《Guru’s Talks》
Book 129 Entering the Most Hidden Yin-Yang Realm: The Lake God
(《走入最隱祕的陰陽界》＜湖神＞)
by H.H.Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-Yen Lu
(continued from issue #1501)
”How about that first time when you showed yourself?”
”I was in the water, which is my natural domain. Your gaze had barged into our world.”
Suddenly David stood up. “Master Lu, I should go now. My fellow citizens of the drowned are looking for me!”
In that instant, I saw troops in plumage and feathered canopies standing on the surface of the lake. David walked towards the surface of the water and disappeared.
●
One day, David said to me, “Master Lu, I am leaving Lake Sammamish. I am finally going to be released from the citizens of the drowned.”
”This is good, it’s a very good news.”
Yet, after second thought, I asked him, “This is because you found a replacement?”
”Yes, a junior high school student by the name of Reynold is coming to play in the water. It will be tomorrow afternoon, and he will have the urge to go swimming. The spot that he will choose has an abundant grove of water grass which will entwine around his feet.”
”Where will you be at that time?”
”I will be right by his side. My hands will be there amid the tangled water weeds, holding tightly onto his feet.”
I became nervous. “What is going to happen to him?”
David broke into laughter, “Need you ask? His mouth will be agape and gasping, and he will try to break loose. His two eyes will look like those of a dead fish, while his whole body will convulse uncontrollably. Then everything will quiet down. He will be in a swooning state of consciousness and, when he comes back into awareness, he will find himself no longer in the human world, and that everything has changed for him.”
”What about his parents?’
”They will feel great grief. His school will hold a memorial service for him and many of his classmates will be crying. They will talk about his life…”
I became silent.
”Master Lu, what is the matter with you?”
I replied, “As Buddhists, there are things we do and do not do. One, we refrain from activities that benefit only ourselves and not others. Two, we engage in deeds that benefit both ourselves and other people. Three, we refrain from activities that benefit neither ourselves nor others. Four, we engage in deeds that benefit others, though not ourselves.”
”What does all this mean?”
”Shakyamuni Buddha taught us that we should act as sunlight to thaw and liberate beings who are trapped by ice and snow. This is teaching us to give up our lives to help others. There are stories of the Buddha giving up his body to feed the tigers and slicing his flesh to feed the eagles. Buddhism teaches one to develop a compassion that is as vast as the sky, like auspicious clouds, roaring thunder, and quenching rain. Buddhism teaches one to engage in works of liberation and rescue.”
David turned to me, “My holding onto his feet so he would not be able to breathe, is that an evil deed? Is it an evil thought?”
”Can pulling someone’s feet and preventing that person from breathing be a good deed or a good thought?”
”Well…” David could not say anything. Then he continued, “In this world today, people are only concerned about their own rights and own preservation. Men, even countries, harbor animosities and intolerance for each other and enact all kinds of wickedness upon each other. News reports in the mass media are full of stories of violence and abuse and everyone does whatever he or she likes, as if possessed. I don’t have that much power of wisdom, and now I am just acting in accordance with what fate has dealt my way. How can this be a wicked thought?”
I explained, “I feel that Buddhism is full of auspiciousness and wonders. Your encountering me indicates an affinity between us. But now, you are falling again into the sink of negative karma. Gaining such a rebirth is very dangerous as your action will bring you karmic retribution.”
”Do you wish me to stay forever among the citizens of the drowned?”
”No.”
”If not, how else can I get out of here?”
”Well… I can try to think of something.”
David walked pensively towards the lake and gradually disappeared from sight.
●
For a period of time, I did not visit Lake Sammamish.
About three months later, I went back to the lakeside. The surface of the lake had not changed. Its large stretch of mist-covered water quietly hugged the mountains, as if rinsing away the dust that had become stuck from one’s body and mind. Several ducks were still quacking away merrily, forever free from honor or shame or emotional afflictions.
A small dingy on the lake further magnified the largeness of the lake. To lie on the dingy bobbing up and down would be like experiencing the deva realm up in the clouds. A few anglers were still around, very quietly sitting and waiting, hope followed by hope.
In the lake, luxuriant red and white lotuses were in bloom, and reeds swayed to the rhythm of the wind. The blue sky above was expansive and clear, yet the tiniest ring of ripple in this water could set the whole sky into motion.
Occasionally, wild geese would fly past and, once in a while, some would descend upon the lakeside. I was not just enjoying the sight of the fast moving clouds; the elegant forms of wild geese gliding down also delighted me. I was not just casually looking at everything. With a mind entering into stillness, one found all waves quiet; with the body in peace, one could hardly feel any breeze.
Here is a verse:
A boat anchored in emerald water shrouded in mist,
Without calculating thoughts for reputation or profit;
I love instead the white lotuses at the lake’s edge,
Freely blooming and dying unfettered.
While I was looking, the sky started to drizzle. There was a rush of wind, and the lake became even hazier. Colorful bright lights appeared in the mist above the lake, revealing four lovely female attendants whose beauty was ethereal and beyond this world.
In the center of this colorful brilliance, the lake god appeared. He had a handsome and distinguished-looking face. His hair and beard were short and stylish, and he wore elegant attire, with long sleeves that fluttered in the wind.
As he came close to me, his eyes looked familiar.
”David?” I asked in surprise.
”It’s me, Master Lu.”
”What happened? You are still here?”
”Yes.”
”And who are you now?”
”I am the lake god now. I am a god just as you are.”
David, the lake god, said to me, “That day, Reynold did come to the lake to swim, and I was right there waiting for him. When his feet got entangled by the water grass, I reached out my hands.”
”Oh! You grabbed his feet.” I found my voice raising.
”No, I untied the water grass that was wrapped around his feet.”
I heaved a sigh of relief.
David the lake god continued, “Letting my replacement go also meant that I did not get to be reborn. All the water ghosts of the citizens of the drowned had known of my impending rebirth and, when I missed the chance, they all felt sorry for me. I didn’t feel so bad myself, I was actually happy for doing something right. Master Lu, you are right, one should not do anything that benefits oneself but hurts others.”
”And ever since then, a light has appeared inside my heart,” said David the lake god.
”A light?”
”A light of virtues. After that incident, I went on to save three more people’s lives. Their car plunged into the lake, and I opened the car door for them.”
”Ah!” Boundless praise and admiration welled up in me.
”After the original lake god moved up to a higher position, his post fell naturally onto my shoulders. I am now the chief administrator of this lake, and I have the power to call upon rain, to ride upon winds and to render help to other beings.”
”Wow, you are indeed a god now!”
”Master Lu, I am indebted to you for your teaching.” David was very happy.
”Do you still drink?”
”Not any more!” David said, “I am now the lake god, a good god. I take pride in being brave, upright, and moral. I would like to take refuge in you and practice the Buddhadharma.”
I taught him the Fourfold Refuge and Five Precepts, and David the lake god formally started his practice of True Buddha Dharma.
(the end)
