One day in 1995, in the reception room of a temple in Wutai Mountain, about twenty people were waiting to ask questions from the old monk Miaofa. Everyone took turns to ask questions with accents from all over the world, and the master’s wise and effortless answers were always inspiring and awakening, making those who heard it feel like they were enlightened and filled with Dharma joy.
“Master, I came to the mainland from Taiwan to see a doctor. Three years ago, I got a disease. It started as a headache, and then developed into pain all over my body. I couldn’t tell where it was. It made me unable to eat well and unable to sleep. My limbs were weak and in great pain. However, major hospitals in Taiwan could not find the disease and only said it was an autonomic nervous system disorder. However, injections and medicines were ineffective. Taking too many medicines and taking them randomly caused side effects. It’s getting worse. This time when I went to Beijing, I still couldn’t get any results, and I was already disheartened. Before going back, I wanted to come to Wutai Mountain to pay homage to the Bodhisattva. I happened to hear the old man who was riding with me praise you. If you can cure my disease, I will do it. I will give you any amount.”
The man who spoke was in his early thirties, with a thin build. Although his facial features were regular, his face was gloomy and there was an unspeakable evil aura all over his body. He was particularly eye-catching in the room of charity people.
The master spoke, his voice low but stern: “You are not my disciple, so don’t call me master. I am not a doctor, I don’t know how to treat patients, and I dare not ask for your money. You’d better hire someone else.”
Old monk Miaofa issued an order to expel guests, which surprised everyone present. This old man has never treated a guest like this! This Taiwanese man (forgot his last name) must have felt very embarrassed, as his originally sallow face suddenly turned red. He said angrily: “Don’t you Buddhists talk about compassion? Why do you treat others but not me? You still want to drive me away. I haven’t offended you!”
Suddenly, Master said in a stern tone: “You dare to beat and scold the parents who gave birth to you, are you still afraid of offending me?”
With one word, the man suddenly felt like a deflated rubber ball, sitting blankly on his chair, his eyes frightened, his face turned gray, and he became mute. Everyone in the reception room focused their eyes on his face, and the room was silent.
For a full minute, he asked guiltily: “How do you know about me? No one here knows me.”
“No need for others to tell me, there are four big characters written clearly on your chest, ‘Disobedient and Unfilial’.”
He was stunned and subconsciously looked down at his chest. The rest of the people in the room were also staring at his chest, searching back and forth, but found nothing.
Suddenly, he stood up suddenly, took a few steps forward and knelt at the feet of the old monk Miaofa, kowtowed his head vigorously, and begged the master in a trembling voice to save him. He said that he had been a bad boy since he was a child, stealing from others, fighting and swearing at others, and doing everything. No matter how much his parents discipline him, he won’t listen. After being expelled from school, he wandered in the society and joined the underworld to bully and dominate the market. He collects protection fees, bullies girls, robs outsiders, and does all kinds of evil. When he grew up, he was no longer afraid of his father’s discipline. When his father was so angry that he would beat him, he would knock him to the ground with three punches and two kicks. When his mother begged him to stop doing immoral things, he would scold her and even beat her to the ground. She pushed him down and threatened to set fire to the house if anyone bothered him again. My father was so angry that he was bedridden, and my mother had to take care of him and worry about him every day. Soon the two old men passed away one after another, and no one cared about him anymore…
He knelt there and told the old monk Miaofa his experience in front of the public. When he talked about the death of his parents, he burst into tears. Such a “difficult to tame” stubborn rock was actually melted and subdued by Master’s mighty virtue. I sighed in my heart, it seems that good people and bad people are really written on my body! Master has such a sharp eye!
“Okay, get up.” The old monk Miaofa said to him, “Since you call me master, you must listen to me. Can you do it?”
He happily said repeatedly: “I can, I can, I can do it! I will definitely change my past and be a new person!”
“Okay, I will accept you as my disciple.”
He was so happy that he kowtowed again. Everyone present also stood up and clasped their hands, overjoyed that they could encounter such a touching scene today.
The old monk Miaofa said to a young monk: “Take him to the main hall, teach him how to worship and repent, and let him kowtow a thousand times in the main hall, and then come in when he is finished here.”
An hour and a half later, the meeting ended. When the Taiwanese man came in and bowed to Master, he felt refreshed and completely different. He himself has made a vow before the Buddha, and since then he has converted to Buddhism and corrected his mistakes. He also said that after making the vow, he felt more relaxed than ever before, as if his illness had been cured. What happened before their eyes amazed everyone present.
The Buddha said: “All living beings have Buddha nature and are worthy of becoming Buddhas, but they cannot achieve it because of delusional thinking and persistence.” The Buddha also said: “There is no end to the sea of suffering, but there is a shore” and “Put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha immediately.” Before our eyes, this former delinquent boy was burdened with the divine punishment of disobedience and unfilial piety. He was suffering from evil retribution and was suffering from illness. Fortunately, he met a famous teacher and enlightened him. He changed his mind and changed his mind. This really verified what the Buddhist scriptures say: Buddha is the real great doctor. Cure 84,000 diseases. Practice is the only criterion for testing truth, and I once again experienced the infinite charm of Buddhism. “Buddhism is in the world and never separates from worldly awareness.” As long as we are willing to meticulously practice Buddhism in our lives, we will definitely be able to eliminate the misunderstanding that Buddhism is superstitious.
