WHEN YOU LOVE SENTIENT BEINGS AS GUAN YIN BODHISATTVA WOULD, IT WILL NEVER GO UNNOTICED
Master Jun Hong Lu: During the era of Northern Zhou dynasty, there was a monk named Shi Chan who lived in the capital city. He was a monk with high moral standing and supernatural powers. One afternoon, out of the blue, he walked up to the bell tower and rang the bell, instructing everyone to prepare to offer incense. When asked about the reason, he divulged, “Somewhere in Jiangnan, the hall of a temple is about to collapse and thousands will perish. I hope all of you will piously recite the Buddhist scriptures as means to quell the karmic grievance such that the impending karmic calamity can be averted”.
Sure enough, a month later, news broke out from Jiangnan that over a thousand people were gathering at the Zhongzhen Temple in Yangzhou to listen to the dharma teaching. Suddenly, an impeccable scent and the sound of Buddhist chant wafted through the north gate, diffusing in the hall before emanating through the southern gate. Spellbound, they followed the path of the sound which led them out of the temple hall. Right as everyone got out, the hall caved in and everyone managed to escape unscathed.
How can recitation performed at one place have the effect of preventing calamities befalling people in another? It is because of the compassion of the Buddhist practitioners. All phenomena come from the heart. As such, when the hearts of Buddhist practitioners come together, they have the ability to bestow peace upon their families and the world – such is the power of blessings. When hearts meld into one, sympathetic resonance of blessing is obtained.
When a child leaves for a business trip, the mother will naturally know the child’s whereabouts, succinctly encapsulated in the Chinese idiom ‘When the child is away, the mother will pray’. This goes to show that human beings possess intuitive feelings.
When you help others wholeheartedly and you use your heart to love others, they will be able to feel it. Buddhist practitioners should emulate the boundless love exemplified by Guan Yin Bodhisattva towards all sentient beings. When the warmth of your love is felt, it will inspire them to be more dedicated in their Buddhist practice and you will be loved in return.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, New Zealand, 27 April 2014
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