After attending the 6th anniversary of the Venerable Master's Nirvana and the 25^th anniversary of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, I was filled with inspiration. I recall when I took refuge with the Master at Gold Mountain Monastery on 15^th Street in 1983. I told the Master I was Catholic and had attended Catholic school since junior high. Paul Cardinal Yubin had presided over my wedding and was in several photos with me. I showed the Master those photos. The Master mentioned that he had suggested to Cardinal Yubin that he be a Buddhist in Catholicism and the Master himself could be a Catholic in Buddhism. When I heard that, I realized the Master was an extraordinary person with a magnanimous heart! When I told the Master about my mother's poor health, he said my mother could come live in the City and he would assign someone to take care of her. I once told the Master my wish that my mother could become a Buddhist. The Master replied, "It's all up to you to influence her." I thought this was impossible, for my mother was very stubborn.  

In 1984, I went back to Taiwan. My mother told me something inconceivable: She had gone to visit an old friend. When she was looking around in the small Buddha hall in her friend's house, she saw lots of small Buddha statues suddenly appear on the wall, followed by a man with a rather long face wearing a cap. Upon returning to Gold Mountain Monastery, I realized that my mother had seen the Buddha Hall in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas! And the man she saw was the Master! When I told the Master about this, he replied, "I do not wish to praise myself."

In 1985, Gold Mountain Monastery moved to Chinatown. When I visited, the Master said to me, "I will take full care of your mother, and give her fifty dollars every month." I was deeply grateful, but declined. I brought Great Compassion Water blessed by the Master back to Taiwan, and my mother's distorted mouth was cured after she drank it.

In 1988, I moved back to Los Angeles. After 18 years of work, I retired and stayed home and tried to learn to be a travel agent. When I asked the Master for advice, the Master nodded and said, "Help others." That year I helped many Dharma Masters get international flight tickets.

In 1989, I brought my mother to the United States. The Master told me, "You are going to experience some suffering." I knew that the Master would help me through these difficulties with his great compassion. I'll never forget his great kindness.  

Ever since her arrival in the United States, my mother has used a walker. Most of the time she just sits in her chair. We always bring her meals to her. She is cranky and complains a lot due to her chronic illness. I always hoped that even if my mother did not become a Buddhist, at least I could recite the Buddha's name for her when she passes away. One day I placed a recitation tape in her room. When I visited her the next day, the sound of the recitation came out of the room.  Afterwards, she often listened to the recitation peacefully.  

Last year (2000) around mid-August, the doctor announced that my mother was in the final stage of cancer. On October 17th, I called Dharma Master Heng Sure for help. That very afternoon, Dharma Master Heng Sure's sister and Mr. and Mrs. Fang came to recite the Earth Store Sutra and the Buddha's name for my mother. My mother's face was full of joy. She passed away on the morning of August 23rd. I knelt by her bedside and bowed to the Buddha three times, wishing and vowing that my mother's offenses would end during this lifetime. Mr. and Mrs. Fang rushed to my mother's deathbed and recited for eight hours. My mother's face was slightly yellow with a slight smile. Dharma Master Ruey said that the Master has mentioned that the corpse should be covered with a "lotus sheet" instead of a "Dharani sheet," because the latter has the rebirth mantra on it, so I immediately did as I was told.

A few days later, I went to my mother's house. As I walked in, I heard the sound of the recitation tape coming from her room. However, the house was empty. I wanted to perform a 49-day ceremony for my mother, so I went to Gold Mountain Monastery. While I was there, I casually picked up a copy of Source of Wisdom and scanned through the articles. In one article, the Master explained how to properly perform a 49-day ceremony to help the deceased. I was amazed! It was just the right thing for me! Thus I performed the ceremony as the Master instructed. What a response! A disciple had a question, and the Master answered it.

The Master's words came to me again, "It's all up to you to influence her." I wanted to tell the Master, "I tried my best, and it was the most meaningful thing in my life."

I had asked the Master before, "What is the Buddha?" The Master answered, "Nothingness." If someone were to ask me, "Who is the Master?" my answer would be, "The Master exists throughout space and the Dharma Realm, ubiquitous and all-pervasive."

Venerable Master’s Dharma Words What does the Bodhi mind look like? Basically, it has no shape or form. It is simply the path to enlightenment.