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!
It’s been almost seven years since I started practising Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. My daughter played a critical role in ‘thrusting’ me into the gate of dharma. I must count my blessings for having chanced upon Guan Yin Citta at the depth of my desperation. Without Guan Yin Citta, I would not have been able to extricate myself from the emotional roller-coasters, having to deal with a once-healthy daughter who, for some unbeknownst reason, suddenly developed mental health disorders, which medical specialists linked them to autism and depression.
This turn of events took place in 2015 when my daughter was in Secondary 3. She became socially withdrawn and avoided contact with her family members and close friends, and just wanted to be by herself most of the time. Out of no choice, she quit school soon after.
Sensing that something was amiss and with the encouragement of a Buddhist friend, I started to perform daily recitation for myself and my daughter. Despite my hectic work and family life, I would always squeeze out time to recite Little Houses.
Notwithstanding the absence of any concrete signs of a turnaround in the initial three years of my practice, I kept my faith, not letting the weariness of life get the better of me. I constantly reminded myself that I must persevere and stay steadfast in my Buddhism practice especially in times of tribulation. As the Chinese saying goes, “It takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep (冰冻三尺非一日之寒)”.
To expedite my progress, I whole-heartedly embraced the Five Golden Buddhist Practices of performing recitation and life liberation, making great vows (I became a vegetarian for life in February 2016), studying Buddhism in Plain Terms and performing repentance. The opportunity to work from home following the pandemic outbreak in early 2020 gave me greater latitude to recite more Little Houses.
Till these days, without fail, I still perform daily recitation of the following Buddhist scriptures on my daughter’s behalf:
11 times of the Great Compassion Mantra,
21 times of the Heart Sutra, and
1 time of the Eighty-Eight Buddhas Great Repentance.
Some two years ago, my daughter’s mental health improvement became more apparent. She became less temperamental and had less self-doubt. She started to open up and share light-hearted moments at home – something that may seem undeserving of any special attention to most parents, but it means the whole world to a mother like me, having worked tirelessly behind the scenes to set the wheel of transformation in motion. In those quiet moments of mine, many a time, I will still shed tears of gratitude – I am deeply grateful to Guan Yin Bodhisattva and Master Lu for being a beacon of light in the Saha World.
Sometime in June this year, my daughter gave me a heart-warming, yet memorable surprise, by sharing with me her aspiration of upgrading her skill set and wishes to enrol into a private school. Needless to say, this must have been the large number of Little Houses (circa more than 1,000) and captive lives that I have offered on her behalf. This goes to show that when the number of Little Houses offered has reached a tipping point, changes will be afoot. This speaks volumes about the importance of staying the course even as our initial efforts seem to have hardly moved a needle. I am pleased to say that my daughter has since started her studies in July and she seems happy about it.
Unlike the majority of parents with autistic children, I opted for an unorthodox approach to helping my daughter bounce back from her mental illness by anchoring my faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva. The journey to a full recovery may still be some time away, but with unwavering faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva, I strongly believe my daughter is inching closer to full recovery in every stride that I take.
Personally, I have also benefited from my Buddhism practice. I find greater peace in life. Physically, the frequent headache and persistent pain that I have had in my arms have largely been cured. I am now able to lift my arms with much ease.
Before I end my testimony, I would like to leave this catch-phrase from our revered Master Lu as food for thought:
“Recognising life is impermanent, we must consider the ultimate consequences of all our actions. Because every seed we sow is the fruit we reap. Therefore, it is important to understand the law of causation. Being ignorant of causation will surely land you in trouble.”
If my sharing is improper in any way, I would like to seek forgiveness from Namo Shakyamuni Buddha, the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva, all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dharma Protectors and Master Jun Hong Lu.
Thank you!
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