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我是親頤，來自明尼蘇達，這是我第一次來萬佛聖城。萬佛聖城是觀世音菩薩的道場，我想我今天能有幸來到聖城，應該是大慈大悲觀世音菩薩的加持。下面我想和大家分享一下：我與家中三尊佛像的殊勝因緣。
在我7、8歲的時候，常常聽我媽媽說起浙江南海普陀山觀世音菩薩。她說去普陀山的人，基本上都是南洋一帶的華僑，以及和菩薩有特殊因緣的人。媽媽說：「你不能想，因為你只要一想，就必須得去！」我就在心裏偷偷想：我長大一定要去普陀山。
因為因緣成熟，我於1997年到1999年，連續三年都去了普陀山，其中1998年夏天，我第二次去普陀山的時候，趕在觀音菩薩成道日當天。在賓館裏，有位服務員對我說：「你來遲了兩天，要不然可以參加觀音菩薩像的開光儀式。這尊觀世音菩薩像，建在舟山群島臨海的一個島嶼上，高三十米。開光儀式那天，佛像周圍布置了四個熱氣球懸在半空；當時有風，但是氣球卻在空中一動不動。當方丈念完儀規後，只見一道金光，從觀音菩薩像的眼中射出，天空就像被金光劈成兩半一樣。這道金光照向海面，足足半個小時後才消失；然後四個氣球就像龍一樣，在空中飛舞，場面極為壯觀。當時在場的有一萬多人，都『啊！』的一聲叫了出來，周圍山上的寺廟裏，也有很多人看到。」
因為家中沒有觀音菩薩像，第二次朝山時，我本打算請一尊菩薩像回去供養。我嫂子說：「明年還要再來，就等明年再請吧！」我想想也好，於是就沒有請。回到福州家中，我婆婆告訴我：姨媽以前寄存在我家一個箱子，拿回去後，在箱子裏發現一尊漢白玉的觀世音菩薩像，她們認為是我家的，要我婆婆帶回來給我。可是我很奇怪，我家以前沒有觀音菩薩像啊！所以我告訴姨媽，這不是我的，我不能要；但是姨媽非說是我的，一定要給我。後來我嫂子就勸我：「大家都說是妳的，這說明妳和這尊觀音菩薩像有緣；她要到妳家來，妳就不能再拒絕了！」於是我只好收下，觀世音菩薩真是千處祈求千處應。
這是來到我家的第二尊佛像，他是自己來的；第一尊像是在1983年，我的同學知道我信佛，就送了一尊如來佛祖的銅像給我。因為已經有了兩尊佛像來到我家，我就想：是不是還會有第三尊佛像來呢？
幾年過去了，我一直沒有得到第三尊佛像，我就想：第三尊佛像，就在我心中；所以我打算買一塊玉觀音像掛在胸前，但始終都沒有去買，直到2003年夏天，我認識了明州佛學社的朋友。
那是在一個星期六，我和一個朋友約好要一起出去辦事；早上8點左右，我夢見觀世音菩薩坐在蓮花台上，金光閃閃，把我照醒了，我非常非常歡喜。接下來，我把這件事告訴了來接我的朋友，她聽了非常驚訝，說：「以前妳跟我講妳和兩尊佛像的因緣，我都半信半疑的，這下我是真的相信了！」說著，她掏出一個盒子，並告訴我，這是佛學社另外一位朋友，在一個多星期前，託她轉送給我的；因她有事，今天正好帶來了。我打開一看，裏面是一條鍍金的觀音菩薩的項鍊，正好和我在夢中見到的一模一樣。
這就是我和觀世音菩薩的三次殊勝因緣。五、六年前在中國大陸的時候，我就聽美國回來的朋友講，佛教在美國也非常興盛，加州就有很多佛教道場。我很希望能夠有機會到這邊的道場。到明州來後，佛學社有的朋友經常來萬佛城，我也結緣了很多上人的書籍。這一次非常榮幸，在觀音菩薩成道日，受了三皈依，成為正式的佛弟子，也成了萬佛城一份子；希望往後能常常回來，我的家人和朋友也會常常回來。
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My name is Chin Yi and I am from Minnesota. This is my first trip to the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB). CTTB is Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Way Place. I think that since I am lucky enough to be in the Sagely City today, it must be due to being blessed by the great kindness and great compassion of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Now I would like to share with all of you my supreme affinity with three Buddha images that I have at home.
When I was about seven or eight years old, I often heard my mother speak of the Guanyin Bodhisattva of the Potola Mountain in Zhejiang Province in the Southern Sea. She said people who went to Potola Mountain were Chinese immigrants from the South Pacific, who have special affinities with the Bodhisattva. My mother said, “You shouldn’t think about it. If you have a single thought about it, then you must go.” Back then in my mind, I had a secret thought that when I grew up, I would go to Potola Mountain.
Between 1997 and 1999, the causes and conditions finally matured and I was able to visit Potola Mountain once during each of those three years. In 1998, during my second trip to Potola Mountain in the summer to participate in the celebration of Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Enlightenment Day, I was greeted by a person in my hotel, who said, “You are two days late. Otherwise, you could have joined in the opening light ceremony for the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue. This Guanyin Bodhisattva statue was built on one of the islands along the archipelago of Zhou (“Ship”) Mountain. It was thirty meters tall. During the opening light ceremony, there were four hot air balloons floating in mid air around the statue. At that time it was windy. Yet, the balloons were not moving at all in the sky. After the abbot had finished reciting and performing the rituals, a ray of golden light shot out from the eyes of the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue and the whole sky seemed to be divided into two halves. This ray of golden light continued to shine above the sea for a good half hour before it disappeared. Then the four hot air balloons were like dragons flying and dancing in the sky. It was an awesome and spectacular sight. There were more than ten thousand people at the scene and they all exclaimed: “Wow!” In addition, many people from temples around the mountain witnessed that, too.”
Since we do not have a Guanyin Bodhisattva Guanyin at home, on my second pilgrimage, I had intended to bring a Bodhisattva statue back and make offerings to it. However, my sister-in-law said, “Next year, we will come again. Let’s wait till next year!” I thought about it and it was alright. So I did not get one. When I returned home to Fu Province, my mother-in-law told me that my aunt left a box for me. When I took it back, I found that there was a Han white jade Guanyin Bodhisattva image. They thought it belonged to my family and asked my mother-in-law to bring it back to me. However, I felt strange because my family did not have any Guanyin Bodhisattva image. So I told my aunt that I could not take what was not mine. But my aunt insisted that it belonged to me and she must give it to me. Then my sister-in-law persuaded me, “Everyone says it is yours. That proves that you have affinity with this Guanyin Bodhisattva image. Now that she wants to come to your home, you should not refuse.” With that I finally accepted it. Guanyin Bodhisattva truly responded. As it says, “Prayers come from a thousand places, in a thousand places she responds.”
This is the second Buddhist image that came to my home and it came by itself. The first Buddha image was dated back in 1983. When my classmate knew that I believed in the Buddha, she gave me a copper Tathagata Buddha image as a gift. Since I already have two Buddha images at home, I thought, “Could there be a third Buddha image coming to my home?”
Several years had passed. I had not obtained the third Buddha image. I had thought that the third Buddha image is in my heart. So I was going to buy a jade Guanyin amulet to wear on my neck. However, I never got to buy it. In the summer of 2003, I came to know a friend from the Buddhist Study Association in Minnesota. It was a Saturday, and I was supposed to meet a friend and go out to take care of some business. Around 8 AM in the morning, I dreamt of Guanyin Bodhisattva sitting on a lotus platform and beaming with golden light. It illuminated me and I woke up feeling very, very happy! Afterwards, I shared this experience with my friend who came to pick me up. She was very astonished and said: “Before, when you told me the causes and conditions of your two Buddha images, I was pretty skeptical. Now I truly believe it.”
And she brought out a box telling me that another friend from the Buddhist Association had asked her to give it to me more than a week ago. Because she has business to attend to, she had brought it with her today. When I opened it, it was a necklace with a gilded Guanyin Bodhisattva image, exactly the same one that I saw in my dream.
Those were my three special affinities with Guanyin Bodhisattva. Five or six years ago when I was still in China, I heard from my friends who had returned from America that Buddhism was also flourishing in the United States. In California alone, there was already many Buddhist monasteries. I had very much hoped that I could have a chance to come to visit the monastery here. After I arrived in Minnesota, I had friends from the Buddhist Association who often visited the City of Ten Thousand Buddhists. Hence, I also had the opportunity to read many of Venerable Master’s published texts. This time I am very honored to have taken the Three Refuges on Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Day of Enlightenment to formally become a Buddhist disciple, and a part of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. I do hope that in the future I can return often. My family, friends and I will come back time and again.
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