The Flying Carpet of the East By Living Buddha Sheng-yen
Lu This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 31st book, 東方的飛氈. CHAPTER 3 - Traveling Through The Great Void After I visited the temple with my mother, I returned to my apartment. So much had happened that day that I went to bed to think about it. I couldn't fall asleep. Suddenly, I smelled incense. I closed my eyes. In a misty haze I saw a circle of light surrounded by a shimmering golden aura. I felt my body float up into the air and fly through the circle of light. I heard the wind blow. It felt as if I flew a very long distance, and then discovered myself in an entirely different world. Somehow it was clear to me that this was the world of the great void. I was guided there by some kind of force. I met many Bodhisattvas whom I couldn't recognize. They bowed in salutation. I saw lotus flowers as large as car wheels, in many colors, and on every lotus flower stood a boy. Each boy held in his hand a different color lotus. Ladders, surrounded by gold-armored gods, came down from the sky. A beautiful mist floated up from the ground. I saw an elaborately carved palace with golden light reflected from its windows. The palace had two pillars that stretched up to the clouds. I heard a voice tell me that one pillar represented Kun-Lun Mountain and the other represented Sumeru Mountain. I walked to a huge temple on one of the mountains. There stood a man and I heard a voice that told me to check the truth of this by reading on a specific page in the sutras. I was told never to reveal my origin to anyone. I traveled on to many other places. I saw and heard things I had never seen or heard before. When I awoke it was seven o'clock in the morning. I rushed over to the Tai-Chung Jui-Ch'eng Bookstore which specializes in Buddhist books. I found the sutra and page that I was directed to look up. Astonishingly enough, there was written the name of the person I was told about! I was stunned, filled with both joy and sorrow. Now I understood the reality of reincarnation. I wondered how I could deny the experiences I'd had last night and the days prior. They were so unusual, yet so real. I thought, "If I don't cultivate myself in this lifetime then when will I?" Before leaving the bookstore I bought many Taoist and Buddhist Sutras. At that time I didn't know the difference between the two. After the experience of traveling through the great void, I hoped to experience it again, even if only for ten minutes. |
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