《Guru’s Talks》
Book 129 Entering the Most Hidden Yin-Yang Realm: The Chronicle of the Stone
(《走入最隱祕的陰陽界》＜石頭記 ＞)
by H.H.Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-Yen Lu
When I was young, I loved to swim, and today I still feel the same way.
Often after a feng shui survey, I would swim in the small streams amidst beautiful mountain ranges. When I was done with my survey, anytime I passed a clear river, I was unable to resist stopping the car, taking out my swimming trunks from the backseat and getting into the water for a swim.
I have a knack for floating, and an aptitude for swimming.
Delight fills my heart at the sight of water.
During those years, various disciples from Taichung or Changhua accompanied me to swim in the streams and river.
We frequently swam in the Toubienkeng Stream, Dajia Creek, Zhuzikeng Creek, and so on. At the time, the mountain streams were very clear.
One night, I had a dream.
An old man came forward and spoke to me, “Please return my stone.”
“What stone?” I was startled. “Have I taken your stone?”
“Not yet, but you will take it tomorrow,” said the old man.
I laughed, “Tomorrow, but tomorrow has not yet arrived! What a joke!”
The elder said, “I live in Bixu Palace [Palace of Jade Green Void]. Please return my stone.”
“Huh? Be quiet.” I turned my body to the other side, and fell fast asleep again.
The next day when I woke up, this dream was very clear and vivid in my memory, but I paid little attention to it, because I really had no stone with me, and personally I had no liking for heavy and cumbersome stones.
To what stone and what Bixu Palace was he referring? I interpreted it as a strange dream and nothing more.
That afternoon as we drove home after a feng shui survey, the summer sun blazed from above. We came across a clear, cool stream and stopped the car along the side of the road, and walked along a narrow trail to the stream’s bank. We took off our clothes and jumped into the water.
At shallow parts of the water, we could see small fish and shrimp. The shrimp were limpid and swam freely.
I swan back and forth with the free stroke, breast stroke, butterfly stroke, back stroke…
I dove.
I kept my eyes open whenever I dove; this was a matter of habit. I was not used to wearing diving goggles, because I found the feeling of something on my face uncomfortable. (It was only later when I dove in the ocean, that I became accustomed to wearing a diving mask, diving cylinder, lead belt, swim fins, and other equipment.)
As I dove down with eyes wide open, I saw at the bottom of the stream many cobblestones, and ran my hands through the stones with a couple of strokes. A purple stone that was especially conspicuous caught my eye. This stone was not only purple, but also carried tinges of red, traces of green, shades of yellow, and was exquisitely shaped on all sides. Reaching out to take hold of it, I grasped it easily on my first attempt, and it fit perfectly in my hand as I brought it up to the shore.
As I mentioned, I personally have no particular liking for stones, however this stone seemed to glow with iridescence under the sunlight, and even seemed to be emanating mist from its pores. Indeed it was a fine stone.
I showed it to my disciples.
“Very beautiful.”
“A rare stone.”
“It shimmers, more like a precious gem.”
“Like mother-of-pearl.”
“What kind of stone is it exactly?” I asked.
“Difficult to say.”
Seeing that I had picked up a wonderful stone with lustrous and iridescent colors, everyone was astonished, and everybody dove into the water, hoping to find the same kind of stone. Diving in and out, in and out again, they searched to no avail.
●
After arriving home, I placed the stone on a rosewood stand, and offered it on my shrine. From a distance, the shrine radiated brilliantly.
I felt a pull towards this stone; I sensed I had obtained something wonderful and precious.
That night, the elderly man came to me again-
“Please return my stone.”
“What stone?”
“The stone you picked up today.”
I said to the elder, “The stone I picked up today, belongs to whomever picked it up. Unless stones have owners?”
The elder laughed, “This stone is in fact the wonderful treasure that protects Bixu Palace. Today I lost it, and you picked it up. Now that you have seen it, please return it promptly to me!”
“How can you prove that it belongs to you?” I added, “Since I picked it up, it belongs to me.”
The elderly man said, “There is a face on the bottom of the stone, which is exactly my face. There are also tiny words inscribed on it that read ‘For Bixu Palace.’”
The elder said again, “Please return my stone.”
●
The next day, I turned the stone over and looked at the bottom. I had not paid much attention initially, but after the elderly man had pointed it out, I was immediately able to see that there was indeed the face of the old man, with eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and eyebrows clearly apparent.
At the base of the stone were some tiny black spots, and when viewed through a magnifying glass, they were indeed the words “For Bixu Palace.”
I was shocked.
Now I understood – my first dream was not some strange and random dream, and the second dream was also not some bizarre dream. Both were prophetic and significant.
( to be continued )
