(Book 129 Entering the Most Hidden Yin-Yang Realm《走入最隱秘的陰陽界》)
‧Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
I have once pondered a question:
The butterfly is“transformed”from a caterpillar.
And a moth flies into the flame.
There is this brain-twister riddle: A caterpillar walked to the riverside; it wanted to cross over the river. In the end the caterpillar really crossed the river. Please answer, how did the caterpillar cross the river?
Surprisingly, the answer was: After the caterpillar underwent metamorphosis and turned into a butterfly, it was able to cross the river.
I thought about the term“metamorphosis.”
Once I was a very ordinary person, a very common and ordinary mortal; but through a period of transformation:
My mind and spirit had become enlightened, and I was liberated.
The energy channels of my physical being had become open and qi flowed smoothly.
My dharma nature had developed such that I am able to travel beyond my physical body and undergo myriad transmutations.
Amazingly, I had metamorphosed into a person who understands the truth of the universe. This kind of transformation is based on nat- ural capacities built from the foundation of past lives, and nurtured in this present life through consistent perseverance and diligent refine- ment. My skills and competence from cultivation were not obtained overnight, but through the perseverance of accumulative exertion of effort and tempering from trials and tribulations over many decades.
I sigh with regard to the delusions of people in the world,
With the sincerity of my heart and body from one single and constant purpose,
Cultivation is like drilling wood to obtain fire,
Only through cause and effect can there be attainment.
***
In the past, a general came to visit me. The general had many attendants, and everyone was curious about me, while the general’s ex-pression was unyielding.
I sat on a high chair.
When the general saw that there was only a common chair in front of me, he scolded the attendants. “Why does the diviner conducting the consultation sit on the high chair, and I sit on the low chair?” The general looked indignant. We were in an embarrassing situation.
Seeing that the situation was amiss, I said, “General, please sit on my chair, and I can sit below.”
The general appeared mollified, and he did not raise any objections. Once the general and I had exchanged seats, there was mutual concord and amity.
The general asked, “I heard that you are in the Combined Logistics Command, of what rank are you?”
I replied extremely politely and respectfully, “I’m a major in Survey Engineering.”
The general said, “You are just a mere major!”
“Yes,”I replied.
The general asked, “I heard that you announced that you can read people’s minds and their lives?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Let’s hear what you have to say.”
I quietly calmed my heart and spirit. It was like entering into a world of many layers to have a conversation with my heart. This was like:
Reciting hundreds and thousands of lines of bodhi [wisdom],
Casually reading sutra written on a few pieces of pattra-palm leaves;
It is already known that the palace has been sealed off by trees,
And the monarch has transformed into azaleas.
The great and trivial events of the world are like the flickering flames of a beacon fire, evolving from one scene to the next. Life is like dramatic theater, like opera; the curtain rises and falls. Watching it unfold, silent tears flow.
During my divination, the life of this general transformed from one thought to hundreds, revealing high moments, as well as times of stagnation and fall. Multiple pauses and multiple starts, before finally bringing the melody to an end.
I felt sad, and kept silent.
“Why do you keep silent?” the general asked impatiently.
“I dare not say,” I replied.
“Why do you not dare to say?”
“If I say it, you may not believe it.”
“Believe it or not is up to me, but you must tell me, otherwise, I have come for nothing.”
I looked at the general’s attendants, and signaled that they should excuse us for a moment.
However, the general said instead, “It is not necessary for them to leave us, I’m a just and honorable man.”
I described the life of the general in detail from the beginning towards the end. The general nodded repeatedly. Nearing the end I kept quiet again, wanting to speak but did not.
“Continue!” the general ordered.
I said, “Later in life your integrity will be compromised, and you will commit suicide.”
Upon hearing this, the general’s attendants were greatly shocked, and the general’s face turned pale, he was greatly alarmed. He stood up abruptly and laughingly said, “Such are the words of itinerant entertainers, charlatans and conjurers, they are not to be trusted.”
The general motioned to his attendants,“Let’s go!”
In an instant, everyone had left.
(to be continued)
