Seven Days in Buddha Land

Melanie, 2/12/2012

On January 27, I attended Wu Jue Miao-Tian Shifu’s Dharma Service held at the Taipei Arena in Taipei, Taiwan, with other practitioners. During the service, Shifu described Śākyamuni’s journey to attain Buddhahood. He also explained the importance of Chan practice in our life. Before he ended the Ceremony, Shifu blessed all those present, over 10,000 people in all, by "connecting their Ren and Du channels, cleansing their karma, opening their wisdom door, and opening their Buddha gate." When I heard Shifu say it, I said to myself: there are more than 10,000 people at the scene, how can Shifu have such power to eliminate all our karma? I felt the power a couple of days later when I sat there meditating. All chakras, from the Sacrum Chakra to the Wisdom Chakra, I felt them all, and every easily! This had never happened before.

Shifu talked for two hours, and we could see on the large-screen that Shifu stood there steadily without moving his body at all. And certainly he had no script to read from.

I was also fortunate enough to have met Brother Miao Ming, an American nuclear physicist currently working in Shanghai, who has seen his True Nature after receiving heart-to-heart transmission from Shifu. We meditated and had meals together with him. I felt that he is someone who is completely at ease. There was a tea party after the service, and he was surrounded by many people, either to ask questions or to take pictures with him. He had no time to drink tea throughout, but he always had a smile on his face. He answered our questions very earnestly, and was full of wisdom. We learned a lot from him. The next morning, because of the jet leg, we got up at 3:30 am. Our bedroom was next to the meditation room, so we started to meditate. Suddenly, Brother Zhenyao felt a bright light around him even though he was meditating with eyes closed. He realized where the light came from when he opened his eyes after finishing the meditation: Brother Miao Ming was sitting right beside him, meditating.

We stayed at Chi Hang Guan Yin Buddhist Temple in Hsinchu. The tall and stately temple was presided over by Sister Yang Lian. Shifu has blessed the Temple, thus it is full of clean energy.  Shifu kindly arranged us, who came from United States for the service, to stay there. The bedroom is for more than 30 people, and to my surprise I slept soundly in that room. The jet leg didn’t bother me at all. During the 7 nights in the temple I slept sweetly, even on the plane on my way home, I slept very well (I had never managed to fall asleep on a plane before). When we were on our way to Taiwan, Brother Zhenyao told me that the temple is full of clean energy and that people sleep there very well. It is indeed true.

We also visited the “Brahma” and “Pharmacists Buddha” temples and also the “Colored Light Lotus World.” We were pleased to have the opportunity to attend classes with other brothers and sisters in Taiwan. Beside Sister Yang Lian’s class, we attended Sister Yin Lian’s class. In both classes I felt very strong energy, and my Chakras reacted powerfully. Practitioners in Taiwan attend class every week, in the evening. Some of them live far away, and they stay to have discussions after meditation. The groups were formed by those who meditate together regularly. In Sister Yang Lian’s class, there were children, from 5-6 year olds to the teens, practicing together with us and their parents. Sister Yang Lian talked for half an hour, we meditated for half an hour, and then people shared with each other about their practice. I really admired those young children who sat in meditation position from the beginning to the end, seriously and quietly. Maybe that's the characteristic of Chan babies.

Sister Yang Lian and Sister Yin Lian, in sharing with us their experiences in spiritual practice, were full of touching and amazing stories. If I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes and listened to their stories in person, I would have found the stories hard to believe.

In spiritual practice, one not only needs to practice meditation, but also to act. Practitioners in Taiwan take Chan medication classes, and they also help others in many ways. They came to clean the temple and maintain its garden right after the Chinese New Year. When we were there, they took turns cooking tasty meals for us. One sister’s husband runs a very big successful business, but she was very kind and came to cook for us twice. I really appreciate their kindness.

Shifu met Brother Miao Ming in the following afternoon after the service, and Brother Zhenyao had the honor to be at the scene, interpreting for them. At that point, Shifu reminded us to focus on maintaining discipline, saying that without discipline a practitioner cannot achieve much no matter how good a meditator he/she is. Hearing this, we reflected on ourselves. We realized it’s indeed really hard to comply with the commandments in our everyday life.

All of us from the US attended the dinner on Friday per Shifu’s arrangement. Several dozens of tables lined up in the restaurant, and only 4 people from each meditation Center were allowed to attend. You can imagine how many Chen centers there are in Taiwan. We took advantage of the opportunity to take photos with Shifu. Brother Zhenyao introduced us to Shifu one by one. Shifu sang a few songs for us. His voice was deep, mellow, and very pleasant to hear. The song "Seagull" expressed Shifu’s determination and vision to liberate sentient beings from suffering. I was deeply grateful!

While I was in the temple, I saw Sister Yang Lian and others salute earnestly to the image of Buddha. It bothered me, because I had always thought that it was something done by illiterate women in the country, and I was really not used to it. But with clarification by brothers and sisters, I realized this: by saluting the Buddha our true nature and the Buddha are paying respect to each other. It is something that practitioners should perform, and I should get used to it. It is also a method to purify our hearts. So I should overcome the obstacles, do the salutation with a grateful heart.

I owe this successful Taiwan trip to the help of many practitioners in Taiwan, especially Brother Yenkang. He helped me to apply for visa, order plane ticket, and in both San Francisco and Taipei he was the one who picked us up and dropped us off. He did so much for us, and I am very, very grateful! Not only Yenkang, all of the brothers and sisters I met in Taiwan are following Shifu’ teaching in purifying their hearts, and making great efforts to advance. I was impressed. Therefore, I also regard it my mission to introduce Shifu’s dharma, which perfects one’s heart and fulfills one’s life, to my friends, and introduce it to all those people who are suffering in the mundane world.

During the 7 days in Taiwan, we had no time for those famous tourist attractions, nor shopping at these famous malls. We only visited Shifu‘s temples and meditation classes. We felt especially clean, both physically and mentally. Sister Yang Lian and Brother Yenkang helped us to accomplish the most important things. I seemed to have lived in the Buddha’s Pure Land for a week, and now I have returned home. Spiritual practice is very popular in Taiwan. On our way to Shifu’s temples we saw many temples and Chan centers. This, I think, helps in maintaining a peaceful society.  I also hope that the Mainland will also become a more tolerant society that will allow my family members and friends to start their journey of spiritual practice as early as possible.

I am glad that I was able to join our meditation group. Because of this I not only have confidence in my present life, I am also confident about my future. I am full of happiness.

Thank you, Shifu!

Thank you, everyone!

凈土七日 - Melanie  寫於2012年2月12日

最近我和幾位同修到臺灣參加了悟覺妙天師父在臺北小巨蛋體育館舉行的大法會（見法會報道）。師父在法會上講述了釋迦摩尼成道的過程，和禪修的意義。法會結束前，在場的一萬多信眾，有幸得到師父給予的“打通任督二脈，清業力，開智慧門，開佛門”。當我聽到師父這樣說的時候，心中暗暗詫異，在場一萬多人，師父如何有這麼大的證量給這麼多人清業力？但是後來幾天打坐時，從無明到智慧，真的很容易守到！這是以前從沒發生過的啊。

 在兩個小時的宣講過程中，通過全方位大屏幕投影可以看到師父站在那裏穩如磐石，身體一動也不動。當然也沒有講稿。

 我還有幸見到了妙明師兄，他是美國核物理學家，現在在上海工作，去年夏天因得到師父所傳的佛心印而明心見性。我們和他一起打坐，共進三餐，感覺他的為人可以用大自在，很祥和來形容。法會後的茶話會上，大家都爭先恐後地找他問問題，合影，整個下午他就沒有機會喝茶，但是微笑總是在臉上，回答大家的問題也很認真，充滿智慧，讓我們獲益匪淺。第二天早上，因為時差，我們早上3:30就起床了，我們的臥室就在禪房兩側，所以大家起床後，先後坐下來打坐。震堯師兄說，他坐著突然覺得身邊放光，等下坐後一看，原來妙明師兄在他身邊坐下打坐了。

 我們住在臺灣新竹的慈航觀音禪寺，高大莊嚴的觀音禪寺由洋蓮師姐主持，經師父開光的寺院充滿清凈的能量。師父特地安排美國趕來的同修住在這裏。在30多人可入住的大房間裏，我居然能隨時香甜入睡，一點也沒有倒時差的疲勞。在禪寺的7天，天天睡得香甜，甚至在回程的飛機上也香甜入睡（我以前從未能在飛機上睡著過）。在去臺灣的路上，震堯師兄告訴我，禪寺清凈的能量場特別好，真實不虛啊。

 在臺灣的7天，我們還參訪了大梵天王寺，藥師佛寺和琉璃光蓮花世界，有幸與臺灣的師兄姐們一起上課。除了洋蓮師姐的課，還聽了音蓮師姐的課，每次都有很好的感應，有很強的能量感，脈輪的跳動。臺灣的師兄姐們每周一課，晚上上課，有的家住很遠的地方。課後同修小組還要分組討論。小組是大家平時一起共修形成的。在洋蓮師姐的課堂上，還有一些孩子們，他們跟著父母同時修行，從5-6歲到十幾歲。師姐講課半小時，然後打坐半小時，然後心得分享。我真的佩服那些小小的孩子，自始至終和我們一樣認真。一點也不鬧人，也許這就是禪寶寶的特征吧。

 洋蓮師姐，音蓮師姐很多師兄姐們，他們入門的因緣，修行的經歷都充滿著感人而神奇的故事，若不是親眼所見，親耳所聽真難以相信。

 修行修行，不僅要修，而且要行。臺灣的同修他們不僅聽課打坐，而且也奉獻；春節剛過，他們就進寺院幫忙，打掃寺院衛生，清理庭院。我們來了，他們輪流親自下廚為我們做美味的飯菜。其中一位師姐，丈夫經營著很大的企業，但是她一點架子也沒有，兩次親自下廚為我們做飯。感恩這些師兄姐們！

 師父在法會的第二天下午，抽出時間會見了妙明師兄，我們的震堯師兄有幸又成為翻譯，親聆師父的教誨。當時師父開示說，修行要註重持戒，沒有持戒，修的再高也沒有用。我們聽後悄悄反省自己，哎，真的很難呀，點點滴滴落實在我們的日常生活中不容易。

 我們全部美國同修，在師父安排下參加了星期五的晚餐會，整個餐廳幾十桌，每個道場只能派4個代表參加，可想臺灣有多少師父的道場。我們利用就餐機會和師父合影，被震堯師兄一一介紹給師父。可惜我見到師父太激動，該說的該問的都沒有做。師父在晚餐會上為大家演唱了幾首歌曲，歌聲低沈圓潤，非常好聽。一曲“海鷗”，表達了師父為幫助眾生離苦得樂，百折不回的宏願。心裏非常感恩！

 在禪寺的幾天生活裏，天天早晚看到洋蓮師姐和其他同修認真禮佛，我心裏很糾結；我從小到大都認為，這個是鄉下沒文化的老太太做的動作，我真的不習慣。但是通過師兄姐的解釋，我明白，禮敬是我們的自性和佛菩薩互相致意，算是我們修行人的一種禮節吧，是我應該學習的禮節。也是清凈自我的一種方法。所以應該克服障礙，把禮敬做得發自內心。

 這次能夠有圓滿地臺灣之行，全靠各位師兄姐的幫忙，特別是彥岡師兄，從辦簽證，訂機票加上開車帶我們去臺灣各寺廟的參訪，接機送機，步步都是他在忙，心裏非常、非常地感恩！不光是彥岡，所有我所接觸的臺灣同修們，他們的心地都是那麽的清凈，努力精進。感覺真的很不一樣。讓我感到，我也有責任把這個令人性更加完美，人生更加圓滿的清凈修行法門介紹給周圍的朋友，介紹給一切還在世間煩惱苦難中掙紮的人們。

臺灣7日，沒有去那些著名的旅遊景點去觀光，沒有機會在臺灣知名的大商場去購物，但是巡回在師父的各個禪寺之間，覺得身心特別清凈，洋蓮師姐和彥岡師兄帶我們做了最重要的事情，加上師姐和同修對我們生活上的照顧，令我直覺仿佛流連於佛國凈土一周，現在回到了人間。臺灣的修行氣氛很濃，一路走來看到三步一廟，五步一寺，更有各種禪修班的信息。這個讓社會更加安定吧。我也希望大陸早日有這麽寬容的環境。讓我們的家人，朋友能夠早日隨師走上修行之道，離苦得樂。

 我很高興我能夠加入到我們這個禪修大家庭，讓我不僅對現在的生活有信心，對我的未來，生命中的每一分鐘都充滿信心，充滿法喜。感恩師父，感恩大家。

我的一點禪修心得 

自從2009年7月參加蒙特瑞的禪修班，至今已經2年多了。從最初希望解決睡眠問題初衷到現在結識了這麽多可親可敬的同修，覺得收獲真是不小。

雖然常常覺得打坐枯燥，還得不斷地與腿痛，妄念和懶惰較量，也看不到那種日新月異的變化。但是，往往過一段時間再回顧，就會發現自己無論在健康上，在精神上，都有令人驚喜的改變。盡管我還是那個我，很多舊有的習性仍然在我修行的路上拖拽著我，但是我得到了內心的祥、平靜和自信，不僅睡眠狀況得到了徹底的改善，其他的健康問題也都或多或少地改善了。還得到了這麽多相互關心的兄弟姐妹。

去年7月份參加Jessica辦的新班，雖說是去幫助護持新班，從表面看來好像是奉獻了我的時間幫助新同修，但是，我發現實際上是新同修幫助了我，12個新同修把jessica的客廳坐得滿滿的，每個人都認真地實踐，和大家一起分享自己的體驗，我從中獲益不少。更確信了禪修不分早晚，同修完全平等的道理。特別是在最後一個星期二的課上，兩年多來我從來沒有找到的無始脈輪，突然清晰地跳動起來了，這個意外的驚喜使我明白了，只要大家坐在一起共修，無論資深資淺，我們共同營造的氣場使每一個在場的人獲益了。共修時，你既是奉獻者也是獲益者。

當我們新班搬入我們新租的蒙特瑞禪堂上最後幾課時，有新同修擔心禪堂租金高，大家承擔有困難。我把我的體會告訴她；這個禪堂充滿了能量，大家都有貢獻，只要你加入共修，你在禪修中獲益，你也是一名貢獻者。因為一兩個人共修和一二十個人共修，禪堂的能量一定不一樣。所以，只要你來，你就是在奉獻。沒有必要為不能奉獻金錢而擔憂。

我記得曾經讀過震堯師兄（周末給我們上課的老師）一封信，他說“不要因為我們一句不得體的話或者不好的態度，傷害了其他同修，使得他們不願意來共修了，讓他們失去了這個寶貴的禪修機會，這是非常可惜的（大意）。”信中流露的懇切態度令我非常感動，使我明白，每一位同修對我們每一個人來講，都是非常珍貴的。我希望有一天我們的禪堂因為同修太多而不得不換成一個更大的，我也希望那些曾經對我有過幫助的新班同修，能夠繼續和我們在一起，為身體的健康，為心靈的祥和，一起努力禪修，精進。

Jue Miao Miao-Ming Shixiong’s Sharing *

What I’d like to do tonight is share with you a different perspective. Shifu’s teaching shows us a very wonderful path to get to find the light inside ourselves. But sometimes it’s not clear to us which way to go; sometimes we run into obstacles along the way, and sometimes just having a different perspective, a different way to look at things, can help us along  this path.

十月份在中国探亲时，我买了一本藏传佛教宁玛派大堪布希阿荣博写的书，名字是《次第花开》。书里面最打动我的，是希阿荣博对他的上师法王如意宝的感情。看到这些内容，就想到我们的师父妙天禅师。我虽然只见过师父一次，但通过禅修，对师父的佛的证量和慈悲，感触越来越深。自己能跟着师父修印心禅法，机会稀有难得，只有深深感恩！

From time to time I would receive sad news about my relatives, friends or acquaintances – either someone is seriously ill or has died. I always feel very sorry for them, and at the same time I tell myself that if they were able to practice meditation regularly when they were still healthy, they could have avoided such mishaps or disasters.

下面是我最近與Monterey地區同修作的分享。

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不時聽到親友、熟人得重病甚至去世的消息， 很同情、惋惜。我想，如果他們趁身體好的時候就參加禪修，堅持打坐，很可能躲過這一劫。禪修以前，自己常常身心疲憊，心臟工作無力，通過禪坐有很大的改觀。禪坐可以接到宇宙的大生命力，能使人的身體脫胎換骨。我雖屬剛學邁步，但相信有這回事。

有的身體尚可，但不愉快，對人、事放不下。自己也這樣，在苦海裡掙扎。現在有了些變化，禪修像燈，讓心裡亮堂了許多。地獄或天堂，就在一念之間，的確如此！

禪修太好了，是最具智慧和價值的“投資”，得盡全力做才行。

妙天師父曾說（大意）：如果有計劃，並加以執行，禪修的效率將是別人的十倍。我冒昧建議，大家都訂一個禪修計畫，並好好執行。我的計畫是：特殊情況除外，每天老實打坐，每週參加共修，並參加禪修營，還要多幫助別人禪修。願與各位共勉。

Fulfill Every Person

Fulfilling every person should start with cultivating our own body, making sure that we do not have any health problem, because we would not be fulfilled if we still have illness and pain. We need to take care of our illness and pain if they exist. We then expand such endeavors to interpersonal relationships, and to fulfill the relationship with our parents, children, relatives, friends, and social relationships. Each one of them needs to be fulfilled.

We begin by focusing on the details in our daily lives. From time to time we need to examine oneself and to find out why we could not get along with other people and fight with them for trivial matters.

Buddha dharma has very practical implications, and to practice Buddha dharma we need to fulfill each and every person. Start such fulfillments with ourselves. Seek to fulfill ourselves in every aspect, such as health, learning, wisdom and merits. And then expand the fulfilling process to one’s relatives, friends, society, country and relations between countries. Otherwise, we would not have fulfilled, and would be incomplete.

Fulfill Every Issue

We need to do a satisfactory job when dealing with every issue in life. At work we need to do a respectable job fulfilling our duty. We need to manage our career well. This is what fulfilling every issue means. If everyone does a good job fulfilling every issue, there would be no disputes, no worries, and a fulfilled person would have no stress, illness or pain.

Take Care Of Every Object

We need to take care of every object. We need to maintain them in the state originally intended for. To do so we would need to protect them by removing dusts and preserving their original appearances. We also want to put them to the best use. For example, if an object was intended to be viewed and admired, we should put it at a location where it is easy for people to see.

In such a way, we would understand the ecology of the entire universe and learn how to take care of them and protect them, and not to subject them to disturbance or abuse. It is merciless in treating any object irrelevant to the law of the universe. Through Chan practice we could understand and realize the way how the universe functions.

Fulfill Every Dharma

If we could fulfill each and every dharma then we would be able to fulfill both our spiritual practice and our secular practice. Buddha dharma is not very deep, nor is Buddhahood very difficult to attain. Just start with issues as small as the fine sands in the Ganges River. Bit by bit everything will be purified. If we want to attain Buddhahood, we need to fulfill every person, every issue, every object, and every dharma.

If there were dissatisfactions in our career, we would need to find out the cause, and correct it accordingly. If there were poor relationships, we would need to find ways to communicate and resolve them. We would have no conflict if we communicate well. Agreement can easily be reached. All issues in the world can be resolved. The only thing standing in the way of any resolution is opposition. If opposition exists in people’s mind conflicts would not end.

We need to reach understanding through coordination and communication. We need to realize that all wars do not end until the both sides sit down at a table and conduct face-to-face talks. Focusing the talk with harmonious intentions is the way to fulfill all issues. Practitioners fail to attain Buddhahood simply because they fail to reach fulfillment in their practice; they do not have the correct dharma, nor the right spiritual teacher, thus cannot attain Buddhahood.

“It is us who regard issues of the world as troubles.” We need to have a enlightened heart, a heart that is limitless in scope. Once our body is emptied we could be filled with spiritual qi. And once our mind is emptied, our heart can become a pure-land, which could tolerate every sentient being. Take a chime stone (an ancient Chinese musical instrument) as an example. It can produce sound because it is empty inside. It would not produce any sound if it is full. This empty is like the vast and immeasurable void.

Every practitioner should start with the smallest issues. If family members do not get along, we would need to communicate. When things are explained openly, the issues will be resolved as long as we do with sincerity. Communication and coordination are very important.

Regarding our daily chores, once we begin to work on anything we must do a good job, and not give up halfway when difficulty arises. Otherwise, it would indicate that we have lost the courage that we had at the beginning. We need to think things through at the beginning. Determine the problematic areas, and overcome them one step a time. This is the Buddha dharma.

We can say whatever we want among practitioners. If we ever hear an unfair comment about ourselves, just speak out, and put the issue to rest. Buddha is to be uncovered from the inside of every one of us. We need to fulfill all secular duties in this Saha world. Do not waste or abuse our time. We need to be free from all worries, and not to seek for them.

I wish each of you an open and cheerful heart, like the open sky and the vast ocean, then there will be no attachment. Just fulfill every encounter that is lacking. Do not procrastinate. Do not pause. Once fulfilled, all our sensory roots will be cleansed, and we will reach the state of absolute purity.

真正低调的人

来源：道德网站

　　　真正有大智慧和大才华的人，必定是低调的。才华和智慧像悬在精神深处的皎洁明月，早已照彻了他们的心性。他们行走在尘世间，眼神是慈祥的，脸色是和蔼的，腰身是谦恭的，心底是平和的，灵魂是宁静的。正所谓，大智慧大智若愚，大才华朴实无华。

There is an article in the recent issue of Zencosmos about a female vegetable vendor in Taiwan, named Chen Shuju, who donated an equivalent of $420,000 to charities. I was deeply touched while reading the article.

The following lines in the article particularly struck me: Chen Shuju does not regard herself as a “heroine” or a “character,” and she thinks of herself being just an ordinary person, a vegetable seller of no significance. She does her best at what she does, and there is seemingly nothing special about her. However, she has achieved something truly remarkable out of her mediocrity. She is hardworking, has no interest in money and fame, and performs her duties in a sublime manner. She seems to be practicing Buddhism with no notion of herself.

I often talk and think about letting go, but seldom match my words with actions. I have a lot to learn from Ms. Chen.