Shurangama Divine Mantra
The two-story building of Zhen Ming’s family was completed. Amidst the festive sound of firecrackers, Zhen Ming and his wife moved into their new home with their 80-year-old parents. That afternoon, they entertained the folks who came to celebrate their new home with fruits, pastries, drinks and various snacks. Their two-story building was the first in the village, so it was particularly eye-catching. Three years ago, their family was also the poorest family in the village. They were so poor that they didn’t even have a kitchen to cook in. They only used two shabby mats and four branches to “set up” a kitchen shed in the yard. Pour it into the iron pot supported by three bricks. There are parents and four children in the family, so the burden of taking the lead falls on Zhen Ming’s daughter-in-law. And where did Zhen Ming go? He went to hide from debts.
We have to start with the reform and opening up. Zhen Ming is not an idle person in the village. Like others, he handed over the land to the boss, started his own “skin company” and became manager Zhen. At first, the three punches and two kicks were quite good-looking. After making some money, Manager Zhen wanted to start a big business, so he applied for a loan of 200,000 yuan from the bank. Based on the success of Manager Zhen’s company, the bank loaned him 200,000 yuan. Yuan.
With a backing of 200,000 yuan, after finding a partner, Manager Zhen was soon sent a “bucket exchange” by a “friend” – not even the person or the money could be found. This stumped Manager Zhen. , the bank asked him for a loan, and the court summons came down, what should I do? Manager Zhen had no choice but to run away and seek refuge with his old friend Shan Liang in County H. At this time, Shan Liang was planning to come to T City to find me. Because he knew from my brother in my hometown that I worshiped an eminent monk as my teacher. Shan Liang, who studied Taoist Kung Fu, naturally refused to let go of this good match, so he and the down-and-out Manager Zhen met the old monk Miaofa under my leadership.
Fate is incredible. Because of “fate”, Zhen Ming was invited by a friend to “get married”. It was also because of fate that he became a disciple of the old monk Miaofa.
When Zhen Ming returned to Shan Liang’s house, he did not dare to live there because the court had sent people to inquire about Zhen Ming’s whereabouts, so he rented a pond for 10 yuan a month on an abandoned piece of land. Shan Liang delivers meals to the abandoned hut once a day. Since no villagers come here, it is particularly quiet. Master Zhen lived here for eight months. In the past eight months, in addition to sleeping, he meditated and recited the Shurangama Mantra. He was just like a monk who was in retreat. He ate a vegetarian diet, recited the Buddha’s name, and recited the Surangama Mantra. Not only did he have no electric light at night, he was reluctant to light a kerosene lamp.
When he was learning to sit in the lotus position, he was in his forties and couldn’t cross his legs well because of his thick legs and big belly, which often bothered him. One night, when he was learning to meditate, he suddenly saw a fat monk sitting opposite him and teaching him how to meditate. He told him: “You are too fat, you can sit like me.” So he lifted his right leg like the fat monk. Cross your body, but curl up your left leg upright, put your palms down naturally on both sides of your legs, and close your eyes slightly. “Huh? The night turned into a blue void, and I looked around in a vast and silent place… Where am I? Why can’t I see my body? But I have thoughts. Am I dead?” I felt nervous, He opened his eyes, and it was already dark. He was sitting here, but the fat monk was gone.
“I’m not dreaming, am I?” Zhen Ming lowered his head and saw that he was still sitting in the way the fat monk taught him. “I wasn’t dreaming. How come it was dawn? I sat down not long after dark. The fat monk came to teach me how to meditate. It only took a while before dawn came. Could it be that I had been sitting all night? But I was in good spirits. Ah!” This morning he was full of delusions and doubts. When Shan Liang came to bring him food, he couldn’t wait to tell about his encounter last night. Shan Liang said that he had never seen such a person in this area. Fat monk.
At noon the next day, Shan Liang came to deliver food and brought a full Buddha statue to Zhen Ming. Zhen Ming recognized the Buddha sitting in the front at a glance: “Yes, he looks just like this fat monk. Yesterday The late monk also taught me to sit like this.” Shan Liang told him that this is Maitreya Bodhisattva, and he is the next Bodhisattva to become a Buddha, so he is also called Maitreya Buddha. Your good fortune is not small. If you can alert Maitreya Buddha to teach you, you will definitely achieve success in the future. Zhen Ming suddenly remembered that Maitreya Buddha called him “Hengyun” last night and said that this was his Dharma name. “What is the Dharma name?” Shan Liang told him: “Dharma names are only given to disciples who have taken refuge in the Buddha. Maybe you were a monk in your last life, so just meditate, and sooner or later you will understand.”
In the following months, Zhen Ming experienced various states of mind every time he meditated, which I will not go into detail here.
When he was eight months old, Shan Liang sent a message. There was a transportation company owner who needed a salesperson who could be stationed in Shanxi for a long time to organize the transportation of coke. The monthly salary was 1,000 yuan. So Master Zhen Ming “took office”. For him, the 1,000 yuan was like a timely help. At least he could use a few hundred yuan to support his family. Zhen Ming is a filial son, but he has not been able to honor his parents even a penny in the past eight months. If the old monk Miaofa hadn’t told him to let go of all the worries and recite the Shurangama Mantra, he would have felt so sad.
In short, three years passed in the blink of an eye. During these three years, Zhen Ming’s job was to organize the loading of several trucks of goods every three or four days, pay the freight to the car owners, and just keep an eye on the quality of the coke. The rest of the time, except for three meals, is spent “Maitreya sitting” and reciting the Shurangama Mantra, often forty or fifty times a day. I also have to meditate in the evening, sitting for several hours.
One day the boss informed Zhen Ming that the factory that wanted the goods had a conflict with him and would not ask him to supply the goods. Let Zhen Ming go to the factory to settle the accounts, and then the relationship between them will be over. Unexpectedly, the factory told Zhen Ming that it was willing to do business with him and asked him to continue supplying goods to the factory. Zhen Ming said that he had no funds, and the factory said that as long as you ensure the quality of the coke, he would settle the bill for you once a month. Zhen Ming felt confident and contacted the coke factory again because the factory director trusted him and agreed to settle the accounts once a month. The freight payment was also paid once a month. In this way, it can be said that Zhen Ming started business without any capital. This was not common in the transportation industry at that time. Zhen Ming attributed all this to the blessing of Buddha and the Shurangama Mantra. utility.
The Surangama Sutra says, “The Tathagatas of the ten directions, relying on this mantra, can relieve the suffering of all groups in the ten directions. The so-called hell, evil ghosts, animals, blindness and deafness*’suffering, the suffering of resentment and hatred, the suffering of separation from love, Seeking no suffering, the five yin beings blazing, and all kinds of evils, big and small, to be liberated at the same time. Trouble with thieves, soldiers, kings, prisons, wind, water, fire, hunger, thirst, and poverty should be thought of to be dispersed. Tathagatas of the ten directions, follow this mantra, He who is able to serve as a good teacher in the ten directions, and who makes offerings in the four majestic manners as desired, will be recognized as the Prince of Dharma by the Hengsha Tathagata Assembly.”
Two years later, when Zhen Ming walked into the bank door with a check of 200,000 yuan to express his intention, the banker was so moved that he served him tea and water, and said excitedly: “This loan you borrowed has long been determined to be dead.” If you can take the initiative to return the account, thank you!” Zhen Ming said: “Now I only pay back the principal, and I will also pay back the interest in the future. I can’t cause the country to suffer, so please give me a longer period of time.” The person in charge of the bank He said hurriedly: “Okay, okay, okay!”
Besides, since Zhen Ming converted to the old monk Miaofa, his wife, children, and even his father and mother have also followed the Buddhist practice and become vegetarian. The son often reads various scriptures to his mother, and the originally bad relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been eased a lot. Zhen Ming’s wife said to me: “After I understood the Dharma, when my mother-in-law made me angry again, I stopped arguing with her. I rode my bicycle to the fields and looked at the wheat waves blowing in the wind. No more. Every time Zhen Ming calls from Shanxi, he tells me to recite the Buddha’s name carefully. He also says that he can’t do anything by reciting the Buddha’s name. What do you mean by reciting the Buddha’s name and saying nothing? I told him, ‘I recite the Buddha’s name and recite the Buddha’s name.’ The holes in the wall make your eyes burst into flames. (A state of chanting the Buddha’s name)”
Zhen Ming’s wife also said: “Since I learned how to recite the Buddha’s name, I have been reciting ‘Namo Amitabha’ in my mind while riding my bike to the fields. On the road, there was still “Namo Amitabha”, which I heard in my heart (déi, meaning proud in the Changyuan dialect of Henan Province). When no one was around, I sang it loudly, and I felt so happy! When I went home to eat, I no longer behaved improperly. I took my bowl and went to the street to eat with my neighbors. Because I had to recite Buddha’s name after eating, I always felt that I had no time to chat. Many people saw that my family’s life was getting better and asked me how my family became rich from poverty. I thought I didn’t even think to say: ‘Just rely on reciting the Buddha’s name!’”
Zhen Ming’s wife said that more and more people are following her in reciting Buddha’s name and becoming vegetarians because six months ago a man in the village got hysteria (possession) and talked nonsense. She and her son went to visit, and when they entered the yard, they heard him talking. There was a lot of shouting in the room, but as soon as the two of them entered the door, the patient immediately became obedient and looked at them expectantly. Someone asked him why he stopped making trouble. He said that two Bodhisattvas with golden lights came in and he didn’t dare to make trouble anymore. Zhen Ming’s son said, “Then you can leave.” The patient said, “I dare not leave if you don’t speak.” So Zhen Ming’s son said, “Then you should also recite ‘Namo Amitabha’.” The patient only learned to recite ‘Namo Amitabha’. After saying this, he immediately said: “Then I’m going to be reincarnated!” After saying this, the patient suddenly fell asleep, and his family helped him to the bed. I slept until the next day and nothing happened.
This incident spread throughout the village, and people said that ghosts were afraid of people who practiced vegetarianism and chanted Buddha’s name, so more and more people came to Zhenming’s daughter-in-law to learn how to chant Buddha’s name and become vegetarians. During the off-farm season, the sound of many people reciting the Shurangama Mantra was often heard from Zhen Ming’s house.
