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After
our return to the States T went through high school and a year of college.
This was in the 60's and my experiences were typical, drugs, anti-war
demonstrations and the like. I was first exposed to Taoism and Buddhism at
this time but didn't really pay much attention to them. They were just
something that was far out when you were stoned. About seven years ago I
moved to San Francisco following a separation from this lady I had been
living with. A year of intense anxiety and confusion followed as a result
of my deep attachment to her. It was like something out of a Dostoyevsky
novel and the only thing keeping me in more or less one piece was my
tranquilizers. This kind of drug dependence I soon found to be very
dangerous and illusory. In a search for a better solution I happened upon
Tai Chi Chuan and Taoism. What Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu had to say changed
everything for me. The more I read and practiced the smoother life became,
problems started taking care of themselves, it seemed. I read everything I
could get my hands on and this led me to the Sixth Patriarch and Diamond
Sutras. This was truly some amazing Dharma. Taoism had calmed things down,
but Buddhism started to open things up. Next came the Lotus Sutra and the
Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra. I had never read anything that made so much
sense. In my hunt for Sutras I came across A General Explanation of the
Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra by Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua. I had read
different translations of this Sutra before, but this one was so clean and
crisp, and the commentary so illuminating the text just came to life. I
had heard of Gold Mountain Monastery before so after reading this I
decided to find out more and starved attending the lectures. In addition
to the Sutra lecture I was hearing things like "Everything's a test
to see what you will do. Mistaking what's before your face, you'll have to
start anew." This was like being given a sword to chop away
afflictions.
One
thing led to another and now I am living at the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas. To be able to study the Buddha Dharma with someone like the
Master Hua is a truly precious, opportunity. The Masters' wisdom and
penetrations are inconceivable and his method of teaching must be
experienced, it's not something you can describe. Just knowing about
Buddha Dharma and actually living it are two different things. Everything
speaks Dharma and nowhere is that more evident than here at the City of
Ten Thousand Buddhas. Practicing the Buddha Dharma isn't easy, it requires
a lot of hard work and patience and the place to do it. The quality of
life here is unique, and again this something that must be experienced to
be appreciated.
The
night before I took refuge I had a dream. The Master was walking through a
field with one of his disciples; the sky was dark and sinister and winds
were howling. Crawling toward them were two men. As they crawled along,
the blades of grass would turn to razors and cut them horribly. When they
saw the Master they begged him for help in getting rid of the evil thing
behind them and pointing to an old ruin they expired. There in the ruin
moved a giant shadowy thing, foul in every sense of the word. The disciple
was terrified but the Master was unmoved, he told the disciple to relax
and handed him a sword. "It's O.K., just do your best." And with
that he sent the disciple to meet the shadow. The shadow just laughed and
rushed at the disciple who stood his ground. The shadow brought down his
own sword on the disciple but nothing happened, it just stuck in mid-air.
His laughter turned to horror as the disciple thrust his sword deep into
the heart of the shadow and with a hideous scream it was gone.
I
didn't know I was going to take refuge the next day but when Dharma Master
Shun called and told me the ceremony was being held I didn't hesitate. To
study with the Venerable Master is a rare gift and the opportunity is open
to anyone with a sincere heart. Through the power of his great vows he has
brought the Orthodox Buddha Dharma to America and we are indeed fortunate. |
