From the Dharma Ceremonies and the dedicated fire pujas we have had over the last couple of months, we collected many food items. We decided to donate all of them to a local community center, Centro de Servicios, located on Sixth Street, which would in turn distribute them to people in need in the community. It took two vans to carry all of the groceries to the center. Among those attending the presentation were a
The gift of food was an act in response to the call of the Lotus Light Charity, established by our Root Guru. The Grand Master exhorted us to engage in charity work and services that benefit the community. Such service is also what I have always wanted to develop in our local chapter. Although many of us Buddhists have lofty ideas about living, in practice, our living is oftentimes confined to our small, personal circles. In this regard, our service is far behind that provided by the more socially oriented religions. Now, with the establishment and expansion of the Lotus Light Charity, we have a channel to help us carry out these tasks.
Because of these causes and conditions, we went today to the center to drop off the donation. One of the people from the center was an artist, Armando Cepeda. After reading our flyer, which has an English translation of our Kuan Yin Wall story, he became quite excited and wanted to present me with a poster of a painting of the Virgin Mary that he had done. When I saw the drawing, I told him, this looks like the Kuan Yin on our Kuan Yin Wall. This was especially true of the nose, which was very straight. Of all of the facial features of the Kuan Yin on our wall, the nose was the most prominent: raised above the background and very straight. After I saw his drawing, I said to him, very much alike, even the profile is very much alike. Because of this, we invited them to come and visit our school.
As it turned out, when the artist saw the Kuan Yin Wall, the first image that he was able to spot was not Kuan Yin, nor the Virgin Mary, but the image of Jesus Christ. This was something beyond our imagination. He became very excited and told the rest of the group, the image of Christ is here; it is quite distinct. He was pointing out the halo, the sad face, and the pose which reminded him of Jesus carrying his cross on the way to the crucifixion. This Easter image appearing on our wall is in a pose of Christ which is depicted [in the stations of the cross] in every Catholic church.
The artist became quite excited and agitated and asked me, why aren't you letting others know of these appearances? Catholicism is the vastly predominant religion in
I replied, "We would like others to know. It is just that we have not publicized it."
What I did not tell him was that many of us did not concern ourselves with the appearance. The fact is, we more or less forgot about it. When you witness or hear about such experiences all the time, they just do not make that big of an impact. So I could only say, we just have not publicized it.
He told me how, in other places or countries, such a manifestation would have drawn tens of thousands of people to its site. What he said was true, as I have also said this to you before.
I told him, when I came last week, I did not notice that there was a manifestation of Christ on the wall. Since last week, the halo has definitely moved further down and become more apparent. Perhaps it has something to do with you. Because of your faith and a sincere heart, Christ has let you see him. He replied that this Friday being Good Friday and this Sunday being Easter must have something to do with it.
So, that is why. Since we are not Christians, we have not placed any great emphasis on this day. We only know that it is Easter when we see all those colorful eggs and baskets for sale in the stores and supermarkets. I said to him, please publicize this when you can. As the image of Christ has suddenly appeared to you, lets try to think of ways for your people to come and see him.
He then asked me, as Chinese Buddhists, why have you chosen to build your school in a Hispanic neighborhood? What were the reason?
I said, there must be a definite link, a connection for us to reside here and for Kuan Yin Bodhisattva to manifest here. We know that Kuan Yin Bodhisattva and the Virgin Mary are the same deity, but are called by different names. He concurred. Right then and there, he made a sketch of the images. At first, he was reluctant to give us the sketch. Later, he returned with a better drawing and, after signing his name to it, he gave the drawing to us.
We should publicize this quickly. Today is Wednesday and, if possible, we should let more people come to see this by Friday. I gave the job to Lian-yang [Alfred Wang] and Lian-ying [Seamus Miau] and told them to try the internet, TV stations, and radio stations. This is because the Virgin Mary and Christ often make miraculous appearances around the time of Easter.
So the afternoon went by, we had dinner, did some singing and dancing, and started our group practice. Soon after we started the practice, Christ appeared to me. I could not even enter into Samadhi. After I rang the bell and announced entering into Samadhi, I had to immediately pick up the pen and write down my conversation with Jesus. It is only just now that I have finished writing the dialogue between us.
His appearance was the same as the image on the wall. He had a lean and melancholy face, a halo, and his body was emitting light.
I asked him, why are you here?
I asked him because he had not given me any sign ahead of time that he was there. Unlike Kuan Yin who had let me know of her presence as soon as she had come, I only found out about Christ after he had notified other people.
He said, I am here because you have heard my voice.
I said, is it really you? Jesus Christ?
He said, yes, it is I. You have heard the voice from my heart.
It reminded me of when I was a Christian and attended a Christian school.
He said, "My love does not distinguish, regardless of the ethnic background, color of skin, language spoken, whether beautiful or not, young or old, rich or poor. If someone wants to distort my love, then they cannot receive my message. Only those who are not selfish will be able to believe in my teaching. You heard my voice, the voice that I left in this world."
I asked him, what can be done so that we can lead sentient beings to the true path of Light? To Your Heavenly Kingdom?
Why did I say heavenly Kingdom? I am a Buddhist; why did I want to tell sentient beings to walk the path of Light towards his
The
We know that, according to Buddhism, the Heavenly Kingdom of Jesus is still at a level below that of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. There is still a great distance between the two. However, I know that from the Higher Beings perspective, there is no such difference. That is why I asked him, how can we lead these sentient beings to walk towards your
I myself do not distinguish between these heavens, and I know the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not make such distinctions. Such distinctions have manifested because of the existence of different sentient beings.
If you remember, I have talked about my first vision of Christ, which happened while I was living in my old apartment. If possible, these talks on my encounters with Christ in this life should be videotaped and edited for permanent record. I did not have any vision of Jesus during the first two decades of my life. It was only after I took refuge in the
I tried to explain to him, but he could not accept it. So I said to him, ten years from now, you will understand.
After he left, I was sitting in front of my shrine, facing Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, and I said, what should I do? In this place that is without Buddhism, where people are believers in Christianity, what can I do to spread Buddha teaching? Then Kuan Yin manifested to me, and next to her was a High Being who was wearing a transparent celestial garment and whose whole body was radiating a bright light just like Kuan Yin. I took a look and almost jumped. It was Jesus. How could it be he? Why was Jesus sitting side by side with Kuan Yin, appearing the same as she?
When I saw Jesus, I asked him, why are you so selfish? Why are only those who believe in you able to go to your
Jesus did not get upset with my questioning. He said, smilingly, this is the way to prevent confusion. Lead simple men in a simplistic way.
When he finished, I understood. That was my first encounter with Jesus. There was another time while I was doing a fire puja and Jesus manifested to me and gave me some Dharma teaching. This is because I often think about the way he died --- being crucified and slowly bleeding to death. It moves me greatly. A spiritual teacher who, in order to save sentient beings, was betrayed by his disciple and, therefore, had to die this way.
I often ask myself if I could do what he has done? Could I sacrifice myself the same way? Could I allow myself to be crucified and to shed my blood without harboring any grievances? Could I say forgive them? I often ask myself, why was Jesus able to do it? Why can? I do it??In my Dharma talks, I have often praised Jesus. I am forever thinking of him although my spiritual faith and practice have matured from the Christian belief of relying on someone else to the Buddhist belief of self-salvation.? Thus, when Jesus appeared earlier, I asked him how one can bring sentient beings to walk towards the path of Light and the
To my question, Jesus replied, my blood was shed for the ignorance of human beings. I want to awaken them through resurrection for it will let them understand. He continued, the
While jotting down these words as Jesus spoke them, I was thinking to myself about the term he had used for the word jealous.? He used the Chinese term chicu [tasting vinegar]. As I was writing this down, I could see these words being translated into English and being publicized to let many people know of Jesus? words. Chicu is to be jealous.
He said, do not chicu and be jealous of others. A selfish and possessive person will have endless worries. Love needs to be broad. To forgive others is to cherish oneself. My love is such that, as every person comes to understand, there will be stability in societies and peace in the world.
When he finished speaking, I thought about this special reverence I had for him. It can be traced to the fact that he alone, among all the many Holy Beings, died such a horrible death through crucifixion. We have seen movies depicting Jesus death, how he carried the cross and was nailed to it. They were very moving. Just imagine, to have one foot placed upon the other in such a way that the long nail could be hammered through them into the board. The sun was scorching, blood was dripping, and no one dared to come close to him. This was how he died. We can imagine the kind of pain and torture he went through.
I often think to myself how much it hurts when even a slight object hits us. Compare this to the pain of having a long nail hammered through you. Yet at the same time, he kept his heart free from any hatred or regret. It is not simple at all. Only a saint and someone who has already cultivated to a very high and liberated level could do so.
That is why, whenever I am in pain or being hurt by others, I think of Jesus. Kuan Yin Bodhisattva and Amitabha have presented to us the loftiest and most beautiful realm, yet they have not shown us nor can I imagine how they might have suffered such experiences in their past. In Jesus, I find a direct, recent and ready-made example of the kind of suffering a founder or pioneer of a religion has to go through. Since I had to go through such a process, the example of Jesus has given me the greatest inspiration and encouragement. Therefore, I said to him, Jesus Christ, please accept my homage. And I indeed prostrated to him. ?our greatness cannot be described by words. The blood you have shed for sentient beings did not go in vain. Your spirit touches many people and they are learning to spread the true great love.
I admit that, although I have adopted another religion, I have retained the indoctrination instilled into me during my many years of Christian up bringing. The sacrifice and love I am now bringing into full play in my Buddhist practice is inherited and continued from a foundation of primary, secondary, and college Christian education. I said to him, do not abandon us. Please be with us. Please support us in promoting the ideas of our education to benefit others.
Actually after I said do not abandon us, please be with us, I said amen.Then it occurred to me, oh no, amen means to be it and is said at the end. And I haven't finished saying what I wanted to say. So I said, please support us, give us a helping hand, in promoting the ideas of our education to benefit others. Then I said amen.
While prostrating to him, I also said, I am willing to inherit your spirit and your call for the great love. This was because Jesus was at the same level as Kuan Yin Bodhisattva.
Jesus then said to me, please rise up. A great bright light emanated from him and his transparent celestial garment and filled up the whole space. His face was no longer sad. Holding my arms to rise, he said, please rise up, my beloved child. It was very moving. Jesus was speaking in a very familiar tone, you will return to the
I responded, I don't dare tell them that I am their savior. This is much too arrogant. People will not believe it.
He said, do as I have said. You have love in your heart, God will protect you.
I asked, why are you blessing me with such great grace?
He again answered, because you heard my voice and are able to put it into practice.
These were the words spoken by Jesus when he appeared today. I have found it inconceivable. He has spoken each of these words [that I have jotted down.] All the dialogues that I have had with Holy Beings, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, whether they are right or wrong, I have recorded as they happened. As I recount them, you can also hear the voice from my own heart. I do not hide them, as I also have my own personal thoughts and imagination.
So, his words, tell people that you are their savior have not made me feel extraordinary or made me feel like I have become Jesus the second or even the rebirth of the Virgin Mary. Not at all! We remain just as reverential. In my mind, savior has a different meaning: someone who helps others to become their own masters, who awakens and gives wisdom to others. Without wisdom, people remain forever in slavery. To have true love is to teach sentient beings to become their own masters. Nowadays, people regard others as masters and have no sovereignty over themselves. When you are not your own master, you will forever be in suffering.
That is why I do not think Jesus was asking me to be a savior after him, calling out to people with arms extended saying, come! Come over here to my
Our
Jesus said to me, our group work in spreading the word is too weak. This is such a sacred matter, yet your group only focuses on doing practice on their own. Your people have not shared it with others, so they too can enter into the
How many of you truly go and tell others how to enter into the
Ever since the manifestation of Kuan Yin on the wall, few have wanted to tell others about it. They do not care much about it. Now Jesus Christ has again manifested to give us another chance. Our school is built to train others to develop the great love, yet the love we have demonstrated so far is closed and narrow. I replied, this is the weakest link in our school. The weakest link in our school is spreading the word.
The Grand Master has transmitted such a great practice and countless Dharma treasures to us. He has written more than one hundred thirty books, but our dissemination is so weak. A savior has been born into the world, but not too many people know of him.
I know that in
I have been spreading this teaching without any break and, wherever I go, I keep talking about it. I hope to share the good things I have learned with other people, so others can be helped. Yet not everyone necessarily seems to share this concept. That is why Jesus said, because you heard my voice. Beginning with his practice, through the dissemination of the teaching and attaining the Truth, to finally being persecuted and crucified, Jesus has demonstrated his infinite great love. That is why this love has been extended and passed down and still has so many believers.
Yet the Buddhist teaching, whether Small Vehicle, Large Vehicle, or Diamond Vehicle, cannot compete with the spreading of the most simplistic kind of religious doctrine. This is a fact I often ponder myself. Why is a loftier and better teaching not so easily accepted, while an ordinary and common teaching is readily accepted? Could it be that when one is in possession of the best and rarest item, one wants to keep it to oneself and does not want to share it with others? If something is ordinary and common and easily attained, and everyone has access to it, then one welcomes everyone else to partake of it. This is something you need to think about.
If you want to be accomplished, then you have to start changing your behavior. Otherwise, become a Christian. There is much we can learn from Christians --- we have not been doing enough preaching and charity work. Ask yourself, can you go and knock at others doors as they have done, saying believe in Jesus Christ. Do you have any problems? We can help you. You can do it!
If you are unable to do it, then it would be hard for you to speak about it. I often ask myself, if I am not able to enact what I preach, then I cannot go and preach this Buddhist teaching to others.
Now the Lotus Light Charity has afforded us an opportunity to engage with our community and to learn about loving kindness. We have to make good use of it, to return to the sentient beings what we have taken from the sentient beings. Since Jesus has appeared on our Kuan Yin Wall today, let us pray to him for help, support, and approval of the mission of our school.
Earlier, after the dedication, Jesus added this, I have come here to help you with the school.?This indicates that he also approves of the mission of our school: to transcend and have control over one's birth and death, and to attain enlightenment and see one's own nature. He is here to help Kuan Yin Bodhisattva to disseminate the spirit of loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Thank you very much.
May all of you be blessed.
