and sought a way to attain immortality. Someone gave him the High King Guanyin Sutra, saying that reciting it a thousand times would ward off disaster and grant long life. He recited the entire sutra a thousand times in two days and a night, and continued to recite it several times a day without fail thereafter.

At seventeen he married, but just four days later he died of a plague with abdominal pain. He saw two ghosts take him to the King of Hell’s court, who ordered he be sent for reincarnation. He pleaded earnestly: “I am my mother’s only son. If I am reborn and cannot return home, I fear my mother will cry so hard it harms her health. I have heard that reciting sutras extends one’s life – did I recite all those sutras for nothing?” The King replied: “Your original lifespan had already run out. But for the merit of your vegetarian diet and sutra recitation, we can add five years to your life, so you will live to age twenty-two.” The Master said: “Since keeping a vegetarian diet and reciting sutras create merit, please let me return and continue these practices to extend my life further.” The King agreed, and ordered him sent back. He woke up as if from a dream, but did not dare tell his mother, for fear of breaking her heart.

He immediately set out to seek teachers and learn the ways of the Dharma, studying sutras and mantras. He joined the Catholic, Christian, Golden Elixir Daoist, and Xihua Tang sects in turn, only to find they were all fraudulent, incomplete heterodox teachings that deceived people. He also studied medicine, divination, astrology, and books on related religions, but found no path to immortality in any of them. He then focused exclusively on studying the Surangama Sutra, and had deep realizations from it. After his parents passed away, he let go of all worldly attachments, slipped away to Tianjin to ordain, and traveled to Zhejiang’s Guanzong Temple to receive full precepts under Master Dixian. He stayed at the temple to study the teachings, and his progress was remarkably swift.

He first returned home to guide his wife to take refuge in the Three Jewels, keep a long-term vegetarian diet, and recite the Buddha’s name. She passed away peacefully some years later, and two of their four sons also ordained as monks. In his entire life he never used temple funds for personal expenses. He kept his vegetarian diet pure, never ate separately from the sangha, never accepted personal offerings, and participated fully in all communal activities. All offerings he received from teaching sutras or leading Dharma assemblies were given back to the temple to cover food, medicine, alms for the poor, sutra printing, and life-release practices; he never kept a single coin for himself. He owned no more than two sets of layered clothing, enough only to swap out when one was being washed. He taught the Tiantai school of Buddhism and practiced Pure Land Buddhism, and widely encouraged people to keep vegetarian diets, recite the Buddha’s name, refrain from killing, and release captive animals. Devotees donated generously, and he oversaw the construction and repair of many temples.

In September of the 21st year of the Republic era [1932], he was escorting forty crates of the Qisha Tripitaka glass printing plates from Xi’an, traveling by wooden boat down the Wei River. Near Tong Pass he encountered Communist forces who stole everything on the boat. The Master silently recited Guanyin’s name, and was the only one left unharmed; he continued to Shanghai to have the plates printed. In 1948 (the 37th year of the Republic era) he was staying at Bore Temple in Changchun, which was surrounded by Communist forces. He dreamed someone pointed the way south, along a road lined with utility poles, all the way to his home. He resolved to risk the journey on February 28, and set out with six companions. They took a horse-drawn carriage provided by the temple, heading south along the utility pole-lined road. They encountered bandits seven times, who only took their rice, flour, and cash. When they reached Kaiyuan, they were stopped from leaving the bandit-controlled area.

By then they had run out of money and food. They sold their carriage, hired a vehicle to take a side road to Taiyanggou, and as night fell it grew bitterly cold. They asked local households for shelter but were turned away, forced to sleep outside, starving and parched. They could only devoutly recite Guanyin’s name, then knocked again to ask for water. Suddenly a dignified elderly woman appeared with a handsome young boy, who generously said: “It’s cold, let the old monk sleep on my warm kang [traditional heated northern Chinese bed], the other five can stay in the thatched cottage, and you can bring the carriage into the yard.” She also boiled hot water for them to drink. The next morning they went to thank her, but the woman and boy were nowhere to be seen. Only an elderly farming couple, their daughter-in-law, and a three-year-old child remained; no one else knew anything about the pair. Only then did they realize it was Guanyin Bodhisattva manifesting to rescue them.

Halfway along the road, a sudden wind and rainstorm blew in directly toward them, with nowhere to take cover. They quickly recited the Bodhisattva’s name together, and the clouds broke to reveal the sun, even as rain still poured down on all sides. They safely reached the Nationalist Army base in Tieling, then traveled from Shenyang to Beiping, then to Tianjin, and finally back to Qingdao. In the spring of 1949 he traveled to Hong Kong, where he built temples, printed sutras, taught Dharma, and received followers. Over the next forty years, an estimated several million people were drawn to Buddhism either directly through his guidance or indirectly through his influence. On June 22, 1963, he sat cross-legged in a meditation mudra and passed away peacefully at the age of eighty-nine, with forty-six years as a monk. When his body was cremated, the fragrance of the smoke spread for miles, and thousands of relics were found, along with five large plates of bone blossoms.

三、六八尚健

Layman Yang Leshou of Dangtu began to suffer from severe hearing loss after the age of sixty. In the spring of the 20th year of the Republic era [1931], he suddenly lost all feeling in his right leg, which gradually spread to his waist. He was bedridden for more than forty days, and treatments proved ineffective. Early that summer, after Layman Chen Yuncha returned from a pilgrimage to Mount Putuo, he gave Yang a collection of texts including the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, “Universal Gate” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Records of Guanyin’s Spiritual Inspiration, and Anshi Quanshu. Yang read them all day to pass the time and ease his loneliness.

Later he repented inwardly for not having started reciting sutras and keeping precepts earlier, wasting the most important matter of this lifetime. He thought of the old teaching that even a butcher who lays down his knife can attain enlightenment, and realized that beginning Buddhist practice is never too late. He therefore took refuge in the Three Jewels, vowing that for as long as he lived, he would eat a vegetarian diet, and use any spare energy to benefit others. After making this vow, his illness vanished instantly. He set up an image of the White-Robed Bodhisattva (Guanyin) at home, kept a lifelong vegetarian diet, recited the Buddha’s name daily, and established a fixed daily practice routine. By 1934 (the 23rd year of the Republic era), when he was sixty-eight, his waist and legs were still strong and healthy.

四、偕老益壮

In 1949, when the mainland was evacuated, my wife Zheng Lümei and I traveled from north to south, east to west, facing constant danger. We were rescued from every peril by Guanyin Bodhisattva, who responds to the sounds of the world, and finally made our way to Taiwan. The couple then vowed to observe the Guanyin vegetarian diet on the 2nd, 6th, and 9th days of every lunar month, and to add seven recitations of the Great Compassion Mantra and five hundred recitations of Guanyin’s name after our morning and evening practice. We dedicated the merit of this practice to the late President Chiang Kai-shek, may his legacy endure, for the prosperity of the nation, the recovery of the mainland, and the salvation of our compatriots. We also dedicated merit to our parents, ancestors, superiors, teachers, friends, and all loved ones, friends and foes alike, praying that those still alive would be free from disaster and enjoy long life, and those who had passed would be reborn in the Pure Land, to repay the four kindnesses we had received.

On February 3, 1954, I was transferred to the second class of the Shipai Research Program for training, and also served as a counselor. It happened to be a vegetarian observance month, but that evening at dinner I accidentally ate two pieces of pork, and skipped my evening practice session. That night I dreamed I was in a certain place, where a sacred statue on the altar stood up from its seat and sternly asked: “What did you eat?” I was terrified, and opened my mouth to explain, when suddenly the two pieces of pork appeared on my tongue. The statue gave me a decree: “I saw you eat meat and fall into degradation, so I came to save you. Why are you so frightened?” Only then did I realize it was the Bodhisattva showing me mercy. I knelt quickly and began reciting “Namo Great Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva,” and the statue’s stern expression softened into a smile, took hold of my remaining hair, and ascended straight into the clouds. I woke up suddenly, still reciting the name aloud. Filled with shame, I never dared eat meat or fish again, sticking only to vegetarian dishes or vegetables cooked alongside meat. I also practiced my morning and evening sessions in secret thereafter.

I was later transferred to the ninth class of the Joint Warfare Program at the Revolutionary Practice Research Institute for training, and stayed on as a counselor for the tenth class. I registered as a vegetarian for both periods. I also took the Bodhisattva precepts, committed to a lifelong vegetarian diet and observing the six fasting days each month, to avoid falling into evil realms and repay my parents’ kindness.

A fortune teller once analyzed my fate: “Your chart is a ‘wealth-over-life’ configuration, with the key pillars Gengxu, Jichou, Dingchou, and Xinchou. This pattern is most adversely affected by root earthly energy. At age fifty, in the Gengzi year of the Jia cycle, you will enter a ‘seal’ luck phase: though you will be transferred to a deputy role, your benefits will improve, but you will not be permitted to retire. At age fifty-five, in the Yisi year of the Wu cycle, you will gain official prosperity and will be able to retire with honor. The following year, at age fifty-six, in the double-prosperity Bingwu year, you will pass away.” Sure enough, in July 1949, when I was fifty, I was ordered to transfer the unit I oversaw to the National Security Bureau. Though I had grown disillusioned with fame and profit, my request to resign was denied, and I was instead assigned to an advisory role with a higher senior civil service salary, improving my standard of living. In October 1954, when I was fifty-five, I was ordered to retire because my military records incorrectly listed my birth year as twelve years earlier. Every detail of the prediction proved accurate.

Realizing my passing was near, with few days left, and already beset by premature aging and countless illnesses, I cut off all social ties and withdrew from public life. I committed to a lifelong vegetarian diet and constant recitation of the Buddha’s name, preparing the provisions for a peaceful rebirth and making arrangements for my final affairs. My wife, grieved that the mainland had not yet been reclaimed and we could not return to our old home, made a vow to fulfill our promise to grow old together in our homeland. She recited Guanyin’s name one million times, praying to extend my life. When she finished, she was granted the 97th divination slip, which read:

五十功名心已灰　那知富贵逼人来 更行好事存方寸　寿比冈陵位鼎台

The slip advised us to keep a kind heart, do good deeds, and seek the Bodhisattva’s blessing. I then resolved to compile and print Buddhist books, widely encouraging people to refrain from killing, eat vegetarian, recite the Buddha’s name, and do good, to restore people’s consciences, avert great catastrophe, and hope that all would enjoy health, longevity, and peace together. At fifty-six, I suddenly recovered my health, and now at sixty-six, my wife and I grow stronger with age. This is all the result of keeping a vegetarian diet and reciting the Buddha’s name, blessed by the Bodhisattva’s inspiration: I asked for long life, and it was granted to me.

第十二节

持斋愈病一、茹素得救

1. Recovery through Vegetarianism Yuan Zhicheng (lay name Li Zhen, Dharma name Zhizhi) was from Wujin, Jiangsu. He was filial and good-natured from childhood, devoted to Confucian learning in his adult years, and regarded Buddhism as heterodox. Though he lived very frugally himself, he gave generously to relatives and friends without a trace of stinginess. In middle age, he was appointed director of the Hubei Provincial Mint, then went north to the Three Eastern Provinces, where he served as manager of the Bank of Communications and later as director of the Civil Affairs Bureau. At fifty, his son Xingyun repeatedly urged him to take an interest in Buddhism. Yuan agreed, reluctantly, to let his son pick out some Buddhist texts for him to read—among them The Straight Path Within the Straight Path and Longshu's Pure Land Writings. After only a few days of reading, he had a profound awakening. He vowed to take Buddhism as his own, ordered his whole household to adopt a vegetarian diet, took refuge with Master Yinguang, established a daily nianfo practice, and took particular delight in Master Lianchi's Vow Text.

At fifty-five he was suddenly struck by cerebral congestion. When a Western doctor told him he must not eat meat, he replied that he had been vegetarian for five years. "Good thing too," the doctor said. "If you hadn't been vegetarian, there'd be no saving you." The illness cleared up, and his nianfo and Guanyin practice deepened. In the second month of the twenty-seventh year of the Republic (February 1938), he foresaw that he would pass into the Western Pure Land on the eighteenth of May the following year. Just as he had predicted, he passed away peacefully at the you hour (5–7 p.m.) on that date, at the age of sixty-four. The next morning his crown was still warm; at the encoffining three days later his complexion looked as though he were still alive.

2. Health Returned in Old Age Mrs. Wang, mother of Ruan, was a Hunanese laywoman. Gentle by nature but frail from many illnesses, she wept at the death of her second son Qinchang at age forty and lost her sight. Soon after, she began keeping fasts on the new and full moons and devoted herself to Guanyin Bodhisattva. Within a month her vision partly returned. She then took lifelong vegetarian vows and began reciting the Buddha's name—and in her later years found herself healthier than she had ever been.

3. Cataracts Cleared Completely Luo Hengjin, a poor tailor from Jiangxi, suddenly developed cataracts in both eyes. His vision blurred until he could barely see; he was on the verge of blindness, unable to work, struggling to survive. The clan elder Luo Tingxiu took pity on him and gave him a few thousand cash each month to support him, suggesting that he gather discarded paper bearing characters. Luo vowed to fast and recite the Buddha's name, chanting the Great Compassion Mantra and Guanyin's holy name every morning and evening. He carried a bamboo basket for respectfully collecting written paper, going about the town to gather it. Whenever he came across a damaged bridge or road, he repaired it with earth and stone. After a full year of this, one midnight in the fifth month of the twenty-eighth year of the Guangxu reign (1902), his eyes began to itch strangely. By dawn his vision had cleared completely—the cataracts were gone.

4. The Blind Regained Sight Mrs. Chi, mother of Li Zhizhao of Dayuan Village in the northeastern township of Zhaoyuan, came from a comfortably-off family. She had been totally blind for over a decade. By the spring of the twenty-first year of the Republic (1932) she was already past sixty. Layman Zhao Jiuyang of Penglai was lecturing on the Dharma at the home of her neighbor to the west, Li Youfa. Mrs. Chi's second daughter-in-law, a Mrs. Zou who had been vegetarian for many years, brought her mother-in-law to attend the talk. After the lecture Mrs. Zou asked, "You say that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are great in compassion and great in mercy, and that they respond to those who call on them. If I sincerely vow to keep a vegetarian fast, recite the Buddha's name, and call on Guanyin, can my mother-in-law's blind eyes be restored?" Zhao answered reassuringly, "If your resolve is sincere, her sight will return of itself." From then on, mother and daughter-in-law went daily to the Buddhist hall to recite the Buddha's name without interruption.

The following summer, when Zhao came through the village again to give talks, Mrs. Chi went with her daughter-in-law to consult him once more. Zhao said, "Don't be impatient. When you recite the Buddha's name, don't grasp at appearances—to grasp at appearances is to gain nothing. At your age, the days ahead in this life are short, but the days beyond death are long. Even if you see no effect in this life, isn't it for the sake of birth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss when life ends? Know that cause and effect never fail. Reciting the Buddha's name has its own merit, like owing someone a hundred strings of cash: you've paid back only ten so far, the karmic debt isn't settled yet—how could you expect quick results?" Mrs. Chi said, "Yes. From now on I won't pray for my eyes to heal—only to be free from the suffering of birth and death."

On the ninth day of the first lunar month in the twenty-third year of the Republic (1934), at nine in the evening, she was reciting the Buddha's name in the hall and drifted into a dream in which Guanyin Bodhisattva brushed her eyes with a willow branch. She went back to bed, and the next morning her little grandson came running up to the bed waving a tree branch wildly, accidentally striking her in both eyes. The pain was so intense she wept uncontrollably. She lay down for an hour, the pain subsided, and her eyes suddenly cleared. In early February Zhao passed by her door; she greeted him with a joyful smile and said, "My eyes really have been restored!" When he asked her how, she told him the story. Eight neighborhood women, hearing of it, also resolved to take up lifelong vegetarianism and nianfo.

5. A Wife's Gradual Recovery Mao Yuru, of Puyuan Town in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, was working on Xiamen Island (then called Amoy) when, in the twenty-first year of the Republic (1932), he received a letter from home saying his wife was gravely ill. He rushed back, only to find her already unconscious, beyond the help of medicine, with death expected at any moment. His mother, who trusted in Guanyin Bodhisattva's power to save beings from suffering and distress, was reciting the White-robed Mantra without pause. With nothing else to be done, Mao joined her in recitation and vowed that his whole family would keep a vegetarian fast for three months, praying devoutly before the Bodhisattva's image.

The next afternoon, sitting on the edge of the bed with eyes closed in a doze, he thought he heard a family member announce the doctor's arrival. He hurried downstairs to receive him, and at the front of the hall saw an old woman in white, dressed in ancient style, about to mount the stairs to the bedroom. Just as he was about to ask her business, he was roused by his wife's long sigh—and realized it had all been a dream. He was about to tell his mother when she came in and asked, "Did you notice that strange fragrance just now?" He told her the dream. She joined her palms and recited the Buddha's name several hundred times, then said, "Since our daughter-in-law has received the Bodhisattva's blessing, the omen will surely turn from ill to good—don't worry." And indeed, without any further medicine, the wife gradually recovered. Mao later traveled from Shanghai to Xiamen and invited Master Huideng to accompany him to Nanputuo Temple to give thanks to the Bodhisattva in person for her kindness.

6. Quick Cure of Rheumatism In the summer of the twenty-first year of the Republic (1932), the elder sister of layman Cheng Yuanxi came down with rheumatism in her hands. She consulted doctors of both internal medicine and surgery, but by the end of August nothing had helped. Long convinced that a vegetarian diet could cure illness, she burned incense and prayed before her enshrined Guanyin Bodhisattva, vowing to keep a strict fast from the first to the nineteenth of the ninth month—the commemoration of the Bodhisattva's renunciation—begging a swift recovery. After just three days of the fast she could help with household work again, and by the end of the period she was completely well.

7. Tonsillitis Resolved on Its Own Layman Yan Debin had been taught by his mother from childhood to keep a vegetarian diet and recite the Buddha's name. On the nineteenth of the first lunar month in the twenty-third year of the Republic (1934), at the age of eighteen, he was led by layman Cao Peiling to Suzhou to take refuge with Master Yinguang. In the twenty-fifth year of the Republic (1936), he brought his mother, née Ma, and his sister Moxian to Suzhou to receive the Three Refuges. He was then suffering from tonsillitis that came and went; Western doctors urged him to have his tonsils removed. His mother asked Master Yinguang on his behalf what to do. The Master kindly advised: "No need for surgery. Eat more vegetarian food, recite the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva more often, and drink the Great Compassion Water regularly—given time it will cure itself." He also gave them a bottle of Great Compassion Water. Yan accepted and followed the instructions faithfully, and the tonsillitis cleared up and never returned.

8. Eye Trouble Cured at Once Layman Qin Fusheng was from Hangzhou, Zhejiang. He had suffered from an eye disease since childhood that flared up several times a month. His wife, née Wu, was a devout follower of Guanyin Bodhisattva. They had been betrothed since she was six, and when at nineteen she learned of her fiancé's eye trouble, she vowed before the Bodhisattva's image to keep a lifelong vegetarian fast dedicated to Guanyin, praying for his cure. The flare-ups stopped at once. After they married at twenty-one, her vow only deepened.

9. Recovery from Tuberculosis In the summer of the forty-second year of the Republic (1953), layman He Yisheng was ordered to return to Taiwan from Vietnam. He was found to have third-stage tuberculosis and admitted to the Chiayi Tuberculosis Sanatorium; X-rays showed both lungs completely dark, with several cavities—the condition was critical. No effective medicine yet existed, and many patients whose cases were milder than his died in the hospital. Only He was a vegetarian; he chanted scriptures devoutly, recited the Buddha's name and Guanyin's holy name, and regularly drank Great Compassion Water blessed by laywoman Zhou Yang Huiqing. After three years he had made a full recovery. He then took refuge with Master Nanting, received the Bodhisattva precepts, committed to lifelong vegetarianism and nianfo, and began distributing Buddhist books, printing sutras, and freeing living creatures, in gratitude for the Buddha's kindness. He has served in the Veterans Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan and in the Office of Student Affairs at National Cheng Kung University for eighteen years; his health remains robust, and he is equal to heavy responsibilities.

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第十三节

持斋脱难

1. Family and Home Spared Layman Xia Peixin worked for decades at the Shanghai News and had taken refuge with Master Yinguang; he and his wife were both devout vegetarians and nianfo practitioners. On January 28 of the twenty-first year of the Republic (1932), Japanese forces occupied Zhabei, Shanghai, and the Battle of Shanghai began. While fighting was at its worst, the whole family recited Guanyin's holy name together. Most houses in Zhabei were burned to the ground—yet the Xia residence alone was untouched. Strangely, the family was not rescued by the Nineteenth Route Army until the seventh day of the fighting, and when the war ended and they returned, not a single item in the house was missing. Without the Bodhisattva's protection, how could this have come about?

2. Looters Passed the Door By The eldest daughter-in-law of Li Hongzai of Yongchun County, Fujian, a Mrs. Zheng, had been a lifelong vegetarian. In the first lunar month of the twenty-third year of the Republic (1934), she went home to her parents' house. Just at that time, a militia unit from Nan'an and the forces of a Zhang from Dehua were in conflict over territory. Zhang held the city and the surrounding high ground, and the Nan'an side lost several engagements. The Zheng family home stood on Daling Mountain, northwest of the city—high ground overlooking the area and easy to attack. The Nan'an unit secretly sent several hundred of its fiercest fighters to occupy and loot the place for three days. Young men and women alike fled to the mountains, leaving only the old and the frail at home to mind the houses. Mrs. Zheng alone gathered the dozen or so men, women, and children of the household into the hall, where they all knelt and recited Guanyin's holy name with perfect sincerity, their voices reaching out of doors. The looters passed their gate again and again, yet not one set foot inside. The whole village was stripped bare; only this one family was left untouched.

3. All Calamities Averted In the twenty-first year of the Republic (1932), layman Luo Huixiu's whole household fell seriously ill; his wife recited the Great Compassion Mantra and they all recovered. Later he suffered badly from insomnia, made the resolve to eat vegetarian and recite the Buddha's name, and was also cured. In the first lunar month of the twenty-fifth year of the Republic (1936), he led his whole family to take refuge with Master Yinguang. When the Master asked whether they ate vegetarian, he answered that they were already lifelong vegetarians. The Master said, "The world has too heavy a load of killing karma—disasters are bound to come. Keep a lifelong vegetarian fast, recite the Buddha's name, and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Even if you're poor, you'll come to no harm." Luo thereupon set up a Buddhist hall at home and led his wife and children to keep lifelong vegetarian vows and recite the Buddha's name, adding Guanyin's holy name as well. Family members who had been frail grew strong; everything went smoothly for them. Through the great ordeal of the War of Resistance, all their neighbors were plundered—only they were spared. Year after year of warfare passed, and they never knew cold or hunger. All this came from their lifelong vegetarianism and nianfo, and from the Bodhisattva's compassionate protection.

4. Safe Alone Under the Bombs Layman Bao Zhiyuan ran a small shop in Minhang Town, Shanghai County. He was kind-hearted and honest, content with his poverty and devoted to the Way. In his later years he took refuge in the Triple Gem, kept a vegetarian diet, recited the Buddha's name, and never missed his morning and evening services. In the autumn of the twenty-sixth year of the Republic (1937) the War of Resistance broke out, and the town came under repeated air attack. Most residents fled to the countryside, but Bao, who was old and suffered from asthma, had no wish to roam. He simply kept up a steady, unflagging nianfo practice. By the twenty-sixth of September the bombing had grown so fierce that his family had all fled, leaving him alone in the house, hiding under a table with eyes closed and palms joined, reciting the Great Compassion Mantra with single-minded devotion. Suddenly a bomb fell on the neighbor's house, about two zhang (over six meters) away. Buildings on every side collapsed, stones flew onto roofs, but the house he sheltered in stood untouched. In the midst of the explosions, with eyes still closed and the mantra on his lips, he saw a streak of red light, as though several hundred divine beings were shielding him—a marvel beyond all reckoning.

5. Car Crash Averted Laywoman Zheng Wangyi-jun, wife of Kaohsiung Port Commander Zheng Baohua, had received the Bodhisattva precepts, kept a lifelong vegetarian fast, recited the Buddha's name, and was a regular devotee of Guanyin Bodhisattva—so every time she met with danger or illness she was delivered from it. On the afternoon of April 24 of the forty-ninth year of the Republic (1960), she was riding with a relative in an old Lincoln sedan to visit an old friend in Keelung. Halfway across the Xizhi Bridge, a car came speeding toward them from the opposite direction. They swerved too sharply, the car's nose shot off the bridge surface and hung in the air about to plunge down—when suddenly the car spun around in mid-air and came down tail-first. It was wrecked beyond use, but since she had been sitting in front, though the moment was terrifying, she was unharmed and walked away from the crash.

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Most people who eat meat take it as a matter of course: "I haven't done any wrong—why should I fast?" But they never consider that while they themselves are still in bed, countless butchers are out there with sharp knives, piling up evil karma on their behalf. Every day, before dawn, these men seize pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and other creatures alive, bind them, and subject them to every cruelty. The animals scream and howl in agony, their souls scattered, calling to heaven in vain with no way to flee into the earth—then their throats are seized and slit. Even after they faint from the pain, their last breath not yet gone, boiling water is poured over them to scald off their feathers or fur; iron hooks are driven through their heads so the skin can be stripped away; their bellies are cut open, their hearts torn out, intestines and lungs ripped from their bodies; heads and limbs are severed, flesh torn from bone, bodies chopped piece by piece—the torment beyond bearing. All under heaven, in the space of a single moment, hundreds of millions of living beings are slaughtered—worse than any battlefield. Countless innocent creatures ceaselessly undergo this catastrophe of knives: corpses piled as high as mountain peaks, blood running into the sea. So today, so tomorrow—the killing spreads on without end, and the boundless evil karma accumulated all comes from our eating of meat.

The Buddha says in the Shurangama Sutra: "Those who kill living beings do so mostly to provide food for humans. If humans did not eat meat, there would be no killing. Therefore, eating meat is the same crime as killing." The karmic recompense must be equal, too. The Buddha also says: "Those who harbor the thought of killing and eating meat from moment to moment will fall into the body of a hell-being or an animal." A fearful thing to contemplate.

Furthermore, we are all drifting in the six realms of rebirth. What if the creatures we eat were, in a past life, our own close relatives? What if they become our close relatives in a future life? What if, in some future life, we ourselves are reborn as such creatures, or our close relatives are? If you don't think about it, fine—but once you do, you could not swallow another bite even if you tried.

There is a saying: "One day of fasting, and the killing in the world has nothing to do with you." If everyone kept a fast, there would be no one left to slaughter living beings. Thus the merit of fasting is very great; and the merit of fasting together with nianfo and reciting Guanyin's holy name is beyond all reckoning.

Zhai (斋, "fast") originally means a time. Eating before noon is "eating at the proper time"; eating after noon is "eating at an improper time," and is not allowed. To keep this rule is called "holding a fast"—the original meaning of the word. Common usage has come to take "fasting" to mean abstaining from meat, also called "eating vegetarian," which is a derived meaning within Mahayana Buddhism; in this sense, fasting has come to be identified with abstaining from meat. Our country follows Mahayana Buddhism; ordained monks and nuns all strictly refrain from meat, and that is why so many of them live long and suffer little illness. Su (素) means plain and simple—a meal that contains no fish or flesh. To "keep vegetarian" (su) is simply not to eat fish or meat; the names differ from "fasting" but the substance is the same.

The eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, twenty-third, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of each lunar month are the Six Fast Days. Add the first, eighteenth, twenty-fourth, and twenty-eighth, and you have the Ten Fast Days. In months with only twenty-nine days, observe the fast on the twenty-ninth instead. The first, fifth, and ninth lunar months are the Three Fast Months, during which one should keep a lifelong vegetarian fast and engage in all manner of virtuous deeds.

The three sections above—showing that fasting can lengthen life and cure illness, dispel disaster and spare one from danger—are supported throughout by concrete fact, and may be taken as ironclad proof. All who love themselves and their children, and at the same time love their fellow beings, and who hope for blessings, long life, health, and peace, and wish to escape unexpected disasters, should regard fasting and abstaining from killing as the foremost, surest way to turn aside the calamities of heaven and man. I urge our countrymen everywhere, at home and abroad, to take up lifelong vegetarianism without delay. If you cannot manage that, then keep the Six Fast Days or Ten Fast Days, gradually reducing until you have completely given up flesh. Even if you have not yet fully given up meat, buy meat that is already dead and absolutely forbid the killing of living creatures in your home. Gradually, every household may come to keep the fast and refrain from killing; every person may reverently recite Guanyin's name. Then all the Buddhas will rejoice, the myriad gods will protect and bless, weapons of war will be stilled forever, disasters will be wholly dispelled, the hells will be emptied, and the sea of suffering will be left behind for all time.

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第十四节

戒淫延寿 (Abstaining from Lust to Prolong Life)

1. Lived to Eighty

Master Yinguang, the Thirteenth Patriarch of the Pure Land (Lotus) school, was born into the Zhao family of Heyang, Shaanxi. Barely six months old, his eyes fell gravely ill and he nearly lost his sight. In childhood he read the Confucian classics and once even argued against Buddhism. After several years of illness and suffering, he realized the error of his ways. At twenty-one he left home and was soon ordained with the full precepts. Reading the Longshu Pure Land Treatise, he understood that reciting the Buddha's name to be reborn in the Pure Land was the essential path to ending the cycle of birth and death in this very life. He then devoted himself wholeheartedly to Buddha-recitation, and his eye disease healed completely. Deeply convinced of the inconceivable merit of nianfo, he practiced himself and guided others with unwavering commitment to the Pure Land. At twenty-three he took up residence on Mount Putuo in the South Sea, the bodhisattva Guanyin's sacred ground, where he lived in seclusion and cultivated diligently. He then entered solitary retreat for six years, and afterward lived in a thatched hut, aspiring to dwell in Amitabha's presence day and night and to attain quickly the Samadhi of Buddha-recitation. As his learning and practice advanced together, his transforming influence spread widely, and those who took refuge with him were beyond counting.

To every inquirer—without distinction of male or female, old or young, noble or humble, virtuous or simple—he counseled filial devotion to parents, fulfilling one's social duties according to one's station, eating vegetarian, reciting the Buddha's name, refraining from killing and liberating living beings, doing no evil, and performing all good deeds, so as to lay the foundation for how one should live as a human being in the world. He urged them further to regard birth and death as truly real, to arouse the bodhi mind, to have faith and resolve in Buddha-recitation, to recite Guanyin's name as well, to seek rebirth in the Western Land, and to escape the wheel of rebirth forever—urging them to follow this practice sincerely as a shortcut to transcending the ordinary and entering the sage's path. Those who followed his teaching and attained rebirth in the West were likewise too numerous to count.

He also valued Zhou Anshi's book Returning the Mad Seas of Desire, which records in thorough detail cases both ancient and modern of those who abstained from lust and gained blessings, and those who violated chastity and brought disaster upon themselves—accounts that stir people to deep reflection. In the seventh year of the Republic, he specially published an edition of the Complete Works of Mr. Anshi. In the eighth year he carved separate printings of Returning the Mad Seas and Ten Thousand Good Deeds as Primary Provision. In the tenth year he solicited funds to print over a hundred thousand miniature editions of the Complete Works of Mr. Anshi. In the sixteenth year he revised and expanded the Ink Reminder into the Precious Mirror of Longevity and Health, which was printed and widely distributed, kindly urging young men and women to restrain desire, abstain from lust, and guard their bodies as precious jade, that all might enjoy the blessings of wealth, longevity, and robust health, and forever be free from poverty, illness, and early death.

In the twenty-sixth year, seeing the miasma of killing spreading everywhere, he composed a special proclamation urging all people across the globe to recite Guanyin's holy name together, hoping that all might share in peace and rejoice in heavenly constancy. He constantly recited the Great Compassion Mantra, using it to bless water, rice, and incense ashes to rescue those in critical illness, and remarkable effects were frequently observed. He upheld the pure precepts strictly and lived frugally. Whatever offerings and incense money faithful devotees gave, he channeled entirely into planting fields of merit—donating to emergency relief, saving the starving and poor, and founding the Propagation Society (Honghua She), which printed and distributed over five million copies of sutras and more than a million images of the Buddha. On the fourth day of the eleventh month of the twenty-ninth year, seated in serene departure with a smile at Lingyan Mountain, he lived eighty years and had sixty monastic years. His cremation yielded over a hundred multicolored śarīra pearls, over a thousand śarīra flowers of various sizes and blood śarīra, his teeth all preserved, and his cranial bone split like a lotus blossom.

2. Lived to a Hundred and Twenty

Venerable Master Xu Yun (Empty Cloud), whose secular surname was Xiao, was a native of Xiangtan, Hunan. His father Yutang served as an assistant magistrate in Yongchun Prefecture, Fujian, during the Daoguang eighteenth year (戊戌). His mother, née Yan, past forty and distressed at having no heir, went the following year to a Guanyin temple outside the city to pray for a son. Both dreamt of a figure with a long beard, wearing a blue robe, riding a tiger with Guanyin on his head, who leapt onto the bed. They woke startled and told each other, and she conceived. In the twentieth year (庚子) the family moved to Quanzhou Prefecture for his father's post, and on the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month she gave birth to a ball of flesh. The mother fainted in shock; an old medicine vendor cut it open to reveal a baby boy, who was then raised by his stepmother, née Wang. From birth he ate only vegetarian food, took no pleasure in worldly texts, and rejoiced whenever he saw Buddhist scriptures or images. Reading the Mount Xiang Biography, which tells of Guanyin Bodhisattva's path to enlightenment, left a deep impression on him, and accompanying his uncle to offer incense at Nanyue, he did not wish to return home. His father, perceiving his son's aspiration to leave the world, grew concerned and arranged for him to marry two women, surnamed Tian and Tan respectively, but he remained uncontaminated by either. Seizing an opportunity, he escaped to Yongquan Temple on Drum Mountain, was ordained and took the precepts, then dwelt in rock caves, drinking mountain water, eating pine needles and wild greens, never touching cooked human food. His strength increased daily; his hearing and sight grew keen, and he walked as if flying.

Yet the great matter was not yet clarified, so he set out on pilgrimage. At thirty-eight, traveling by boat between Ningbo and Hangzhou with men and women crowded together, in the middle of the night a woman beside him suddenly stroked his lower body and began to disrobe and embrace him. He leapt up at once into full-lotus meditation and thus avoided disgrace. Such was his resolve in keeping the precepts of pure eating and abstaining from lust. Remembering that he had not seen his mother since birth, he set out in the seventh month of the eighth year of the Guangxu reign, going east to the South Sea and north to pay homage at Wutai. Beginning from the Fahua Hermitage on Putuo, he burned incense and bowed three steps at a time. On the way, beset by illness and blocked by wind and snow, he was moved when Manjushri Bodhisattva, manifesting as a man named Wenji, praised his rare filial heart and rescued him twice. After three such years, he finally reached Wutai. Later, at King Ashoka Temple in Ningbo, he bowed to four sets of Buddhist relics, and despite illness, burned off a finger in gratitude for his mother's kindness. Astonishingly, after the burning he rose on his own to bow and give thanks, unaware of any illness—onlookers all marveled at the rarity of such a deed. Such was his supreme filial devotion.

He later became a eminent Chan master, restoring great ancient monasteries including Jizu, Yunqi, Gushan, Nanhua, Yunmen, and Yunju. In the fourth month of the fortieth year of the Republic, he was beaten to death by bandits, but several days later revived and said: "I dreamed I went to the Inner Court of Tushita and heard Maitreya Bodhisattva preach. Since my karmic bonds were not yet finished, I was told to return; I shall come again later." On the thirteenth day of the tenth month of the forty-eighth year (己亥), he entered stillness at Zhenru Temple on Yunju Mountain. He lived one hundred and twenty years, with one hundred and one monastic years. His cremation yielded over a thousand śarīra.

3. Exceeded Seventy

Master Tijing, courtesy name Renrui, was a native of Macheng, Hubei, born into the Ye family. From birth he was bright and exceptional. As a youth he pursued commerce, but perceiving the body to be the root of suffering, he was suddenly awakened and left home. He soon received the full precepts and served at the Dharma Realm Academy of Yongquan Temple on Drum Mountain, where he drew close to Master Cizhou and deepened his understanding of precepts and Pure Land practice. He successively served as abbot of Nanshan Temple in Datong, Puzhao Temple in Nanjing, and Gude Zhengjue Temple in Wuhan, and founded the Shila Hermitage on Castle Peak in Hong Kong and the Buddhist Ocean Lotus Society in Kowloon. His monastic rules were strict, and he practiced nianfo and the recitation of Guanyin's holy name with unflagging diligence. Wherever he went, he always upheld precepts and Pure Land practice himself and guided others accordingly, and the number of those taking refuge grew daily. In the summer of the fifty-sixth year of the Republic he led his disciples to Taiwan and established the Dharma Realm Hermitage in Shulin, Taipei County. The following year, on the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month, he rose at dawn and took his morning rice gruel as usual. Suddenly he made out his will, saying he had dreamt the previous night that someone delivered a letter—a sign of his rebirth. From that day onward he told them no more food need be prepared. Though he was sent successively to Zhongxing Hospital and Mackay Memorial Hospital, he firmly refused the nurses' attempts to wipe his sweat and grime, fearing that a woman's hand touching his body would violate the precepts. He checked himself out of the hospital. Even on his deathbed, he upheld the precept against lust with such rigor. On the seventeenth day of the intercalary seventh month he passed into stillness with a smile; five hours later his crown was still warm. He lived seventy-one years, with forty-two monastic years. His cremation yielded a great many multicolored śarīra.

4. Chastity Prolongs Life

Upasaka Cai Mu Lin Guide (Mrs. Lin Guide), mother of the renowned physician Cai Youyun of Chao'an, lost her husband early. Sensing the impermanence of human life, she vowed to maintain her chastity, ate vegetarian, and recited the Buddha's name, taking the daily recitation of Amitabha and Guanyin's holy names as her regular practice. Gentle and kind by nature, she constantly enlightened others with the doctrine of cause and effect and never tired of doing good. The establishment of the Chao'an Women's Rejoicing-in-the-West Society owed its existence in truth to her efforts. She had always been healthy. In the twelfth month of the twenty-first year of the Republic, she caught a mild illness and recited the Buddha's name with even greater diligence. On the fifth day of the third month of the following year, she suddenly told Upasaka Wang Fuquan: "Tomorrow I shall be reborn in the West. Please arrange things kindly." Upasaka Guo Huide immediately led society members to take turns assisting in recitation. The next morning at ten o'clock, she pressed her palms together and told the assembly: "Bodhisattva Guanyin has come to welcome me. Please all recite Guanyin's holy name." The assembly complied, and she passed away with a smile, having lived seventy-seven years.

5. Chastity, Filial Devotion, Longevity, and Health

Upasika Xiong Shushen, dharma name Changrong, was the daughter of Xiong Kongtang of Liangshan, Sichuan. Deep were her roots of goodness; from childhood she was attuned to the Buddha's teachings and understood profoundly that the four elements are like an illusion and the five aggregates are devoid of self. She resolved never to marry, intending to study the Buddha-Dharma in quest of liberation. When her parents arranged a betrothal with the son of a distinguished family, she was then sixteen and vowed she would rather die than submit. She fasted for seven days to demonstrate her resolve, and relatives intervened to call it off. She took refuge with Master Huizong of Shuanggui Hall, set up a Buddha shrine at home, and burned incense and recited the Buddha's name and Guanyin's holy name daily with unflagging diligence. She ate simply, dressed plainly, and found joy in contentment. At nineteen she lost her mother; she built a thatched hut beside the grave, reciting sutras and the Buddha's name to dedicate merit to her mother and transfer it to the Pure Land, without pause through heat or cold. After three years of mourning, she used her private savings to purchase several acres of wasteland beside the Xiong family ancestral hall and built the Pure Karma Temple, seeking to escape the commotion of family life. Generous giving and helping the poor gave her particular joy. Her father allotted her two hundred dan of rented paddy fields for her lifelong use. When her father passed away, she again lived in a hut by his grave for three years, mourning and reciting as she had at her mother's death. Throughout her life she enjoyed robust health without illness. On the twenty-seventh day of the third month of the thirty-seventh year of the Republic, she suddenly asked people to assist in recitation, yet remained as clear-minded as ever, reciting the Buddha's name without cease, and departed peacefully with a smile at the age of seventy-one. A strange fragrance instantly filled the hall, and celestial music sounded in the air. More than ten hours later, her crown was still warm and her face as in life.

According to the Hinayana Śrāvaka precepts, the body must not commit the offense; according to the Mahayana Bodhisattva precepts, the mind must not even entertain the thought. China follows Mahayana Buddhism, and all monks and nuns strictly uphold precepts against lust and killing, governing both body and mind. The Essentials of Liberation says: "If a practitioner goes for several decades without the mind of lust stirring, the essence and marrow will congeal and gradually form śarīra." The numerous śarīra of the masters mentioned above amply prove their strict keeping of the precept against lust and unmoving minds of desire. The laywomen Mrs. Cai and Miss Xiong, who firmly maintained chastity, did not display śarīra because they were not cremated. All received the blessing and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas: in life they enjoyed blessings, longevity, health, and peace; in death each was reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss or in Tushita Heaven. Their merit, blessings, and longevity are indeed immeasurable.

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Section 15

戒淫愈病 (Abstaining from Lust to Heal Illness)

1. All Illnesses Completely Healed

Upasaka Maozhang, in his youth ignorant of self-regard, delighted in reading lewd novels and fell into the offense of self-abuse, damaging the body received from his parents. After taking faith in Buddhism, though he repented bitterly and vowed to abstain from unchastity, relying on the Buddha's blessing to rid himself of this evil habit, his constitution had already been injured. In the summer of the thirty-third year of the Republic, while working in Shanghai, he overtaxed himself, caught a slight chill, and first suffered diarrhea, then developed fever. After seeming recovery, overwork brought a relapse, and he was bedridden for over a month. In early winter he returned home to visit his aging mother and recuperate. Seeing her strong and well filled him with boundless joy. He set up a Buddha shrine at home and recited Amitabha's and Guanyin's holy names daily. He urged his mother to eat vegetarian and recite the Buddha's name; she agreed gladly, bringing him even greater gladness. After staying home for over a month, without summoning a doctor or taking any medicine, his health improved daily. The following spring, however, due to a cold and cough, indiscreet eating, and excessive mental strain, his illness flared again. After recovery he still felt listless, unable to work, and frequently suffered headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, poor digestion, and poor appetite. Medicines proved ineffective. Reflecting that his old mother depended on him, he wondered: if I were to pass away like this, what would become of her? For a time he was overwhelmed with worry, unable to sleep or eat. He then respectfully invited Master Desen of Lingyan to give him instruction:

"The length of one's lifespan is determined by karma; human effort can hardly alter it. What use is there in grieving? You need only apply yourself diligently to Buddha-recitation. If your allotted lifespan is indeed short and you cannot complete your support of your mother, what good is worry? However, if you can keep a vegetarian diet, abstain from lust, sincerely recite the Buddha's name, repent past karma, and add to it the mind of filial devotion, then perhaps you may rely on the blessed power of the Three Treasures to eliminate evil karma and transform a short span into long life—but it depends on whether your resolve is vast and sincere, and whether your practice is earnest and steady."

Hearing this, Maozhang was at once freed from worry. He redoubled his sincerity and practice, following Master Yinguang's instruction: considering oneself as already dead, then there is nothing difficult to relinquish or cling to—only single-minded Buddha-recitation. He then read the Records of Guanyin's Spiritual Inspiration and resolved to recite the Universal Gate chapter daily, and in spare moments to recite Guanyin's holy name, humbly praying that past karma be eradicated, his roots of goodness grow, illness be quickly healed, he might in this life complete his care of his mother and at death be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. He also prayed that his late father be reborn in the Western Land to enjoy supreme bliss, and that his aged mother gain increased blessings and longevity and recite the Buddha's name with greater diligence. After three months thus, he received the Blessed One's compassionate protection: all his illnesses were completely cured and his spirit grew even better.

2. Demons Depart, Illness Heals

Upasaka Lu Zhutian, a native of Tongxi in Yongjia, came from a moderately well-off farming family. By nature honest and simple, he took refuge in the Three Treasures and constantly recited Guanyin's holy name. His wife, née Zhang, was forty-three years old and had borne six daughters. On the night of the thirteenth day of the eighth month of the twenty-second year of the Republic, a strange sound was suddenly heard inside the house. She got up and invited her sisters-in-law to investigate, but nothing could be seen. Then eerie noises began from the rooftop, like the cry of an owl. She became dazed and confused, unable to swallow food, and was often heard saying: "Two spirits have possessed me—one is the Great Dharma Master who eats vegetarian, the other is the Third Grand Uncle who eats meat." When some doubted this, visions of a great serpent or a foot-long centipede would appear and vanish in an instant. Prayers and exorcisms proved useless, and her condition worsened daily. Lu, at his wit's end, pleaded with Bodhisattva Guanyin for salvation. Suddenly, speaking through Zhang's body, [the spirit] said:

"Your fate now calls for death, but I observe that you and your husband live harmoniously, and your husband is honest, sincere, and faithful to the Buddha. I shall silently bless you with an extension of twenty years. You should cast off your household burdens, go to Yixin Temple to become a lay-nun, keep lifelong vegetarian and recite the Buddha's name, and cultivate your future causes."

[The spirit] also urged Lu to summon an elderly lay-nun to the house for instructions and chose the thirteenth day of the ninth month for Zhang's entry into the temple. As she was about to leave, she told Zhang: "Recite the Buddha's name single-mindedly; do not think of household affairs. If any urgent difficulty arises, I shall help you. When your husband comes to the temple, he may only stay for lunch; it is not convenient for him to lodge there." The admonitions resembled those of a family patriarch, and all who heard them were astonished. Once Zhang entered the temple, the demons immediately ceased. Though her body was still emaciated and weak, within only a few days she began eating heartily beyond her usual, and her illness vanished as if swept away.

3. Brain Inflammation Instantly Heals

Sheng Baoying, daughter of Upasaka Sheng Zongpu of Nantong, Jiangsu. On the second day of the fourth month of the thirty-third year of the Republic, she suddenly contracted meningitis—losing consciousness and clenching her jaws—her condition extremely grave, and doctors were all at a loss. It happened that the Nantong Buddhist Pure Karma Society was holding a seven-day Buddha-recitation retreat to celebrate the Buddha's birthday. Her father went to the retreat hall and sincerely prayed, making a vow on her behalf that she would never marry, keep lifelong vegetarian, and recite the Buddha's name, begging for her recovery. He also prayed to Bodhisattva Guanyin for a cup of Great Compassion Water. After the first dose there was visible improvement; after the second, her unconsciousness and clenched jaws were relieved; after the third, she sweated all over, all symptoms vanished, and she was completely cured. On the eighth day she went in person to the Buddha hall, burned incense to give thanks, and circumambulated the altar reciting the Buddha's name just like any well person—all marveled at the rarity of such a thing.

According to Zhou Anshi's Returning the Mad Seas of Desire, in advising those who seek longevity: "There are many ways to harm life, but the licentious are certain to die. Yet people in the world do not awaken at the threshold of lust even in old age. When the fire of lust stirs, thoughts of desire arise; when desire arises, essence and vital force are further depleted; as they deplete, the fire of lust burns more fiercely, each feeding the other, and death arrives at once. Some even take heating medicines to fan the flame and aid lust, scorching the five organs—how much worse the disaster. As for the loss of hidden virtue and the shortening of lifespan, there is no need to mention them. How can those who aspire to long life walk this same ruinous path?"

The Precious Mirror of Longevity and Health includes the verse on abstaining from lust by Huang Xiaozhi: "The disaster of lust is the greatest. Not only illicit encounters—even conjugal relations with wife or concubine that are slightly excessive, or lying alone with the mind dwelling on lustful thoughts, are enough to cause illness and cost one's life. One must be vigilant. The Daoist classics say: 'When a person's thoughts of desire do not stir, the essence and vital force spread smoothly through the five organs, nourishing the hundred vessels. But once desire stirs, the fire of lust blazes fiercely, drawing in the five organs; essence and marrow overflow and pour out through the Gate of Destiny. Even before they have been released, once the mind of desire has moved, it is like a fierce fire burning water in a cauldron—it evaporates instantly, and soon the water dries and the cauldron explodes.' This is solid evidence of how greatly lustful thoughts injure the body. I hope that people in the world who are ill may heal themselves—nothing more is needed than to straighten the mind and govern it with reverence."

Therefore, the three prohibitions of the Confucian school place desire first, and the many precepts established by the Buddha place lust at the head. Though for laypeople only unchastity is forbidden, even husband and wife should practice restraint. Maozhang, who committed self-abuse in youth, reaped the karmic recompense of a weak and ailing body. Fortunately, by a single thought of filial devotion, seeking to complete his care of his mother, and reciting Guanyin's name, he was freed from lustful desire and healed. Lu's wife, because of the disharmony in her marriage and a single thought of lust, drew demonic possession and grew gravely ill—the harm of unbridled desire. But because her husband recited Guanyin's name, she received blessed rescue: she was told to enter the temple as a lay-nun, and her husband was not allowed to lodge there—cutting off lust. She immediately ate heartily beyond her usual—the effect of cutting off lust. The daughter Sheng, whose meningitis was critical, recovered immediately when vows were made on her behalf that she would never marry, keep lifelong vegetarian, and recite the Buddha's name.

We earnestly urge young men and women: to preserve health and fulfill responsibilities, refrain from early marriage, and especially avoid watching erotic films or reading lewd novels, lest they arouse thoughts of desire and bring illness and death upon themselves. If beset by much lustful desire, constantly recite the name of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara with reverence, and you will be freed from desire and share together the blessings of wealth, longevity, health, and peace, forever free from poverty, illness, and early death.

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Section 16

Abstaining from Lewdness to Escape Calamity

1. Three Shots, Yet He Lived

Master Jinzhuo was a native of Taizhou. He left home at eight to become a monk, and shortly after receiving the full precepts his teacher instructed him in the Great Compassion Mantra and the holy name of Guanyin. He recited the mantra forty-eight times each day and devoted his remaining hours to chanting the holy name, without ever lapsing. He regarded fame and fortune as bubbles and shadows, and was wholly free of habitual appetites and attachments. When he healed the sick they recovered at once, yet he never accepted payment. Asked his method, he would only say, "Recite the name of Bodhisattva Guanyin."

In the seventeenth year of the Republic, when bandits came to rob the small temple where he was staying, they found nothing but his threadbare patchwork robe. In their fury they shot him—two bullets struck his right forehead, one his right arm. He did not die. He recovered quickly, and the bullet scars remained clearly visible. This must surely have been karma accumulated over many lifetimes: a grave debt repaid but lightly.

The following summer he went to stay briefly at the Ashoka Temple in Ningbo. When the monk in charge pressed him to move on, he said, "I shan't be here long. I am about to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Please be compassionate!" On the nineteenth day of the tenth month he told the assembly, "Bodhisattva Guanyin, holding a silver platform, appears before me. Within three days I shall pass on. I urge my fellow cultivators to recite the Buddha's name in earnest, or if not, to recite Guanyin—single-mindedly calling the name, you will surely be reborn. The Buddha does not speak falsely." The assembly thought him out of his mind.

On the morning of the twenty-first, after completing prostrations in each hall, he asked the monk in charge for leave, saying, "At one o'clock this afternoon I shall be reborn in the West." They still thought him raving. At nine he entered the refectory and ate two bowls of rice as usual. When the hour arrived, he passed away in perfect peace.

2. The Robbers Passed Him By

Master Ruishan, whose name was Jijing, was of the Liu clan and a native of Huian County, Fujian. At twenty-nine he heard Master Zhuanchu of Xuefeng Temple lecture on the Amitabha Sutra and thereupon took ordination under him. After receiving the full precepts he lived a life of rigorous purity. He made three pilgrimages to Mount Putuo to venerate Bodhisattva Guanyin, then returned to southern Fujian, giving his heart to the Pure Land and guiding others along the path—urging them to hold renown and profit at a distance, to abstain from lewdness and killing, and to recite the names of Amitabha and Guanyin diligently. His instructions were plain and direct, never couched in abstruse terms.

In his later years he lived at Wanshouyan on Mount Heshen outside Quanzhou. When bandits once came to raid the temple, they searched every building; the master, however, sat cross-legged in stable composure, calmly reciting the holy name, and the bandits never entered his room—he was spared.

In the twelfth month of the twenty-third year of the Republic he showed signs of a mild illness, refused all medicine, and recited the Buddha's name single-mindedly, praying to be reborn in the Pure Land. On the morning of the sixteenth he passed away in perfect composure: his body cooled, his crown remained warm, and his complexion shone fresh and clear.

3. Three Shots That Wouldn't Fire

Master Qingjing, a disciple's nephew of Master Tanxu, lived at a small village temple in Chaoyang County, Rehe. He recited the Lotus Sutra as his daily practice, and whenever pressed for time would at least recite the Universal Gate chapter of the Guanyin Sutra once.

In the twenty-eighth year of the Republic, the Japanese forces conducted a mopping-up sweep through Chaoyang, issuing an order that wherever bandits had passed, civilians must resist them; anyone giving them food or shelter would be treated as a bandit himself. Master Qingjing was riding a donkey to market and stopped for the night at a Taoist temple. Bandits also came to eat and sleep there, and left before dawn. When the Japanese soldiers arrived, they bound everyone in the temple and led them off to a sandbank for execution. After shooting four Taoist priests, they turned to the master and fired three times—yet none of the rifles went off. Startled, they demanded what sorcery he was using. The master replied, "I have no sorcery at all. I was only reciting the name of Bodhisattva Guanyin, praying to be reborn soon." The Japanese, who held deep faith in the bodhisattva's responsiveness, ordered him released and called him the Iron-Headed Arhat. After he returned to the temple, the countryfolk all called him the Iron Arhat. He is now in his sixties and is welcomed and offered alms wherever he goes.

This is what the Universal Gate chapter refers to: "If any person, facing imminent harm, calls the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, the weapons wielded against him shall break apart piece by piece, and he shall gain release." The instruments of killing differ from age to age, but the deliverance from peril is one and the same.

4. Safe Through Every Danger

The laywoman Dai Huifang was a native of Liyang, Jiangsu. She came into the world with latent spiritual roots. At eight she lost her mother; her stepmother treated her poorly, so she went to live with her maternal aunt in Yixing. The aunt was a devout Buddhist, and Dai likewise gave her heart entirely to the Three Jewels, reciting the Buddha's name morning and evening. She trained as a family nurse, and when she went to Shanghai she met her cousin, the laywoman Guo Huixiu; they lived together and became the closest of friends. Through her cousin she took up residence at the World Lay Buddhists' Society and gave her heart fully to the Pure Land.

When war erupted on August 13 of the twenty-sixth year of the Republic, longing to see her aunt, she bought passage on a boat and went west, her hair tangled, her clothes soiled. Hardship upon hardship, she endured—but reciting the name of Bodhisattva Guanyin single-mindedly, she was carried safely through to Hucha Town in Yixing, where she was reunited with her aunt. The fighting was at its height, beacon fires burning across the land, yet she felt no fear at all. She simply continued reciting the holy name of Guanyin day and night without slackening, and lived in the countryside for a year in perfect safety.

She later returned to Shanghai and resumed her stay at the Lay Buddhists' Society. In mid-August of the twenty-eighth year she fell gravely ill. Knowing her end was near, she said to Guo, "I've depended on you for half my life as if you were my own kin. I'm sorry to trouble you with what follows. I've kept my lifelong maiden purity; there's no need for the funeral parlor to wash or dress me. If my joints are too stiff to allow me to sit upright at the end, cremation within the coffin will do. In any case, this very mind is the Buddha, and the Pure Land is never apart from a single thought—how could it depend on outward forms?"

Asked whether she had any lingering concerns, she answered, "For one who recites the Buddha's name, the whole point is liberation at the hour of death—what concern could remain?" Throughout her illness she recited the holy name of Guanyin with unwavering devotion. On the evening of the seventh day of the ninth month she joined her palms, called out the holy name, and passed away in perfect composure.

The way of heaven blesses the good and punishes the lewd. Because lewdness stands foremost among evils, it is punished; because abstaining from lewdness stands foremost among virtues, it is blessed. The Sutra Spoken by the Seven Buddhas on the Extinction of Sins says: "One who keeps the precept against lewdness is guarded by five good spirits." The Sutra of the Buddha's Entry into Nirvana says: "One who abstains from unlawful sexual acts gains five kinds of merit: first, the praise of many; second, fearlessness before the magistrate; third, a peaceful and stable life; fourth, rebirth in the heavens at death; fifth, the ultimate attainment of the Way." How much more so, then, for one who recites the holy name of Guanyin and receives immediate protection. Each account recorded in this section is of one who strictly kept the precept against lewdness, or who preserved lifelong chastity, and was guarded by Guanyin and the good spirits. Their present reward is a life of safety; their future reward, rebirth in the Pure Land; and the ultimate attainment of the Way, beyond all doubt.

Section Seventeen

Sincerity Opens Wisdom

1. His Limbs Healed, His Wisdom Unfolded

Master Daoming was born during the Daoguang reign of the Qing dynasty. His feet had been crippled since childhood, so his parents sent him into the monastery. After receiving the full precepts, he resolved with perfect sincerity to bow in the Great Compassion Repentance and to recite the holy name of Guanyin. One night he dreamed that Bodhisattva Guanyin invited him to bathe; the water was ready, and after bathing he could no longer see the bodhisattva, but his two feet felt perfectly at ease. By morning he could get out of bed and walk like anyone else. From then on his wisdom unfolded day by day, and he went on reciting the holy name without break for the rest of his life. When he passed away he was buried to the right of Huating Temple in Kunming, and a stele was erected in his memory.

In the twelfth year of the Republic, when Master Xu Yun rebuilt the Seven-Assembly Stupa at Huating Temple and, upon its completion, invited everyone to move their remains into it on account of the poor orientation of the old graves beside the temple, ants had already begun to eat into Master Daoming's coffin. He was laid to rest in an octagonal seven-tiered stupa—a small token of the depth of his practice.

2. Fortune Awakens the Mind

In the early years of the Republic, in Taixing County, Jiangsu, there was a small temple with only two residents: an old monk and his novice. The novice was a boy of barely fifteen whose scalp was afflicted with scrofula, making him strikingly ugly, yet he was honest and diligent, and the old monk was fond of him. The elder set him a most rigorous schedule: study every day, even though the boy was dull and seemed unable to learn no matter how many times he was taught—but he was very capable when it came to chores.

Each night, when prostrating before Bodhisattva Guanyin, he had to do so with wholehearted devotion until the bodhisattva waved her hand—only then was he allowed to sleep. The old monk was addicted to opium, and his quarters lay directly behind the Guanyin Hall, separated by a single plank partition. He bored a small hole through it, ran a black thread through, and secretly tied the thread to the hand of the statue (which was already jointed); a tug on the thread made the hand wave. Each night, once his opium craving was satisfied and he was ready for sleep, he would pull the thread a few times; the novice, seeing the bodhisattva wave, would happily stop his prostrations and go to bed—and so it went for years, without fail.

One day the old monk went out to visit a friend and was held over by rain. He hurried back the next morning and asked whether the novice had prostrated the night before. The boy answered that he had stopped only after the bodhisattva waved. Secretly astonished—unsure whether it was the bodhisattva's working or the boy's deception—the old monk that night, after smoking, deliberately did not pull the thread, then went to check. He found the novice already asleep, woke him with delight, and asked, "Did the bodhisattva wave tonight?" The boy answered, "She did." Now sure the bodhisattva had truly manifested, the monk gave him a special word of advice: "Tomorrow night, when the bodhisattva waves for you, kneel and ask her to open your wisdom. Don't forget, whatever happens!" The boy nodded his assent again and again—and his fortune, as they say, had touched his mind.

The next night he kept up his customary devout prostrations. When the bodhisattva waved, he knelt and would not rise, kneeling again and again to plead for the opening of wisdom. The bodhisattva, true to her compassion, granted his plea: she stepped down from her seat, dipped a willow branch into the dew in her vase, and let a few drops fall into his mouth; then she returned to her place and sat motionless again. The novice felt as though waking from a dream—his mouth sweet with fragrance, his whole body cool and at ease, his heart brimming with joy.

The next morning he told his master what had happened. The old monk was beside himself with joy and praised him again and again: "Excellent! Excellent! My disciple, your heart is loyal and sincere; from now on you shall gain unfathomable wisdom—how glad I am, how I congratulate you! Be sure to give rise to the Bodhi mind, work hard to save sentient beings, and repay the Buddha's kindness as your foremost duty!" The boy bowed and withdrew. From then on he was sharp and capable, as if a different person: any text the master assigned, one reading was enough to memorize it. The master esteemed him all the more, and held nothing back in his teaching.

Then the great families of the county suddenly resolved to hold a major Water-and-Land Dharma Assembly. All the monks of the county, great and small, were invited, and the novice went along with his master. He was met with sidelong glances; the presiding monk in particular looked down on him. Hurt, he conceived a mischievous plan. On the closing day, as the great offering before the Buddha was about to be made, he picked up the formal liturgy text laid before the Buddha, read it carefully through, and burned it. The presiding monk flew into a rage, for the document listed thousands of lay patrons' names, and there was no time to recopy it, much less any draft to work from. The presiding monk shoved the responsibility onto the novice, pointing at him and saying, "The disaster is yours. You'll be the one to read it out at the ceremony. If anything goes wrong, don't blame me for being discourteous." The novice smiled and said, "What's the hurry? If you want me to read it, I'll read it!"

When the moment came to intone "Namo the Three Jewels of the Great Vehicle," he calmly took up the incense according to ritual and began to chant the text aloud—from beginning to end, without omitting a single character, clear and distinct, his voice resonant as a Vedic chant hanging in the rafters. Every lay patron heard his or her own family name spoken, and all rejoiced greatly. Afterward they came to thank him one by one, and everyone regarded him in a new light. The presiding monk above all was utterly astonished. As for the master, seeing his beloved disciple startle the assembly with a single feat, he could scarcely contain his joy. The novice had won the blessing of unfailing memory; his fame was only beginning.

3. From Illness, Wisdom

The laywoman He Guifang, given name Lianzeng, Dharma name Dingxian, was a native of Suzhou. She loved to help others and give to those in need, and was widely known as "He the Good Person." She took refuge with Master Yinguang, adopted a vegetarian diet, recited the Buddha's name, and opened the Gongde Lin vegetarian restaurant so that others might conveniently avoid the karma of taking life.

In a certain year of the Republic, a great drought struck Suzhou. She was then over seventy, and went to Guangfu to receive the statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin and pray for rain. Along the way she prayed with uttermost sincerity; on the return boat a downpour came, soaking the holy statue. Distressed at this, she threw her whole body over the image to shelter it from wind and rain. After reaching Suzhou she fell gravely ill from her soaked clothes. When she recovered, wisdom suddenly blossomed in her: previously unable to recognize a single character, she could now read all the sutras at a glance and remember them perfectly.

On the ninth day of the eighth month of the thirty-eighth year of the Republic, she sat in meditation reciting the Buddha's name and passed away in perfect composure, at the age of eighty. The next day, when her body was prepared for the coffin, it remained pliant and warmth lingered at the crown.

4. A Flood of Inspiration

The laywoman Xie Bingying, before taking refuge in the Three Jewels, had read books on the responsiveness of Bodhisattva Guanyin and doubted whether such things could really be true. It was only when, writing her long novel Red Beans at the Jingxiu Hermitage in Xizhi, Taipei, her inspiration ran completely dry—so that she simply could not go on writing—that she prayed in earnest to Bodhisattva Guanyin. A miracle followed: inspiration came flooding in, her pen flew across the page, and in just a week she had finished. She recorded this in an afterword to the book.

In the sixty-second year of the Republic, she undertook a two-week closed retreat at Jinshan Temple together with the laywoman Xu Yijun, and suddenly her mind felt clear and fresh. Passages in the sutras she had not understood before became intelligible in an instant. Though she had written no poetry for decades, in half an hour she composed fifteen poems; though she had never learned to paint, she suddenly found she could draw the bodhisattva's image—inconceivable, truly. From then on, whether taking her daily walk or working, she would constantly recite the Buddha's name; her heart felt light, and she found she could actually set aside fatigue and dispel worries. Before any piece of writing she would silently ask Bodhisattva Guanyin to grant her inspiration so that she might finish in a single breath. She has since published her prose collections The Compassionate Deer King, Princess Shanguang, and Guanyin's Lotus, among others.

An ancient teacher once said, "All blessings and wisdom are obtained from sincere reverence." Master Daoming's healed feet and opened wisdom, the novice's fortune awakening his mind, He Guifang's wisdom born from illness, and Xie Bingying's flood of inspiration—all arose from sincerity and reverence.

Section Eighteen

Sincerity Obtains Fame and Fortune

1. Husband Honored, Son Exalted

Dong Huixin lived at No. 2, Lane 131, Xiamen Street, Taipei City. When she was fifty-eight, she had only one son, frail and unable to apply himself to his studies. After she devotedly recited the White-Robed Divine Mantra on his behalf, his health gradually grew strong and his academic progress became remarkable. Each year he received a scholarship, and upon graduating from college he went abroad to America, where he earned a doctorate—all the while never ceasing his recitation. Her husband is a university professor; one may truly say "the husband is honored and the son is exalted," with the household flourishing—all owing to the silent, efficacious blessing of the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin.

2. Fame Won, Profit Gained

Madam Gao Lin was a native of Linsen County, Fujian. In the twenty-seventh year of the Republic she came to Taiwan with her husband and son. Her eldest, Jiakuang, was bright and diligent, and in the forty-fifth year he passed the self-financed study-abroad examination for America. Her husband, an honest civil servant, was hard-pressed to raise the necessary funds. Because he had long revered Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, he went and prayed most earnestly. Then two friends he scarcely knew—with whom he had little or no affection—suddenly appeared and generously agreed to lend him a large sum, enabling his son to depart smoothly for America. There he earned master's and doctoral degrees, and took up a professorship at an American university with excellent pay. In the fifty-fifth year he was invited back to lecture, his name becoming known both at home and abroad—all bestowed by the Bodhisattva.

3. Profit from Commerce

Li Zihua ran the Shengji Paper Shop on Wazi Street in Hankou. Years of decline had sapped his business. He took refuge in Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and morning and evening poured his heart into reciting the mantra. Suddenly business flourished and wealth poured in. Truly, those who sincerely seek wealth gain wealth—the response unfailing.

4. Slowly Things Take a Turn

Layman Liu Daguan, given name Di, was a native of Zhongshan County, Guangdong. As a boy he had seen villagers venerating Avalokiteśvara, and heard an old woman say, "When sudden trouble comes, sincerely call the Holy Name of Guanyin and you'll be saved." He didn't believe it at first. In the autumn of the thirty-eighth year, when Guangdong fell to the bandits, he escaped alone to Hong Kong. Tossed in the sea of people, he struggled to live. By chance he came upon a copy of Records of Spiritual Responses to the White-Robed Divine Mantra, which he took up and recited. Over the next several years his fortunes gradually improved, and he managed to apply for entry to Taiwan. Continuing his devout recitation for a hundred days, miracles appeared time and again—whatever he sought came about as if by unseen assistance. So moved was he by the responses that he wrote a preface and reprinted the Records for free distribution, hoping all who suffered and longed for rescue would recite devoutly and find shelter.

5. A Dream Recommends a New Job

Laywoman Kuan-chin had moved to Hanxi in Taichung. After she was spared from a fire through the Bodhisattva's blessing, her recitation of the Buddha's name deepened. Her eldest son still lived in her hometown of Wuqi; her second son had died young; and the third, Chuan, on whom she depended, was about to be conscripted. With no means of support, she earnestly implored Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva:

"This laywoman Kuan-chin has a third son entering the Marines for three years. I earn only five dollars a day at a shoe factory and can barely keep body and soul together. I'm past fifty, illiterate, and can't find other work. I beg the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful One, rescuer of suffering and reliever of distress, to find me a better-paying job so I can survive these three years."

Morning and evening she pleaded. One night she dreamed the Bodhisattva appearing as a young girl, who said, "If you want a good job, when you take your lunchbox to work tomorrow morning, you must take the back road. A benefactor will help you there."

Dawn came. Half in doubt, she took the back road. Midway, a young lady smiled and asked, "Are you Kuan-chin, on your way to the shoe factory?" She hastily said yes, and the young lady led her at once into the Guangyuan Flour Mill, where Chairman Zhang Ji greeted her warmly:

"Your son's enlisting for three years—would you like a better-paying job? We have a woman worker in charge of stoking the fire and brewing tea. Because she's afraid of breaking her fingernails, the teapots, trays, and bowls are never properly washed. We need to replace her with someone who can clean them well. Would you take the post? Four hundred and fifty a month, plus one month as year-end bonus."

She accepted gratefully, transferred, and worked with care. The other workers grumbled in disapproval, suggesting a younger and nimbler person be chosen. Chairman Zhang said:

"No. This old Granny Kuan-chin is no relation of mine. I dreamed of a young girl who called herself an incarnation of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva and came to me with this request: 'A devout elderly laywoman named Kuan-chin has a son going into the army. She asks for work for three years. If anyone objects, don't be discouraged—see it through. Tomorrow after seven she'll walk past your gate with her lunchbox on her way to the shoe factory. Send someone to meet her at the appointed hour.' Then she vanished."

When Kuan-chin heard this, her doubts dissolved at once. She publicly recounted the circumstances of finding the job, and everyone exclaimed that the Buddhadharma is boundless and beyond conception.

6. A Lost Coat Returned

Layman Zhang Jinyun lived in New Jersey, USA. In November of the fifty-ninth year of the Republic he boarded a Greyhound long-distance tour bus. When the bus stopped in Chicago for lunch, he hung his overcoat in the women's lounge, where an African-American woman took it. He reported it to the police, who searched everywhere without success. Hearing that the city was vast, the population varied, and the buses were many—with no hope of ever recovering a lost item—he felt a sudden panic. Recalling that Avalokiteśvara rescues whoever cries out, he urgently began reciting the Holy Name. No sooner had the three syllables "Guanyin" left his lips than the coat appeared directly before him. The Black woman who had taken it sat diagonally opposite, the coat folded back and placed beside an ashtray. The police had searched this very spot several times and found nothing—how could it suddenly appear out of nowhere? She had spoken with him earlier in the lounge and said she was going straight home; why was she lingering here? Without the Bodhisattva's gracious protection, how could it have been recovered so smoothly, sparing him from the cold? He wrote to Master Zhenguang of Cishan Temple in Taichung, and the original letter is still preserved.

7. Without Asking, Still Receiving

I felt humbled when, satchel on shoulder, I left home years ago. I had failed at the scholar's path and equally failed at the swordsman's arts. Ordinary and incompetent, with no way to earn a living, I was fit only to return to the fields, tend my parents, grow old and die in some poor village—with never a thought of fame or fortune. Yet a year of tilling the soil yielded barely enough for a bowl of beans and water; two years of teaching brought fees thin enough to buy a little something sweet for my parents. I resolved to grow old in this way and be content.

In the winter of the twentieth year, I was suddenly summoned by my parents to sit for the Hubei Province Special Examination, and was assigned to serve at the Chongyang County Government. My father earnestly admonished me: "Inside the gates of officialdom one can cultivate virtue easily—and just as easily do evil. Practice hidden good deeds to help others; never be the least bit greedy for fame or profit, lest you lose your moral standing." I stood in awe and inscribed it on my heart, never forgetting. Thereupon I styled myself "Ti-yuan," the Vigilant Garden, as a constant watch and encouragement.

It happened to be the time of bandit suppression—pacify within, repel without. Recruited by central intelligence, I resolved to devote myself to the revolutionary cause, to save the country and its people. In the summer of the twenty-sixth year I entered the second class of the General Administrative Group of the Hubei Provincial County Government Personnel Training Institute. Training barely finished when the War of Resistance broke out, and I was transferred to Huangshigang, also serving concurrently as district chief. My task was to purge the spy networks the retreating Japanese had hidden throughout the Hanyeping mines and factories, organize and train factory and mine police, and sabotage mining facilities so they would not fall into enemy hands. By October of the twenty-seventh year I retreated with the army, eventually reaching Chongqing. The Military Statistics Bureau of the Military Affairs Commission assigned me to assist in military justice—an area outside my strength. Fearing grave error, I firmly declined, but was not permitted. Nevertheless, I was able to overturn false charges and exonerate the wrongly accused, exercising caution in sentencing for the country and thus establishing virtue; I exposed hidden evildoers and brought traitors to light, benefiting the war effort and so establishing merit. Repeatedly I received promotions and awards—all bestowed through the Bodhisattva's hidden and manifest responses.

From childhood I had been enrolled under the Great Bodhisattva's altar, and although my devotion was sincere, I had not yet learned to venerate and recite with full heart so as to seek and obtain fame and fortune. After the victory I petitioned to retire and go home, but was suddenly transferred to head inspection and prosecution work for the North China Committee for the Suppression of Collaborators and the Committee for the Investigation of Enemy and Puppet Property. Concurrently I oversaw the Beiping Field Headquarters and the Eleventh War Zone's surveillance, capture, trial, and re-education of Communist spies and prisoners. With collaborators I acted leniently, in accordance with Chairman Chiang's merciful intent, saving many lives; with Communist agents I acted strictly, purging the infiltrators and bringing sudden peace to Beiping and Tianjin. Through trials and re-education classes, their thoughts were transformed and they served us willingly—saving even more lives.

When Beiping and Tianjin grew perilous, I was again ordered to serve concurrently as chief of the Inspection Division of the Beiping Garrison Headquarters, struggling to maintain order in the city so as to help sustain its defense. When Beiping fell, I was dispatched by plane to Qingdao and then Shanghai; my wife followed, my son was left behind. Just as my petition to return home was approved, Wuhan fell, and I had to take my family to Guangzhou. I was reassigned as secretary in the Military Justice Bureau, followed the government to Chongqing, and there at last was able to take refuge in the Three Jewels.

Along the retreat I carried images of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, constantly reciting Guanyin's Holy Name. The more perilous the road, the more sincere my heart—seeking nothing but safe passage, with not the slightest thought of fame or fortune. When Chengdu fell, planes were few and people many, and I could not bring my family. A friend invited me to Xikang to rouse the Yi people into guerrilla action; I met hardship and danger repeatedly but still safely reached Xichang. Summoned by telegram, I brought my family and flew to Taiwan, and was assigned to the Bureau of Confidential Affairs. When this was reorganized into the Bureau of Intelligence, I was put in charge of special police and special-duty units, protecting the President and national security. The duties were great and heavy—far beyond what my mediocre talents could manage. But trusting in the Bodhisattva's majestic spiritual protection and the vast good fortune and shelter of the President, I dared to shoulder the formidable task. I managed to avert trouble before it took form, ensure safety, and complete the mission, earning awards by no stroke of luck!

Though I have no home to return to, since retirement I've managed to support a family of three, and am able to peacefully recite the Buddha's name and write, taking joy in my remaining years. I have now compiled and printed more than one hundred thousand copies of Pure Land works—the Pure Land Series, Sequel to the Ten Essentials of Pure Land, Fourth Compilation of Records of Pure Land Sages and Worthies, Essentials of Buddha-Recitation, Three Essentials of Buddha-Recitation, Dream in the Sea of Suffering, and others—circulating at home and abroad, spreading the Dharma widely to repay the Buddha's grace. Looking back across my life, in whatever post I held, civil or military, I always knew the work was beyond my ability; and the books I have printed, compiled or composed, I have especially known to be beyond my wisdom. That they were completed through conditions was never in my original plan, and I made no deliberate prayer for them—yet all are gifts bestowed by the Bodhisattva's hidden and manifest responses.

8. Lost Money Returned Intact

On the morning of the twenty-fifth of the sixth month of the sixty-fourth year of the Republic, I went out on an errand carrying NT$513. Returning, I got off at Wuxing Street. At the entrance to Lane 270—that is, East Village 44—I stopped to pick up a small umbrella left for repair and paid ten dollars. Only when I reached home did I discover my wallet was gone. I urgently prayed to the Great Bodhisattva that I might find it, but with so many people passing by there was no trace. Suddenly I received a phone call from Neighborhood Chief Liu of Xinxing Village inviting me to come claim it. I learned that Liu lived at No. 25 of that lane, and that it was his six-year-old grandson Liu Zhenyan who had found it. Because the wallet was made from an old envelope with my name and address on it, he had notified me to come fetch it. Had a stranger found it, there would have been no hope of its return—such a response through sincerity is truly beyond conception.

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Note: Fame and fortune are empty by nature—why toil to seek them? Yet those who seek but cannot obtain, who then pray to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their blessing to fulfill their wishes—fame is the means of establishing oneself, profit the source of clothing and food, the necessity of daily comforts, the support for serving those above and raising those below, the substance for helping others, the offering for loyalty to Party and love of country. To benefit oneself and others, one relies entirely on profit. Fame may seem vanity, yet when fame is achieved profit follows; really it too is for profit, in pursuit of gaining both name and profit in one stroke. The six people above each had their prayers answered exactly as wished, each to their desire, firming their faith and hoping all might enter the Buddha's wisdom. So whether it be as small as one coat, or as far as America, the moment one recites, the response comes—teaching all to know that the spiritual efficacy of reciting Guanyin depends only on the sincerity of the heart, not on the size of the matter or the distance involved. Ordinary as I am, though I did not pray, I still gained a little fame and a little profit—all bestowed through hidden and manifest responses.

Yet once name and profit are obtained, if one always clings to the thought of enjoying happiness and uses them to harm others and benefit oneself in wrongdoing, then Heaven will spurn and the gods abandon one. Evil piles up and retribution grows ever more severe—natural disaster destroys the body, sudden catastrophe ruins the family, and one reaps the reward in the next life, sinking endlessly through eternal kalpas. Would it amount to nothing more than gaining and losing in a flash, both name and profit empty in the end? If one always holds the thought of creating merit, using name and profit to help others and all beings, then people honor one and the gods protect one; goodness piles up, and name and profit grow ever greater—wealth and nobility to bring honor to ancestors, accumulated virtue to enrich posterity, and boundless blessings in the life to come. If one dedicates such merit to Amitābha and Guanyin, transferring it toward the Pure Land, at the end of life one will surely be born in Sukhāvatī, with measureless blessing and longevity. Good and evil lie on two roads, fortune and disaster hang in the balance—the wise will know which to choose. End of Section 19.

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Doing Good Brings Children

1. A Son Born Through Lifelong Vegetarianism

Master Zexing, dharma name Yinming, courtesy name Zhilang, was a native of Huzhou, Zhejiang. His parents were lifelong vegetarians and devotees of the Buddha. In their old age, with no children, they prayed to the Great Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and the Master was born. Endowed with rare gifts, more intelligent than his peers, he never touched meat or fish. By nature tranquil, he would leap with joy at the sight of a novice or a Buddhist image. At fifteen he went to Mount Tianmu in Hangzhou. Seeing the solemnity of the Dharma ground and the orderliness of the monastic discipline, he felt the pull of renunciation, bade his parents farewell, and left home to receive full ordination. He traveled to many masters, seeking only to behold his own nature. Later he expounded the Pure Land tradition, and in the second year of the Republic, knowing his Pure Land karma was complete and his worldly ties were at an end, he sat upright, recited the Buddha's name with joined palms, and passed away.

2. A Son Through Embroidered Images

Layman Hong Weiyu of the northern part of Cixi, Zhejiang, worked in finance and was devoted to the study of Buddhism. His secondary wife, née Yang, dharma name Wuzhen, kept a Buddhist shrine at home and practiced without pause through winter and summer. She bore two sons, both of whom died in infancy; after that she never conceived again. He urged taking a second secondary wife, Miss Chen, whom he treated as a younger sister; yet even she showed no sign of "the bear dream" for a long time. Chen rose at five each morning, venerated the Buddhas and recited the sutras, also reciting the Holy Name of Guanyin, praying that she might soon bear a precious son and that her husband's health be protected. A skilled embroiderer, she bought a bolt of yellow satin and made four ceremonial banners, each one zhang tall, plus a precious canopy three feet across, richly embroidered with paired dragons, flowers, and birds—three years in the making. She also bought white satin and embroidered images of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, framed them handsomely, and presented them to the local Shixiang Temple for veneration. In early autumn of the thirty-second year, Miss Chen bore a boy—truly a great verification of "ask for a son and receive a son."

3. Pregnancy Upon Making a Vow

Layman Tang Xiangqing once served as military judge at the Taiwan Provincial Security Command. After retirement he lived at No. 26, Yanping South Road, Taipei City, and practiced Chinese medicine to heal the sick. When he first studied Buddhism, he delighted in Buddhist learning. In the autumn of the thirty-sixth year, at the invitation of veteran layman Dr. Wang Shenxuan, the renowned Suzhou gynecologist, he went to Suzhou to help establish Buddhist charitable, educational, and cultural undertakings, serving as Dean of Studies at the Cifeng Free Middle School, physician at the Foguang Free Clinic, and concurrently managing a Buddhist library. The following spring his wife developed a gynecological ailment that medicine could not cure. Dr. Wang examined her and judged there was no hope of bearing children. His mother, with her only son long married but childless, grew deeply anxious. Upon hearing that the Guanyin Temple at Baishan Bridge in Suzhou was renowned for the remarkable spiritual responses of Avalokiteśvara, with flourishing incense, in the third month she respectfully went to burn incense and pray, vowing: "If within three months my daughter-in-law can conceive, after the child is born I will present a framed plaque and write an article to be published in a Buddhist periodical proclaiming Guanyin's spiritual response." Indeed, in early June she conceived, and in early March of the thirty-eighth year she safely bore a boy. He immediately wrote the four characters "Responding to the Cries of the Suffering," had them framed and hung in the temple, and composed an article on Guanyin's spiritual response, published in Life Monthly to repay the Buddha's grace.

4. A Grandson Through Donations

Layman Xiao Mei, residing in Beishewei, Chiayi City, Taiwan Province, had taken refuge under Master Shengyin of Ciming Temple in Taichung City. His daughter-in-law had been married for years without conceiving and had visited many temples to pray, yet received no response. She consulted her Dharma sister Lin Cichao, who told her: "I hear Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva at Ciming Temple is most efficacious. A young masseur whose eyes had gone blind regularly went to venerate there, and gradually his sight was restored. Go and pray there—you're sure to receive a response." She thereupon invited them to go venerate Avalokiteśvara, and Xiao Mei donated funds toward making a precious canopy, asking the Master to intercede on his behalf. The Master then gave him a necklace of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva and said: "Give this to your daughter-in-law to wear; next year she will surely bear a child." The following year she indeed bore a grandson, and when the child reached four, another grandson followed. She deeply felt the boundless, inconceivable grace of compassion.

5. A Son Through Releasing Life

In January of the thirty-eighth year of the Republic, when Beiping fell to the Communists, I hurriedly evacuated. My wife followed but my son was left behind. After much difficulty I made my way to Taiwan and sent someone to fetch him, only to learn he had already returned to our village. In the forty-sixth year we moved to Shilin. My wife, Zheng Lümei, having just recovered from the exhaustion of the long journey, on the nineteenth of the sixth month prayed before Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva for a son. She vowed to take the savings from her vegetable budget, go to the Shilin market, buy loaches, eels, clams and other living creatures, and release them into the river, reciting the Buddha's name and Guanyin's name and transferring the merit toward the Western Land, that they might forever escape the evil paths and at the end of life be born in Sukhāvatī. She did this for creatures by the ten thousand. Soon after, on the fifth of the eleventh month of the forty-seventh year—at the chen hour of the twenty-fourth of the ninth lunar month—a son was born. Because he was born prematurely at home, he did not know how to suckle, and we sustained him for five days with Great Compassion Water before sending him to National Taiwan University Hospital. There a small rubber tube was passed through his nose into his stomach, and he was fed cow's milk at measured intervals. Only after half a month did he learn to suckle—and he survived to adulthood. I therefore named him Foyou—"Buddha's Protection"—and gave him the courtesy name Zhiren—"Aspiring to Benevolence"—so that he would know he was born through the Buddha's gracious protection, and must aspire to benevolence to repay the Buddha's grace.

Note: As for whether one has offspring, everyone knows Heaven assigns them, yet does not know that the deciding power lies with oneself. In the world there are those with wives and concubines filling the house and yet no children at all; while a single woman may have sons and daughters in plenty. There are those who try every tonic without success, while one who has not touched a remedy conceives first; those who try every method in vain, while one who shared the bedchamber briefly meets the result. This is Heaven, not human. As the saying goes: "Restraint brings many sons; greed and lust bring childlessness." The Buddha said: "One who violates another's woman receives the retribution of having no descendants." So those in the world who are utterly childless—if not the fruit of causes made in this life, then it is the result sown in a previous existence. Heaven's cycle is unfailing; retribution never errs. Yet as evil cuts off descendants, doing good naturally gains them. The Lotus Sutra, "Universal Gateway" chapter, states: "If one wishes a son, paying homage and making offerings to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, one will beget a son of merit and wisdom. If one wishes a daughter, one will beget a daughter of comely and dignified form." This is human causation, not Heaven's decree. All those above who sought sons and grandsons did so by resolving their hearts to do good, and upon prayer, sons were born. May all the childless in the world know what to emulate, and so find the way of seeking children. End of Section 20.

Evil Deeds and Swift Retribution

1. Fornicators and Murderers, All Struck Down

North of Guangzhou City, on Yuexiu Mountain, there stood a Guanyin Pavilion over five zhang tall, built by Ming dynasty Guangzhou Military Commissioner Hua Ying. It housed a stone statue of the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, over one zhang in height, whose form and spirit were remarkably lifelike and credited with many miracles. When the Ming fell and the Qing generals Geng and Shang led their armies into Guangdong, the slaughter was terrible.

Yang Huchen, a general under Geng Jimao, was both bloodthirsty and lecherous. After sacking the city, he let his troops plunder the people without restraint, taking even the smallest coin. Any young woman of beauty was seized and violated; those who refused were killed. Yang set up on Yuexiu Mountain and imprisoned his captives in the pavilion, each in her own room, and took his brutal pleasure with them—several dozen women in all, none spared. Finding no way out, several tried to starve themselves to death but recovered unharmed. They tried hanging themselves at night, but every rope broke. They tried killing themselves with scissors, but the scissors were taken away. In helpless despair they wept and cried out: "If there are any spirits who can protect us, we beg you—help us get home."

A voice answered at once: "Do not grieve. The Buddha will see you safely back to your families. You shall not enter the City of the Wrongfully Dead." Startled but willing to believe, they waited. When Yang arrived, they all closed their eyes, pressed their palms together, and recited "Namo Amitabha." Just as he was about to assault them, a voice scolded from the air: "Yang Huchen, hold off. Tomorrow you will release all these women. Otherwise, ten thousand deaths would not atone for your crimes."

Yang was terrified. He suspected someone on the roof and sent soldiers to search, but no trace could be found. He returned to his chamber and felt his lust rising again, but the scolding voice spoke once more from the wall, and he retreated in fright. He sat there trembling, unable to sleep, until dawn—then ordered the women released. Yet fresh captives brought in by his soldiers arrived again and were locked up in the pavilion. As he was about to commit his violence, the voice came as before—so close in broad daylight that his legs shook uncontrollably. He whispered to his attendants, who said: "Word is the Great Bodhisattva in this pavilion works miracles. Why not move out and stop staying here?"

Furious, Yang stormed into the hall, drew his sword on seeing the Bodhisattva's image, and swung. The sword dropped from his hand, his head reeled, and his attendants had to half-carry him out. He took to his bed and could not rise. Looking at his men he said: "The Great Bodhisattva truly cannot be offended. I'll move out at once." But a storm blew up and lasted all day, and he could not leave.

That night he slept alone. As his illness eased a little, his lust flared up again. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a voice said: "I heard the general was unwell, so I came to pay my respects." Secretly delighted, he invited her in. The woman wore a white robe; she had bright eyes, pearly teeth, a face fair as flowers and skin white as snow—more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. He blurted out: "Who are you, sister? Coming at such an hour—are you here to ease my loneliness?" He rushed to embrace her, but the woman spun away. He pitched forward into empty air, writhing in pain. She laughed beside him: "Such hasty lust is why you fell." Ashamed, Yang got to his feet. Seeing how nimble she was, he suspected she was no ordinary person and held back. She smiled again and said: "I was captured and brought here. I'm willing to offer myself to the general, but you must heed my instructions." Yang said eagerly: "What would you have me do, sister?" She grew serious: "Strictly forbid the army from committing fornication, plundering, and kidnapping. Violators are to be executed without mercy. You must set the example—otherwise your orders won't be obeyed."

Yang considered and replied: "If sister is willing to be mine, I'll obey your household commands. But military matters are not for a woman to meddle in." Even as he spoke, his desire became impossible to contain. He lunged for her; her body flashed aside, and he crashed to the ground again, unable to rise. She laughed: "Will you heed me now?" He answered at once: "I'll do whatever you say. Now sister must satisfy my hunger and thirst!" She helped him up, and his strength returned. The moment she was off guard, he seized her and refused to let go, behaving wantonly. His attendants, overhearing his lewd talk, quietly withdrew. The next morning they came to pay respects, knocked without answer, and pushed the door open—to find him lying rigid on the bed, robes still on, his face covered in fresh blood, long since dead. They cried out in alarm as the officers gathered. They examined the corpse: both eyes had been gouged out; the rest of the body was unmarked.

The army was terrified. A swift report went to the Qing commander to hunt down the killer. As the attendants put it: "The one who killed Yang had to be the woman in white." Among the officers was one Chen Ming, Yang's partner in crime, equally lecherous and just as defiled many women. That night he slept in the pavilion. The woman in white suddenly appeared at his bedside, smiling: "Can't the general bear the loneliness either?" Chen leaped up in alarm, drew his sword, and shouted: "You must be some demon! You've killed General Yang—now dare to come haunting me?" She laughed: "The lot of you are steeped in sin. If you're not going to die, what are you waiting for?" Chen raged and thrust at her. The sword suddenly reversed and stabbed himself. He fell with a blade through his chest and died. His attendants froze in horror—and the woman vanished.

That night the camp erupted in chaos. More than a hundred officers and soldiers died violently, all in their beds, eyes gouged out and chests split open—exactly like Yang and Chen. A great uproar followed, and everyone said: "The woman in white is the Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, and she's executed the lecherous villains with her own hand."

The Qing court sent the cultivated general Liao Zhi to take command of Yang's forces and look into the matter. Liao went up to the Guanyin Pavilion, freed all the captive women, and ordered the officers and soldiers in the pavilion to pay homage to the Bodhisattva before moving out. He prayed, begging to be shown the Buddha's intent. That night, sleeping alone in the pavilion in hope of some sign, he dreamed that the Bodhisattva, in white robes and with solemn countenance, told him: "Whoever in the army commits fornication, plundering, or kidnapping—I will execute them all with the dharma sword. Take this as a great warning." Liao awoke with a start and immediately issued an order throughout the army: "Those who commit fornication, plundering, or kidnapping shall be executed without fail." From then on, military discipline grew steadily stricter. Some years later the image vanished and the pavilion collapsed. It was searched for everywhere but could not be found.

According to the record, when the Qing first entered the pass and let their soldiers bring ruin on the people, all those whose sins were grievously heavy were struck down as a warning, to set a great example and tighten army discipline, so that the people might be spared further suffering. Yang and Chen and more than a hundred others, bloodthirsty and lecherous, met a swift and terrible retribution in this life; what awaits them in lives to come will be worse still. We earnestly urge all who hold military power to hold this up as a mirror.

2. Lust and Murder Bring Death

In the late Qing, in Baoqing County, Hunan, a woman of the Zhao family lost her husband in middle age. She had only one son, dull-witted and attending a private school. The mother ran the household by day and burned incense each morning and evening before Guanyin Bodhisattva, earnestly praying for her son's safety.

One evening after dusk, her son was walking home from school with a classmate surnamed Hu. Passing the gate of the Zhou family, they saw Zhou's daughter, his fiancée, leaning in the doorway waiting. Hu went straight up and teased her, posing as her fiancé: "I'm Zhao so-and-so, your betrothed. What a chance meeting—why not have a word?" Zhou, embarrassed and alarmed, answered: "My brother and sister-in-law are both at home. It really wouldn't look right for us to meet like this." Hu grabbed her hand and insisted: "We're husband and wife. What business is it of anyone else's?" Zhou couldn't get free and made an excuse: "On a certain day this month is the one-month celebration of my brother's new baby. My brother and sister-in-law will be away at the feast. You can come over then." Only then, pleased, did Hu leave with the Zhao boy.

At the appointed hour, Hu again passed himself off as Zhao's son, forced his way into Zhou's daughter's room, snuffed out the lamp, and demanded intimacy. In her helplessness she let him take his liberties. But Zhou's sister-in-law had come back for the baby's diaper and heard a man's voice in her sister-in-law's room. The two sisters-in-law were usually at odds, so she ran to fetch her husband at once and exposed the affair. The brother, in a fury, grabbed a cleaver and swore. Hu heard the uproar and panicked. Spotting a rustic anti-theft musket in the room, he snatched it up and burst out the door. Zhou's brother, cleaver in hand to bar his way, was shot dead as Hu fled.

The sister-in-law reported to the authorities at once. At that time Qiu Jingzhang of Quanjiao, Anhui—styled Duanfu, a jinshi assigned to Hunan—was serving as magistrate of Baoqing County. He arrested Zhou's daughter, whose testimony named her fiancé Zhao as the lover. Zhao was arrested and brought to court, loudly protesting his innocence. Zhou's statement continued: "Both times we met, it was dark and the lamp was out. I couldn't see his face clearly. He only said he was my fiancé of the Zhao family—that I knew was right, because my parents, while alive, arranged the match to the Zhao household through a matchmaker."

Under further interrogation, Zhao confessed to fornication and homicide without denying it. He was immediately sentenced to death, to be executed in autumn. Zhou's daughter was likewise condemned to await execution in prison.

From the moment her son was arrested, the Zhao mother was in such grief she wished only to die. Before Guanyin Bodhisattva she prayed in silence: "My son is slow-witted. He could never do such a thing as this. But I have no relatives, no friends, no money, no way to appeal. I only beg the Bodhisattva's compassion—spare my son's life." She wept pitifully, her tears turning to blood. That night she dreamed the Bodhisattva say: "Your son is innocent. By autumn the truth will be out, and he will soon take a wife and have a son."

She woke half-believing, half-doubting, but with no avenue of appeal she could only wait quietly. Magistrate Qiu was strict, upright, and incorruptible. Fearing a wrongful conviction, he often slept in the prison to listen in on the prisoners' talk. After passing sentence in Zhao's case, he felt uneasy and kept waking from dreams. Zhao had repeatedly cried out his innocence; Zhou only wept. There had to be something hidden. He ordered the two prisoners confined together. Zhao raged at the woman for groundlessly dragging him in: "I never once set foot in your house—how can you say I killed someone?" His voice shook with fury. Zhou's daughter offered not a word in her own defense; she only wept.

Qiu went back to his office and asked his wife, née Fan, to go privately to the prison and visit Zhou's daughter, urging her to speak frankly. Zhou, weeping, told the whole story: "The moment he came in he put out the lamp and demanded intimacy, so I couldn't see his face clearly. I only felt hair on his chest. Such a shameless thing was never my wish. Since I've caused my brother's death, how can I face anyone? I just want to die." She could not continue through her sobs. Fan ordered a guard to examine Zhao and confirm he had no chest hair. The report was sent to the magistrate, who now knew Zhao was innocent. He pressed Zhao again: on that day, with which classmate had he gone to the woman's door? Zhao was too distraught, his words wandering, and the case remained unclear.

After long thought, Qiu sent a polite note to the tutor, asking him to come to the office. He told him: "Zhao has been sentenced to death for fornication and homicide, awaiting execution in autumn. On a certain day I plan to invite all your school's students to a farewell meal with Zhao, so that everyone can hear the reason for his crime and take warning. Please prepare a roster first—every student must be there." The tutor dutifully brought all the students to the gathering. After a few cups of wine Qiu said: "It's terribly hot today. Don't stand on ceremony—take off your clothes and drink your fill. I'll take mine off first, and so will your teacher." So saying he bared his upper body and ordered everyone to remove their shirts. Only Hu had chest hair. The culprit was identified beyond doubt, and Qiu ordered his arrest on the spot. A public trial was convened, and Zhou was brought in to identify him. Zhao's son, too, recalled that day he had walked past the Zhou gate with Hu and taken Hu's teasing as a joke. Who would have thought he'd turned a tease into the real thing—deceiving, committing fornication, and killing?

Confronted with this evidence, Hu, without any coercion, came clean. The whole case came to light. The verdict was changed: Hu was sentenced to death; Zhou's daughter, deceived into the illicit act, was judged to have情有可原 (mitigating circumstances), and she and Zhao were both released as innocent. The case was reported for review, and Qiu requested disciplinary action against himself. The higher authorities reviewed the facts, approved the revised verdict, and—recognizing that he valued the lives of the people, that even though he had erred in judgment he had righted it immediately and had the courage to own his mistake—issued an order commending and encouraging him.

Qiu invited the families and neighbors of both houses to the office, formally released Zhao and Zhou's daughter, personally presided over their wedding, and presented the bride and groom with a new set of clothes each, plus a pair of pillows sewn by his wife. For a moment the courtyard rang with cheers, and all hailed him as a "clear sky"—an upright magistrate. Mother and son Zhao, overwhelmed with gratitude, set up a long-life tablet beside Guanyin Bodhisattva and burned incense and paid respects at fixed hours. Everyone agreed that the wrongful conviction had been overturned because the Zhao mother recited the holy name of Guanyin and thereby received her deliverance.

The affair is recorded in the Baoqing County Gazetteer, a reliable source. Magistrate Qiu went on to serve as chief magistrate of five counties, including Shaoyang. After the Republic was founded, he returned to his hometown, served as chairman of the county council and concurrently as principal of a middle school. His children prospered—all of it the good reward of an upright and incorruptible official.

A word on the moral: Hu, seeing a pretty face, gave in to lust, then deceived, committed fornication, and killed. He could not escape the death sentence in this life, and will surely face the retribution of the three evil paths in lives to come. A moment of greedy pleasure, and endless suffering follows—too late for regrets. Zhao was innocent; because his mother constantly recited the holy name of Guanyin, his wrongful conviction was overturned, he took a wife, and had a son. So we see that the balance of good and evil is exact, never off by a hair.

Magistrate Qiu was strict, upright, and incorruptible. Fearing wrongful conviction, he often slept in the prison to hear what lay hidden. He spared no effort to get this case to the truth and to revise the verdict, and he did not shrink from requesting punishment for himself. His care in sentencing and his love of what is good earned him official commendation, the reward of serving as magistrate of five successive counties, and the present reward of his children's flourishing. He will surely receive the future reward of blessings in both the human and heavenly realms. May every judicial official in the world know whom to follow.

3. To Kill Is to Die at Once

Chen Qiuchuan of Taichung, forty-five years old in the fifty-fourth year of the Republic (1965), had long suffered from stomach trouble. The hospital diagnosed stomach cancer and said surgery was required. His older sister Chen Ji was the class leader of the Prajñā Class of the Taichung Lotus Society. She had often urged him to recite the Buddha's name, but he had refused. Now, pointing to the principle in the "Universal Gateway" chapter—that Guanyin Bodhisattva seeks out the cries of the suffering—she explained it in detail, and earnestly urged him to recite sincerely and recover quickly.

The night the surgery was over, his sister sat at his side reciting the holy name of Guanyin. He suddenly heard in a dream a loud voice saying: "Guanyin Bodhisattva holds a zhang of intestines and stomach, and has replaced the bad parts for me. Thank you! Thank you!" On waking he told her in detail: by the grace of White-Robed Guanyin his intestines and stomach had been replaced, and he felt clear and refreshed at once. Everything went smoothly and safely. A week later he could walk, and the doctor cheerfully announced that he could leave the hospital in three weeks, fully recovered. Everyone offered blessings.

But three days before his discharge, a fellow patient said to Chen's wife: "After his illness your husband needs nourishment. Buy a live fish and stew it with ginger threads to build him up." The sister objected at once: "Since the Bodhisattva has replaced his intestines and stomach, he must on no account kill living beings for nourishment. Milk powder, eggs, danggui, and ginseng are all rich in nutrients. Why must you kill and eat meat?" Honest words fell on deaf ears. While the sister was away from home, they bought a live fish and cooked it. By the time she got back to the hospital he had already eaten a large bowl. As if he had taken poison, his belly writhed with pain, the surgical wound split open, and he lost consciousness. The doctors were helpless. The sister no longer dared to recite Guanyin's name and switched to reciting Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. He suddenly smiled and said he had been blessed by the Bodhisattva's guidance. The next morning the sister had urgent business at home and could not stay to recite with him. He breathed his last and died.

The Upāsaka Precepts Sūtra says: "Because of killing living beings, all sentient beings in this life have shortened lifespans, exhausted wealth, separation from kin, and calamities that strike from nowhere. After casting off this body, they fall into hell." Chen killed living beings and ate meat, and so drew upon himself the swift retribution of stomach cancer and certain death. Because of the urging to recite Guanyin's name he recovered quickly—the heavy retribution was transformed into a lighter one. By killing for nourishment he died at once—this was the ripening of the compounded evil karma. By changing to Kṣitigarbha's name he was blessed with guidance, and may not fall straight into hell, but what awaits him in lives to come remains a grave concern. All who kill living beings and eat meat for nourishment or to please the palate should take this as a serious warning.

Below we excerpt some experimental findings of modern science and medicine on meat-eating and vegetarianism, for the guidance of those who would take wise care of themselves:

(1) Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Founding Father of the Republic, wrote in his Plans for National Reconstruction: The Chinese of common habits drink clear tea and eat plain meals, with vegetables and tofu added. Such fare, today's hygienists recognize, is the most beneficial to health. Therefore the people of China's poorest villages and remotest corners, who cannot afford to eat meat, often reach great old age. Vegetarianism as a means of prolonging life is now conceded by modern scientists, hygienists, physiologists, and medical authorities alike. And Chinese vegetarianism is especially suited to the people.

(2) The Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet, pp. 88–89. Tang Jinggao respectfully urges his countrymen to take up vegetarianism:

First, for bodily health, one must be vegetarian. The American nutritionist and physician Dr. Miller said: "If we feed only on various kinds of animal flesh, the body must fall ill—for meat lacks vitamins, calcium, and carbohydrates. Moreover, animal flesh accumulates the original waste materials of the animal, toxins from the diseases of various animals, and the putrefaction that begins after slaughter. So those who eat meat must excrete great quantities of waste and toxins. In time this brings inflammation of the kidneys, liver and heart disease, headaches, constipation, mental weariness, and aching joints from gout—besides the parasites in meat." Beyond these come the so-called "diseases of luxury": raised blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, stroke, disorders of the stomach and intestines, gallstones and bladder stones, cancers, tumors, abscesses, indigestion, disorders of the nerves, and early loss of teeth. And those accustomed from childhood to meat inevitably suffer listlessness of spirit, weakened bodies, and become mediocre and ineffectual. "If we feed only on various kinds of plant foods, the body must grow daily more healthy—for vegetables, fruits, rice, and wheat contain abundant vitamins, calcium, and carbohydrates. Moreover, vegetarians have the steadiest endurance, the strongest resistance to disease, keener intelligence, an easier recovery from illness, and digestion easier than with meat."

Moreover, plant substances have powerful antibacterial properties. Beyond serving as a medicine-free, reliably effective treatment for the conditions named above, a vegetarian diet can also heal many grave illnesses—leprosy, for instance, which may be cured through lifelong vegetarianism without any other remedy. Whatever is healed by medicine will not recur if one then adopts a vegetarian diet.

2. To avoid the calamity of war, one must be vegetarian. The sages of old said, "If the world would be free of the calamity of weapons, sentient beings must refrain from eating flesh." This shows that wars and armed conflicts are the collective karma humans create by wantonly killing animals for food. Within collective karma, however, individual karma also operates, so even in great massacres some people are spared. The single way to avoid this is vegetarianism. Hence the ancients said, "If one day you refrain from killing, no weapon in the world shall touch you."

3. To avoid repaying the blood-debt after death, one must be vegetarian. Humans and animals cycle through three lifetimes of rebirth, taking turns consuming one another in endless rounds. If today you eat eight ounces of their flesh, tomorrow you must repay the same. This is the unerring law of cause and effect. Know, then, that every piece of meat you eat is your own flesh returned to you. Thus Meicun, parodying Hanshan's verse, wrote:

Eating greens, you laugh at me; Eating flesh, I pity you. Plain greens spare you the debt— Truly, you love your own body. Rich flesh demands its due— Truly, you destroy your own body. Forms differ, nature is one— The hills and valleys know the truth.

(3) From the Taiwan Sheng Pao supplement, December 17, Republic Year 53 ("Vegetarianism and Lifespan"): According to European and American scientific analyses and medical research, vegetarians live long; meat-eaters age early. Vegetarian desires are mild; meat-eating desires are intense. Vegetarians have a clear mind; meat-eaters a muddied one. Vegetarians think quickly; meat-eaters are mentally dull. Vegetarians have ample endurance; meat-eaters tire readily. Vegetarians have clean blood rich in resistance; meat-eaters have murky blood prone to gout.

(4) Originally published in Datong Semi-Monthly, Volume 56, Issue 10; reprinted in Lion's Roar Monthly, Volume 13, Issues 7–8 combined issue. Following the middle way's "Examine Your Health: Is Meat or Vegetables Better?"—a brief discussion follows.

According to an American meat inspector, drawing on professional knowledge and experience, no food is more harmful than meat. Meat-eating can cause rheumatism, cancer, and various diseases of the stomach, intestines, heart, liver, and kidneys. When an animal is slaughtered, waste products accumulate in its corpse. When people eat that flesh, the wastes pass into their own bodies. The human excretory system can eliminate only a small portion; the rest is absorbed into the muscles. Uric acid, the most conspicuous of these wastes, crystallizes over time and causes pain wherever it lodges—which is why so many have come to fear eating meat.

Foreign biologists have noted that animals, like humans, secrete stress hormones when emotionally strained. At the moment of slaughter the terror is extreme, and hormones flood the muscles in an instant. Normally these would be cleared through metabolism, but death fixes them inside the body, where they become toxins that poison whoever eats the flesh. Furthermore, the moment meat begins to spoil, bacteria multiply—anywhere from a hundred thousand to ninety million per gram. Ordinary cooking temperatures cannot kill them all. Parasites within animals and livestock diseases are likewise widespread, and are eaten along with the meat—pure harm, no benefit.

Professor Chen Jui-san of National Taiwan University Medical College conducted physical examinations and blood analyses on 249 monastics across the province, and surveyed an additional 1,057 meat-eaters and patients with heart disease or arteriosclerosis as a control group. The results:

1. Vegetarians showed no signs of anemia; blood-protein tests were entirely normal, and there was no malnutrition.
2. Excess cholesterol thickens or hardens artery walls, producing heart disease. Ordinary people with blood cholesterol below 220 mg are considered normal—the lower the better. Vegetarians averaged 158 mg; meat-eaters averaged 180 mg; arteriosclerosis patients averaged 231 mg.
3. Only sixteen percent of vegetarians showed any signs of arteriosclerosis, and those were mild; among meat-eaters the figure was forty percent.
4. Normal blood pressure is 80–120; in every case vegetarians registered lower than meat-eaters.

This shows that a vegetarian diet is more effective than a meat diet for preventing high blood pressure and heart disease.

By expert reckoning, humans belong to the fruit-and-vegetable-eating class of animals. In the ten generations before the Flood, average human lifespan was 912 years. After the Flood people began to eat meat, and ten generations later average lifespan had dropped to just 317 years. Eskimos and nomadic peoples, whose diet is mainly meat, not only mature early but die young—their average lifespan is only 27.5 years. In a small Himalayan valley tribe, short on fuel, the people live chiefly on vegetables and fruits. Ninety- and hundred-year-old elders look no older than forty or fifty; seeing those leaping, ball-playing middle-aged figures in films, who would believe they are all centenarians?

American Professor Linus Pauling urged people to eat more fruits and vegetables, since they contain abundant Vitamin C, which prevents colds and extends life. Yale Professor Dr. Irving Fisher submitted an experimental report: vegetarian athletes pitted against handpicked varsity athletes showed more than double the endurance. Johnny Weissmuller of Tarzan fame, a world-renowned swimming champion who set sixty-six world records, astonished everyone in his final performance by setting six new records—because during training he had abstained from meat and chosen only nutritionally rich vegetables, giving him vigor far beyond his meat-eating days. Olympic swimming champion Murray Rose, a vegetarian from childhood without interruption, possessed astonishing speed and exceptional endurance, and in every race at the finish he would accelerate still further.

The medical world once held that disease originates from bacteria. With both vaccines and environmental sanitation, infectious disease declined while chronic disease rose. Forward-thinking physicians and nutritionists came to recognize that the true culprit is not entirely bacterial, but rather chronic poisoning from meat. Dr. Bircher, in Food Is Your Best Medicine, draws on fifty-five years of practice to offer three conclusions: first, the root cause of all disease is not bacteria, but chronic poisoning that destroys cellular tissue and only then permits bacterial invasion; second, the great majority of medicines used to treat disease are harmful—drug side effects often produce new illnesses, and any apparent benefits are only temporary; third, proper food can cure disease.

Earlier, nutrition-minded people strongly emphasized the importance of animal protein; only recently have the resulting drawbacks received attention. The latest findings show that the World Food and Nutrition Conference in Washington has already lowered the recommended protein requirement to nearly half the original level. The protein in green plants and unprocessed grains is superior to all animal proteins—meat, eggs, and milk. The Nutritional Physiology Department of Germany's Max Planck Institute has reached a firm conclusion since 1967: plant protein is superior to animal protein in every respect. Eliminating or reducing meat is always beneficial to health. During the Second World War in Denmark, food shortages forced the entire country into vegetarianism; mortality dropped and illness decreased. The following year, when meat returned, mortality climbed back to its previous level. Meat-eating always exacts a price from health. Though the body may look strong in youth, the liver and kidneys are bound to suffer later.

Apes and monkeys are vegetarians—lively and agile. Cattle and horses eat grass, and still they run and labor. If human beings, too, can eat plant-based, natural foods, they will surely be stronger and live longer. Dr. McCollum of Johns Hopkins Medical University, the foremost contemporary authority on nutrition, once said that if people would give up meat, the benefits would be immense.

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4. Breaking Chastity Brings Death

Layperson Luo Jichuan was a Sichuan native. At forty-six, he was in the shipping business in Shanghai. Gentle and sincere by nature, he had deep faith in the Buddhadharma, and together with Guan Jiong-zhi and others he founded the Pure Karma Society. In the fifth month of Republic Year 14 he fell ill with severe abdominal distension that lasted several months, his condition grave. Neither Chinese nor Western medicine helped. On the fourteenth of the eighth month, while settling the medicine bills, he saw how enormous the sum was and exclaimed in anger, "Even if I die, I will take no more medicine!" His wife knelt before the Buddha and Guanyin and fervently prayed, vowing lifelong vegetarianism and Buddha-recitation if her husband's life were spared. That very afternoon he passed a great volume of stagnant fluid and recovered without medicine.

When Master Yinguang came to Shanghai and stayed at Taiping Temple, on the eighth of the ninth month the couple received the Three Refuges and Five Precepts together. Though his body had not fully recovered, his complexion had grown radiant—far better than an ordinary person's. On the tenth, they invited the Master home for a meal. She said, "Master, you are as father and mother to us disciples; we disciples are as sons and daughters to you." The Master replied, "Parents' hearts ache only for their children's illnesses. Your sickness has eased but not fully healed—you must be careful!" He did not, however, name plainly what required such care: relations between husband and wife.

By month's end, at the Gongde Lin Prison Rehabilitation Meeting, the Master caught sight of Luo's face and saw he looked like a walking corpse; he knew at once it was because Luo had resumed marital relations. He bitterly regretted not having spelled it out, for now the man was once more on the brink of danger. Within a few days Luo died. At the hour of death, Guan invited laypeople to assist with the chanting. Whether Luo reached the Western Land we do not know; presumably he did not fall into the lower realms. The Master received the news with a heavy heart. He reflected on how many in the world perish through ignorance of such cautions, and how great a failure this would be of the Tathāgata's compassionate way of saving the suffering. He therefore selected The Forbidden Record, expanded and revised it, arranged for printing, and distributed it widely, hoping all the world might learn what to avoid and not throw their lives away needlessly.

According to Master Yinguang's preface to Returning the Mad Sea, urging all to receive, uphold, and circulate it:

"There is in the world a most tragic, a most fierce, a greatest and deepest calamity, one that at any moment costs people their bodies and their lives—yet people rush toward it gladly, offering themselves up, and even in death they do not repent. What can it be but lust for women? Those lunatics who indulge the passions—plucking flowers, breaking willows, stealing jade, taking fragrance—destroy principle, disrupt ethics, ruin their families, disgrace their ancestors; their evil names spread through their hometowns, their poisoned influence passes on to their descendants. Those who do not live out their natural span in this life and fall forever into the evil paths after death—let those cases pass; I will not dwell on them here. Even within the proper bounds of husband and wife, if one sinks into indulgence, how countless are those who die from it! They sought only pleasure and met death instead; the bitter lot of widows, widowers, and the solitary—how much of it is self-made, and how much truly the decree of fate? Those who cling to the bedchamber are already courting their own ruin. But there are also those who are not by nature lecherous, yet through ignorance of what to avoid recklessly engage and perish—so many of them too.

I often say that of all people in the world, four in ten die directly through sexual desire, and another four in ten die indirectly—wounded by sexual excess and then carried off by some other affliction. None of the dead will attribute their end to such a cause; how could they know that those who perish through lust have all slain themselves, and yet call it fate? Those who truly die by fate are those whose hearts are pure and chaste, who do not covet desire, who live as their fate decrees and die when it ends—only one or two in ten. So we see that many of those who die in the world have died wrongly; this calamity has no equal. Is it not pitiful? Is it not to be feared?

Yet there is also a path by which one may, without spending a single coin or exerting the slightest effort, accomplish the highest virtue, enjoy the greatest peace and happiness, leave descendants inexhaustible blessings, and obtain chaste and worthy companions in future lives—and that is none other than chastity. The proper union of husband and wife, with its harms and benefits, has been briefly explained above. As for illicit relations, they are utterly without shame, utterly foul and evil—to commit an animal's act in a human body. So when a beauty comes offering herself, a temptress displays her charms, the gentleman perceives her as the greatest calamity and refuses her—blessing shines upon him, Heaven watches over him. The petty person sees her as the greatest of fortunes and welcomes her—disaster descends, and spirits bring him to ruin. The gentleman, through calamity, finds blessing; the petty person, through calamity, compounds his ruin. Thus it is said, 'Misfortune and fortune have no gate; people summon them themselves.' If those in the world cannot see clearly through at the moment of feminine beauty, then the highest virtue, the greatest peace and happiness, descendants' inexhaustible blessings, and chaste and worthy companions in future lives—all are squandered for a moment's pleasure. How pitiful!

I earnestly pray that all benevolent persons throughout the realm may stir up hearts to save the world—fathers instructing their sons, elder brothers urging their younger brothers, teachers warning their students, friends telling their companions—so that everyone may know the harm, set their will as firm as mountains, and guard their bodies as jade. Not only will they not commit illicit acts, but even in proper husband-and-wife relations they will know restraint. Then we shall see widows, widowers, the orphaned, and the solitary diminish day by day; blessing, longevity, health, and peace becoming every person's portion; families pure and fortunate, the nation's borders at peace; foul virtue transformed into noble virtue, disaster changed into blessing. In the end, without spending a coin or exerting a hand, this perfect result is achieved. Benevolent souls surely will not let one another carry this burden alone, but will joyfully take it up.'"

In another letter to a layperson in Yongjiang, the Master wrote:

"The matter of sexual desire is the common sickness of all people in the world. It is not only those of middling or lesser capacity who fall under its spell—even a person of the highest faculties, if not wary and self-possessed, alert in every thought, may still be caught by it. Look at the outstanding heroes through the ages, who should have become sages and worthies, yet because they could not break through this barrier they became instead the low-minded and depraved, and fell forever into the evil paths—too many to count. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: 'If in all the worlds the minds of the six-path beings are not given to lust, they will not continue along the rounds of birth and death. You cultivate samādhi to escape the dust of the world; if the mind of lust is not removed, the dust cannot be escaped.' A cultivator aims to escape birth and death; if this disease is not earnestly cut away, escape is utterly impossible. Even in the Pure Land path, though one may be born there carrying heavy karma, if the habit of lust is deeply rooted one is sundered from the Buddha, and response becomes hard to attain.

To end this calamity, nothing surpasses viewing every woman as a relative, an enemy, or an impure object. As a relative: see the old as mother, those of similar age as elder sister, those younger as younger sister, the very young as daughter. Even if desire blazes, one would never entertain an improper thought toward mother, sister, or daughter—then reason restrains desire, and desire has no way to arise. As an enemy: the moment you see a beautiful woman, a lustful thought appears; through such a thought you fall into the evil paths, suffer for long kalpas, and cannot escape. So these so-called beautiful and seductive ones are in truth bandits, tigers, wolves, arsenic, and poisoned wine—a hundred thousand times more deadly. To cherish such an enemy—how doubly deluded must one be! As impure: the beauty that moves the heart is only a thin outer skin. Strip that skin away, and the sight is unbearable—bone, flesh, pus, blood, excrement, urine, and hair, all in hideous disorder, nothing at all worthy of love. Because a thin skin conceals it, false love arises. If one is not wary and earnest in cutting off this habit, the arrow of love enters the bone and cannot be drawn out. If this is so by day, then after death one's spirit cannot but enter a woman's womb. To enter a human woman's womb would be bearable; but to enter the womb of a female animal—what then? Reflect once and the spirit trembles in fear!

Keep these three contemplations constantly in mind, and when circumstances arise you will not follow them. Otherwise, even when no circumstance presents itself, the mind still lingers and is bound at last by the force of lustful habit. Only by earnestly washing away evil karma and old habits can one hope to be free. Every day, apart from one's duties, single-mindedly recite the Buddha; morning and evening before the Buddha, sincerely repent of beginningless past karma. Persisted in long enough, unfathomable benefit will come, received unawares. The Lotus Sūtra says: 'If there are beings whose habit of lust is great, and they constantly recollect and reverently venerate Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, they shall be freed from lust. So too with hatred and delusion.' Thus those who wholeheartedly recite the holy names of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara will themselves dispel the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion.

It is also well to read often books on the karmic consequences of breaking chastity, and to keep one's distance from reckless and low companions. Then the inner mind is upright and outer temptations are cut off, and the work of purity will naturally be accomplished. Strive! Strive!"

Layperson Luo fell gravely ill, was restored through his wife's earnest prayer, and then died almost immediately because he did not know what to avoid and broke his chastity. The Treasury of Longevity and Health contains detailed "Periods for Preserving Life and Establishing the Body, and Prohibitions of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity." We urge all young men and women under heaven to believe, accept, and practice this in faith, and to constantly recite the holy names of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara, so as to be free from lust, accomplish the pure way, and evermore preserve blessings, longevity, health, and peace.

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5. Desecrating the Buddha Brings Fire

In Hukou County, Jiangxi, thirty li downriver on the eastern bank of the Yangtze lies Huangmao Pool. For dozens of li around, high mountains encircle a wasteland of about three li across; inside it opens onto Liusi Bridge, a market town trading by land and water. Outward it spills into the Yangtze not far off, and in summer the Yangtze's floodwaters merge with the pool, bringing flood after flood. The local gentry organized the building of a levee across the wasteland. In the work, a square stone was unearthed, engraved on all four sides with Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, and the mantra Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, siddhaṃ bhadra. It was set up at the base of the eastern hill as a mark of reverence.

A man of Yonghe Zhou, short of materials for his new house, spied the stone one night and hauled it off to use as a doorstep. Not long after the house was finished it was suddenly consumed by fire, the grand structure reduced in an instant to a field of rubble. All who saw it concluded the fire was connected with the stone; the man himself suspected it, but it was too late for regret, and he returned the stone. Then a fellow villager, who refused to believe the story, also built his house using the same stone as doorstep. Within a few months of completion, heavenly fire likewise struck, and his house was reduced to ashes—yet the stone itself came through unscathed. Only then did the man believe in the stone's spiritual power, regret his recklessness, and return the stone to its original place. The villagers, taking heed, gave rise to a reverent heart and dared not treat the stone lightly again.

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6. Destroying the Image Brings Madness

Mrs. Huang had been married ten years without bearing children, and her heart was troubled. Having heard that prayers to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva would surely be answered, she prayed devoutly, asking for a son, and vowed that if her wish were granted she would honor Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva all her life, eat vegetarian, and recite scripture. She conceived at once and bore a son, and the next year a daughter. After the mainland fell to the Communists, the whole family moved to Taiwan. Her husband's career went from strength to strength; the children were bright and filial, and all studied at National Taiwan University. Knowing that all this came from the Bodhisattva's compassionate grace, she redoubled her morning and evening recitations, ever more devout.

Several neighbors were Westerners in religion, and seeing her keep a vegetarian diet and worship the Buddha, they ridiculed and tempted her in various ways, but her heart did not waver. On a certain day in Republic Year 47, a neighbor said again, "So-and-so's son and Mrs. So-and-so's daughter both went to study in America, helped by the church. Your son is about to graduate—if he wants to stay in America, with the church's help it would be no problem at all." Her heart was unsettled; she was willing to go along. After attending a few services, won over by the pastor and the neighbors' coaxing, she accepted baptism. She tore into pieces and burned the holy image of Avalokiteśvara that had been enshrined in her home—but the paper ashes bore unmistakably the holy countenance, a warning. Still unrepentant, she dragged her husband and children along to church gatherings, and suddenly went mad, waving arms and legs, weeping and laughing wildly, reason gone, no longer recognizing her husband and children. Carried forcibly home, she kept weeping and laughing by turns, refused food for days. The pastor and his flock prayed to their God and to Jesus, but no answer came. Famous doctors were summoned from every side; sedative injections were tried, all without effect.

Her friend Mrs. Zheng consulted in detail with layperson Ma Shaoqian of the Great Compassion Buddhist Society, asking him to seek a cure. Ma said, "She has been under the Bodhisattva's protection all her life; every prayer has been answered. Suddenly to forget the kindness and break her vow, switching to a Western faith—if she had not torn up the holy image, this immediate retribution would not have come. For destroying the Buddha's image she must fall into the Avīci Hell. In compassion, the Bodhisattva has shown warning after warning, urging her to turn back at once and escape that fall. Please tell her husband and children to enshrine Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva again in the home, to kneel and repent, to vow sincere Buddha-recitation and good deeds from this point on, never to retreat, and to pray to all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting spirits to pardon her ignorance—and her illness can be cured at once. No medical treatment is needed." But she would not heed the advice and would not turn back. Though the Bodhisattva's compassion is vast, there comes a point where even it cannot help those who refuse.

By the principle, paper paintings and wooden images of holy figures, brushed and inscribed Buddha-names in stone—all should be regarded as the true Buddha, honored and venerated; to do so brings boundless blessings, to treat them lightly or desecrate them brings boundless evil recompense. The Buddha said, "Destroying stupa or temple, burning sutras or images, or taking the belongings of Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha—these are called the first fundamental grave offenses, which lead to falling into the Avīci Hell and suffering without end."

One man after another built a house and took the very same stone tablet as doorstep, profaning the Buddha-name—and both were struck by heavenly fire as warning, and both returned the stone. Mrs. Huang, on the other hand, received blessings through honoring Avalokiteśvara, then suddenly believed in the Western faith and destroyed the holy image; at once madness came as warning, and still she would not repent. Though all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are deeply compassionate and would readily give up even their own illusory bodies, how could they harbor anger or vengeance over a stone tablet or a paper image? It is the Dharma-protecting spirits who carry out such immediate retribution, embedding exhortation within punishment so that the offender may awaken at once and turn back, escaping the longer punishment of hell that would follow. And by punishing one they warn a hundred, so that all may take heart in reverence and faith, bringing boundless blessing—so this punishing of evil is in truth a way of exhorting the good.

Section 21

Immediate Retribution Transformed into Auspicious Outcomes

1. Saved through Filial Piety toward Mother

Wang Xianding of Guangdong rejected Buddhism entirely in his youth; if anyone brought it up, he would dismiss it as heterodoxy. Yet he cared for his mother with unwavering filial devotion. His mother was a devout follower of Guanyin Bodhisattva, and practiced without interruption. In the eighteenth year of the Republic of China (1929), Wang fell gravely ill with a sudden, wasting disease. He consulted every renowned doctor available, and most declared his case incurable. His mother and wife were distraught and at a loss, with nowhere to turn but to the Bodhisattva for salvation.

Suddenly, an elderly monk in black robes came to their door asking for alms. Seeing the mother weeping, he asked what had happened, and taught her to chant Namo Amitabha Buddha, assuring her the misfortune could be turned into blessing. She believed him, and the whole household knelt and circled the sickbed, palms pressed together in prayer. At midnight, Wang, slipping in and out of consciousness, dreamed the black-robed monk said to him: “I have seen how devotedly you care for your mother, and how sincerely your mother practices the Buddha’s teachings. I will spare your life. From now on, you must make offerings to the Buddha and practice with dedication; you must never again disparage the sacred teachings.”

He woke with a start, drenched in sweat, and found the illness already half gone. He rushed to tell his mother, who in turn told him of the monk’s visit that day, and they realized it must have been the Bodhisattva manifesting in the world. The next day, the doctor arrived and pronounced the turn for the better miraculous, attributing it to divine intervention. Three doses of medicine later, Wang was fully recovered.

From that day on, deeply grateful for the Buddha’s grace, he built Buddhist halls across the region, kept a strict vegetarian diet, and chanted the Buddha’s name daily. All who passed his home morning and night could hear the sound of the wooden fish and chime. Note: His sudden grave illness was immediate karmic retribution for his earlier dismissal of the sacred teachings. His filial devotion, however, drew the Bodhisattva’s salvation. After recovering, he kept a vegetarian diet and chanted the Buddha’s name, practices that allowed him to transcend the Three Realms and avoid the karmic punishment of the Three Evil Paths. His shift from misfortune to blessing all stemmed from that one core virtue of filial piety.

2. Saved through Good Deeds

Venerable Master Shi Mingxi, whose lay name was Zhao Shen’an, was a native of Hengzhou. On the second day of the fifth lunar month in the fourth year of the Republic (1915), he was suddenly struck by a crippling foot ailment. Both knees throbbed with unbearable pain, yet showed no external redness or swelling, and no medicine brought relief. He reflected that while he had never done any great good in his life, he had at least never dared to commit evil. Ashamed of his heavy karmic burden and the fact that no Buddha or deity had come to his aid, he could not help but weep.

In the quiet of night, as he lay on his pillow, he dreamed he arrived at a silent, empty building. He wandered straight inside, and saw a register on a desk titled Record of the Living and the Dead’s Good and Evil Karma. Flipping through it, he found his own name, with half a page of red ink and a page and a half of black ink beside it. Sure enough, there was an entry for his foot ailment listed as a sin, and he knew his fixed karma could not be escaped. He sighed, resigned to his fate.

Suddenly a man entered from outside, dressed in blue robes and holding a green willow branch. He called out loudly: “This person shares a karmic connection with me; I have come especially to deliver him.” A voice from within the room replied: “We will obey your compassionate command!” He heard the voice but could not see the speaker, and his heart was filled with confusion. The blue-robed figure ordered him to bow and step forward, and suddenly he felt light and at peace, soaring straight up into the heavens, crossing over mountain peaks, until he reached Five Cloud Peak and woke up.

Drenched in sweat, his foot pain was gone as if it had never existed, and the sound of that compassionate voice still lingered in his ears. It was the hour of zi (midnight) on the fifth day of the month. From that day on he walked as before, his heart filled with a mix of sorrow and joy. He faced the empty sky, burned incense, and bowed twice, gratefully acknowledging the divine grace, and seeking liberation.

Later he took monastic vows at Mount Qi, where he saw a statue of the Western Three Saints. The bodhisattva standing to the left held a green willow branch, and he finally realized the figure who had saved him in his dream was none other than the Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Note: The Record of the Living and the Dead’s Good and Evil Karma is the underworld register that tracks all beings’ good and bad deeds. Entries written in black ink denote evil karma; the entry for his foot ailment was marked as a sin requiring immediate retribution, letting him see for himself that fixed karma cannot be avoided. Fortunately, he had half a page of red-inked good deeds to his name, so the Bodhisattva came to his rescue. His ailment was cured, he left lay life to become a monk, and attained liberation—turning misfortune into good fortune. May all of you strive to practice every kind of good deed, and never dismiss a small act of kindness as unimportant.

3. Saved by Abstaining from Killing

Layman Liu Xiaoyu, whose given name was Jinglie and dharma name Decheng, was a native of Gan County, Jiangxi. He studied in Japan in his youth, and served as a member of the First National Assembly of the Republic of China, as well as Director of the Strategic Bureau. He enjoyed hunting birds and netting fish, and took countless lives, which brought on a severe, painful boil on the back of his neck. The illness grew critical, and the pain was unbearable, so he vowed to give up killing and break this cruel habit.

As he turned his mind to Guanyin Bodhisattva, who rescues beings from suffering and distress, he suddenly detected a strange, fragrant aroma, and his illness slowly began to heal. In his city, the ancient Shouliang Temple housed a 20-foot iron statue of Guanyin. Local people, using the pretext of building a national elementary school, plotted to seize and occupy the temple grounds. Liu took the lead in inviting Monk Dachun to serve as the temple’s abbot to protect the site.

In the 22nd year of the Republic (1933), when a new road was being built, the entire temple was slated for demolition. Liu happened to be taking refuge in Suzhou at the time, so he led his entire family to take refuge with Venerable Master Yinguang, adopted a vegetarian diet, practiced Pure Land Buddhism, and helped Dharma Master Desen rally public support. Their efforts succeeded in saving the temple and restoring it to its former state. In the 25th year of the Republic (1936), he returned home, and the temple’s operations continued to rely on his support.

In the autumn of the 27th year (1938), the karmic consequences of his past killing caught up with him again, and he was laid low by a prolonged, unbearable illness. He instructed his eldest son, Fawang, to remit several hundred dollars as an offering to Master Yinguang, and asked him to perform merit-making rituals on his behalf. He also wrote to his son urging him to commit to a lifelong vegetarian diet and give up meat entirely. The illness dragged on until the 19th day of the third month the following year, when he knew his time had come. He gave his final instructions for his affairs, his senses calm and joyful, free of all pain. He asked monks to lead him in chanting, joined the assembly in reciting the Buddha’s name, and passed away peacefully, certain he would be reborn in the Western Pure Land. He lived to the age of 61, and all funeral feasts were served as vegetarian meals. Note: The critical, painful illness was immediate karmic retribution for his past killing, a warning to turn him from his ways. Fortunately, he turned back at once, gave up killing, and chanted the Buddha’s name, which cleared his illness and extended his life. When he fell gravely ill again years later, he transformed what would have been heavy, late karmic retribution into lighter, immediate retribution in this life. This allowed him to display auspicious signs at the moment of death and attain certain rebirth in the Western Pure Land—truly a case of laying down the butcher’s knife and immediately attaining Buddhahood.

4. Saved through a Vegetarian Diet

Layman Zheng Xiali lived at Lane 18, Tonghe Street in Taipei City. During the War of Resistance, he served in garrison duty and killed many Japanese soldiers and collaborators. Though he acted under orders, there were inevitably cases of mistaken killing. This karmic burden brought on a severe gastrointestinal illness that lasted twenty years. He was hospitalized four times for surgery, and despite taking both Chinese and Western medicine constantly, nothing worked.

He later believed in Buddhism and followed a vegetarian diet for more than ten years, often repenting sincerely for his past actions. One day, in a half-awake state, he saw Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva appear to him and say: “You must patiently endure your karmic retribution, and only then will your illness be cured.” Fearing his karmic debt was not yet fully repaid, his gastrointestinal illness flared up severely in the 52nd year of the Republic (1963). He suffered massive bleeding and lost consciousness, and was rushed to National Taiwan University Hospital for emergency care. The bleeding stopped and his pain faded, and the doctors advised him to stay in the hospital for further treatment.

He insisted on leaving the hospital to return to work, and as he was processing his discharge paperwork, he was struck by sudden, severe stomach pain and had to stay for emergency treatment. A few days later he again insisted on going home, only to be hit with violent chills and fever. He saw Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva appear at his bedside, and told him: “You must not leave the hospital. Let the doctors treat you, and your karmic retribution will be fully repaid.” He agreed to stay for continued care, underwent testing, and had a fifth surgical operation that same evening. His illness and injuries healed quickly, and he regained his full health in no time—only then was his karmic debt fully repaid, never to return. Note: Of all karmic consequences, those from killing are the heaviest. One must strictly abstain from killing living beings, let alone taking human life. Even when killing is carried out under orders, karmic fallout cannot be avoided. Fortunately, Zheng had followed a vegetarian diet and repented sincerely for years, and received Guanyin’s compassionate protection, which transformed his heavy karmic burden into a lighter one. Even so, he still had to endure five surgeries to fully repay his debt, recover from his illness, and turn misfortune into good fortune. May all those who hold the power of life and death act with care and fairness in their duties, so they may avoid the suffering of karmic retribution.

5. Saved through a Vow

In his youth, Peng Liwen put his faith in science and dreamed of a future shaped by material progress. Infatuated with Marxist materialist dogma, he denounced Buddhism and Taoism as heterodox superstition. In the 29th year of the Republic (1940), he was suddenly struck by a grave illness and confined to his bed; all who saw him assumed he would not survive. Only his maternal aunt made a vow on his behalf, worshipping Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva daily and reciting the Great Compassion Mantra. His illness indeed gradually improved. He later received guidance from layman Feng Huixiao, began studying Buddhist scriptures, and suddenly awakened to a deep faith in the Pure Land teachings.

6. Saved by Restored Faith

Laywoman Lü Huang Yimin was the wife of Lü Guozhen, former commander of the Kaohsiung Fortress. She had long considered Buddhism a baseless superstition, and did not believe in the Bodhisattvas’ power to respond to prayer. While visiting the home of a high-ranking military official, she was suddenly struck by a strange, untreatable illness. The pain was unbearable; she lay in bed wailing, unable to move to a vehicle, so the entire bed had to be lifted onto a truck to take her to the hospital. She had to be given a narcotic injection to lose consciousness before she could be moved to a hospital bed. After more than three months of treatment, there was no improvement at all. She only reluctantly followed the advice of laywoman Sun Zhang Qingyang, sincerely chanting the holy name of Guanyin, and her condition improved noticeably almost immediately.

She bowed and chanted daily, and soon regained her full health, overjoyed and amazed. She went to tell the military official about her recovery, but he dismissed it as a side effect of the physical exertion of her worship practice, and her faith wavered. Upon returning to Kaohsiung, her original illness returned, and despite daily medical treatment, it never improved. Later she followed Sun’s advice again, went to the Fengshan Lotus Society to take refuge in the Three Jewels, and devoted herself to sincere Buddhist practice, bowing to the Buddha and chanting only the Bodhisattva’s holy name.

Suddenly she dreamed she had gone to the Lotus Society to join a Buddha-chanting gathering. A woman handed her a cup of water, telling her to drink it and her illness would be cured. She drank it happily, and woke up to find she was healed without any medicine. This was the Bodhisattva’s compassionate salvation, which forced her to restore her sincere faith and take refuge. Note: Defaming the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha stems from heretical views. The Avatamsaka Sutra states: “The karma of heretical views also causes sentient beings to fall into the three evil paths.” Peng and Wang Xianding denounced Buddhism as heterodoxy; Lü dismissed it as superstition. All three developed grave illnesses and strange symptoms as immediate karmic retribution for their heretical views, a mild chastisement to prompt them to recover, believe deeply, and chant the Buddha’s name. Only Lü, after being cured, wavered in her faith and suffered a relapse, which forced her to restore her sincere faith, take refuge, and be healed immediately. All these cases blend admonition with chastisement, to inspire faith, turn misfortune into blessing, and save beings from the evil retribution of the three evil paths.

7. Trial Recitation Restored Him to Life

Layman Wu Xiangpu, whose dharma name was Pujie and courtesy name Liaowu, was a native of Hefei County, Anhui. In the late Qing dynasty, he was baptized into Christianity, devoted himself to studying the Bible, and served as president of a Bible study society for nearly thirty years, widely regarded as a devout believer in God. In the 23rd year of the Republic (1934), at over 60 years of age, he suddenly fell gravely ill and was on the brink of death. He prayed to God repeatedly with no response, so he decided to try chanting the Buddha’s name and Guanyin’s holy name. Within three days, he beheld a series of wondrous visions, and was empowered by the Buddha’s grace to rise from death back to life.

Moved by this miraculous response, he developed true faith, aroused the great Bodhi mind, left the heterodox teaching, took refuge in the Three Jewels, and established a fixed daily routine of sutra recitation and Buddha-chanting. Whenever he encountered a Buddha statue, he would bow; he carried sutras with him at all times. When he met deluded sentient beings, he would urge them to believe in Buddhism and exclusively practice Pure Land teachings. When he met old friends from his Christian community, he would say to them: “My past life is already behind me; now I have been reborn thanks to the Buddha’s grace, so I devote myself solely to the Buddha Dharma to repay the Buddha’s kindness! You too should study the Western Pure Land’s supreme path, and stop clinging to your own fixed views. This is my final, sincere advice to all of you, from one who has left behind a false teaching.”

8. Recitation Instantly Averted Danger

Layman Zhang Xiaoyu, whose dharma name was Hongdao, grew up in Shanghai. As a child he attended a Christian missionary school, and was deeply influenced by Western culture, harboring doubts about and often disparaging Buddhism. When he grew older he went into business, indulging in leisure and pleasure, living a dissolute and violent life. His mind was in constant turmoil, tormented beyond words. Later, with the guidance of his mentor Zhang Zhifang, he came to sincerely believe in Buddhism, adopted a vegetarian diet, and began chanting the Buddha’s name. Only then did his mind find peace, and he began to experience many miraculous, responsive events.

For instance, in September of the 23rd year of the Republic (1934), his wife considered ending her life over a small family dispute, and a tragedy was nearly triggered. But when he chanted Guanyin’s holy name, his wife suddenly came to her senses, and the danger was averted. On another occasion, he was walking along a road when a loaded truck came speeding toward him. It stopped just as it reached him, only grazing the skin of his arm lightly—he escaped broken legs or even death. He was even more convinced that this was only possible thanks to the Bodhisattva’s protective grace.

9. Eyes Healed after Conversion

Layman Yu Dongjiao was the son-in-law of Director Xin of the Naval Engineering Bureau. He and his wife both believed in Christianity. Suddenly he developed a nose ache, and his left eye grew red and swollen, until it was the size of a mango. His eyelid was entirely covered in pus-filled sores, and his eyeball felt like it might burst. Acupuncture and medicine brought no relief, and prayers to the Lord went unanswered. After examination by an eye specialist, the left eye was deemed beyond the power of human medicine to save.

His mother-in-law, laywoman Ni Hanying, had believed in Buddhism for many years and taken refuge with Dharma Master Zhuyun at the Fengshan Lotus Society. In her profound grief, she turned to the Bodhisattva for rescue, and went to the Lotus Society to request a cup of Great Compassion Water. She gave it to him to drink that afternoon. By the next morning, when the eye doctor re-examined him, there was a sudden, dramatic improvement—full recovery was now possible. Moved by this grace, he immediately converted to Buddhism, took refuge in the Three Jewels, and became a devoted follower. Within a few days, his eye had fully returned to normal.

10. Immediate Response to Recitation

Li Runsheng, a native of Su County, Anhui, currently works for the Taichung County Government and lives in Fengyuan. He attended the Christian Hanying Elementary School as a child and participated in activities at the local Gospel Hall, and was a devout Christian. In the thirtieth year of the Republic (1941), at 35 years old, he was working at the Engineering Office of Nanping County, Fujian, and living in Putongfang, when he contracted bubonic plague. Both Chinese and Western medicine proved ineffective, and prayers to the Lord went unanswered. A Western doctor examined him and found his large intestine had ruptured; he had not eaten in days, and was on the brink of death.

He saw his wife holding a Guanyin statue, and suddenly remembered that as a child he had joined the Li Men, which taught him the five-character true mantra Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva—that when facing difficulty, one should face southeast, chant the name three times loudly, and be saved. He chanted “Guanyin” three times, then fell asleep until the next evening. Suddenly he saw a kindly elderly woman, who took a small jar from her bag and said: “This is medicine to reconnect your intestines. You must insert it into your anus yourself, and the connection will be restored.” He applied the medicine as instructed, and asked if it had worked. She replied: “It is fixed. I must go now.” He turned to look and saw his wife sound asleep. He woke her immediately, and they burned incense to thank the deity.

The next morning he had a large bowel movement, his stomach cleared completely, and his illness indeed began to recede. He started with a small cup of rice porridge, gradually increasing the amount, and was able to get out of bed only after more than two months. One day during an air raid alert, his wife helped him to the air-raid shelter, and he saw a Guanyin statue enshrined in the outer hall of the building. He realized it had been the Bodhisattva manifesting her spiritual power. After that, he moved from Fujian to Taiwan, and encountered disaster after disaster, losing all his clothing and possessions. But the Guanyin statue and Buddhist scriptures he venerated never left his side.

11. Swelling Vanished through Mantra Recitation

Layman Huang Kuanxiang, a native of Jiangxi, studied Buddhist teachings and had deep faith in the Dharma. He had a Buddhist shrine in his home, where he worshipped with sincere devotion. His wife, however, believed in a different, heterodox religion. In the 21st year of the Republic (1932), his neck suddenly swelled up and grew itchy, oozing foul yellow fluid nonstop. It was the height of summer, making the discomfort unbearable. Both Chinese and Western medicine proved ineffective, and prayers to the Lord went unanswered, so he was extremely anxious.

Huang gently persuaded her: “We follow different faiths, but when medicine has no answer, we can only turn to the Bodhisattva. Please understand my good intentions, and sincerely chant the White-robed Divine Mantra twelve thousand times, using broad beans to keep count. Perhaps you will gain a miraculous cure.” She gave up her stubborn attachment to her own beliefs, and chanted with a pure, focused mind. After more than ten thousand recitations, the itching stopped on its own, the swelling disappeared, and the skin peeled away to reveal full healing. Note: Christianity teaches that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are false idols, forbidding their worship and listing this prohibition as the second of the Ten Commandments—this is a heretical view. The Book of Genesis, chapter 9 of the Old Testament states: “God gave this command: Every living thing may be your food.” This is a false transmission of divine will, teaching people to kill and eat living beings, and create vast amounts of evil karma. Wu and others, drawn by this heretical view and evil karma, brought about the immediate karmic retribution of illness and suffering. Their prayers to the Lord went unanswered, for the way of Heaven rewards good and punishes evil, and will never show favoritism or shelter the wicked. With a single thought of sincere faith and repentance, turning to Guanyin for help, they left suffering behind and attained joy—for the Bodhisattva, with great compassion, rescues beings from suffering and distress, and offers every being a chance to start anew.

Section Twenty-Two

Later Retributions Transformed into Auspicious Outcomes

1. Liberated Through Sincere Filial Piety

Qian Wenqing was a native of Zhejiang. He served successively as county magistrate, a strict and harsh man who loved to use unauthorized punishments. After retiring home, he was struck by a strange illness and cried out in agony. Ghosts swarmed around him demanding his life—some bound him with iron chains, others beat him with heavy clubs. Only when his eldest daughter Chunde and his wife stood beside him reciting sutras did his pain ease. After two months of suffering, he died. His wife then fell gravely ill. Chunde devoutly recited the Universal Gate Chapter and the Great Compassion Mantra, praying to Bodhisattva Guanyin and vowing to renounce the world as a nun if only her mother could be cured and her father freed from hell. After seven days of this devotion, her mother dreamed of an old woman who gave her sweet dew to drink, and she recovered at once. Chunde then took the tonsure under the nun Lianshan at the Great Compassion Nunnery. Three days later, mother and daughter shared a dream in which her father appeared before them, dressed in formal attire and cap, holding a lotus flower, his face beaming with joy. "Through your daughter's sincere filial devotion," he told them, "and through the merit of her ordination, I have been raised up and freed from suffering." From then on, the whole family kept a vegetarian diet and honored the Buddha; eventually all took ordination.

Government service offers the chance to cultivate merit, but it's also easy to pile up karmic offenses. Under harsh punishments, there must be many who are wronged. Having reaped an immediate retribution of a strange illness and death, he would surely have suffered the later retribution of an eternal fall into hell. Yet through his daughter's sincere filial piety, he was raised up and freed from suffering, his misfortune turned to blessing. What a mercy—and what a grace from the Bodhisattva's salvation.

We earnestly urge all who wield the authority of punishment to handle their duties with care, building virtue rather than creating karmic offenses and the retribution they bring. Those whose parents are still living should urge them to recite the holy names of Amitabha and Guanyin, seeking in this life blessings and long life, and after death rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. When parents pass on, one should recite the Buddha's name on their behalf to guide them upward and free them from suffering—this is truly the greatest expression of filial piety.

2. Good Deeds Resolve Past Karma

Ding Guodong of Huzhou was cunning and deceitful by nature, fond of brothels, gambling, opium, and liquor. He peddled vegetables for a living and gambled away every coin he earned, returning home only when his purse was empty. His wife, née Wu, was kindhearted. They had a son and a daughter, and though she begged him again and again to mend his ways, he wouldn't listen. Constant worry over cold and hunger led to endless quarrels.

One day a fellow townsman, the layman Yao Guanwen, happened to pass their door. Wu told him the truth, and he took pity on the children crying out for food. He gave Ding twenty silver dollars as capital for his vegetable trade and warned him not to gamble. Ding accepted the money with thanks—then walked straight back into the gambling den and lost it all before the first game was even finished. Too ashamed to go home, he ran into Yao again by chance, who gave him another five dollars and told him to buy rice and go home. The couple was inexpressibly grateful.

Yao was a devotee of the Three Treasures and constantly recited Guanyin's holy name. He was a cloth merchant of considerable means, and he happened to be planning a trip to Sichuan. Wu, knowing her husband was hopelessly addicted to gambling, earnestly asked Yao to take him along so he could earn a living elsewhere and help support the family. Yao agreed. Before leaving, he gave Wu fifty dollars for the household and brought Ding with him to Sichuan, where he set him up in his old line of work. He advanced capital for Ding to run a small porter trade, going out in the morning and returning at night. Within a few months, Ding had earned over three hundred dollars in profit—but then he slipped back into a gambling den and lost it all. Unable to face Yao, he wandered aimlessly. As the year drew to a close, he was called back home with Yao. Reaching Tong'an, they left their boat and went ashore to rest in a grove. Yao, exhausted, lay down on the ground.

Ding, seeing the place was secluded and deserted, took advantage of Yao's deep sleep to bind him. He planned to throw him into a deep pit and take the three thousand taels of white silver in his luggage. Yao awoke and shouted in anger: "How can you repay kindness with hatred? Take all the silver if you must—just spare my life." Ding said: "If I spare your life, there'll be trouble down the road." Yao, having no choice, pleaded gently: "I've always treated you well. If you mean to kill me, at least let me die a well-fed ghost. Buy me some vegetables and a meal, and I'll be deeply in your debt." Though profit had blinded Ding to all sense of righteousness, even he couldn't bear to refuse—and went off to buy vegetables and rice to feed him.

When Yao saw that Ding had gone some distance away, he loudly invoked "Namo the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, who rescues from suffering and difficulty." Suddenly a village woman passed beneath the trees. He called out to her for help. She said: "I am the Bodhisattva you have always invoked. I have long known of this affair. The two of you are entangled in debts from past lives and are due to undergo this retribution. Right here lies a skeleton that has never decomposed—it is your former self. You schemed for his wealth and took his life, stealing three thousand taels of white silver. In this life the debt comes due. Seeing that you've turned your heart toward goodness, I've come specially to resolve this."

As she finished speaking, she pointed to the ground. The earth split open, bones were revealed, and the woman vanished. When Ding came back with the food, Yao told him to look at the skeleton in the ground and recounted in full what the Bodhisattva had said about cause and effect. Ding's hair stood on end in horror! Pondering how he had killed Yao in a former life, was about to kill him in this life, and in the next life Yao would kill him again—on and on without end—he suddenly understood the principle that causes and effects revolve in endless cycles, grievances spawning grievances without cease. He hurriedly untied the bonds, helped Yao to his feet, and kowtowed in repentance.

Yao said: "The law of cause and effect leaves no exception. Had I died, I'd bear no grudge. Now that you've seen the light and spared my life, I'm willing to give you half the silver to dissolve the enmity of former lives." Ding accepted, and each went home. From then on, Ding thoroughly reformed his ways, and he and Yao became sworn brothers. Persuaded to enter the Buddhist gate, he took refuge in the Three Treasures. In time, both brought honor and prosperity to their households; their descendants flourished, and their blessings were inexhaustible.

Yao had planted the seeds of killing and theft in a former life, so when conditions ripened in this one, the fruit of repaying both wealth and life was bound to fall—and the retribution matched exactly. Fortunately, by taking refuge in the Three Treasures and turning his heart toward goodness, he received Guanyin's appearance to resolve the matter, illuminating the causes and effects of past lives and revealing the bones in the split earth as evidence. This allowed Ding to hear, see, and awaken on the spot, to untie the bonds and beg forgiveness. A single thought of goodness had turned an evil retribution into a blessed reward.

3. Saved Through Keeping a Vegetarian Diet

The laywoman Chen Meiyue, a native of Yongchun County in Fujian, now lives at 3rd Floor, No. 8, Bo'ai Village, Ai 2nd Road, Keelung City. At twenty-three, she followed her husband to Taiwan to make a living. Her husband, worn out by years of labor, developed tuberculosis and died after several years of treatment. She was just thirty-three then, with a son and a daughter to raise, and life was extremely hard. Her uncle urged her to find a husband to help raise the children, and arranged for her to live with a Taiwanese man named Huang Shiliang. After several years together, life had grown stable.

Because under the Japanese occupation Taiwanese people weren't permitted to marry mainlanders, the household registry could only record them as cohabiting. This troubled her constantly, and people mocked her: "You're raising someone else's children and can't even be the head of the household—why not give up on Chen and take a Taiwanese woman as wife instead?" Huang said: "If Meiyue won't let me register her in my household, I'd rather kill her than let her go to another man."

On the night of the 25th of the eighth month one year, while Chen was fast asleep, Huang took up a Japanese bayonet and stabbed her in the abdomen three times, hacking at her two shoulders and arms more than ten times. She felt no pain and made no move to flee. Later, remembering that you have to pull grass up by the roots—not one left behind—he tried to kill their fourteen-year-old daughter too. The girl was gravely wounded and tried to escape, leaping from a building to her death. Their son still stood frozen nearby, and Chen called out for him to run. Huang turned to chase her down. In trying to seize the knife, Chen's finger was sliced off. The son fortunately escaped and ran for help. Seeing people coming, Huang tried to kill himself but failed; others wrestled the knife away and called the police.

Chen was so focused on her children's fate that she didn't realize she herself was injured. When people pointed at her, she was covered in blood, the wounds terribly severe, and she collapsed from total blood loss. Rushed to the hospital, the staff tried to draw blood for tests but couldn't get any from her ears or anywhere on her body. When they tried to put her intestines back and sew her up, the intestines were broken and spilling out, excrement had leaked, and parts had begun to decay. So they worked hastily, shoving the intestines back in any which way, sewing up the gashes, and putting her in the mortuary to await death.

Huang had stabbed himself twice and was being treated in the next room. Asked why he'd killed his wife, he had nothing to say except: "That wretched woman had to die. I wonder if she'll pull through?" The nurse said: "She won't. She'll be dead by tonight." Chen, overhearing this, sighed at her bitter fate. Suddenly she thought of Bodhisattva Guanyin. From childhood she'd recited the holy name and the White-robed Divine Spell; later she'd taken refuge in the Three Treasures and kept a vegetarian practice—a devout Buddhist through and through. Now, if she died from this misfortune, she feared no one would believe in Buddhism anymore—they might even mock taking refuge as useless. So she closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and began reciting "Namo the Greatly Compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva." After twenty or so recitations, the room suddenly filled with brilliant light. Bodhisattva Guanyin appeared before her, and behind her stood countless figures with palms joined in recitation. Chen felt her body relax and she drifted into sleep, sleeping peacefully until dawn without the slightest pain.

When the court sent a forensic doctor to examine her, Chen was still alive—a sensation at the time. After healing, she was discharged, and she often wept bitterly before the image of Guanyin: "I've done no evil in this life—why must I suffer so? My husband died and I ended up with this evil man—why did he try to kill me? My daughter was killed too—what wrong did I do in a former life? Please, Bodhisattva, show me!"

One day while reciting, she suddenly lost consciousness and found herself as a young lord, holding a bow and arrows. She saw an orangutan, shot it down with one arrow, and a servant dragged it off and killed it. Later, she saw the orangutan coming to take revenge, so she invoked Guanyin's holy name. The Bodhisattva appeared at once, took the orangutan away, and said: "Confine it for eight years. If it reforms, release it." Chen suddenly awoke—as if from a dream, yet not quite a dream—and understood clearly: she had been the young lord in a former life, her daughter had been the servant, and the orangutan had been Huang Shiliang. She had shot the orangutan and was now stabbed; the servant had killed the orangutan and was now killed; Huang, after recovering, was sentenced by the court to fifteen years but served only eight before being released in a general amnesty. Cause and effect across past and present matched exactly, without a hair's breadth off.

Knowing that in a former life she had been a hunter who must have taken many lives, and that the suffering of this life came from that, she was grateful for the Bodhisattva's compassion, which had transformed heavy retribution into light. She had only to recite the Buddha's name sincerely to dissolve calamities and lessen offenses. Yet eating and coughing were still agonizing. When she turned over in bed, her intestines shifted inside her abdomen. The doctor explained: "At the time we decided she would die, so we just shoved the intestines back in, strips of cloth and all, and sewed her up to be done with it." She had no money, and the doctors were inattentive. With three major wounds and thirteen minor ones, she underwent three major surgeries and thirteen minor ones in succession, yet still couldn't be fully healed. Finally, in frustration, she gave up further treatment and prayed only for the Bodhisattva's blessing. Though the knife wounds became inflamed several times, at night she dreamed the Bodhisattva came to treat her, inserting needles, and a white object emerged. The next morning, on examination, it turned out to be a strip of cloth that had worked its way out through the wound—and she recovered at once. Each time it happened, the result was the same.

Once completely illiterate, she is now sixty-six and able to recite the Lotus Sutra, practicing with great diligence. Everyone remarks on how inconceivable the Buddha-Dharma is. There's a saying: "Bodhisattvas fear the cause; sentient beings fear the effect." Once you've planted an evil cause, you must reap its evil fruit. In her former life, Chen Meiyue had been a hunter who must have killed many creatures—yet for a single arrow shot at the orangutan, she suffered sixteen stab wounds in this life, her intestines severed and her blood drained dry. Blessed by Guanyin's merciful rescue, she didn't die, but she endured sixteen surgeries and long suffering. The servant who had killed the orangutan was killed; the son, who had no part in it, was lucky to escape. Cause and effect could not be clearer—and the retribution of later lives is especially to be feared! Fortunately, she had taken refuge in the Three Treasures early, kept a vegetarian diet, and recited the Buddha's name, living past sixty and still practicing diligently. She will surely transform misfortune into blessing, take her karma with her to rebirth, ferry every resentful relative, and together be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, free forever from the suffering of the cycles of rebirth.

Huang Shiliang, killed in a former life, repaid the debt by killing in this one. Through the Bodhisattva's resolution of the matter, he was given the chance to reform and start anew—sparing them both the endless cycle of vengeance.

4. Healed by Reciting the Mantra

The layman Shi Qian had been reciting the Buddha's name for four years. Whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, his recitation went on without pause—aloud or silent—through cold and heat alike. In July of the thirty-first year of the Republic (1942), his second daughter Jihua fell gravely ill. Her whole body was ulcerated, and she could find no ease sitting or lying down. All said she was beyond cure. With no other recourse, Shi and his wife added recitation of Guanyin's holy name and the Great Compassion Mantra to their daily morning and evening services, devoutly seeking silent protection. Within two months her pain eased and she gradually made a full recovery.

The Sutra on the Retribution of Hungry Ghosts records: "The Venerable Maudgalyāyana, foremost among the Buddha's disciples in supernatural powers, clearly perceived the retributions of the six realms and knew that good and evil never miss their mark. Once, by the bank of a river, a ghost asked him: 'My whole body is ulcerated and I suffer unbearable agony. What offense caused this?' The Venerable One replied: 'When you were a human, you delighted in eating the flesh of all manner of beings and killed sentient creatures. Now you receive this retribution in the present; the full fruit awaits you in hell.'" Master Shi's daughter's ulcerated body was the present-life retribution for a former life of eating meat and taking life. Through devoutly seeking Guanyin's silent protection, she recovered—her heavy suffering transformed into light.

5. Saved Through Taking Refuge

There was a butcher in Shanghai who made his living slaughtering oxen and committed every kind of evil. Hearing of Master Yinguang's fame, he journeyed to Mount Putuo to take refuge—but his old habits were hard to shake. Later, when he went to Mount Putuo to offer incense, he joined the crowd going to the Brahma Sound Cave to glimpse his previous life. Each person saw something different, but he alone saw a yellow ox lying in the cave, looking deeply distressed. He was terrified and ill at ease! He hurried back to the temple and told the Master what he'd seen: "Could it be that I was a yellow ox in my previous life?" The Master said: "No. This is your life to come. Because you've killed oxen, the law of cause and effect is hard to escape." On hearing that after death he'd become an ox, he was struck with terror, his soul seemed to flee, cold sweat poured down, and he knelt to beg for salvation. The Master said: "Fortunately, you have the roots of goodness, and the Bodhisattva has manifested as an ox to warn you. Tell me truthfully how many living beings you've killed, and I can repent on your behalf before the Buddha. You should also ask monks to perform rites of release for your vengeful creditors, repent and make vows, thoroughly reform your ways, and never again take a life. Constantly recite the Buddha's name and release living creatures. Strive with all your might in good deeds to redeem your past offenses—only then can you preserve your human form. Otherwise, even Bodhisattva Guanyin will find it hard to save you." Terrified at the thought of becoming an ox and being slaughtered, he agreed to every condition without hesitation. From then on he changed his occupation, made a fresh start, and became a devout Buddhist. He harbored no more evil thoughts, contemplated no more evil deeds—whatever benefited others, he helped with all his heart.

6. Saved by Invoking the Holy Name

The abbot of Zheshan Monastery in Wuhu dreamed, in the fourth year of the Republic (1915), of a pig kneeling on the ground and speaking in human language: "In my previous life I was a certain butcher of this city. Because of the killing karma, I've been reborn as a pig. Tomorrow morning I'll be killed by my own son. But once I uttered 'Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva,' so I've come to beg the Master to spare my life out of compassion."

At dawn he saw a man driving a pig that came running frantically into the temple. Curious, he made inquiries, and the circumstances matched his dream exactly. He told the man the truth. The son refused to believe him, so the abbot said: "If this is truly my father, and I call out three times—if he can answer three times in a row—I'll believe he's really my father. Not only will I not kill him, but I'll supply all the food needed to keep him alive."

Three calls, three answers. The son was stunned and choked with grief. He left the pig in the monastery and provided its food, which the head cook fed it. This pig loved cleanliness—every time it relieved itself, it went on its own to the spot beneath the grain-drying area, never once making a mistake. When anyone called out "Pig Lay-Brother," it would raise its head and wag its tail in reply. All who saw it were astonished.

This was witnessed in person by Master Ziming of Fahai Monastery when he was a guest at Zheshan Monastery. He told it directly to Master Xiulun, who composed the Record of a Butcher Reborn as a Pig.

To kill an ox and become an ox, to kill a pig and become a pig—such is the law of self-made cause, self-received effect, the iron rule of karmic retribution. The ox-killer, because he had taken refuge in the Three Treasures, was shown his future life as an ox as a warning—whereupon he changed his trade, did good deeds, recited the Buddha's name, released living creatures, and sought to preserve his human form. The one reborn as a pig, because he had once uttered the holy name, was able to enter the monastery to seek rescue, which led his son to recognize the pig as his father and release him in the temple. There, constantly hearing the Buddha's name, he gained liberation. Otherwise, he'd likely have worn horns and bristles, writhing between knife and cauldron, not knowing how many thousands or tens of thousands of lifetimes would pass before he could begin to repay his karmic debt of killing.

Alas! There are a hundred trades that can support a person—why must one take up the knife and ply the butcher's trade, drawing down evil retribution and endless suffering? Hence Confucius warned that one cannot be too careful in choosing one's occupation. We earnestly urge all butchers to quickly change their trade, constantly recite the holy names of Amitabha and Guanyin, repent and make vows: "I vow that after I see the Buddha and attain the Way, I shall ferry to salvation all the sentient beings I have killed since the beginningless beginning, that they may all be reborn in the Pure Land." If one recites in this way until it becomes long-practiced and natural, one will also be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. And if one then goes on to transform others, urging them to urge others in turn, in this very life one's evil karma will be dissolved, and after death one will likewise enjoy boundless blessings.

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Chapter Seven: Manifestations to Guide and Receive [the Dying]

The Buddha declared in the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra: "In the latter age of the Dharma, when billions take up practice, scarcely one will attain the path. Only by relying on the recitation of Amitābha's name can one pass beyond birth and death."

The Buddha said in the Sūtra of Amitābha Buddha: "If a good man or good woman hears of Amitābha Buddha and holds fast to his name, keeping a single, undistracted mind for one day or up to seven days, then at the moment of their death Amitābha Buddha and the holy assembly will appear before them. Their mind will not be confused at the end, and they will immediately be reborn in Amitābha's Land of Ultimate Bliss."

The Contemplation Sūtra states: "There may be beings who have committed the five grave offenses and the ten evil deeds, full of every kind of wrongdoing, who should fall into the evil realms and suffer without end. Yet when such a foolish person is at the hour of death, if they meet a good teacher who instructs them to recite the Buddha's name, and with wholehearted sincerity complete the ten recitations of Namo Amitābha Buddha, then in each recitation they erase the karma of eighty billion kalpas of birth and death, and are immediately reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss."

The Sūtra of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed, Unobstructed Great Compassionate Heart Dhāraṇī records: "The Buddha said: This bodhisattva is named Avalokiteśvara. All beings in the heavens and on earth should always make offerings to her. Whoever recites her name alone will gain immeasurable merit, extinguish immeasurable wrongdoing, and at life's end be reborn in Amitābha's land."

These passages amply confirm that reciting Guanyin's name alone and reciting Amitābha's name alone yield comparable merit and identical fruit. To deliver all beings, Guanyin Bodhisattva assumes whatever form is needed to save them, appearing throughout every land in the ten directions without exception. Through these wondrous manifestations she draws people in, inspiring them to arouse faith and resolve and to take up the recitation of the holy name. When suffering, peril, or the moment of death arises, they will be rescued and set free.

Let me earnestly urge all our compatriots at home and abroad to take these truths to heart: that this Sahā world is steeped in suffering, while the Western Pure Land is the place of supreme bliss; that across our many past lives karmic obstructions run deep, and we cannot swiftly escape them through our own strength alone; and that reciting Amitābha's name or Guanyin's name alone will surely draw their compassionate embrace, so that the wish to be reborn will be answered and we shall be reborn even in this very life.

With this understanding, settle your mind into a single resolve. Wish to leave the Sahā world as a condemned prisoner longs to escape the cell, with not a thread of attachment left. Wish to be reborn in the West as a traveler far from home yearns to return, with no thought of delay or hesitation. From this day on, according to your capacity and means, recite the holy names of Amitābha and Guanyin with all your heart. Let every recitation arise from the heart, and never let the heart stray from the recitation. Pray only to be free of illness, suffering, and disaster in this life; to dissolve wrongdoing and gather merit; and at life's end to be welcomed by the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who appear to guide you home—reborn in the Pure Land, where the lotus opens and you behold the Buddha face to face, realizing the unborn nature.

Throughout history, countless people who recited both the Buddha's name and Guanyin's name have been reborn in the Pure Land—too many to number. The Records of Pure Land Sages, its first and second continuations, and its third and fourth compilations record only a fraction of them, one or two among billions. Those who recited Guanyin's name alone and were personally guided to rebirth are also beyond counting. I will offer here a few modern examples—lay and monastic alike—who attained rebirth, as evidence and as a model for all.

The Buddha has spoken thus, and the facts bear it out. May all who read this look to the worthy and seek to follow them. Those who find it hard to believe may yet come to believe.

Section 1: Wondrous Manifestations at Mount Putuo

1. The Father of the Nation's Direct Vision

On August 25, 1916 (the 5th year of the Republic of China), Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Father of the Nation, boarded the warship Jiànkāng to inspect the naval harbors at Xiangshan and Zhoushan, and stopped at Mount Putuo along the way. His companions included Hu Hanmin, Deng Mengshuo, Zhou Peizhen, Zhu Zhuowen, Chen Qubing (secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Civil Affairs), and the ship's captain, Ren Guangyu. By the time they reached Mount Putuo the sun was already low, and they went ashore together. They met Venerable Daojie of Beijing's Fayuan Temple, who guided them to a brief stay at Puji Temple. The abbot, Liaoyu, arranged bamboo sedan chairs for the climb. After a long, winding ascent with many ups and downs, they reached the Sky-Lamp Platform atop Buddha Peak. Dr. Sun lingered alone at the high vantage, looking out over the view. He then went on to Huiji Temple, also called the Hall of Guanyin.

The moment he looked up from afar, the vision appeared. Before the temple, a magnificent ceremonial archway seemed to rise, adorned with woven celestial flowers and fluttering jeweled banners. Dozens of extraordinary monks appeared, looking as though they had come to welcome a guest. He was struck by the grandeur of their bearing and how swiftly they had assembled. As he walked nearer, he saw clearly that within the archway a great wheel was spinning at tremendous speed—he could not tell what it was made of or what moved it. Just as he was puzzling over it, the vision vanished without a trace, and he found he had already passed the spot where it had appeared.

Once inside Huiji Temple, he quickly asked his companions what they had seen, but none of them had witnessed anything. He was deeply struck by the strangeness of it. Being a man of rational mind with no prior inclination toward the uncanny, he could not fathom what kind of spiritual realm he had entered. Returning to Puji Temple for the evening meal, he wrote down the experience by lamplight under the title A Record of Strange Things Seen at Mount Putuo; the original text is still preserved in the guest hall of Puji Temple.

A note on the passage: The appearance of the archway, the welcoming monks, and the spinning wheel seemed to be Guanyin's reception of the Father of the Nation, urging him to become a great protector of the Dharma so that the Dharma wheel might turn without cease for the deliverance of all beings.

2. A Vision That Awakened Faith

A wealthy man surnamed Wang from Guangdong was a leading figure in banking and had long been a Christian. His wife's younger sister was a Buddhist and invited Wang's wife and daughter to Mount Putuo to offer incense. At the Brahma Sound Cave they saw Guanyin Bodhisattva appear and radiate light, and faith was immediately born in them. After returning home they enshrined a statue of Guanyin and worshipped morning and evening. Wang was puzzled—his daughter, a university student, had previously refused his urging to believe in Jesus, and now she had suddenly turned to Buddhism. When he asked the reason, they replied, "How could that be? I've been a Christian for years and have never once seen God. Yet you, who don't believe in Buddhism, have seen the Buddha? If I saw it with my own eyes, I'd convert on the spot." He insisted on going himself, and sure enough at the Brahma Sound Cave he saw Guanyin Bodhisattva radiating light and manifesting all manner of holy forms. He converted to Buddhism without delay, devoted himself to protecting the Dharma, and encouraged many of his friends to take refuge.

3. A Vision That Led to a Temple Restored

Fu Xingyuan, a practitioner of Chinese medicine who lived on Guangxiao Temple Street in Guangzhou, was a follower of the heterodox Primordial Dragon Flower sect. His daughter, Fu Ergu, had taken refuge with Venerable Baojing and often attended his lectures; with a solid grasp of Buddhist teaching, she urged her father to turn to the proper faith of the Three Jewels. Heeding her, he led his children and others to visit Venerable Baojing at Guanzong Temple in Ningbo, stopping at Mount Putuo along the way. Before the Brahma Sound Cave he saw with his own eyes Guanyin Bodhisattva's holy form—dignified and magnificent beyond compare, radiating light and auspicious signs too dazzling to gaze upon directly. He fell to his knees and worshipped on the spot. From then on, moved by what he had seen, he vowed to single-handedly donate over eight thousand yuan to restore the Guanyin Temple on Guangxiao Temple Street. He invited the Dharma master to give teachings, welcomed devotees to recite the Buddha's name and perform repentance rites, and personally brought his whole family and relatives to attend every evening. The gathering's vitality was unlike anything seen before.

4. Each Sees Something Different

A woman surnamed Mo, from Gaozhou in Guangdong, was living in Guangzhou. With her husband out of work and her children still in school, the family was pressed for money. Every day she went to the Guanyin Temple on Guangxiao Temple Street to pray for winning lottery numbers, and sure enough she won eight thousand yuan. Old debts were cleared, the children's tuition was covered, and she was so grateful for Guanyin's kindness that she spoke of it wherever she went. She happened to meet Fu Ergu, who told her of Guanyin's manifestations at Mount Putuo, and she longed to make the pilgrimage, but most of her winnings were gone. She went to pray for another win, and she won again.

She took a boat to Shanghai, invited two relatives to go with her, and together they knelt before the Brahma Sound Cave, sincerely reciting Guanyin's holy name for some six hours, vowing they would not turn back until they saw her. Around four in the afternoon, sure enough, the curtain within the cave seemed to part, and Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared—tall, majestic, and radiant with great light. But strangest of all was this: the woman kneeling on the left saw only a noble lady seated on a dais, with a maidservant arranging a chair and offering tea. The woman kneeling on the right saw only a spirit tablet and a small dog.

The next day they climbed up to the Brahma Sound Cave again to investigate in person, and saw nothing but a single large stone with three cracks, from each of which a small tree and some grass were growing, swaying in the wind. How could a holy form have appeared from such a place? Truly beyond all reckoning!

5. A Vision That Led to Taking Refuge

The Pang sisters were from Guangdong. The younger sister had studied for years at Shanghai's Qiming School, was a committed Christian, and was about to be formally baptized. The elder sister had just graduated from the Belilios Public Girls' School in Hong Kong; on hearing of Guanyin's manifestations at Mount Putuo, she traveled to Shanghai to invite her younger sister to go with her. The younger sister laughed at her for being superstitious and backward, no different from the foolish masses, and refused to worship idols. The elder sister insisted she come along. The younger sister said, "If I go to Putuo with you and we actually see the living Guanyin, I'll follow you into Buddhism. But if neither of us sees anything, you'll get baptized with me." The elder sister agreed, and on these terms they set off by boat together.

Kneeling before the Brahma Sound Cave and reciting Guanyin's holy name, they saw the curtain part, and Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared—brilliant and splendid beyond the heavens, her virtuous features majestic, a thousand blossoms offering auspicious signs, surrounded by the eighteen arhats with palms joined in reverence, moving like figures on a revolving lantern. Overwhelmed, they prostrated themselves on the spot, filled with admiration and conviction. Returning home in great joy, they told their parents and burned the Bible they had once held to be sacred. The younger sister, reflecting that marriage and a life of service to a husband were no better than a pure life devoted to the bodhisattva way, studied the teachings with her elder sister, took refuge with Venerable Hairen, and became his close disciple. In 1933, when Venerable Hairen went to Xiguan in Guangzhou to lecture on the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, he had the Pang sisters give the afternoon review lectures each day; their eloquence was like lotus blossoms unfolding, and they won over many educated listeners.

6. Long Prayers Before Seeing the Vision

Venerable Mixian lived in a thatched hut at the foot of Mount Putuo's front mountain. Desiring to see Guanyin's holy form, he walked the more than twenty li to the Brahma Sound Cave and back each day. If he did not see her one day, he returned the next, kneeling for hours, yet seeing only rough stones. On the third day he came again, kneeling in earnest prayer, reproaching himself for his deep karmic obstructions and lack of affinity, yet still he did not see her. On the fourth day he returned, vowing not to stop until he had seen her. Back and forth like this for more than twenty days, he finally saw the Buddha appear within a beam of light, and his wish was fulfilled.

Without a sincere heart and steady perseverance, how could anyone hope to witness the holy form with their own eyes?

A note on the passage: Mount Putuo is the sacred ground where Guanyin Bodhisattva responds and teaches. Those who come on pilgrimage, to burn incense, or simply to tour the mountain mostly pay their respects at the Brahma Sound Cave and pray to see the Bodhisattva manifest. To strengthen the faith of those who come, or to guide them toward goodness, the Bodhisattva often radiates light and appears in visible form to draw them in. People like Mr. Wang, a Christian, and Mr. Fu, a follower of the heterodox Dragon Flower sect, converted and took refuge the moment they saw her, or set about repairing temples and reciting the Buddha's name. People like Mrs. Mo knelt for six hours, and Venerable Mixian went back and forth for over twenty days—both had to pray at length before they saw her, a testing of their sincerity and a dissolving of their karmic obstructions. All of this is the Bodhisattva's boundless compassion, accommodating the capacities of each being and employing whatever skillful means are needed to guide them home.

Section 2: Manifestations of Holy Images

1. A Porcelain Image Appearing in the Kiln

In Jiangxi there was a family of potters who made their living from ceramics. One day they loaded a kiln full of white porcelain bowls and fired it. When they opened the kiln, the bowls were gone—in their place stood a white porcelain image of Guanyin Bodhisattva, dignified in form and radiant with light, far beyond any human craftsmanship. The whole family was overjoyed; nothing like it had ever been seen. People from near and far heard the news and came to pay their respects and make offerings.

One night, the Bodhisattva appeared in a dream and instructed that the image be sent to be enshrined at Yongquan Temple on Drum Mountain in Fujian. The local authorities reported the matter to the throne, and the court sent envoys to bring the image to the palace for enshrinement. The temple's abbot dreamed that the Bodhisattva said, "Tomorrow envoys from the court will come to the mountain, intending to move my image to the palace. You may take a small hammer and strike my robe once, to fulfill my wish." At dawn the abbot followed the instruction and tapped the robe, leaving a long crack in the fabric. When the envoys arrived and saw the crack, they reported it upward, and the image was not moved.

After that, whenever prayers were offered for clear skies or for rain, the image continually showed its spiritual response. In 1927 (the 16th year of the Republic of China) the image suddenly vanished; no one knows where it went.

A note on the passage: The Bodhisattva's manifestation is for the deliverance of all beings, and so she did not wish the image to be moved to the palace for the worship of a single sovereign. She also foresaw that the fortunes of the Qing court were about to end.

2. A Painted Image Appearing on a Ladle

Since Elder Venerable Wenzhi had restored the Buddha Peak Temple at Mount Putuo, the temple's pure practices had flourished more each day. In the kitchen there was a tea-server who was in fact a layperson; he had vowed to boil water in the kitchen for the community, and he had profound faith in Guanyin Bodhisattva. Every day he rose at three in the morning to boil water and worked until nine at night. He held a large copper ladle, scooped up a ladleful of water, and recited one holy name with each pour. His hands moved and his mouth recited without pause—his work never stopped, and his recitation of the holy name never ceased. He kept this up without a break for twenty years. Then, on the copper handle of the great water ladle, a complete and dignified holy image of Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly appeared. At first he thought someone had painted it, so he tried washing it with water; the more he washed, the clearer it became. He wiped it with a cloth; the more he wiped, the more distinct it grew. Moved to reverence, the tea-server resolved to leave the household life and become a monk.

Elder Venerable Wenzhi regarded this as a rare and wondrous response of the Bodhisattva's compassion. We should give rise to a heart of wonder, preserve and enshrine the ladle, and keep it forever at the temple gate. He invited Venerable Yüanying to compose a Record of Guanyin Bodhisattva's Manifestation.

A note on the passage: The image appearing on the ladle was the fruit of twenty years of unbroken recitation, hand and mouth in unison, gathering the tea-server in and guiding him to leave home and attain liberation.

3. The Holy Form Appearing on Stone

On the afternoon of April 13, 1943 (the 3rd day of the 3rd month of the 32nd year of the Republic of China), over a hundred men and women of the Wuxi Buddhist Pure Karma Society, led by Wang Dechao, took a steamer to Lingyan Mountain in Suzhou to offer incense and pay their respects. While there, they visited Elder Venerable Zhenda of Taiping Temple, who was in solitary retreat on the mountain, and mentioned that the name of Xishi Cave on the mountain was out of keeping with Buddhist teaching and ought to be changed to Guanyin Cave. The abbot, Miaozhen, agreed wholeheartedly and asked Wang to undertake the painting of a Guanyin image inside the cave. On the afternoon of the 13th, Wang and Yuan Dechang and several others went together to the cave. They found rough stones of uneven height within, the cracks too tangled to make sense of, and no clear surface to work on—each one hesitant, they began sincerely reciting Guanyin's holy name together. In an instant, the Bodhisattva's holy countenance appeared on the stone, every feature perfectly formed, as though carved by heaven itself, magnificent beyond any human skill. All were overjoyed beyond expectation and bowed in praise. Some tourists who happened by also paused to pay their respects.

Wang climbed a ladder and began to trace and paint what he saw. To his surprise, more images appeared on the stone—some large, some small, some seated, some standing—and each viewer saw something different. It was like a second holy site to match the Brahma Sound Cave at Putuo! The gathering's delight only deepened. Then a giant ao-fish appeared beneath the holy image, mouth open and tail raised, as though the Bodhisattva sat upon its back. In the cracks of the stone below, the image of a vast natural sea appeared, visible to all.

From then on, the magnificent holy form has remained on this famous mountain, a place of beauty, responding to the cries of the suffering and bringing boundless benefit to all sentient beings.

A note on the passage: The moment Xishi Cave was renamed Guanyin Cave, the wondrous holy form appeared, allowing Wang to trace and paint it so that all might gaze upon it in reverence and gain immeasurable merit.

4. A Stone Image Appearing in a Cave

On January 22, 1971 (the 22nd day of the 1st month of the 60th year of the Republic of China), workers at the Kaohsiung plant of Taiwan Cement Corporation were blasting rock at a quarry on Shoushan in Kaohsiung when they uncovered a natural stone cave about twenty meters deep and fifteen meters wide. At its center stood a stone image of Guanyin Bodhisattva, roughly four meters tall: a coiled Buddhist head-cloth, a spotless Buddhist robe, feet resting on a round lotus pedestal, and a baby cradled in her right arm—so lifelike that it seemed more vivid and natural than any carved image enshrined in an ordinary temple.

Local residents came in crowds to pay their respects. The company, fearing that too many visitors might damage the site, had workers move the image to its office, but people continued to come in an unbroken stream to bow before it. The image was later offered to the Kaohsiung branch of the Buddhist Association for enshrinement.

The Bodhisattva's appearance at this time and in this place allows people throughout the region to venerate her with reverence, to share in her grace that rescues from suffering and from苦难, and to be forever spared the calamities of war, flood, and fire.

5. The Pavilion Destroyed but the Image Preserved

Taroko Pavilion was built partway up the eastern end of Taiwan's east–west cross-island highway; no one knows exactly when. It overlooks the misty stream below and rises beneath towering cliffs, and enshrined within it was a bronze standing statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, famed for its many spiritual responses. In the spring of 1962 (the 51st year of the Republic of China), a sudden rockfall brought down the entire pavilion structure, yet the Bodhisattva's statue moved only some eight feet forward, coming to rest near an iron incense burner. There it stood, unharmed in the slightest detail, as steady as before. Onlookers marveled, all agreeing this was a vivid and unmistakable proof of the Bodhisattva's majestic spiritual power.

That summer the Highway Bureau rebuilt Taroko Pavilion, cut a cave in the cliff behind it more than three meters deep, and moved the Bodhisattva's image into it. They invited Zhang Ling, a lay Buddhist from Hunan, to compose the inscription for a stele recording Guanyin's wondrous responses, which was carved into the pavilion wall to pass the story down. The completion of the east–west cross-island highway itself was attended by extraordinary dangers and hardships too many to recount. For example, when the route was resurveyed in 1957 (the 46th year of the Republic of China), the team changed to begin from the southern line. At that very time a rockslide at the upstream Yingbin Gorge blocked the stream and formed a lake; when a mountain torrent burst through, raging waves swept people and livestock into the sea. Because of this, the team altered their course early on, escaping the disaster and sparing all the workers from being lost. As the road construction proceeded, the former president

六、照现圣相

In late summer and early autumn, typhoons regularly form over the Pacific. Their intensity may wax or wane mid-course, their path shifting west or north without warning, and the countries along the Pacific’s western rim often bear the brunt of their force—uprooting trees, destroying homes, injuring people and livestock in the worst cases. Such natural disasters are impossible to fully guard against. On the 19th day of the 5th lunar month, 1973 (the 62nd year of the Republic of China), U.S. Air Force crews sent a plane fitted with cameras to track the typhoon and study its shifting patterns. At the center of the storm lies the so-called “typhoon eye,” a pocket of clear, cloudless sky—but to their astonishment, they spotted a mass of dark cloud within it, glowing with light. They took photographs, and after developing the film, they saw a figure with visible claws and fangs standing atop the cloud, its expression serene and sacred. No one could name the deity at first, but when the images were shown to Chinese observers, they identified the figure as Guanyin Bodhisattva, holding the typhoon in check to prevent it from bringing disaster. The photos were later sent to Taiwan, proof that Guanyin carries out her great vow to save all beings at all times and in all places.

七、屡赐圣像

In the winter of 1949 (the 38th year of the Republic of China), as Nationalist forces prepared to withdraw from Chongqing, the author sought a Guanyin image for protection during the journey. To his surprise, he found small prints of Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin, and Guandi at a street stall, perfect to carry with him. With this protection, he navigated the dangers of the retreat safely and arrived in Taiwan. He immediately set up a small home altar, intending to enshrine images of the Three Western Sages and pray for the defense of Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen, and Matsu, the eventual recovery of the mainland, and the rescue of fellow countrymen. At the time, such images were hard to find in Taipei, but a Mr. Chen from Taichung kindly sent him a set of color-printed Three Sages images from Hong Kong, framed and ready for veneration. In the autumn of 1967 (the 56th year of the Republic of China), the author retired to Jinglian Villa on the outskirts of Taipei. A lay devotee who was moving abroad gave him a Guanyin porcelain statue to keep, which he has enshrined ever since. On November 23, 1975 (the 64th year of the Republic of China), the author’s wife, Zheng Lvmei, saw their neighbor Mr. Heng Yu commission a new sandalwood statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for 5,500 dollars, exquisitely carved. Moved by this, she resolved to have a Guanyin statue made too, praying for her chronic stomach illness to heal, for her whole family to stay free of sickness, and for all of them to be reborn in the Pure Land after death. The next afternoon, the author went to Shipu Temple to attend a board meeting for its charitable foundation. On the way, he stopped to buy stomach medicine and milk powder, then waited for a bus on Wuxing Street. He spotted a country woman carrying a basket and two paper cartons, with a bronze Guanyin statue resting inside the basket. She told him the statue had been enshrined by her late husband, and asked 500 dollars for it. The author offered 200, but she refused. To his surprise, she got on the same bus and sat across from him, propping her basket and cartons on her lap. She said there were three bronze Guanyin statues inside in total. Unwilling to see the sacred images treated so casually and risk karmic consequences for the woman, the author decided to use all the money he had set aside for medicine and milk powder—over 600 dollars—to buy all three statues. After she counted the money, she said it wasn’t enough and refused the offer. When the author got off the bus at Chaozhou Street, she suddenly agreed to sell him two of the statues for 500 dollars, letting him keep the rest of the money for his errands. After buying his medicine and attending the meeting, he brought the statues home to enshrine at his villa, and only then learned they were ancient bronze Buddhist treasures cast during the Ming Dynasty’s Xuande era. He and his family burned incense and bowed in reverence, marveling at how rare and auspicious this encounter was. After the author’s wife took the blessed water from the statues with her medicine, her stomach illness was cured. The regions of Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen, and Matsu remain secure to this day, and the recovery of the mainland is surely not far off. If not for the Guanyin statue that Bodhisattva sent his way, how could all his wishes have been fulfilled so perfectly and promptly?

第三节

接引比丘

一、专持圣号

Master Yuandu, styled Cizhou, was a member of the Zhang family of Zhenping, Henan. He abandoned his Confucian studies to ordain as a monk, and received full precepts soon after. He had long devoted himself to the Pure Land tradition of Amitabha Buddha, and held a particularly deep reverence for Guanyin Bodhisattva. He set aside a clean room in his residence to enshrine sacred images of the Bodhisattva: large and small, painted and carved, cast in gold and jade, rendered on silk and paper, all brilliant with color, majestic and awe-inspiring, each treated as the very body of the Bodhisattva. He bowed with his body to these images, chanted with his voice, and focused his mind on them; his pure, unbroken mindfulness moved Guanyin to grant him a spiritual baptism, dispelling his worldly delusions in an instant and illuminating his true nature. He practiced with unflagging diligence for decades without a single day of laxity. When followers asked him for guidance, he always directed them to the Pure Land path, winning the devotion of scholars and commoners alike, with many taking refuge under him. In the 7th year of the Xianfeng era of the Qing dynasty, he told his disciples, “I will pass away on the 28th,” but none of them understood what he meant. In the 7th month of the 8th year of Xianfeng, he suddenly fell ill, cut off all worldly distractions, and focused solely on chanting Guanyin’s name, tens of thousands of times a day. On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, he bid farewell to his community despite his illness, pressed his palms together in prayer, and chanted: “Guanyin comes to welcome me; on the 16th, I will return to the true realm.” He passed away at the temple at the hour of the rabbit (5 to 7 a.m.) on the 16th, at the age of 67. He left instructions that no obituary should be published for seven days after his death; when that period passed, a retired monk also passed away, and their funerals were held together. The annotation notes that he had predicted he would “return west on the 28th,” and he indeed passed away on the 16th day of the 8th lunar month of the 8th year of Xianfeng—both dates fall under the “erba” (double eight) numerological reference. His instruction to delay the obituary for seven days also demonstrated his ability to foretell the passing of others.

二、工念无间

Master Juxing, named Bian, was a native of Huili, Yunnan. Orphaned at a young age, he married into the Zeng family of Yanyuan and had two sons. His family was poor, and all of them worked at Zhusheng Temple on Jizu Mountain. In the 2nd year of the Xuantong era of the Qing dynasty (1910), at the age of 21, he led his entire family of eight to ask Venerable Xuyun for ordination, and received full precepts shortly after. He was deaf, plain-featured, and illiterate, but when he was taught the method of chanting Amitabha Buddha’s and Guanyin Bodhisattva’s names to be reborn in the Pure Land, he abandoned all other pursuits and focused his mind entirely on the practice. He planted vegetables by day, and spent his nights bowing in worship, chanting Buddha’s name, and meditating; he also studied the liturgical texts in his spare time, practicing with tireless diligence. In the 4th year of the Republic of China (1915), he left to visit the four great Buddhist mountains; he returned to Yunnan in the 9th year of the Republic (1920), just as Venerable Xuyun was rebuilding Yunqi Temple in Kunming. Master Juxing wished to join him in intensive ascetic practice, so he was assigned to live at Shengyin Temple, the lower monastery of the complex. He had no moment of rest: he built walls, constructed buildings, planted trees, carried stones, dug earth, swept floors, and cooked meals, yet he never stopped chanting Buddha’s name, not even for a second. He owned no extra possessions, spoke very little, and after the evening meditation session, he would bow once for every word of the Diamond Sutra, Medicine Master Sutra, and Pure Land texts he recited. He rose at dawn to the sound of the great temple bell, attended morning liturgy and chanting as a daily routine, and never slept in. When he mended his own clothes or did tailoring for his fellow monks, he matched every stitch with a chant of Buddha’s name. In the 13th year of the Republic (1924), during a precepts retreat, he was invited to serve as a witness. He suddenly sold all his clothes, bedding, and personal belongings, held a vegetarian feast for the entire community at Guanyin Hall, and when asked where he was going, he only smiled and said nothing. After the precepts retreat ended, he asked for leave to return to the lower monastery. On the 29th day of the 3rd lunar month, after the afternoon meditation session, he quietly went to the drying yard behind the main hall, took a few armfuls of straw, put on his monk’s robes and sat cross-legged on it, holding a small bell in his left hand and a wooden fish in his right, chanting Buddha’s name facing west as he set himself on fire. He was 36 years old. When the other monks came to check on him, he was still sitting upright on the ashes, his appearance unchanged, and a rare, fragrant scent drifted for miles around. When they went to pick up the small bell he had held, it suddenly crumbled into ash. Master Juxing could not read a single character, yet he practiced asceticism with such fierce diligence. Venerable Xuyun wrote a memorial poem for him that included the line “his secret practice complete, he rises to the highest lotus grade,” which is clear proof that he was reborn in the highest tier of the Pure Land. For those of us who can read and write, if we waste our time carelessly, how could we not feel ashamed? Note that self-immolation is only appropriate for those who have attained the samadhi of Buddha recollection; those who have not reached this level must never entertain such a foolish thought, lest they fall into delusion, go mad, and be reborn in the lower realms for aeons.

三、大士授咒

Master Shounian, whose secular name was Nengxiu, was born into the Jin family of Haizhou. His father died when he was six, and he began following a vegetarian diet with his mother from that time. His mother passed away when he was 19, and at 25, he went to the Yuntai Mountain Tianxian Cave to kneel before Elder Longchao and beg to ordain. He knelt from morning until noon, and the elder, moved by his sincerity, finally agreed to shave his head. In the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), at the age of 34, he went to Baohua Mountain to receive full precepts. He lived at Yuwang Temple, where he worshipped the Buddha’s relics for three years, when he suddenly glimpsed golden light. That night, he dreamed that Guanyin Bodhisattva granted him the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra; from then on, his daily fixed practice was 80 repetitions of the Great Compassion Mantra and 50,000 chants of Buddha’s name. In the 13th year of the Republic (1924), he made a pilgrimage to Putuo Mountain, paid homage to Guanyin, built a simple thatched hut, and lived there for two years. He later traveled north to Huai’an, where he was invited to serve as the head of the chanting hall at Dingshan Temple and the Fangsheng Nunnery, regularly leading the community in chanting and working tirelessly without complaint. In the 28th year of the Republic (1939), he became abbot of Dizang Temple, where he established monastic rules: morning and evening temple attendance, six sticks of incense worth of chanting per day as a fixed practice, and dedicated guidance for both monastic and lay practitioners. In the autumn of the 32nd year of the Republic (1943), the chanting hall of Wanyuan Nunnery in Baoying sincerely invited him to lead practice there. Before he left, he told his fellow monk Changtian, “I will pass away to the west on the 6th day of the 10th lunar month, and will return soon.” True to his word, he returned to the temple on the 2nd day of the 10th lunar month. Changtian saw he had no signs of illness and asked how he knew his time had come. The master replied, “I entered a state of meditation by chance and saw the Bodhisattva send a boat to welcome me, so I know my time to be reborn in the Pure Land has arrived.” When asked what grade of rebirth he would attain and at what time, he answered, “At the hour of the chen (7 to 9 a.m.) on the 6th, I will be reborn in the highest tier of the lowest grade.” He soon felt unwell, but continued chanting without pause. When the appointed time came, he got up on his own to bathe, put on his monastic robes and formal attire, bowed three times facing west, sat cross-legged, chanted the Great Compassion Mantra seven times, and then passed away, at the age of 57. As the Great Compassionate Heart Dharani Sutra states: “If heavenly beings and humans chant and hold the verses of the Great Compassion Sutra, at the moment of death, all Buddhas of the ten directions will extend their hands to receive them, and they may be reborn in whatever Buddha land they wish.” Since he had dreamed the Bodhisattva granted him the mantra, saw her come to welcome him in a boat, and passed away facing west, there is no doubt he was reborn in the Western Pure Land.

第四节

接引比丘尼

一、现尼见佛

Nun Jingde, born Fang Xiaocheng, was the second daughter of a renowned scholar-official from Zhejiang. At 19, she married the son of lay devotee Qian Wenqing, and was gradually drawn to Buddhism by her entire family’s practice of vegetarianism and devotion. She grew particularly close to her sister-in-law, Nun Chunde, and together they took refuge under Nun Lianshan of Dabei Nunnery, vowing to keep a permanent vegetarian diet. Her daily practice included three recitations of the Amitabha Sutra and Great Compassion Mantra, several thousand chants of Buddha’s name and Guanyin’s name, with no breaks all year round. She had three daughters: Baoyin, Manyin, and Miaoyin. At 36, she arranged a concubine for her husband, sent her eldest daughter Baoyin to ordain at the nunnery, received the bodhisattva precepts herself, and began living at the nunnery full-time, only returning home for urgent matters. She sat in meditation and chanted Buddha’s name daily, focusing solely on Pure Land practice, and encouraged everyone she met to chant and do good. She donated all her possessions to build seven rooms behind the nunnery; the middle three were made into a Buddha hall, and on every new moon, full moon, and Buddhist holiday, she would gather lay women for group chanting. In the spring of the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933), she vowed to undertake a 49-day retreat, observing silence and the no-afternoon-meal rule during the retreat, and bowing 1,080 times to the Buddha each day without stopping her chanting. In the 6th lunar month, she made a pilgrimage to Putuo Mountain, paid homage to Guanyin, visited Yu Wang Mountain, burned nine arm-length incense sticks as an offering, and worshipped the Buddha’s relics. After returning home, she made a full set of new monastic robes, shoes, and a hat, saying she wanted to wear fresh, clean clothes so she would be fit to see the Buddha. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, she felt slightly unwell, and immediately knew her time had come. She wished to meet the Buddha in her monastic form, and her husband agreed; the nun was delighted, and asked her sister-in-law Chunde to shave her head the next day. The next morning, she got up on her own to bathe, put on her new monastic robes, finished her morning temple worship, and after Chunde finished shaving her head, she bowed to Chunde and the other nuns in thanks. She then went back to her room, looked in the mirror, and smiled: “Only now am I truly clean enough to see the Buddha.” She then encouraged her daughters Manyin and Miaoyin to ordain, and told her eldest daughter Baoyin to practice diligently. Finally, she bowed to her husband and all the lay women present and said: “Life is short, and birth and death are the most serious matters. I pray all of you will focus on the Pure Land, and we will meet again on the Lotus Pond.” She then chanted Buddha’s name loudly, and on the third day, facing west, she chanted clearly, smiled, and formed a mudra as she passed away, on the 5th day of the 9th lunar month, at the age of 45. The next morning, when she was placed in the coffin, her body was soft and the top of her head was still warm, her face looking as alive as ever. Her two daughters, husband, and concubine all ordained soon after. The Great Collection Sutra’s verse on signs at the moment of death states: “The crown of the head warm signals a sage born in heaven; warmth at the eyes signals a heavenly being; warmth at the heart signals a human; warmth at the belly signals a hungry ghost; warmth at the knees signals an animal; warmth at the soles of the feet signals a hell being.” The reasoning is that when a person is dying, warmth rising from the lower to the upper parts of the body signals rebirth in a higher realm, while warmth sinking from upper to lower signals rebirth in a lower realm. If the body is cold except for the crown of the head, which remains warm, the person is certain to be reborn in the Western Pure Land and enter the holy path; warmth at the eyes or forehead signals rebirth in the heavenly realms, warmth at the heart signals rebirth in the human realm, warmth at the belly signals rebirth as a hungry ghost, warmth at the knees signals rebirth as an animal, and warmth at the soles of the feet signals rebirth in hell. The fact that her body was soft and the crown of her head warm when she was placed in the coffin was a clear sign of her rebirth in the Pure Land.

二、先见观音

Nun Qingsheng, whose secular surname was Li, was from Dinghai County, Zhejiang. She ordained at the Yuantong Nunnery on Zhoushan Island at the age of 20, vowing to chant the Great Compassion Mantra 108,000 times. The nunnery had only three rooms and no farmland, so the nuns relied on hard work and frugality to get by. At 32, she raised funds to repair the main hall, add new buildings, and establish permanent monastic rules; beyond her daily morning and evening practice, she burned three sticks of incense and chanted Buddha’s name every day, and more than ten people from near and far took refuge and ordained under her. In the 6th year of the Republic of China (1917), she became abbess of Baolian Nunnery in Xiaoshan, where she founded a Lotus Society for group chanting. At 55, she undertook a three-year closed retreat, during which she daily recited the Lotus Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and Earth Store Sutra once each, 12 rolls of the Amitabha Sutra, 500 repetitions of the Rebirth Mantra, and 10,000 chants of the names of Buddha and Guanyin. She also bowed 1,500 times to the Avatamsaka Sutra each morning and evening, keeping to this rigorous schedule without fail for all three years. She dedicated all the merit she accumulated to rebirth in the Pure Land, to repay the four kindnesses (of parents, all beings, the Buddha, and the Dharma) and save beings from the three lower realms, and repeatedly had visions of sacred signs. After the retreat ended, she continued her practice of bowing and chanting without pause. In the 10th month of the 24th year of the Republic (1935), she caught a cold and knew she would not recover. She arranged for her funeral affairs and asked her students to chant for her continuously. On the evening of the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, she suddenly said: “I have seen Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the Buddha has come too.” All her students held incense and knelt to chant, and her lips moved in time with the chants until the hour of the xu (7 to 9 p.m.), when her lips stilled and she passed away, at the age of 61. By the fifth watch (3 to 5 a.m.), the crown of her head was so warm it burned to the touch; when her coffin was sealed the next night, her face still looked as alive as ever. Having spent three years in closed retreat, repeatedly experiencing sacred signs, and seeing the Buddha and Guanyin come to welcome her, her rebirth in the Pure Land is certain.

三、起念观音

Nun Genqing was a daughter of the Chen family from Qidong, Jiangsu. She practiced Buddhism and kept a vegetarian diet from childhood, and was quiet by nature, speaking and smiling little. When she grew up, she refused to marry, saying: “People fall into love and desire, start families, and accumulate endless evil deeds with no end in sight. I wish to ordain as a nun and leave this defiled world forever.” She gave all her clothes and ornaments to her younger sister, and at 18, she shaved her head at home under the guidance of Nun Liaofan of Qingde Nunnery. In the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923), she went to Changming Nunnery on Putuo Mountain to receive full precepts, and upon returning, was invited to serve as abbess. She never missed a single morning or evening liturgy, and made it her sole purpose to chant Buddha’s and Guanyin’s names, seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and save all beings. She never spoke harshly or scolded others, avoided eye contact with people, and always bowed her head when responding to others. She never wasted the nunnery’s funds, and had no personal savings, wearing only rough, worn-out robes and practicing the most difficult asceticisms. The nunnery had little farmland, so she led her students in farm work, all the while continuing to chant without pause. She had long suffered from scrofula, and understood that human life is impermanent, that all must die. She focused entirely on chanting Buddha’s and Guanyin’s names, and firmly refused to take medicine, praying only: “If my life is not yet exhausted, may the Buddha grant me his compassionate protection. If my life is at its end, may the Buddha come to receive me.” On the 6th day of the 10th lunar month in the 26th year of the Republic (1937), she foreknew her time had come, and began chanting Guanyin’s sacred name. At the hour of the si (9 to 11 a.m.), her mind was clear and focused as she faced west and lay down on her side, passing away at the age of 45, with 15 years as a fully ordained nun. When her body was cremated, over ten sarira relics were recovered. Attachment is the root of birth and death. If you can cut it off with every thought, then every thought is the moment you transcend birth and death. Those who chant Guanyin’s name at the moment of death are certain to see her come to welcome them.

第五节

Chapter Seven (continued)

Guiding Householder Laypersons

1. Calm Passage at the Moment of Execution

A young man in Yangjiang County, Guangdong, was sentenced to death by County Magistrate Li Zhongzhen for a crime in the twenty-third year of the Republic (1934) and held in prison awaiting execution. When Dharma Master Fuke came to Yangjiang to lecture on the scriptures, he was invited to the prison to preach to the inmates. Upon learning he would be executed within ten days, the young man heard how Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva can relieve the suffering of sentient beings and guide them to rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. With no time for confused thoughts, he threw himself into reciting the Holy Name of Avalokiteśvara, day and night without pause. On the day of execution, he was ordered to sit in a basket and carried to the public hall for sentencing. When the officials came to verify his identity, they found him already seated cross-legged with palms joined; his breath had ceased, a wondrous fragrance filled the air, golden light radiated from his head, and the faint sound of celestial music could be heard. Everyone was astonished. He was taken to the mountains for burial. The county magistrate himself was deeply moved and went in person to offer incense and pay respects. Imprisoned for a crime, he thus heard the Buddha-dharma. Learning of his impending death, he recited the Holy Name of Avalokiteśvara with all his might, and so he sat in transformation first, reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss—turning disaster into blessing. In these troubled times, when the nation faces such great peril, let everyone recite the Holy Name of Avalokiteśvara with all their might; this is certain to avert calamities such as war, and no other method can be relied upon to escape them.

2. Announcing the Date of Western Return

Layperson Fu Chunpu, given name Chuan, Dharma name Chanchuan, courtesy name Hangxi, was a native of Qingjiang County, Jiangxi. He lost his father young. His mother, née Nie, raised him with bitter diligence and strict moral instruction. He studied administrative law and police science and served in turn as a section clerk, bureau chief, and school principal. His mother worshipped Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, kept a vegetarian diet, and recited the Buddha's name. In the seventeenth year of the Republic (1928), she fell ill and vowed to make a pilgrimage to Mount Putuo to pay homage to Avalokiteśvara. Without medicine, she recovered. In September of the twentieth year (1931), he went to Mount Putuo to fulfill her vow, and at the Brahma Sound Cave he was blessed with a manifestation of the Bodhisattva in white robes, holding a pure vase and a willow branch. He then sought to understand his past lives and saw a wandering ascetic in tattered blue clothes, by which he realized the emptiness of saṃsāra and grew all the more determined to seek liberation. He traveled to Baoguo Temple in Suzhou to pay respects to Great Master Yinguang and Dharma Master Desen, and there first heard the essential teachings of the Pure Land school. After that, the Honghua Society published Buddhist books, and various titles were gifted to him, deepening his faith and understanding. He wrote a letter earnestly requesting to take refuge with Master Desen, who, when passing through Zhangshu Town, conferred on him the Five Precepts. With faith and vows, he recited the Buddha's name and Avalokiteśvara, advancing diligently without slack. Though his family was poor and burdened with many duties, and his body was weak and often ill, he set all such concerns aside. In the spring of the twenty-seventh year (1938), he dreamed that the Bodhisattva indicated the seventh month as the appointed time. Shortly after the fifteenth of the seventh month, he fell ill, but with single-minded recitation he forgot the suffering of his sickness. On the twenty-sixth day his condition became critical; his family wept, but he smiled and stopped them, saying: "I shall return to the West on the thirtieth." At the appointed time he sat upright in a chair, formed the Amitābha mudrā, gazed intently at the Buddha's image, and peacefully departed westward at the age of forty-eight. His body grew cold but the crown of his head remained warm; his features were more beautiful than in life. At cremation, a wondrous fragrance arose and a white light departed toward the west. Having set aside poverty and illness, he had already seen through and let go of all things. So he was able to smile and stop the weeping, peacefully pass away seated, and be reborn in freedom.

3. Single-Minded Recitation of Avalokiteśvara

Layperson Guan Gangzhi served in official posts for several decades. At forty-two he took refuge in the Three Jewels, and for twenty years he devoted himself exclusively to Pure Land cultivation. From the twenty-ninth year of the Republic (1940) he was often ill; in the spring of the thirty-first year (1942) he learned it was intestinal cancer. On the nineteenth of May his illness worsened, and he invited Layperson Zhao Puchu to witness his will, stating: "Seeking rebirth in the Pure Land is not difficult—I am drawing closer with every step. I constantly visualize the image of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva and have dreamed of her several times, with the wish to be guided to rebirth in the West. But my observance of the vegetarian discipline during illness has not been pure, and I deeply repent. In this matter of life and death, I ask for your assistance." Zhao planned to invite fellow practitioners to recite the Buddha's name. Guan said: "Excellent! Let us recite together 'Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.'" When Dharma Master Desen arrived afterward, Guan was visibly delighted, joined his palms and said: "I ask the Master to lead the assembly in reciting Avalokiteśvara exclusively, beseeching the Bodhisattva to guide me to the Land of Ultimate Bliss." The Master firmly urged him instead to recite Amitābha alone, seeking the Buddha's guidance. But Guan considered recitation of Avalokiteśvara more suitable and would not change, so the Master took polite leave. Guan then asked Dharma Master Xingci for guidance, who advised him to recite with the mind, heart-to-heart with Avalokiteśvara, and to resolve upon rebirth in the West. As the group recited into the evening, he suddenly said: "Distracting thoughts are many, and the Bodhisattva manifests everywhere without exception—why has she not appeared to me yet?" Zhao immediately placed an image of Avalokiteśvara before his couch, and Guan, upon seeing it, joined his palms and loudly recited "Namo the Greatly Compassionate, Greatly Merciful, Vastly Responsive Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva." He then said he had once reached the Lotus Pond but returned without seeing the Bodhisattva, suspecting karmic obstructions, and asked the assembly to recite the Great Repentance Text and the Holy Name for him. After about an hour he suddenly cried out joyfully that the Bodhisattva had come, and told everyone to kneel before his couch. He said: "The Bodhisattva is in the Lotus Pond, surrounded by lotus flowers—I am overjoyed." Asked whether he saw Amitābha, he said he had not, but that he saw the Bodhisattva very clearly. He then joined his palms and loudly recited "Namo the Greatly Compassionate Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva," his gaze fixed on the empty space before him, no longer speaking. The next morning, when Master Xing arrived, Guan still raised his hand in greeting. The Master told him to close his eyes and recite quietly, and led the assembly in reciting the Holy Name of Avalokiteśvara, unhurried and unforced. Gradually his gaze drew inward; his lips and jaw moved slightly as he joined in silent recitation. At noon his breath grew faint and he passed away; after midnight the crown of his head was still warm. Avalokiteśvara is the left-hand attendant of Amitābha; together they serve as guides who welcome sentient beings to the Western Land. In the final moments of assisted recitation, one should primarily use the name the person has been devoted to in daily practice, as this works most readily. Because his vegetarian observance was impure, he suffered much from illness and karmic obstacles. Fortunately, knowing to repent, he still attained rebirth; otherwise, it would have been perilous.

4. Favorable Conditions for Rebirth in the West

Layperson Lu Shuifan, given name Hongchu, courtesy name Haiwang, Dharma name Lianhai, was a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang. A holder of the ancient xiāolian degree and a Bachelor of Agriculture from National Peking University, he had served as principal of the Zhejiang Provincial First Agricultural School, director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, and professor at Zhejiang University. In his later years he took refuge with Dharma Master Baojing. Together with laypersons Li Yuanzhao, He Huizhao, and others, he founded the Yuyao Buddhist Layperson's Grove, where he took up permanent residence, severed outside ties, embraced ascetic practice with a willing heart, and held to the Holy Names of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara without pause by day or night. He had long suffered from abdominal illness, and his prayers to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva were always answered. In the eighth month of the thirty-second year of the Republic (1943), his illness returned, with severe dysentery. He firmly refused medicine and food. After four days and nights, though his face and strength were weary, his mind grew ever clearer, and he told those around him: "Although I am gravely ill, my body feels no suffering. Last night I was blessed with a manifestation of the Bodhisattva, who told me the conditions for rebirth in the West are ripe. I ask you to assist with recitation." The following day he passed away auspiciously, the crown of his head remaining warm for seven hours without decline. Severing outside ties, holding to recitation without pause—this is courageous and vigorous diligence. The conditions for rebirth being ripe, he still requested assisted recitation, thus setting an example for all. This account, listed at the head of the Lotus Cultivation Encouragement section in the Hongkan Miscellany, was inadvertently omitted when the Records of Pure Land Sages and Worthies, Fourth Compilation was hastily compiled. It is now carefully selected and recorded here, to acknowledge my oversight and to be ready for the next edition's supplement, or for later worthies to consult when continuing the Fifth Compilation.

Section Six: Guiding Female Laypersons

1. Recitation Unceasing Through Illness

Layperson Liang Shangjian was the second daughter of Layperson Liang Shaohua of Panyu, Guangdong. She was studying at Yueshan Middle School when, at fifteen, she contracted tuberculosis. The illness came and went, and though doctors advised rest, she pressed on with her studies despite her sickness. Her parents were both Pure Land practitioners, and she followed them in reciting the Buddha's name, regularly chanting the Heart Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra. Even when the illness forced her to bed, she kept reciting without pause. As her condition became critical, her mind and spirit remained clear. She raised her hands to pay homage to the Buddha and suddenly said: "I suddenly feel at peace—I am going to the Buddha-land." She then said: "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has come in person to guide me; I shall go with her." Her mother beside her wept in sorrow, and she quickly waved her hand to stop her, saying: "Mother, you too keep the precepts and recite the Buddha's name; we shall surely meet again. Why grieve?" After these words, she sat in full lotus, formed the mudrā, and departed with a smile. This was on the third day of the eighth month of the twenty-second year of the Republic (1933), at the age of eighteen. Her family tried to straighten her arms and legs, but the next day they had returned to the mudrā as before. Constantly chanting the Heart Sutra and the Great Compassion Mantra, she did not cease even while bedridden with illness, and so was blessed with Avalokiteśvara coming in person to guide her away with a smile.

2. Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law Return to the West

Layperson Xu Shuying, a native of Shanhua, Hunan, lived with her husband, surnamed Li, in the Ganshiqiao neighborhood of Beijing. By nature she was kind, loved to do good deeds, was extremely frugal in her personal expenses, and was especially careful to conserve resources. For many years she served her mother-in-law, Mrs. Li. Having seen her mother-in-law recite the Buddha's name and depart westward with a smile, she came to believe in the Buddha and recite the Buddha's name. She kept an image of Avalokiteśvara at home, paid homage to it daily, and prayed devoutly for guidance to rebirth. On the eighteenth day of the first month of the twenty-third year of the Republic (1934), she bathed herself with great care, recited the Buddha's name more than usual, and went about her day and meals as normal. In the afternoon she suddenly felt dizzy and went to sleep. She still chatted idly with her sons and nephews, and shortly afterward passed away to the West, her two hands forming a mudrā and her face bearing a smile, at the age of fifty-two. Her children knelt reciting the Buddha's name and all perceived a wondrous fragrance that had not faded by the next day. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva responds to all who seek; having daily prayed for guidance, she was thus blessed to pass without bodily suffering, welcomed and reborn, her heart joyful and smiling. Otherwise, with the four great elements separating, it would be like a living turtle shedding its shell—utterly agonizing—and one would long to smile yet be unable to.

3. Avalokiteśvara's Guidance

Madam He of Jiangxi cultivated the Pure Land for more than ten years and served as director of the Lianjiang Layperson's Recitation Grove, leading the assembly in reciting the Buddha's name with tireless diligence. In the ninth month of the twenty-fourth year of the Republic (1935), she suddenly said: "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has come to guide me." She then peacefully passed away, and the circumstances were most auspicious. Those who recite the Buddha's name must also recite Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthamaprapta, and the pure assembly of Bodhisattvas of the sea of purity, and so she was blessed with Avalokiteśvara coming in person to guide her.

4. Frequently Seeing the Holy Image

Layperson Guo, née Tao, was a native of Yunyang. From a young age she was well-versed in the classics and histories. She was the second wife of Layperson Guo Jingcun, and bore him a son, Shenzhong. Her husband's first wife had left a son, Pinchu, and a daughter; a third son, Yinshu, was born of a concubine who died when he was still in swaddling clothes. She raised all three children as her own. Her husband served as a circuit intendant in Yunnan and was elected to the Imperial Advisory Council. Her son Pinchu studied in Japan and served as a counselor in the Bureau of Statistics. She lived alone with her eldest daughter-in-law and the young and weak members of the household, kept the Avalokiteśvara vegetarian discipline, and delighted in doing good and giving generously. In the first year of the Republic (1912), her husband and son returned home; she welcomed Dharma Master Yuanshan to serve as abbot of Dicui Temple, and the whole family took refuge. She taught them all to recite the Buddha's name together with visualization of the image. In the sixteenth year (1927), Pinchu foresaw the time of his passing, instructed his brother regarding funeral matters, paid homage to the Buddha with three prostrations, and withdrew to pass away in meditation. From then on the mother's faith in Buddhism deepened further. She recited scriptures, mantras, and the Buddha's name tens of thousands of times daily, observed a vegetarian diet on half the days of each month, and led the household in reciting the Buddha's name. After the twenty-first year (1932), whenever she recited, she saw the holy image of Avalokiteśvara with exceptional clarity. Her son built the Cihang Pavilion, completed in the tenth month of the twenty-fourth year (1935). She went to view it with great joy and, upon bowing before the Bodhisattva's image, was amazed to find it identical to the one she had been seeing constantly for three years, and she lingered in the pavilion, reluctant to leave. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month she felt slightly unwell. The next afternoon she told her son: "I shall depart tomorrow. Quickly ask the temple monks to lead the household in recitation, and please do not weep in sorrow." She held her own rosary, murmuring along with the recitation; her voice faded from clear to soft, her lips and cheeks moving slightly, and at the yin hour of the next morning she departed with a smile, at the age of seventy-four. The day of the funeral, her body was soft and the crown of her head warm. Whenever she recited the Buddha's name, she saw the holy image of Avalokiteśvara—visualization of the image was accomplished. Thus she foresaw her passing, departed with a smile, and must certainly have seen Avalokiteśvara come in person to guide her.

5. Seeing the Welcome a Second Time

Layperson Lin, née Chen Miaolian, was a native of Taishun County, Zhejiang. She was simple and diligent. In the twenty-first year of the Republic (1932), she and her eldest son Lin E together took the flower-fast vegetarian observance. The following year, her son vowed to keep permanent vegetarian and recite the Buddha's name. In the twenty-fourth year (1935), the mother fell ill, and her son urged her to take a vegetarian diet and cultivate the Pure Land together; her illness quickly passed, and she then took refuge with Dharma Master Rongdu of Baolin Temple. Morning and evening she recited the Rebirth Mantra, "Namo Amitābha Buddha," and the Holy Name of Avalokiteśvara, summer and winter without pause. In the ninth month of the twenty-seventh year (1938), she suddenly felt weary in spirit. On the night of the nineteenth she said: "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva has come to fetch me; the time of rebirth is near." She ceased taking food, drinking only Great Compassion Water. On the twenty-first she invited two monks to assist with recitation. On the twenty-seventh, in the afternoon, her second son asked his mother to recite the Buddha's name. After only three recitations she opened her eyes and looked westward, her face bearing a smile, as if she saw something. She raised her hand in the gesture of paying homage to the Buddha, and peacefully passed away, at the age of sixty-three. After her entire body had grown cold, the crown of her head still emitted warm vapor; even at a distance of several inches one could feel the heat. When she was dressed for burial, her limbs were soft and her face looked as in life. Illness prompted her to take a vegetarian diet and recite the Buddha's name, and the illness was cured and she attained rebirth—illness became a fortunate condition for escaping suffering. Opening her eyes to look westward, as if seeing something, she must have seen Avalokiteśvara come to welcome her a second time, hence the smile and the gesture of homage to the Buddha.

6. Recitation of the Name Prompted by Illness

Miss Chen of Shanghai was a friend of the niece of Layperson Yu Yudong. In the spring of the twenty-eighth year of the Republic (1939) she happened to visit Yu's residence and saw the solemn Buddhist shrine, which filled her with reverence and joy. Yu noticed her lung illness growing more serious and urged her to recite the Holy Name of Avalokiteśvara, devoutly seeking her protection, which might ease her suffering. Upon hearing this, Chen believed firmly, and Yu gave her a holy image of Avalokiteśvara, which she took home to venerate. From then on she set her heart on reciting the name with diligence, and whenever she visited Yu's residence she paid homage to the Buddha. In the fourth month her lung disease worsened and she was hospitalized for treatment. Yu's niece explained in detail the assisted recitation to be given at the time of death, and Chen immediately strengthened her faith and vows, seeking rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Her husband was in Hong Kong, and in the Shanghai residence she had only one son, on whom she depended for companionship, but her longing for her husband and her love for her son suddenly faded. She declared that all things are empty, with nothing worth attachment, and resolutely returned home to quietly await rebirth. She arranged for her son to be cared for at a relative's house and hired an elderly maid to attend her. Yu told his niece to urge Chen to recite the great Holy Name of the Bodhisattva and the Buddha's name, transferring the merit toward the Pure Land. On the morning of the seventeenth of May, she asked the maid to dress her in burial clothes, summoned her son, briefly caressed him, and showed no sign of attachment or reluctance to part. She asked that several female laypersons from the recitation hall be invited to assist with recitation. By afternoon she asked: "Is it already five o'clock?" She was told it was barely three. She continued joining her palms and reciting the Buddha's name. She then said: "How beautiful the lotus flowers in this room are! How many Bodhisattvas there are! Do you see them? I've often heard people say dying is extremely painful, but now I know it isn't so." Shortly after five she joined her palms, smiled, and peacefully passed away. Requesting assisted recitation and asking the time were signs of her foreknowledge of the appointed time. Knowing that death would not be painful meant her body had no suffering. Seeing nothing worth attachment meant her mind had no greed. Continuing to join her palms and recite meant her mind was not in confusion. The multitude of Bodhisattvas in the room meant Avalokiteśvara and the holy assembly were presently before her, guiding her to rebirth.

7. Sudden Awakening After Husband's Death

Layperson Chen, née Wang Miaolian, was a native of Shaoxing, Zhejiang. At marriageable age she wed into the Chen family and was renowned for her filial devotion to her parents-in-law. After only a year or so, her husband died without leaving a son. Awakened to the impermanence of all conditioned phenomena, she journeyed to Mount Putuo, paid homage to Avalokiteśvara, took refuge in the Three Jewels, and observed permanent vegetarian. She served Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva devoutly, burned incense morning and evening, and recited the Buddha's name with single-minded devotion. Her heart grew more compassionate; she delighted in doing good and giving generously. Thus she lived for thirteen years. In the middle of the tenth month of the thirtieth year of the Republic (1941), she foreknew the appointed time. On the twenty-second she saw Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, who told her the date of rebirth in the West. The next day, Layperson Xu Lanyin visited her, gathered the assembly to assist with recitation, and recited with them until the yin hour of the twenty-fifth, when she said: "The Buddha has come to guide me." Amid the assembly's recitation of the Buddha's name, she passed away seated in meditation, at the age of thirty-six. Her body was supple and her countenance joyful, as if in deep meditation, and all present perceived the fragrance of sandalwood. Master Zhou Anshi said: "The practitioner with no descendants is the reward of pure and clean merit." Because her husband died leaving no son, she was awakened to the impermanence of all conditioned phenomena. Keeping permanent vegetarian and reciting the Buddha's name, in life she was unencumbered; in death she had no attachments; letting go, she departed at once, certainly attaining rebirth—how much more so when Avalokiteśvara announces the date and the Buddha comes in person to guide her.

Chapter Eight

Conclusion and Circulation

Section One: The Cause and Effect of the Vast Difference Between Suffering and Joy

Look across the ages and throughout the world: wealth and poverty, rank and lowliness, longevity, health, sickness, and early death—in all these there is endless variation. Some hold high positions and noble titles, enjoying wealth, honor, and ease; others labor hard all their lives with not even bran and chaff to sustain them. Some are blessed with fortune, longevity, peace, and health, growing old together as a couple; others suffer disease, calamities, brief lives, and violent deaths. Some are wealthy yet die of illness; others are poor yet live long in health. The disparity between their suffering and joy is as vast as heaven and earth. If one does not believe in the principles of karmic cycles and the retributions of good and evil, how terribly unjust is the endowment of heaven upon humanity! The Buddha said: "If you wish to know the causes of your previous life, look at what you experience in this life. If you wish to know the fruits of your next life, look at what you do in this life." To be a person of noble rank—a king, duke, or minister—comes from respectfully serving the Three Jewels in past lives. To be a person of great wealth, with limitless material goods, comes from giving and accumulating merit in past lives. To be healthy and long-lived comes from keeping the precepts and saving lives in past lives. To be poor, of low station, sickly, and short-lived comes from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech in past lives. Having created such causes in previous lives, one reaps such fruits in this life—self-created, self-received, the retribution never in error. As one who plants an orchard gathers pears from pears and apricots from apricots, so it is that wealth and poverty, longevity, health, sickness, and early death differ so vastly. Planting one tree yields the fruit of one tree; planting a thousand trees yields the fruit of a thousand trees—and so it is that there are also gradations among wealth and poverty, longevity, health, sickness, and early death.

Section Two: Verified Assurance of Complete Security

Wealth, rank, longevity, and health are certainly what everyone desires; poverty, lowliness, sickness, and early death cannot be avoided by anyone either. Though obtaining them is fated, there is also a way to seek them. The Book of Songs says: "Forever accord with destiny, and seek abundant blessings for yourself." The Tai Shang Gan Ying Pian says: "If one has committed evil deeds but afterward reforms and repents, refraining from all evil and practicing all good, after a long time one will surely obtain auspicious joy. This is what is meant by turning disaster into blessing. Therefore the person of good fortune speaks good, sees good, and does good; if one practices three kinds of good in a day, within three years heaven will surely bestow blessings upon him." This rests on the self-effort of reforming evil and practicing good. If to this one adds the other-power of sincerely worshipping and reciting Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, beseeching her protection, one need not wait three years or any long time for blessings—one will immediately receive her protection, disaster averted and blessings arriving. As the examples in this compilation have shown: Chapter Two—Averting the Calamity of War, ensuring safety from bandits, foreign invasion, and other war calamities and air raids. Chapter Three—Averting Disaster and Calamity: ensuring safety from flood, fire, drought, wind, vehicles, ships, aircraft, prison, theft, and the like. Chapter Four—Averting the Suffering of Illness. Chapter Five—Averting the Suffering of Childbirth, ensuring the safety of all—men, women, young, and old, mothers in childbirth, and infants—from illness and difficult delivery. Chapter Six—Encouraging Good and Warning Against Evil: ensuring that filial piety toward parents, refraining from killing, releasing living beings, keeping a vegetarian diet, abstaining from sexual misconduct, and practicing goodness can all increase blessings and lengthen life, cure illness and escape difficulty, and bring wisdom, fame, profit, descendants, and whatever one seeks. If one commits evil karmas such as filial impiety, killing, or sexual misconduct, the retribution in this life is already tragic and that in the next is even more severe. Yet if one can reform the evil and turn to the good, one can still turn misfortune into good fortune. Chapter Seven—Manifesting the Welcome: ensuring that, at the time of impending death, one foreknows the appointed time, has no bodily suffering, the heart has no attachment, and the Buddha and Avalokiteśvara with the holy assembly personally descend to welcome one, guiding rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. In one lifetime one becomes a Buddha, with immeasurable blessings and longevity. The times, places, and verified accounts are all detailed; the evidence of events is solid. Truly worthy of deep faith! Is this not a complete guarantee, from before birth through after death, of transcending suffering and attaining joy?

Section Three: The Wondrous Method for Transcending Suffering and Attaining Joy

Those in the world who insure life are unable even to insure their own lifespan—how can they be expected to insure the life of others? Only Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, with her great compassion and great mercy, who saves the suffering and the distressed, can serve as a refuge in times of anguish, dying, and peril. I earnestly urge compatriots at home and abroad: to resolve the problems of humanity, to attain world peace, the happiness of sentient beings, and one's own well-being, there is only one way—deeply believe and vigorously practice, swiftly change the great mind that reforms evil and turns to good, sincerely and earnestly recite "Namo Amitābha Buddha" and Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, repent of karmic obstacles, and seek rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. And, according to one's strength and circumstances, benefit others and benefit beings, be filial to parents, revere the Three Jewels, abstain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech, extinguish greed, hatred, delusion, and pride, refrain from all evil, and practice all good. Through the accumulated merit of this deep benevolence and abundant virtue, one will surely be blessed with the Bodhisattva's protection, and every prayer will be answered. If one's fate should be poverty, lowliness, sickness, or early death, one may then have abundant clothing and food, with illness dispelled and lifespan extended. If one's fate should be wealth, rank, longevity, and health, one may rise further in position and rank, increasing blessings and adding years. If one's fate should bring calamities such as war or disaster, one may turn disaster into blessing and find good fortune in misfortune. If one's fate should be to fall into the three evil realms, one will still be welcomed and guided, attaining rebirth with karma not yet exhausted, transcending the three realms transversely, forever escaping the cycle of rebirth. This is the supreme, profound, wondrous Dharma taught by the Buddha for ending birth and death, transcending suffering and attaining joy—hard to encounter in a hundred thousand myriad kalpas. May you not, on account of its simplicity, neglect it, miss it as it passes before you, and regret it when too late. I also ask that you circulate it widely, translating and printing copies for distribution, spreading it throughout the world, that all may believe and practice together, in order to turn the hearts of people and bring an end to the great calamities—above, assisting the Buddhas in turning the Dharma wheel; below, saving sentient beings from the sea of suffering. Benefiting both self and others, with merit immeasurable, I earnestly hope we shall encourage one another. May it be so, may it be so!

Chapter 9

Methods of Ritual and Recitation

Daily morning and evening sittings form the regular backbone of practice. Whether the rites are simple or elaborate, they can be adjusted to suit the person. Beginners still finding their footing should start with what's simple. Those pressed by work or family will find simple easier to keep up. Here are three examples—pick whichever fits your circumstances, and stay with it. Move from simple to fuller over time; never begin with the elaborate and try to cut down later.

If you're just beginning, start by reciting Guanyin's holy name to dispel disaster, cure illness, and lengthen life. Once faith has taken root, let Amitabha-recitation be your main practice, with Guanyin-recitation as support. If you wish to recite only Guanyin while still seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land, that wish, too, can be fulfilled.

In moments of true crisis—when life itself hangs in the balance and the mind is panicked and scattered—single-mindedly reciting Guanyin is especially fitting. Sincerity alone is what matters; ceremony is not needed. Sutras, mantras, verses of praise—skip them all. Just recite, with your whole heart, "Namo Guanshiyin Pusa," or the four syllables "Guanyin Pusa." Because Guanyin's compassionate vows are so urgent, and because her karmic ties with beings of this world run deep, the practice more readily gains power and swiftly draws forth a response.

We're all busy, surely—but is there never a spare moment? Why not set aside the time of one cup of tea or one meal? It costs nothing yet offers a complete safeguard.

Section 1

Simple Recitation Method

1. Morning and Evening Single-Minded Recitation

Each morning and evening, stand facing west, palms joined in greeting, or face Guanyin's holy image, light incense, and bow fully three times. Then reverently recite:

Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful, Rescue-the-Suffering, Rescue-the-Distressed, Vast, Spiritual-Response Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Mahasattva of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

One recitation.

Namo Guanyin Pusa—one hundred or one thousand recitations, sitting or walking, either is fine.

Guanyin Pusa—several hundred or several thousand recitations. The more, the better.

2. Dedication and Aspiration

After finishing, still facing west (or kneeling before the image with palms joined), recite:

May the three obstacles and every affliction be dispelled, May blessings, wisdom, and longevity increase. May all disaster and illness wholly cease, May rebirth and the bodhisattva way be perfectly fulfilled.

Bow once (palms joined) or bow fully three times, and withdraw.

At first, set a small fixed number and gradually increase. Keep it steady—never many one day and few the next, never on again, off again. The voice should be neither loud nor soft, neither rushed nor slow. If circumstances keep you from vocalizing, silent recitation or a low voice is fine. In all cases: the recitation arises in the mind, the sound issues from the mouth, the sound enters the ear. Mind and mouth must be perfectly clear; the ear must hear with perfect clarity. For counting, use a mala, or time yourself with incense, a clock, or a watch. Circumambulation should go east to south, west to north—clockwise has merit, counter-clockwise brings offense.

Aspirations must be utterly sincere. Each line should come from the heart, matching the words you speak. The worst mistake is to treat this as a mere formality—going through the motions while the heart hurries to be done. Form without feeling rarely bears fruit.

In daily life, steal moments from busyness to recite. Recite whenever there's a pause; recite even while working. Only when bathing, sleeping, attending to the body, or in an unclean place should you recite silently—vocalizing at such times shows disrespect.

After long practice becomes settled, when sudden difficulty or serious illness arises, the right thought will naturally rise up. Holding the holy name with single mind, you'll receive protection then and there—safe from panic and confusion, safe from forgetting yourself in fear.

Section 2

Focused Practice Ritual

1. Setting Up an Altar

Set aside a quiet room in the home as a shrine, or use the living room. Enshrine an image of the Western Three Saints (Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta), or just a holy image of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Before the image, offer incense, flowers, lamp, fruit, water—whatever you can. If resources are scarce, a single cup of water, one or three sticks of incense, and whatever lamp and flowers you like. If there's no quiet room—perhaps you work in a shop, factory, school, office, or military unit—obtain a small Three Saints or small Guanyin image in a small frame. When practicing, spread a clean cloth or paper on a table, set out the image, and open the scripture. Afterward, wrap the sutras, image, and mala in the clean cloth or paper, or place them in a box in a clean spot.

If even this can't be done, find any clean spot indoors or outdoors, face west, and practice reverently. No need for incense, water, wooden fish, or chime.

2. Bowing and Recitation

Bow three times to the image, or bow in greeting three times facing west. Recite sincerely, either silently or aloud:

Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful, Rescue-the-Suffering, Rescue-the-Distressed, Vast, Spiritual-Response Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Mahasattva of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Recite three times with three bows or three greeting-bows.

After the bows, sit facing the image or west, and reverently recite:

Namo the Great Compassion Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

The Lotus Sutra—"Universal Gateway of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva" chapter (Pumen Pin), one fascicle—or the Heart Sutra, one fascicle.

The Great Compassion Mantra (Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed, Unobstructed Great Compassion Heart Dharani)—one recitation, or three.

Then recite the verse of praise:

Guanyin Bodhisattva, beyond all recompense, Pure and majestic through countless eons of cultivation. Thirty-two responses pervading every dust-realm, Hundreds of thousands of kalpas transforming this Jambudvipa. The sweet dew in the vase forever sprinkled, The willow branch in hand, autumns uncounted. A thousand pleas, a thousand answers— In the sea of suffering, ever the boat that ferries beings.

Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful Guanshiyin Bodhisattva of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—one recitation.

Rise, sit, or walk while reciting: Namo Guanyin Pusa—several hundred or several thousand recitations.

Palms joined, shift to: Guanyin Pusa—one hundred or one thousand recitations.

Continue walking, or sit in silent recitation.

3. Dedication and Aspiration

Bow before the image or stand facing west with palms joined, and recite:

Namo our Original Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha—three times, three bows, or one greeting-bow.

Namo Amitabha Buddha—same as above.

Namo Guanyin Pusa—same as above.

Namo Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva—same as above.

Namo the Pure-Land Vast-Sea Assembly of Bodhisattvas—same as above.

Continue with prostration or standing recitation:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely repent:

Whatever evil deeds I and beings have wrought in past lives, All from beginningless greed, hatred, and delusion, Born of body, speech, and mind— All of these I now wholly repent.

One bow, or one greeting-bow.

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely make the Great Aspiration:

May I and beings together dispel the three obstacles and all afflictions, Together increase blessings, wisdom, and longevity. May all disaster and illness wholly cease, May rebirth and the bodhisattva way be perfectly fulfilled.

One bow, or one greeting-bow.

If seeking parents' health and peace, family safety; or seeking to dispel disaster and difficulty, ward off evil, heal illness; or seeking blessings, longevity, success, filial children and worthy grandchildren; or for a man a worthy wife, for a woman a noble husband; or seeking the swift end of war, a flourishing nation, the happiness of all beings, world peace—then pray as the heart moves, and continue by kneeling and reciting the prayer:

Namo the Past Right Dharma-Light Tathagata, the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva now before us, perfected in wondrous merit, possessed of great compassion, manifesting a thousand hands and eyes within a single body-mind, illumining the entire Dharma-realm, protecting and upholding beings, causing them to awaken the great bodhi-mind, teaching them to hold the Perfect Spiritual Mantra, forever abandoning evil paths and attaining rebirth before the Buddha. Heavy offenses without respite, karmic illness upon the body, whatever cannot be remedied—may it all be dispelled. Samadhi and eloquence, whatever is sought this life—may all be brought to fulfillment without fail. Granting swift attainment of the Three Vehicles, early ascent to Buddhahood—such spiritual might no praise can exhaust; with single heart, I beseech thy compassionate protection.

All Buddhas of the ten directions and three times, All Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas, Maha-prajnaparamita.

4. Threefold Refuge

Stand, palms joined, and reverently recite:

I myself take refuge in the Buddha; may all beings comprehend the Great Way and give rise to the supreme mind. One bow, or one greeting-bow.

I myself take refuge in the Dharma; may all beings enter deeply the scriptural treasury, with wisdom vast as the sea. Same as above.

I myself take refuge in the Sangha; may all beings lead the great assembly, unhindered in all things. Three bows, or three greeting-bows.

Practice complete.

This is not fixed—you may freely add or omit. The Pumen Pin may be replaced with the Heart Sutra, or you may begin directly with the Great Compassion Mantra. If you can't recite sutras or mantras, or can't read, start instead with the verse of praise, or follow the simple recitation method described above—any of these is fine. For Pure Land practitioners, keep your morning and evening practice as usual—don't change a thing; only after completing the practice, add one to seven recitations of the Great Compassion Mantra and one hundred to one thousand recitations of Guanyin's holy name. Whatever is sincerely sought, the wish will surely be granted.

Section 3

Common Daily Practice

1. Offerings

In the shrine, enshrine the Western Three Saints image. Offer incense, flowers, lamp, fruit, water—at minimum, a single cup of water. When lighting incense, recite the Incense Praise:

May this cloud of incense and flowers Fill the realms of the ten directions, To offer all Buddhas, The world's hard-to-believe Dharma, And all the supreme, worthy beings— Pervading all sentient beings, May all awaken the bodhi-mind, And be reborn together in the Land of Bliss.

2. Prostrations

While bowing, recite sincerely:

With single heart I bow: Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful Lord of Heaven and Humans, Original Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha of the Saha World. One bow. Kneeling-recite:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely repent:

Whatever evil deeds I and beings have wrought in past lives, All from beginningless greed, hatred, and delusion, Born of body, speech, and mind— All of these I now wholly repent.

Sin arises from the mind; I repent with the mind; When the mind is empty, sin too is gone. Mind gone, sin gone, both are empty— This is called true repentance.

With single heart I bow: Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful Guide and Leader Amitabha Buddha of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. One bow. Kneeling-recite:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely make the Four Great Vows:

Beings are boundless; I vow to save them all. Afflictions are endless; I vow to cut them through. Dharma-gates are numberless; I vow to learn them all. The Buddha-way is supreme; I vow to attain it fully.

With single heart I bow: Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful, Rescue-the-Suffering, Rescue-the-Distressed, Vast, Spiritual-Response Guanshiyin Bodhisattva Mahasattva of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. One bow. Kneeling-recite:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely make the Great Aspiration:

May the parents of my past and present lives, All ancestors through the ages, both enemies and kin, Together rely on the Tathagata's compassionate vow-power, Be drawn forth and reborn in the Land of Bliss.

With single heart I bow: Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva Mahasattva of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. One bow. Kneeling-recite:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely make the Great Aspiration:

May the lives unjustly taken by me and beings through endless kalpas, And the beings killed throughout the ten directions, All gain liberation and rebirth in the Pure Land; May the Buddha in compassion receive and guide them all.

With single heart I bow: Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful Pure-Land Vast-Sea Assembly of Bodhisattvas Mahasattva of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. One bow. Kneeling-recite:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely make the Great Aspiration:

May I and beings together dispel the three obstacles and all afflictions, Together increase blessings, wisdom, and longevity. May all disaster and illness wholly cease, May rebirth and the bodhisattva way be perfectly fulfilled.

With single heart I bow: All Buddhas throughout the endless empty space of the ten directions, all Dharma, all Bodhisattvas, Worthy and Sagely Sangha pervading the entire Dharma-realm. One bow. Kneeling-recite:

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, sincerely make the Great Aspiration:

By these Samantabhadra supreme practices, All boundless merit I dedicate, That every being sunk in suffering May swiftly reach the Land of Infinite Light.

3. Recitation

Sitting-recite: Namo the Lotus-Pond Sea-Assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—three times.

Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on Amitabha—one recitation.

Dharani Uprooting All Karmic Obstacles for Rebirth in the Pure Land (the Rebirth Mantra)—three recitations.

Continue with the Buddha-Praise Verse—one recitation:

Amitabha Buddha's body is gold, His features and light without compare. The white tuft between his brows coils as five Sumerus, His deep-blue eyes clear as the four great seas. In his light, transformation Buddhas in countless millions, Transformation Bodhisattvas also without end. With forty-eight vows to ferry beings, The Nine Grades all reach the farther shore.

Namo the Great Compassionate, Great Merciful Amitabha Buddha of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—one recitation.

Namo Amitabha Buddha—sitting and walking, several hundred or several thousand recitations.

Amitabha Buddha—sitting, or sitting in silent recitation, one hundred or one thousand recitations.

Namo Guanyin Pusa—the following kneeling- or prostration-recitation, each three or ten recitations:

Namo Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Namo the Pure-Land Vast-Sea Assembly of Bodhisattvas.

4. Dedication

Kneeling-recite Master Lianchi's Western Land Vow Text—one recitation:

I reverently bow to the Western Land of Peace and Joy, The great Guide who leads all beings home. I now make my vow—may I be reborn there; May the Compassionate One in mercy receive me.

I, disciple [name], on behalf of the Fourfold Kindness, the Three Realms of Being, and all beings throughout the Dharma-realm, seeking the One Vehicle of all Buddhas, the unsurpassed bodhi-way—single-mindedly I hold and recite Amitabha Buddha's name of ten thousand virtues and boundless merit, aiming for rebirth in the Pure Land. And because my karma is heavy and my virtue slight, my obstacles deep and my wisdom shallow, the defiled heart easily blazes while pure merit is hard to perfect—today before the Buddha I bow with my five limbs and pour out a single heart, sincerely repenting.

From beginningless kalpas until now, I and beings have been deluded as to our originally pure mind, indulging greed, hatred, and delusion, defiling the three karma of body, speech, and mind beyond all counting. All the offenses and stains we have gathered, numberless and boundless—may they all be dissolved away.

From this day on I make a deep vow: to turn away from evil dharmas, vowing never to create them again; to diligently cultivate the sacred path, vowing never to retreat or fall back; to vow to attain complete enlightenment; to vow to ferry all beings.

May Amitabha Buddha, in the power of compassionate vows, bear witness to me, take pity on me, support and bless me. May it be that in meditation or in dreams, I see Amitabha Buddha's golden body, enter Amitabha Buddha's jewel-adorned lands, receive Amitabha Buddha's sweet dew poured on my crown, his light illuminating my body, his hand resting on my head, his robe covering my frame. May my past obstacles dissolve of themselves, my good roots grow, my afflictions quickly empty, my ignorance suddenly broken. May the perfectly awakened wondrous mind open vast and clear, the true land of tranquil radiance always present before me.

And when the moment of death draws near, may I foreknow its time, with body free of all illness, suffering, and distress; with mind free of all attachment and delusion; every sense joyful and at ease, right mindfulness clear and bright, the body's passing peaceful as if entering samadhi.

May Amitabha Buddha, with Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, and all the holy assembly, radiate light to welcome me, lowering hands to draw me up. May towers, pavilions, banners, wondrous fragrance, and celestial music, the holy land of the West appear plainly before me, that every being who sees or hears may rejoice and marvel, giving rise to the bodhi-mind.

May I at that time mount the Diamond Terrace, follow behind the Buddha, and in a snap of the fingers be born within the seven-jewel pools of the Land of Bliss, in the supreme lotus. When the flower opens I see the Buddha, see all the Bodhisattvas, hear wondrous Dharma sounds, and attain the patience of the uncreated. In an instant I serve all Buddhas, personally receive their prediction, and upon prediction, the three bodies, four wisdoms, five eyes, six spiritual powers, the boundless hundreds and thousands of dharani-gates—all merits perfectly attained.

Then, without leaving the Land of Peace and Joy, I return to the Saha world, my countless transformation bodies pervading the ten-direction realms. With inconceivable sovereign spiritual powers, by every skillful means, I ferry beings, freeing all from defilement back to the pure mind, that together we may be reborn in the Western Land and reach the non-retreating ground.

Such is the great vow: worlds are endless, beings are endless, karma and afflictions are all endless—my vow, too, is endless. May the merit of this bowing, this vowing, this practice be returned to all sentient beings; may the Fourfold Kindness be wholly repaid, the Three Realms of Being all supplied, all beings throughout the Dharma-realm together perfect the seed-wisdom.

5. Threefold Refuge

Standing, palms joined before the Buddha, recite:

I myself take refuge in the Buddha; may all beings comprehend the Great Way and give rise to the supreme mind. One bow.

I myself take refuge in the Dharma; may all beings enter deeply the scriptural treasury, with wisdom vast as the sea. One bow.

I myself take refuge in the Sangha; may all beings lead the great assembly, unhindered in all things. One bow.

Practice complete.

6. Additional Recitation

Sitting, standing, or kneeling—any of these is fine.

Namo the Great Compassion Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva—three times.

The Great Compassion Mantra (Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed, Unobstructed Great Compassion Heart Dharani)—one or seven recitations.

Namo Guanyin Pusa—walk while reciting one hundred to one thousand times.

Continue kneeling-recite:

May the three obstacles and every affliction be dispelled, May blessings, wisdom, and longevity increase. May all disaster and illness wholly cease, May rebirth and the bodhisattva way be perfectly fulfilled.

May the great calamity be lifted, and peace appear, May the world from this moment cease its wars. May the nation flourish, its people live in joy, May winds and rains be timely, the harvest rich and full.

Whatever is sought, pray as the heart moves; only sincerity is required—whatever is sought will surely be answered.