Deepest Gratitude to Namo Shakyamuni Buddha!
Deepest Gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva!
Deepest Gratitude to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors!
Deepest Gratitude to Master Jun Hong Lu!
Good afternoon to all Buddhist friends.
I am Yani from Jambi, Indonesia. I am 72 years old this year. In retrospect, I must count my blessings for the opportune participation in an introductory session of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door at Jambi. Because of this encounter, I set foot in my Buddhism practice in 2017.
At the initial stages of my practice, I had had doubts about my ability to recite Little Houses primarily due to my advanced age (I was 67 then), language barrier (I can’t read the Chinese language), my poor health and the need to single-handedly take care of my ailing and aged parents. However, my mindset was transformed after studying Buddhism in Plain Terms in the Indonesian language. Through Master Lu’s teachings, it struck me about how critical it is to offer Little Houses to our karmic creditors, more so for someone like me who experienced a couple of miscarriages, and has killed countless fish when helping my parents who were then running a restaurant. With this, I made a vow to offer Little Houses, in a batch of 21 each time and have thus far offered more than one hundred of Little Houses to my karmic creditors. For the last two years, I have been practising the five Golden Buddhist Practices which include seizing every opportunity to release captive lives.
I had long suffered from spinal pain with a pinched nerve in my lower back which affected my mobility. To alleviate the pain, I had to rely on a waist strap. It had never struck me that my pain was a manifestation of my negative karma.
Sometime in 2021, I made a vow to recite 10,000 times of the Medicine Buddha Dharani as per Master Lu’s advice. With help from a local Buddhist friend, I learned to recite the Dharani and offered a specific prayer request targeting my pinched nerves in the spine and the heavy sensation around my legs.
One day, while offering Little Houses to my karmic creditors, a cracking sound came out of nowhere. Soon after, I realised that the pain around my spine and legs that I had long agonised over had miraculously disappeared, weaning me off the waist straps.
I shared the great news with my 15-year-old grandson who has developed muscular dystrophy – an inherited and incurable disease that causes muscle to weaken and become inflexible permanently. Having witnessed the transformation – both physically and character-wise – in me, my grandson made the vow to recite 10,000 times of the Medicine Buddha Dharani. This echoes what Master Lu once said, “Buddhist practitioners must set a good example – through self-transformation – to convince others to practise Buddhism”.
My Buddhism practice has been fraught with challenges. Language barrier aside, my advanced age also somewhat impairs my ability to perform recitation. Notwithstanding my slow pace of recitation, never once did it cross my mind of quitting. To strengthen my faith, I diligently study Master Lu’s teachings.
I am deeply indebted to Master Lu for His teachings which have kept me afloat all these years and served somewhat like a beacon of light illuminating my path. Had it not been His unparalleled dedication to spreading the dharma, I would have fallen by the wayside long ago.
Last but not least, I would like to encourage my peers – especially those who are still sitting on the fence, undecided over whether to practise Buddhism – with this catchphrase of Master Lu, “With perseverance, change is possible. Practising Buddhism is a tough climb, but joy awaits at the summit”.
With this, I have come to the end of my sharing. If my sharing today is improper in any way, I seek forgiveness from Namo Shakyamuni Buddha, Guan Yin Bodhisattva and Dharma Protectors!
Thank you to all Buddhist friends.
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