Lingmei's Sutra-lecture Trip to the Trayastrimsha Heaven

The Sutra-lecture Trip to the Trayastrimsha Heaven


Travelling between Heaven and Earth takes only one thought. It is because of the sagely conditions that I shuttle several times between. Upon the instruction by the holy teachings of Venerable Master, my soul travel around like an immortal.

One day, I arrived at the Trayastrimsha Heaven, when I seemed in a dream but yet in truth it was not. What I saw and heard was nothing new to me, as I had been there twice.

Again, as if in a trance, I was sitting on a lotus that kept revolving. My mind was gradually at peace. All of a sudden, I thought of what Master had told me. Within a flash of thought, my soul travelled to the Southern Gate of Heaven. The Heavenly generals and soldiers stood in straight rows. They seemed to be waiting for someone. They showed utmost respect and reverence to me. After all, I have been there twice, and they knew me well.

By then, Shakra came to greet me in person. He even sent me a piece of priceless heavenly clothes. I thought of what Master had told me, and therefore transferred it to him. After I did that, the heavenly clothes transformed into numerous golden flowers flying around me.

Again, Shakra summoned all the heavenly beings to the Trayastrimsha Heaven. I won’t go into details about it. What is slightly from my previous trip was that I saw lotuses floating in the air as I lectured the Sutra. Everywhere it smelled fragrant and refreshing.

I went on to lecture the Sutra of Longevity for them. It turned out exactly as Master had said! The Sutra of Longevity is such a precious treasure not only for humans but also for heavenly beings! “The ghastly ghost of Impermanence comes at unpredictable times. Even if we wish to bribe him with innumerable and limitless amount of gold, silver, money and precious jewels and seek to lengthen our life, it will still be in vain.” I think we living beings should all stay alert when reading it. See, all the answers can be found in the A Simple Explanation of the Sutra of Longevity by Master Zhenlin.

Indeed! No matter how comfortable and decent our life is, or how wealthy we are, we can do nothing about it when the ghastly ghost of Impermanence comes to get us. We can take nothing along. No amount of wealth can exchange for our life!

The Heavenly beings do have good comprehension! These lines alone woke many up! They too, have a finite lifespan. If they do not cultivate, they shall be subject to the revolving wheel of death and rebirth by the time their life comes to an end. They were full of joy to hear the Sutra. All kinds of treasures were presented to me from the air. I transferred them all to Master, and they only came forth in larger number. I was not attentive to them, though.

By then, Shakra stood up and said, “A genuine person is transmitting the genuine sutra here. The flying lotuses show how happy we are. All the heavenly generals and soldiers have joined to listen. We feel so lucky to have such a condition. Like the Get-together at the Three Assemblies under the Naga-puspa Tree, we meet here now at the Heavenly Palace. With great joy, we look forward to hearing the Sutra. You are rescuing with great strength the lost beings in their present life. We vow to exert our best efforts to uphold and practice what is instructed in the Sutra. We shall act in strict compliance with the teachings by our genuine Master.”

Upon saying that, he treated me to the heavenly delicacy. He then took me around for sightseeing. Finally, I got to know how heavenly music sound!

We got to the heavenly pond, where I saw heavenly maids dancing to the beautiful music. I thought I should wash away there the three poisons I had as a human. While in the pond, I thought of what Master had told me. I walked out of it, took a look at myself, and found myself different. I did not look as a human. Rather, I was wearing clothes the same as the heavenly beings. My body felt like the cloud and fog. Anyway, I did not want to stay longer, and turned back.

My will was not firm enough. While I was able to lecture the Sutra, it was made possible only with the bestowal of power by Master! Life was too comfortable in the Heaven! No wonder they say cultivation is hard for those enjoying a wealthy life. It cannot be more true! Cultivating in the heaven for centuries is not as effective as doing it the secular world for one day!

As Master said when he lectured the Sutra of Longevity, this is why the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas prefer to get close to we living beings in the Jambudvipa. While it is not a well-blessed land here in the Jambudvipa, many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas achieve enligthenment here. We get our will steeled the best in the secular world. Everyday we face all kinds of tests and enticement.

Finally, I have come to understand why I am so fond of the lotus. It grows in the mud and yet stays clean from the filth. Life is like a grand stage. There are all kinds of roles for us to play and different challenges to face. Master told us to keep our mind firm no matter what we do. All the trials and challenges are meant to increase our faith in the Buddha Dharma. Meet the challenge, and we shall improve ourselves.