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 Yong Tian Ying Zi from Kyoto, Japan.
My life started to unravel after a traffic accident in October 2012. The aftermath was the unspeakable and seemingly endless suffering that tormented me physically and emotionally. The ensuing 20 odd months of hospital stay was not something that I was prepared for, during which my life was stretched to its maximum limits.
I was on the verge of a mental meltdown, as a series of uncharacteristic physical and emotional ailments started to assail me on all fronts. Not only did I develop depressive anxiety disorder, constipation and acid reflux, the medical specialists discovered that I had liver stones, uterine fibroid and lumps on my breasts. To top it all off, I also suffered from spasm and every episode was a frightening experience.
Drowned in the emotional roller coaster, it was very much like living in hell, being tortured and taunted every single moment of my life. Paralysed from neck down, the doctor concluded that I would be wheelchair bound for the rest of my life.
Unable to accept the harsh reality that life had thrown at me, and distressed over a complete loss of life normalcy, many a time, deep down, I cried out for divine intervention, “Can anyone help me, please?”.
Amid the twists and turns and at the depth of my despair, I chanced upon Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. Admittedly, my faith was not strong in the beginning because I did not experience any visible results from my recitation of the Buddhist scriptures. Looking back, I had myself to blame because I was not sincere in my recitation as a sense of anguish and injustice was still deeply rooted in my heart.
Wanting to seek compensation for my ‘loss’, I consulted a lawyer, who surmised that, “Based on your current conditions, you could potentially receive a compensation ranging from 60 million (740,000 in Singapore dollar) to hundreds of millions of Japanese yen. So I thought, “Fight for the money! After all, I’ve lost my mobility and health after the accident.”
I decided to engage a lawyer to fight for my ‘justice’, thinking that this would, once and for all, bury the hatchet. Gripped by greed, I was ignorant of the backlash that awaited me. Physically and emotionally strained, I rushed around to various hospitals in search of medical verifications and appraisals that were required for the lawsuit.
To my dismay, regardless of the explanation given, the insurance company did not recognise my insurance protection policy. This development hit me like a ton of bricks, plunging me deeper into depression.
My misfortune took a positive turn in February 2016, when I chanced upon the Osaka Guan Yin Citta Buddhism Group Study. Through the group study of Buddhism in Plain Terms, I gained insights about the inescapable law of causality.
One day, by chance, I heard of Master Lu’s advice to a Buddhist friend, who was suffering from the same fate as me. His advice to her was, “Think clearly and let it go”. Master Lu further said, “to hang on tightly to these unpleasant experiences would only bring more harm than good as it would put your life and wealth at risk.” These simple words of Master Lu touched me deeply.
With the blessings of Bodhisattva and Master and through Master Lu’s dharma body who visited me on numerous occasions in my dreams, the awakening finally came. There and then, I decided to drop my lawsuit, cutting myself off a potentially endless fight.
For the first time in a long while, peace dwelt in my heart, as the emotional baggage I was carrying all these years was lifted off my shoulders. In return, I could feel some invisible force, motivating me to be steadfast and remain true to my Buddhism practice.
As my understanding of Buddhism deepened, on 22 July 2016, I decided to make the great vow of becoming a vegetarian for life! With the awakening that I experienced combined with the offering of large quantities of Little Houses and the liberation of captive lives, unknowingly, my physical ailments slowly disappeared.
In five years, Buddhism has helped me turn over a new leaf. I stopped complaining about life, nor do I harbour suspicion towards anyone. My depressive moods have become a thing of the past.
When friends come for advice, I will gladly share with them my insights on learning Buddhism so that they can also relish the dharma joy. I will perform to my best capacity to be Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s thousand hands and eyes in my Buddhism propagation so that others too can benefit. Towards this goal, I jotted down my personal experience, aha moments and health improvements with the hope that I can use them to convince others to set foot on their spiritual cultivation journey and change the course of their destiny.
I can still remember vividly about being approached by a Buddhist friend who got hold of a voice recording that I posted on social media. This Buddhist friend was mired in a traffic accident lawsuit. After talking to her for more than two hours, I managed to clear her doubts and she decided to drop her lawsuit. In reality, when helping others, we are helping ourselves. Words are hard to describe the immense dharma joy that washed over me when I managed to talk her out of her predicament.
Here’s a list of chronological milestones that I experienced physically after practising Buddhism:
May 2018: I need the help of a walking machine to be mobile.
26 March 2019: I can now walk freely with the aid of crutches.
18 December 2020: I can now walk freely with the aid of a walking stick.
22 December 2020: After a medical checkup on the strength of my limbs, the doctor tells me that I can now learn to drive.
It all feels like a dream but this is a true story. By practising Guan Yin Citta, I was able to throw away my wheelchair that had accompanied me for eight years. Because of Guan Yin Citta, I was able to walk out of the valley of darkness and regained a new lease of life.
Imagine what would have become of me had I gripped onto my greed and resentment and chosen to fight for my ‘justice’. I still shudder whenever I think of the potential implications of the lawsuit on my health had I opted for that foolish path. Instead of miring in lawsuit, I chose to use Buddhism to transform my mindset and restore my health, something that no money in the world is capable of acquiring.
With this, I have come to the end of my sharing. If my sharing today is improper in any way, I seek forgiveness from Guan Yin Bodhisattva and Dharma Protectors!
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