Lingmei's Visit to Guanyin Bodhisattva

The Visit to Guanyin Bodhisattva

“A man’s body and mind are a Dharma vessel, as well as the twelve divisions of the Buddhist Canon. Since time beginless, it has been read and chanted…” It came right into my mind as I was sitting in meditation with some doubt in mind. Therefore, I decided to put into words what Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke to me when my soul traveled to meet Him at Mount. Luo Jia.

As if in a trance, I thought of what Master had told me and decided to go to Mount. Luojia to pay a visit to Guanyin Bodhisattva. I hence asked Master for a bestowal of power. In a flash of thought, I was there. Wow! Certainly it is a heavenly abode!

Upon arrival, I immediately felt refreshed all over. First came into my eyes were the lotuses. The palaces were surrounded by the aureole of the cloud light. Gradually, the lotuses I had seen grew larger and larger, till they merged to radiating golden light.
Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared before me, sitting on a lotus, just when I was being amazed by it all. Exactly as I had thought, He was so amicable and respectable. I could not hold back my tears when I saw Him. I had been feeling at a loss in those days.
I bowed to Him, and said, “Bodhisattva! I don’t want to return. Can I just stay?” Guanyini Bodhisattva smiled to me, and said, “The condition has not yet ripened. You have yet to complete the mission.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva then spoken to me in verse form, “While the task is arduous and the journey tough, always keep in mind the Dharma talks. Cultivation is like climbing up a mountain. The goal is right before you. Keep your mind clean like the lotus, while cultivating in the secular world. Do not just look at what others are doing. You are fulfilling your vows, and shall return. Time is empty and passing by fast. There is no need to count how long it has been.”
Realizing that I did not understand it, He added, “It is accumulated bit by bit, and manifests accordingly bit by bit. Follow your Master’s instruction, and reflect within. Though having witnessed all the scenes, you should never overlook the mind.”
Honestly, I still did not get the point. Guanyin Bodhisattva then spoke to me, “Don’t you want to take a look around? Go ahead.” Upon saying that, He disappeared. A voice spoke into my ears, “It is a different wonderland.” I looked around, and found it all changed around me. I was by a bamboo grove. Cranes were strolling at a leisurely pace. They were happy to see me and told me, “This is the entrance.” I soon got in. Certainly it was a completely different wonderland.
I walked to a brook. The water was limpid and clean. It is rushing downward rapidly from its origin in the upper reach. I then saw an elderly gentleman sitting by the brook fishing. I said to him, “Grandpa, the water runs so rapidly and is crystal clean that we can even see right to the bottom. How can there be any fish in it?”
The gentleman replied, “Yes, no fish can survive in such clean water, and rushing water flow takes away everything. Why fish here?”
I soon understood why. It was Guanyin Bodhisattva trying to enlighten me. The elderly gentleman disappeared before I knew it. The air was filled with Bodhisattvas. A voice resounded from above: “With myriad transformations, I relieve the beings from suffering by contemplating their sound. Mindful of the Buddha, and you get liberated in due time.”
In less than a second, I was back. I thought over what Guanyin Bodhisattva had said to me, and realized it served well to address the challenges I faced in cultivation. More and more, I dislike socializing with others. The other day, my husband warned me, “Are you not going to live like a human anymore?”
Guanyin Bodhisattva was reminding me that I should not behave as if I had transcended the secular world. After all, there are many things waiting for me to do and I need to keep the mind pure as the lotus, and improve myself by practicing the power of Buddha in the very secular environment. Do not just look. Practice it, but refrain from being impatient. Bit by bit our merits and virtues shall accrue. Be patient, and persistent in sutra recitation and meditation sitting. Follow the Master’s guidance, and reflect within. Place the focus in the cultivation of the mind.

Amitabha-Buddha!