‧by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Sheng-yen Lu‧
Translated and edited by TBTI
Everyone is aware that I know a lot about the spirit world. Here once again I will describe where malevolent ghosts come from and what causes them to manifest. To the best of my knowledge, here is the story:
Once, a couple committed suicide by burning themselves to death. Because they ended their lives before their alotted time, they became wandering, homeless ghosts. In the human world, they could not find anywhere to reside; they could only hide themselves in their own original home and wallow in self-pity. Their house god felt sorry for them and took them under his wing. The reason why the couple had committed suicide was because one of their good friends had run a very successful business. Everyone knew about their friend’s wealth and he received much attention and fame. One day, the good friend visited the couple. They were very generous and most hospitable to him. The wealthy friend said to them: “We have been friends for many years. My business needs to grow in order to expand and become a multi-enterprise. Would you like to invest in my business? I guarantee that you will make a lot of money.”
The couple in turn asked how much he needed.
The wealthy friend replied, “As much as you can–the more the better.”
So the honest and straightforward couple invested all of their life savings, as well as their relatives’ money, in this “good” friend. They went personally to hand the money to him. About a week later, in a newspaper, they learned that their good friend was bankrupt and had run away. They were told that he had escaped with over a billion dollars. He had deceived many people by blatantly lying about the condition of his business. The couple also learned too late about their own demise; they felt trapped and were extremely anxious as they in turn owed much money. The couple felt mortified and had a difficult time facing their friends and relatives when they came to get their money back. The couple felt very bad and so ashamed and distressed about this that they ended up taking their own lives.
The runaway wealthy friend meanwhile began to enjoy his new life in a new country. One night, he suddenly woke up and saw two people standing by his bed. These were the spirits of the couple that he had so badly wronged….
The next morning, he was found dead in bed with his eyes wide open. His death certificate states that he died of a heart attack.
What I would like to explain here is that the couple died of severe resentment. Had the house god not taken pity on them and helped them, the day or night patrol guards would have taken their spirits to purgatory or hell in the netherworld. It was because of the couple’s feeling of deep and bitter anger that the house god came to me for help. In order to resolve this feeling, the deity asked me to put the spirits in my pocket and fly with them to a different country. Once we arrived in the new country I could let them go. To me this was an easy task, easier than raising my arm. Another thing I had to do, even more important, was to draw two invisible charms so that other non-physical beings could not see the ill-fortuned spirit couple and hence they could in turn move around freely in this country.
This is how it happened and I know this story inside-out. Originally, I wanted to persuade the couple to not hang onto their revengeful killing mentality and that instead they practice spiritual cultivation in order to leave their ghost realm. But, unfortunately, the couple was too angry and the wealthy friend showed no regret; he continued his selfish virtueless behavior by deceiving others, repeatedly making negative body, speech, and mind actions.
Now I have a question for everyone. Whatever you owe must be paid; likewise when others have debts with you, they must settle them. If all debts, material or otherwise, are settled and no one owes anything to anyone else, then what will happen?
(From Book #187 “Manifestations of the Netherworld”)
(本文選自蓮生活佛第187冊著作「地獄變現記」文章「」)
