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 30 - The Dark Side Of The Soul When I was a child I heard a story: One day after he had reached enlightenment, the compassionate hearted Shakyamuni Buddha was in heaven. He looked through the worlds and observed the six paths of reincarnation. Suddenly he heard a tiny voice calling "Buddha! Help! Buddha! Help!" Shakyamuni Buddha followed the voice. Looking down, he saw a red lotus flower at his feet. A tube in the lotus petals extended directly to the bitter ocean of hell. All the entities in the ocean of hell were drowning - floating up and sinking down again, unable to free themselves, they were suffering terribly. Among them there was an entity named Afuka. He was a bandit when he was alive, and he had killed many people. When he died he went to hell, and had no chance to be freed. He had heard people praise Shakyamuni Buddha, and had heard that Buddha could rescue spirits from the Ocean of Suffering. He cried out to Buddha for help. The compassionate Buddha was touched. He saw a spider weaving a web on the lotus, and threw a strand of the spider's silvery thread down to the Ocean of Suffering. Afuka grabbed the thread and began to climb. Other entities in the Ocean of Suffering followed Afuka up. Seeing them, Afuka thought, "I am the one who called Buddha for help. Now all these people follow. The thread was thrown for me. How could all these people be saved? Besides, maybe the thread will break and I will be stuck here." He hardened his heart and began to kick the others off the thread. The cries of confusion and anguish caused Buddha to look down at them. He sighed deeply. Then the thread broke. All the entities, including Afuka, dropped once again into the Ocean of Suffering. Afuka cried out to Buddha again, but since the connection was broken Buddha could not hear. There was a period of some months when I felt that something was wrong. At home, I could feel some entity in the corner of the house watching me. When I was on my motorcycle, he followed. When I meditated I could feel the entity beside me. But I could see nothing. I ignored the phenomenon for two months. When I couldn't stand it any more I said, "Who are you? Please manifest yourself." "I dare not. I look too terrible," a voice said. "Where do you come from?" "I am in hell. I have heard that you can unlock peoples' bondage. Therefore, I've followed you for nearly two months. Since you didn't acknowledge me, I didn't dare to speak-only to follow you silently." "What do you want from me?" "To free me from hell." "What crime did you commit?" I asked. "I broke into houses and stole things. I stole motorcycles, cars, tourists' money-anything I could get my hands on." "You have earned your bondage," I said. "I swear! I will never do it again!" the entity pleaded. Relenting, I said "Very well, I'll help you." I chanted:
I continued to chant:
I chanted the Seven Buddha Chant, which removes karma:
In the silence which followed, I told the still invisible entity, "When you think about Buddha, Buddha will immediately appear in your heart. Your bondage is gone now. You are free." I pointed to the bondage with two fingers, and the bondage disappeared. The entity went dancing off in delight. A few days later, the entity was back. His hands were in bondage, and he asked me to free him again. "I did that already!" "But it came right back," he wailed. "So, what crime did you commit this time?" He mumbled something, not answering. Finally, he confessed that he stole the lotus flower under the Buddha's seat in a temple, and instantly the bondage was upon him again.
I chanted for him again and threw the mudra and said the Seven Buddha chant, but the bond held fast. I could no longer help. |
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