Spreading the Dharma
Author:Ying

Master said that the best way to plant good causes was to spread the Dharma, which was his helpless but earnest message to us.  It was because he had taken over the Buddha’s business and developed the An-Hsiang Ch’an with his merciful mind.  If his followers, who had absorbed the essence of the Dharma, would share his burden to continue on spreading the Dharma, they would be able to reward master’s efforts.  Otherwise, to keep taking without giving does not correspond to the law of causality.  It will be very difficult to achieve a great breakthrough to recover one’s original mind, if one does not accumulate enough merits.

When the Taipei Ch’an Research Association was just founded, I worked there as a volunteer on every Saturday.  Once a sister invited me to join her to clean the hall; when I met her, I was shocked to see seriously infected pimples all over her face. Those pimples were about 1 centimeter wide and 0.5 centimeter thick.  Then, we started cleaning at different areas.  After about one and half hours later, we met and I was shocked again.  All her swollen pimples turned flat and became dry. I was so surprised to witness the overwhelming reward of making efforts for the Dharma.  It could powerfully eliminate one’s negative karma.

In 1993, Master instructed me to take in charge of the development of the Dharma to return my favors gained from the Dharma practice.  I asked master how to proceed with it.  He told me to run the Dharma research gatherings and produce radio broadcasting.  Therefore, I spent all my spare time on counting the time needed for each session, choosing the matching background music and recording the aside.  Within a very limited budget; fortunately, through my youngest sister’s favorable connection, I was able to get a free session of half an hour at the Police Broadcasting Station.  However, I had to operate every machine in the recording room all by myself.  Besides operating the machines, adjusting the volume, and doing aside, I constantly had to work till 11p.m.  Due to being unfamiliar with the whole process, all my efforts just went down the drain.  I felt extremely stressful and reported to Master.  He responded that “to be able to maintain An-Hsiang under such circumstances can display the true effect of one’s practice.”  After the program had been run on the air for a period of time, I heard from a Dharma brother saying that Master acknowledged that my efforts did offset a huge negative karma.  Indeed, it was true.  Later on I encountered a life-threatening difficulty; fortunately, it was eventually solved.

The mentor of the saint Milarepa asked him to tear down a well-built house again and again without any reason; however, the saint was delighted to accept whatever his mentor demanded.  Master explained that it was because the saint knew that his mentor wanted to help him, in this lifetime, pay off all the negative karma he deserved for harming people with his mysterious spell.  He should have been sent and kept in the timeless hell as a punishment.  However, now we are in the ending period of the Dharma. Master sighed and said “nowadays Ch’an practitioners cannot resist any harsh practice, but only take soft words.”

Since Master passed away, all of you have still been willing to join the book club to share your thoughts on spreading the An-Hsiang Ch’an, which is returning our gratitude to Master.  Even though we may encounter some challenges, we should not be afraid.   It can efficiently help us identify and rectify our adherences.  If we can persevere in our practice; eventually, a better and brighter future will appear.  Let us inspire and support one another and go approaching to the perfection of life.