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Accounts
of Spiritual Travel
•Guru's
Talk•
(By
Living Buddha Lian-Sheng, Sheng-Yen Lu)
(Translated by Cheng Yew Chung.
Edited by TBN)
(Preface to Book 166, Accounts of
Spiritual Travel)
Being in retreat in Leaf Lake has
isolated me from the outside world. Thus, I know very little
of what is happening [in the world]. On the other hand, my
trips of spiritual travel have increased in frequency. It
appears that the dharma gates of the “heart”are simply
numerous and it is absolutely impossible to speak or write
about the hundreds and thousands of stories that colour the
worlds of the ten dharma realms.
Take, for example, the book Crossing
the Ocean of Life and Death, which is really a record of
the spiritual travels I have made. I personally consider it an
important piece of literature. And just as the book says that
death is "the biggest event in life," those who
cultivate know where they shall end up upon death. As for
those without cultivation, they will likely end up as illusory
beings of ignorance roaming within Samsara.
During the few years of my
retreat, I have experienced the suffering of grave illness. I
once brought this question to the attention of the Buddha,
asking, "Why is this happening to me?"
The Buddha replied, "It is
all part of nature."
"Must life bear the
suffering of illness?"
His reply was, "Especially
so when you are nearing the top of the mountain."
As it is a natural thing to get
old and sick in the physical body, I am not giving the matter
much thought. Instead, I spend my time sitting in meditation,
working on the art of spiritual travel. I have discovered that
the nature of the “heart” is literally endless, spanning
the space of ten directions. During spiritual travel, I
realized that there are many truths of the Buddhadharma which
can be shared in writing and verified.
Let me share with you a wonderful
incident:
When I was suffering from the
excruciating pain of a splitting headache, my body was almost
at its breaking point, leaving me extremely frustrated.
However, when I sat still in meditation, forgetting the
existence of my mind and body, the mysterious realm of sitting
in oblivion was revealed to me, in which the Buddha appeared
and radiated his lights upon me three times. At once, I was
lifted from my miseries and I experienced great dharma joy. It
was the most natural, most genuine, most joyful, and most
effective path of liberation.
Through spiritual travel, I have
performed miraculous acts of deliverance.
Through spiritual travel, I have
understood the doctrines of faith, comprehension, practice,
and realization.
Through spiritual travel, I have
understood what tranquility is.
This is my 166th book, and I
wanted to compile my experiences of spiritual travel into a
book. While working on this book, I could feel a surge of joy
arising within my heart. This book is indeed filled with the
thick flavour of dharma taste. I personally feel that a life
of spiritual travel is anything but empty, and it is through
spiritual travel that one finds meaning in life.
I pray that all who read this
book will receive the great liberation.
Sheng-yen Lu
17102 NE 40th CT
Redmond
WA 98052 USA
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