《Guru’s Talks》
Book 129 Entering the Most Hidden Yin-Yang Realm: The Search for a Daughter
(《走入最隱祕的陰陽界》＜尋女記＞)
by H.H.Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-Yen Lu
Wu Gong, from the city of Shantou in Guangdong Province, China, aged seventy years old, wrote me a very sincere letter. Wu Gong had a dearly beloved daughter whom he had doted on since she was very young. Her name was Tingjun, and she grew to be a fair lady with a graceful bearing and charming disposition. Tingjun immigrated to Canada when she was thirty years old.
Wu Gong missed her very much. Ten years later, at the age of forty, Tingjun planned a return to Shantou from Canada. She was to fly first from Canada to Hong Kong, then travel by ferry from Hong Kong to Shantou.
Wu Gong looked forward at length to seeing his daughter.
But his hopes were dashed.
His daughter boarded the ferry in Hong Kong, and the ferry arrived at Shantou. But Tingjun did not get off the ferry, and she was nowhere to be found on the ferry.
She had disappeared: vanished into thin air without a trace, and nobody could find her.
Wu Gong had heard of the famed Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-Yen Lu and took refuge through mail. He enclosed a picture of Tingjun with a detailed account of his daughter’s mysterious disappearance.
I replied to his letter, “Do not worry. I will figure out what happened and let you know.”
Indeed, the picture of Tingjun was that of a beautiful young woman with exceptional good looks. Although the photograph was taken when she was in her thirties, she looked like she was in her twenties.
●
This disappearance was an unsolved mystery with no clues. It was certainly a peculiar case. She had indeed boarded the ferry as her luggage, passport and wallet were all found onboard. Her person, however, had vanished. The ferry had crossed the ocean, and the ocean is vast. Where does one begin such a search?
It was precisely because the case was bizarre that I decided to get involved.
I was confident I would find the reason for Tingjun’s disappearance, because I, Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-Yen Lu, can communicate with the world of spirits.
I thought to myself, a normal human being could not possibly fly up into the sky, so she must have fallen into the ocean. If she were in the ocean, then finding her would be an easy task!
I drew a Taoist talisman and recited mantras. I splashed water over my body.
With the photo of Tingjun before me, I quietly began meditating.
I sensed I had descended into the ocean, yet remarkably my clothes were not wet. I remained unafraid although billowing, turbulent waves churned around me. I had employed the “teleportation through water” method, one of five famous Taoist teleportation practices involving the five elements.
As soon as I shifted my thoughts, I quickly arrived at the territorial waters between Shantou and Hong Kong.
These waters comprised dense layers of rolling currents, billowing waves and churning whirlpools, surging on for thousands of miles. I strode forward taking large steps, and my body moved as though in flight. In a brief moment, I had travelled back and forth several times through the ocean waters, yet there was nothing to be found. I had assumed that if her person was not on the ferry, then she must certainly be in the ocean, where I would be able to locate her.
In reality, if she had fallen into the ocean, she would have decomposed and become fish food with the passing of months and years, leaving no remnant behind. How would it be possible to find her there? It was wishful thinking, and I was being naive.
Very quickly I thought of my own shrine. And, very quickly, I returned home. The picture of Tingjun still lay at the front of my shrine.
After emerging from meditation, I relayed the story to Master Lianxiang. Master Lianxiang also believed that Tingjun was in the ocean. She was also of the opinion that if Tingjun had not committed suicide, then she must have been murdered. There are typically three reasons for murder: 1) Reputation or fame. 2) Money. 3) Emotions. If there was no fame or reputation to argue over, and also not much wealth to take possession of, the only investigative route to follow was that of murder for emotional reasons. Could someone on the ferry have lusted over Tingjun, and while engaging in an immoral act, killed her by mistake and tossed her body into the ocean during the journey without arousing any suspicion? This was a possibility.
Tingjun was not a sociality or celebrity, and she had no scores to settle with anyone. Tingjun was also not a wealthy merchant or rich business woman. She did not have much money, and when she disappeared, all her money and belonging were left behind. So robbery did not appear to be involved.
Logically, suicide could also be ruled out. She had flown from Canada to Hong Kong, and was travelling from Hong Kong to Shantou, with the single-minded intent of seeing her father again. It had been ten years, and she was anxious and eager to return home. She had almost arrived at home, so what reason was there for her to commit suicide? Furthermore, from her correspondence with her father, neither was there any visible trace of weariness or revulsion with the world.
These were the inferences made by Master Lianxiang and me.
●
I circled the ocean floors and was unable to find her, but I did not give up.
I drew a Tiangang [the Big Dipper] talisman and recited the Tiangang Mantra: Om-hum-hum, jun-zha-li, so-ha. I made the following invocation, “Through this supplication invoking the divine court of Tiangang, may the true spirit of the Ocean God swiftly descend into this altar. Swiftly manifest, swiftly manifest. Seh.”
After reciting the mantra and the invocation, I inhaled a mouthful of air while facing west and exhaled it in front of the shrine.
This was by no means a small feat of magic. My teacher the Venerable Monk Liaoming had previously instructed me, “The great Tao is deep and profound. How does one explore and understand its mysteries completely? Gods and ghosts would be aghast and panic-stricken if its secrets were revealed. To describe what is interspersed and hidden within the universe is akin to casting judgment on an incredible and profound light. Nothing in the world can surpass true Dharma.”
After carrying out the above magical steps, the Ocean God arrived. He wore a holy crown of four colors representing the four oceans. In his hand was a scepter of lustrous jade glowing with a bluish-green sheen. From his robe seven exquisite jade stars hung and a belt of eight precious treasures wrapped around his waist.
This Ocean God was regal and magnificent.
“Dharma master, why have you summoned me?”
“I am looking for a missing lady,” I replied.
“What is her name?”
“Her name is Tingjun, and her last name is Wu.”
“These is no such lady in the ocean. She is not in the registry of the drowned,” the Ocean God replied.
“What?” I could hardly believe my ears. “How did you know so quickly, without even checking?”
“It is my divine nature to have all the registries of the drowned in my mind.”
I asked again, “Well, if she is not in the ocean, then where is she?”
“I do not know.”
“Now, I am asking you for help, so you cannot say you don’t know.” I was getting anxious.
“If it were something within my capacity, I could definitely do everything in my power to render assistance because you have the order of the divine court of Tiangang, which I dare not disobey.”
“Is Wu Tingjun within the ocean?” I asked again.
“She is not,” the Ocean God replied again.
“Then where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
I knew it was pointless to press further. I was becoming exasperated. Using the sending-off method, I dispatched the Ocean God home.
(to be continued)
