Lay Buddhist Yan Da is famous in many temples in China. The reason why people call him a great layman is, firstly, that he is wealthy and has businesses in several big cities across the country; secondly, he is ambitious in building temples, statues and printing scriptures; and thirdly, he has a bad temper.
I have heard of layman Yan Da for a long time, but I only got to know him when he paid obeisance to the old monk Miaofa. He looked to be in his early 60s, but he already had a head full of white hair. At first glance, he does not have the demeanor of an entrepreneur, but looks like a retired old worker. He is wearing a blue cold-proof jacket, dark blue trousers with many wrinkles, and a pair of travel shoes with loose laces. ——It does look a bit sloppy.
Why did I pay attention to a person’s appearance? Because from the “deeds” I heard about him, he always regarded money as dirt and was generous and generous. Some people say that as long as a visitor praises the gold Buddha statue in his house, he will give it away with both hands and will not leave without being invited.
He looked at the good Buddhist books and immediately arranged for them to be printed, at least two ten-ton containers. In the temple he went to, whenever he found that the tables, chairs, benches, cups, plates, bowls and spoons were not enough or broken, he immediately put down thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Later, he told people that he no longer gave money, but just bought and delivered the things he wanted, because he later discovered that in some temples, the lay people who collected money from him not only did not buy anything, but were not even seen. .
“I provided the conditions for him to go to hell. I am also guilty. From now on, I will only give him things but not money!” He said angrily with his big eyes wide open.
He also carved a 22-meter-high camphor wood statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva for a temple. He used two kilograms of gold foil alone and spent as much as one million yuan.
The old monk Miaofa asked him to sit next to him and asked kindly: “I have heard about you a long time ago. You came to me for something, right? Are you retired now?”
Practitioner Yan said that his two legs were no longer working and they felt very heavy. He had to carry them when he walked. In addition, I have been suffering from headaches for decades. I have been to famous hospitals at home and abroad. I have spent more than one million on medical treatment, travel expenses and medication, but it still doesn’t work. He also asked several Tibetan living Buddhas who came to Beijing to receive initiations, but they could not stop the headache. Now he has left the business to his children. He chants Buddha’s name and goes to temples. He really wants to seek blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to cure these two illnesses. Otherwise, he will be upset when eating and sleeping, so he always loses his temper.
He said to the Master seriously: “I truly understand that financial resources are not greater than karma, and money cannot help me. So in the past few years, I have tried my best to do something for Buddhism. I hope that when I leave in the future, I will be able to live without pain.” In the past life, I only learned the name of Master after reading the book “Record of Modern Cause and Effect”. I found out where you lived through various connections, and I took the liberty to come to see you. I also knew that you had gone into retreat to recite the Buddha’s name. See you again, but I still persistently came to ask for the old monk’s mercy and understanding. I have always wanted to know, I have done something for Buddhism, and I have been fasting for many years. I hope the old monk will be compassionate and enlighten me.”
The old monk said: “Don’t be polite, layman. The reason why I no longer have visitors is because I can no longer maintain my strength. Before the book was published, I could talk about cause and effect casually to warn the world. Now that the book has come out, it has become an advertisement. Many Readers have not understood the truth and only know how to seek externally, looking for Old Monk Miaofa everywhere, and thinking that Monk Miaofa is a miraculous doctor. That is wrong. If you do not know how to seek inwardly and correct your words and deeds, you will see Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. It also doesn’t allow you to escape suffering and gain happiness.
Your matter is another matter. It seems that your education level is not high, right? (Jushi Yan answered that he graduated from junior high school) Do you know why your career is successful?”
Jushi Yan said: “That is a good policy to catch up with the country.”
Master said: “That’s just an external fate. There are too many people setting up factories and doing business across the country. After all, there are only a few who are as successful as you.”
Jushi Yan asked: “That must be the cause of my seed in my previous life, right?”
Master said: “Why do I need to talk to you about this? Because your headache is related to this. Why didn’t your wife come with you?”
Master Yan said: “Originally, my wife had to come with me, but we have a German-bred ornamental dog at home. If she came out, no one would be able to take care of the dog. By the way, Master, why did you ask about her?”
The old monk said: “It seems that your wife will follow you wherever you go, right?”
Master Yan smiled: “Yes, she will follow me wherever I go. If I leave, I will have no backbone. Sometimes I feel a little upset.”
Master said solemnly: “Can I tell you a story? Don’t be angry after hearing this.”
Master Yan immediately straightened his body and said, “How can you not! I have read “Record of Modern Cause and Effect” and came here just to listen to your story.” After that, he stepped forward and kowtowed three times.
Master said: “A hundred years ago, there was a poor, helpless boy in his teenage years who went to a temple halfway up the mountain to beg for food. The great monk took pity on him and asked him to live in the temple after finding out that he had no relatives at home. In a spare room, he was asked to help collect some firewood and do some chores. When necessary, he was asked to carry some oil, salt and food down the mountain. Later, he picked up a yellow dog from somewhere and followed him all day long. When he was going down the mountain, he protected him and strengthened his courage. When he was approaching the temple, the yellow dog would run to the door in advance and bark “woof, woof,” and he would sleep on the same floor bunk with him at night. He had been dependent on him for several years.
On every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, many faithful men and women who came up from the mountain would come to the temple to offer incense. Seeing men, women, old and young happily worshiping Buddha, offering incense, laughing and playing, he was very envious. He once sighed and hugged the yellow dog and said : ‘It would be great if I could marry a wife like you in the future. Follow me every day so I can have a companion. ‘Another day, after the pilgrims came down the mountain, he walked into the main hall filled with smoke with some doubts. He stood under the Buddha statue, looked up at the tall and solemn Buddha statue, stared at it for a long time, and said to himself: ‘Buddha, Buddha, too. I don’t know if there is a real Buddha or not. If there is a Buddha, then you can make me feel better and have a family and so on. ’
At this time, he suddenly heard the great monk talking behind him and walked in: “Do you also want to make some money?” He quickly turned around and said, “Master, who doesn’t want to make a fortune? If I have money, I can start a family and start a business.” Yet. ’
The old monk said: ‘Yes! If you have money, you can start a family and start a business, but no matter how rich you are, you will get older day by day, you will get sick, and sooner or later you will die amidst the cries of your children, don’t you think so?’
When he heard what the master said, he was stunned and asked: “According to what the master said, even if I have money, I can only live a good life for a few years. When illness comes or death comes, won’t I still be miserable?”
‘Yes. ’ The great monk said, ‘No one can escape the laws of birth, old age, illness and death. When he dies, his hands are buried in the soil with nothing, and they rot and eventually turn into a handful of soil. And the spiritual consciousness goes to reincarnation, goes to reincarnation, goes to be a cow or a horse, goes to hell, and then suffers the pain of reincarnation, there is no end. ’
‘Master, is it true that there is reincarnation?’
The great monk pointed to the yellow dog beside him and said: “It used to be a novice monk in this temple. There is a small mole on the tip of his right eyebrow. Because before the meal was served, he secretly ate a steamed bun. When others found that a steamed bun was missing, When asked, he denied it and swore that if he ate it secretly, he would become a dog in the future. Later he fell ill and died, no! He really became a dog and came to this temple again. I recognized him as soon as you brought him into the temple. Now go and brush the hair on his right eyebrow and see if there is a small brown mole. ?’
Hearing what the great monk said, he squatted down and used his fingers to separate the hair on the yellow dog’s brow. ‘Ah!’ He exclaimed in surprise, ‘There really is a small mole. It has been with me for several years. Why didn’t I find it? How did Master know about it?’ (When the old monk Miaofa talked about this, I found out Master Yan suddenly became excited.)
The great monk continued: “When a person makes a mistake, he must dare to admit it and correct it. He cannot swear to prove his innocence against his will. If you really haven’t done it, it doesn’t matter. If you lie, then the oath you swore will be wrong.” Sooner or later it will come true. After the dog’s karma has been repaid, he will be a human being in his next life and continue to practice. ’
‘Then what can we do to no longer suffer from the suffering of reincarnation?’
The great monk said: “No one knows when he will die, so he must practice as soon as possible. If you become a monk, you can control life and death. You can also practice if you marry and have children at home. Of course, if you become a monk, there will be fewer obstacles to practice.” ’
‘Then I want to become a monk and practice life and death. Will Master accept me?’
The great monk smiled: ‘I have been waiting for you to say this for a long time. ’”
The old monk Miaofa continued: “The boy who became a novice was determined to cultivate into the Three Realms in his lifetime and worked very hard. However, a few years later, he left this world prematurely due to illness, and his wish was not fulfilled. .Today, many years later, he was born into this world again. He should have continued to become a monk and fulfilled his past wish, but the seeds of his previous wish before he became a monk sprouted. The nurse has meritorious deeds and has come to the human world. She is a beautiful and virtuous girl, and she has fulfilled the big boy’s wish and truly became his wife in this life.”
The old monk smiled and asked, “Do you know who I am talking about?”
Master Yan nodded excitedly and replied, “I know, Master is talking about me. My wife also has a small brown mole on her right eyebrow.”
The old monk added: “The blessings you have in this life are the result of your contribution to the temple in your previous life. Your headache will be cured as soon as you become a monk. The insides of your legs are all your business During this period, the karma of giving, receiving gifts, giving and accepting bribes, dragging down such heavy sins, how can you move your legs? If you sincerely repent of these sins, it will be over. I am a little tired, let Guo Qing make arrangements for you. Let’s eat, I’ve told you everything you need to say, and your wishes have been fulfilled. What you do is your own business.”
Lay Practitioner Yan quickly bowed to express his gratitude and said, “Thank you, Master, for your advice. I will consider becoming a monk.”
It doesn’t matter whether the layman Yan Da has become a monk or not. Don’t modern people all want to get rich? This story tells everyone a way to get rich, which is to print sutras, spread Dharma, and make offerings to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. No matter how good your fate is, if you don’t sow the cause, you won’t get the result. Just like if you don’t prepare seeds, no matter how good the land and natural conditions are, you won’t get a harvest.
