When the Venerable Master warned Upasaka Guo Fu ("Fruit of Blessing") Liu in 1983 that he had "very heavy karmic hindrances," Upasaka Liu was not pleased and resolved never to set foot inside the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. But in 1993 he happily brought his family and children to this holy place where "ten thousand living Buddhas will be accomplished." He had made up his mind to draw near a great spiritual teacher and thoroughly reform himself.

Fortunately during the Jeweled Repentance Ceremony before Ten Thousand Buddhas in 1988, he saw his life flash before his eyes like a film being played backwards--scenes of his doing business with a greed-filled mind, talking crazily, arguing, eating, drinking, and having fun...and he woke up. If he hadn't, who knows how much farther the dissipation would have gone on. By that time he had suffered four cases of stomach bleeding and his skin disease was so bad that no medicine had any effect. The only way to treat it was to "spray-paint" the medicine on layer by layer. It was like a person who foolishly covers up his own mistakes; no matter how serious they are, he thinks he is getting the benefit. No wonder each time Upasaka Liu went to seek the Venerable Master's advice, the Master would say, "No answer," before he could even open his mouth. Actually, it wasn't that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were uncompassionate or that the Master didn't care. It was simply that his karmic hindrances were very heavy, but he wasn't willing to admit his faults.

From that time on, Upasaka Liu solemnly wrote down all his mistakes and faults, confessed them before the Buddhas, and resolved to change them one by one. He also vowed to be filial to his parents, to practice in accord with the teaching, to stop killing and become vegetarian, and to distance himself from the greed and defilement of worldly matters. Finally the Master gave him an answer: "I welcome anyone who wants to learn to be good!"