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!
Truth be said, the last two odd years were nothing short of tumultuous on a personal front. My ordeal started to creep up on me sometime in mid-2020 after an abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding, which was preceded by blood in urine just a couple of months before. Sensing that something was amiss, I sought medical help. A cervical biopsy was performed and cancer tissues were detected. Heeding the advice of the medical specialists, I decided to go under the knife in order to identify the exact location where cancer cells have grown.
On the day of surgery, my blood pressure unexpectedly shot up, casting doubt about the feasibility to carry out the operation. I had the inkling that it was the ‘work’ of a karmic creditor that came into my dream just the night before, hence, I implored Guan Yin Bodhisattva for blessings and made the vow to offer 33 Little Houses as demanded by the karmic creditor.
The surgery revealed that I had stage 4 (advanced) womb cancer – a major karmic calamity that I needed to overcome because back then, I was 59 years old. Needless to say, it was a big blow even though my family and I were all prepared for the worst.
The ensuing weeks were a frenzy, having to go through a slew of comprehensive medical examinations to zoom into all possible regions ravaged by the tumour. The second and more major operation had been lined up but timing of it was pushed back owing to massive operational disruptions on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was eventually brought forward by a month – an impossibility amid medical resource scarcity. Deep down, I know that I owed it to Guan Yin Bodhisattva for speeding up the process.
In preparation for the major operation in December 2020, I stayed true to my Buddhist practice and kept to my practice of vegetarianism despite being medically advised to consume meat, eggs and fish. I diligently performed my daily recitation.
Out of concern for my ability to complete the recitation of the 1,000 Little Houses that cancer patients are recommended to make a vow on, I made the vow to recite in batches of 108. On top of this, I vowed to release 10,000 captive lives which were renewed upon completion, and to respect Master Lu and revere His teachings. To expedite the repayment of my karmic debt, I diligently applied the Five Golden Buddhist Practices – performing recitation and great repentance, making great vows, releasing captive lives and studying Buddhism in Plain Terms.
Despite the initial operational glitch on the operation day (9 December 2020), the surgery, which lasted approximately four hours, proceeded smoothly. Unlike other similar operations where significant blood infusions are required, the surgeon was pleasantly surprised by the minimal intraoperative blood loss. I am deeply grateful to Buddhist friends who helped perform assisted recitation on this day.
My ordeal did not end there. I underwent chemotherapy in February 2021. The experience was nothing but misery and draining. There are no words that can encapsulate the unimaginable agony that reverberated throughout my entire body. Each chemotherapy session completely wore me down, besides leaving me with massive amounts of mouth ulcers, making eating and sleeping close to impossible which lasted six months.
Truth be said, no one will be able to understand the extreme physical and emotional toll that a cancer patient has to undergo. Had you known the pain that you have to undergo, you would not even toy with the notion of committing any negative karma. After all, karma makes no mistakes, and retribution, which is like a shadow following all of us, will be served unfailingly the moment it ripens.
The things that unfolded in the chemotherapy room were eye-opening to me. Never before had I witnessed so much desperation, misery and suffering in the world. The chemotherapy room is always jam-packed with the young and old cancer patients, including some seemingly healthy-looking people. There are even babies born with cancer! The oncologists admitted that they are simply overwhelmed by a massive amount of new cancer cases every day. It is not uncommon to see patients faint halfway through their chemotherapy sessions. This clearly echoes what the ancient Chinese sages had often said, “Death doesn’t discriminate between the old and young”.
As and when I was on the verge of succumbing to the curveball that life has thrown at me, I would seek solace in Guan Yin Bodhisattva, and the teachings of Master Jun Hong Lu. Words that Master Lu said were like a salve to my soul and one of which is, “Having understood the pain in life, you will know that pain is the gift of success. We should regard hardships as contributing factors to our betterment. Without the test of tribulations, our mind cannot achieve a cultivated state. Consequently, the more adversities we encounter, the more merits and virtues we attain in fulfilling our Buddhist practice”.
In between my rounds of chemotherapy, I once dreamed of myself escaping hell. As I was about to wake up from my dream, suddenly a foreign spirit got out of my body. I screamed and shouted at the foreign spirit, “Who are you and why are you here?” My shriek was so loud that it shook up the entire household.
A CT scan was performed in September 2022 on the heels of my sixth session of chemotherapy to ascertain the state of my health. The result showed that my cancer was in remission and there was no CT evidence of recurrent or metastatic cancer since June 2021. Deepest gratitude to Guan Yin Bodhisattva for Her blessings.
I may not be completely out of the woods yet, but I have gained so many priceless lessons from this awakening life episode, which have proven to be beneficial to my spiritual cultivation. To those fence sitters who are still weighing their options whether to practise Buddhism, bear in mind this catchphrase of Master Lu, “Those who can accept reality understand how to change reality. For a Buddhist practitioner, suffering is only temporary, while for a non-practitioner, suffering will be long-lasting”. Are you willing to repay your karmic debt through bodily pain or Buddhist practices? As aptly put by Master Lu, “A conqueror, in the true sense of the word, is not one who is courageous in conquering a storm, but one who is skilful in steering clear of a storm”.
Come to think of it, had I not crossed paths with Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, my life would have ended in a tragic way. Till these days, I do not know how I survived the saga, but all that I remember was I prayed very hard, and I learned from my mistakes and committed myself not to ever repeat them.
Even in the depth of the valley of darkness, I persevered and persisted with my daily recitation. I clung onto my faith in Guan Yin Bodhisattva and Master Lu, truly believing that the day of restoration will come. I am deeply grateful to Master Lu for saving me through His dharma body.
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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