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這是一個發生在我的法友葉國菊的親身故事。
西元一九九五年，我年三十五，那時有一個想法──母親自殺過世八年之後，正在某處受苦，我急於為她做點什麼事。那時我對佛法一無所知，於是開始尋找佛教錄音帶，在那時我很慶幸能聽聞到藏傳音譯的心經、大悲咒和六字大明神咒。
我開始改變為素食者，並且持續三個月在晚間誦持一百零八遍的六字大明咒和大悲咒及五至六次的心經，期望以此能幫助我的母親。然後在一個晚上，當我在誦持心經的時候睡著了；第二天的夜晚，我的惡夢開始。當我結束工作之後，返家的時間大約是晚上八點左右，我可以感覺到一股惡臭在我的房子裡；在半夜的時候，我開始聽到一個聲音。
感覺上，那像一種有著許多腳的眾生所發出的腳步聲，並且有蜘蛛的影像進入我的心意識裡；我看不到它是什麼，只能聽到它移動時所發出的聲音。當那個聲音在夜晚延伸開來，我的好奇心轉變成為恐懼；我和十二歲的兒子同住，但他什麼都沒聽到。
從此之後夜夜不斷，那個恐怖的聲音纏繞無休，我覺得驚駭萬分；所以在頸子上戴了念珠以為護祐，並且不斷地念誦觀世音菩薩及地藏王菩薩的聖號。但由於念誦散慢反而讓我變得七零八落，然後我決定停止，失眠和心悸緊鄰而至。那串念珠是以前我去朋友介紹的道場皈依一位法師時所得的──即使在那時我既不確實了解皈依的真意，又對佛教認知不深（後來才有人告訴我，其實不應該在自己的頸項上掛念珠）。
在聽完我的經歷之後，我的朋友要求我退還那串念珠給法師，後來他誦念一些東西之後，又在某種水中清洗，然後將念珠還給我。回想起那位法師告訴我的，我可能是進入了第三度空間之門，但我不了解他意味著什麼。
當晚返家，我開門時，我以人格保證，我看到了一團黑氣懸浮在天花板上，它是一團深褐色的東西，有著蝙蝠的頭、尖銳的耳朵及血紅色的雙眼。它盯著我看，但出乎意料的是這次我完全不害怕，因為我終於可以看到它了！我對它視若無睹，並坐在這個「眾生」下方的沙發上看電視。
最後這個怪物下降到我的上方，在這個同時，我終於知道，它就是那個我聽到的聲音的出處了！當我了然確知這個怪物之後，我的恐懼漸漸開始消退。我回房就寢時，認為這個聲音會停止，然後一切終將回復正常；但我錯了，因為它持續了兩年之久。
一個改變命運的日子來臨，另一位職業是保險經紀人的佛友，在121區 Ang Mo Kio街的電梯裡巧遇一位手拿著雜誌的女士。我的朋友想借這本雜誌，但被告知她可以去親近一對修行的夫婦，而他們正巧也住在同一區；這一對夫婦在每星期六及日的早上，都在他們家中帶領一小團人共修大悲懺。
我的朋友和我連繫，所以我在她的介紹下參加了這個法會。這對夫婦非常樂於助人並且仁慈，我開始學習如何正確地誦持大悲咒，並參加每週一次的大悲懺法會，持續數月之久而不間斷。
有個晚上我做了一個夢，在夢中我和我的兒子在一個山洞裡，那兒有一個湖，湖中立有一個高的塑像，縱使它是一個洞穴，但沿著湖的周圍卻很光亮。我覺得喜悅，並且把湖水潑到臉上。我環顧著那個地方，一種祥和及平靜感圍繞著我整個身心，這是一個令人愉悅的經驗。
隔天早上當我醒來，我完全忘了那個夢；連帶地在那天之後，那個怪物從我家消失並徹底離開了我的生命。
事隔兩年之後，我旅行到泰國的一所寺院。我的小兒子在一間由許多岩洞組成的寺院裡遊玩時，我進入其中一個岩洞，在那一刻，我看到一尊白色的觀世音菩薩雕像。突然在兩年前的那個夢的回憶浮現，那尊雕像栩栩如生，和夢中的完全一樣，我終於領悟在我夢中那尊化身雕像究竟是誰了。
我流下了喜悅和感激的淚水，我頂禮這位救了我的大悲菩薩。很慚愧地，我才了解到「對面不識觀世音」的意喻所在。我是多麼愚癡啊！
由這個神奇難喻的經驗，我學到了許多：
一、 由這個不可思議的感應而知，如果我們虔誠地懺悔自己的業障，觀世音菩薩會以我們知識所不及的方式幫助我們，無論我們是否求助於他，他總是在我們需要或危難的時刻降臨。
二、 我們必須有智慧地了解，觀世音菩薩是無所不在的，他總是帶領著虔誠的修行者離開險難並且醒悟。
三、 具有正知見及正確的修行是重要的；參加懺悔法會的感應也是不可思議。
四、 最後，重要的一點，前面所提到的，在電梯裡吸引了我朋友注意力的雜誌──金剛菩提海；那裡面的經文和封面梵字的神力，使這兩位女士得以碰面，然後我造訪那對夫婦……最終牽引我到觀世音菩薩這兒。
在此，我很高興，也很感謝我的兩位朋友及那對用心帶領大悲懺法會的夫婦；他們後來結合了一群虔誠的修行人在新加坡設立了佛經流通中心，提供我們機會接受 宣公上人的教誨，以及能聽聞由法總法師開示的法音。
另一個奇蹟是當佛經流通中心於西元兩千年組團到萬佛聖城朝聖時，我有機會受了五戒並參加授幽冥戒法會。我捧父親的牌位，兒子則捧我母親的。在參訪之前，我思考著應該穿什麼樣的褲子會比較合適，因為平常的日子我都是習慣穿著牛仔褲。助緣又再度降臨，朋友的母親忽然給了六件不同顏色且非常寬鬆舒適的褲子，所以我才能無障礙地參加法會全程的禮拜。
在漫長的法會圓滿後，我終於能為我往生的雙親盡些力。讓他們的亡靈受戒，我相信，這是在雙親往生後，所能給他們最好的孝親禮物。你看，觀世音菩薩終於滿我的願了！
我深深地感激三寶，並希望能報答佛菩薩和上人的慈悲。南無觀世音菩薩！
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This is a true story told by my Dharma friend, Kelly Chai:
In 1995 when I was 35 years old, I thought that my mother, who had passed away 8 years ago after having taken her own life, was suffering somewhere, and I had this urge to do something for her. At that time I did not know anything about Buddhism but I went to search for Buddhist cassettes and the moment I heard the Tibetan musical version of the
Heart Sutra, the Great Compassion Mantra and Om Mani Padme Hum, I felt very pleased.
I started to switch to a vegetarian diet, and every night I recited Om Mani Padme Hum and the Great Compassion Mantra 108 times, and the
Heart Sutra five or six times for almost three consecutive months in hopes of helping my mother. Then one night, while reciting the
Heart Sutra, I fell asleep. The following night, my nightmare began. After work, when I reached home around 8:00 p.m., I could smell a foul odor in my house and in the middle of the night, I started to hear a sound.
It sounded like the footsteps of a “creature” with many legs, and the image of a spider came into my mind. I could not see what it was and could only hear its movement. When the sound prolonged into the night, my curiosity turned into fear. I lived alone with my twelve-year-old son, yet he could not hear anything at all.
From then on, night after night, it haunted me and I was so frightened that I put the rosary around my neck for protection and kept reciting the names of Guan Shi Yin & Earth Store Bodhisvattas in a rambling, incoherent way. Then I decided to stop the chanting. I had sleepless nights and palpitations. The rosary was given to me when I took refuge with a Dharma Master in a temple recommended by my friend some time ago, even though at that time, I did not really know the true meaning of taking refuge, nor understand much about Buddhism. (I was later told that I was not supposed to put the rosary around my neck).
Hearing my experience, my friend asked me to return the rosary to the Dharma Master, who later cleansed it with water after chanting something and gave it back to me. I recalled that the Dharma Master told me that I might had entered the third dimension door but did not understand what he meant.
That night when I reached home, as I opened the door, to my horror, I saw a dark cloudy form hanging from the ceiling. It was a big dark brown mass with the head of a bat with two pointed ears and red eyes. It was staring at me but to my surprise I did not feel frightened because now I could see it. I ignored it and sat on the sofa watching the television beneath this “creature”.
Finally, it dawned upon me that all this while, it was this ‘thing’ that was responsible for the sound I was hearing. Then slowly, my fear started to subside as I already knew who “it” was. I went to sleep thinking that the sound would stop and everything would go back to normal, but I was wrong because it persisted and lasted for about two years.
One fateful day, another Buddhist friend who is an insurance agent happened to meet a lady, who was holding a magazine in a lift in Block 121 Ang Mo Kio Avenue. My friend wanted to borrow it but was told that she could approach a couple who were cultivating in a house within that block. This couple was conducting The Great Compassion Repentance ceremony every Saturday and Sunday morning in their home with a small group of cultivators.
My friend contacted me, so I took her recommendation to join the ceremony. The couple was very helpful and kind. I learned how to recite the Great Compassion Mantra correctly and participated in the weekly Repentance ceremonies without fail for a few months.
Then one night I had a dream. In it, I was in a cave with my son. There was a pond and in the center of it stood a tall statue. Even though it was a cave, the area surrounding the pond was very bright. I felt a sense of joy and splashed my face with water from the pond. I looked around and a sense of peace and calm filled my whole being. It was an exhilarating experience.
When I awoke the next day, I forgot all about the dream. Incidentally, from that day onwards, the “being” disappeared from my home and out of my life.
Two years later, I made a trip to a temple in Haytai (Thailand). My young son was playing in the compound of the temple which has many small caves. I entered one of them and at that moment, saw a white statue of Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva. Suddenly, the memory of the dream I had two years ago surfaced. The image was vivid as the scene was exactly the same. I finally realized who the embodiment of that statue in my dream was.
With tears of joy and gratitude, I bowed to this Great Compassionate Bodhisattva who had come to my rescue. Shamefully, I also realized what this phrase meant: “Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva is right in front of you and yet you cannot recognize her”. How ignorant I had been.
There are many lessons I have learnt from this empowering experience:
1) The inconceivable response from Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, who helps us without our knowledge, whether we ask or not, and who will come to our rescue in our time of need and moment of danger if we sincerely repent of our offenses.
2) It takes wisdom to recognize Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva, who is omnipresent, waiting to lead sincere cultivators out of danger and into enlightenment.
3) The importance of proper and right practice and the inconceivable response of joining in the Repentance ceremony.
4) Last but not least, it is the power of the spiritual energy contained within a Sanskrit symbol on the front page and the Sutra text contained within a humble magazine,
Vajra Bodhi Sea, that attracted my friend’s attention in the lift, enabling both ladies to meet each other and later, helping me to the couple’s home…and ultimately to Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva.
Herein I am also grateful and thankful to my two lady friends and the couple who diligently led the Repentance ceremonies and who eventually gathered a group of sincere cultivators to set up the Buddhist Books Distribution Centre (BBDC) in Singapore, providing us an opportunity to meet with the teachings of Venerable Master Hua, and to listen to Dharma talks from visiting Dharma Masters from Dharma Realm Buddhist Association.
It was a miracle when BBDC later organized a trip in year 2000 to The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, where I had the opportunity to take the Five Precepts and participate in the ceremony for Precepts for the Deceased. I represented my father while my son represented my mother. Before my trip, I had been concerned about what pants to wear, as I always wore jeans. Once again, help came when my friend’s mother suddenly gave me six pairs of different-colored pants which were very loose and comfortable and enabled me to bow without difficulty throughout the ceremony.
At long last, I was able to do the right thing for my deceased parents. Receiving the precepts on their behalf is, I believe, the greatest gift - a filial one, that I can offer them in their after lives. See, Guan Shi Yin Bodhisattva finally fulfilled my wish!
I am forever grateful to the Triple Jewel and hope to be able to repay the kindness of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Venerable Master Hua. Namo Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa
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