Good Karma Music Stories

What spurred me to have a Buddhist society in my school was the indiscipline amongst the Chinese students. I thought that if only I can have a Buddhist society I can share with the students the many dharma lectures that I have heard from Dharma Masters at Tze Yun Tung and they would know about cause and effect and would not be so naughty. So, putting my thoughts into action, I tested the waters. My previous principal did not allow for reasons unaccepted. Maybe the causes and conditions have not mature. Then, last year a new prncipal came. I prayed to Amitabha Buddha to help me and also dedicated merits and virtue to this principal before I approached him. He is not only a firm and staunch follower of his own religion but is also an expert in his field. And guess what, he approved of it without much fuss! Thanks to the compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!Now, my society is running. Although it started off with only five students, (Five bikshus???)the number has increased. I am very happy. With the help of other Buddhist teachers, the society is meeting every Friday for an hour after school. Some of the students, from 13 – 17 years, have good roots because they can understand what is spoken and are waiting for me in the class even before I enter. They even borrowed the Earth Store Sutra home to read. One girl even asked me for a copy of the sutra because her dad wanted to read it!Last Friday, I invited five university students, who are at the moment in my school (they are from China) to join us. One of them is filled with dharma bliss. She asked me if she can come again next week. AMITABHA! I told her that she is most welcome.May Buddha dharma continue to flourish and lead us all out of the cycle of birth and death.AMITABHA

I went to Spirit Rock last weekend. I saw on the discussion board that a car pooling was being initiated. the lady who initiated it lives on East Bay and I live in the city. Figuring out that picking her up then going to SR together is more efficient (in terms of mileage driven) than we both drive and meet half way, I offered to do do that. We were joined by another man on the East Bay. I was happy that I performed the act.

I’ve written something before to download this CD for my friend in India, now I’m writing something so I can get it for my parents in Hawaii.My parents have been extremely supportive of my during my monk’s life. They’ve been getting more interested in Dhamma practice and meditation, and they just built a new house so I brought them a housewarming gift – a brand new copy of the Majjhima Nikaya. We’ve been doing readings from the teachings of the Buddha and they have a lot of faith.

Whenever my friends encounter problems in their schoolwork regardless of what subject it is, I try to help them as best as I can as I hope that I encounter problems, there would be someone to teach me and guide me through it. What goes around comes around, as they say. May everyone sincerely help others who are in trouble. Amitabha.

HOW INCONCEIVABLE IS THE POWER OF EARTH STORE BODHISATTVAMother’s Day is celebrated with flowers, gifts and treats at restaurants for most mothers. Last year, my 20 year-old son woke up very early in the morning, came to my room and wished me “Happy Mother’s Day”, with a beautifully wrapped gift, waiting anxiously for my response as I opened the box. Nestled in the box was a small and beautiful statuette of Earth Store Bodhisattva. The gift gave a poignant feeling, as my children had reminded me about filiality and gratitude to this Great Bodhisattva who had in the past displayed inconceivable power and kindness during times of grave illness. Back in 1995-1997 I was weak and tired due to my illness and constant dreams of demonic attacks. Prior to my illness I was from the Southern school but my husband who had taken refuge with Master Hua persuaded me to attend a full seven-day recitation of Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra at Tze Yun Tung temple in Salak South, Malaysia. I was reluctant as I do not understand Chinese and felt that the chanting would not be effective for someone who does not understand. My husband being undeterred by my excuses, would however send me to the gates of Tze Yun Tung everyday. Everyday I would reluctantly go and everyday without fail he would make sure I was right in front of Tze Yun Tung’s gate. Due to my karmic retribution, attending the assembly was a torture as I felt my whole body being pierced by thousands of needles. However towards dawn on the last day of the assembly I had a strange dream. As if in between my sleeping and waking states, I heard strange resonance of chanting reverberating around me. A group of monks in a rather rough-clothed kind of robes were sitting around me and chanting. I could not understand what they were chanting, it did not sound like Chinese, it wasn’t English, and the sound was strangely powerful. As the mantra-like chanting was reverberating, I broke into cold sweat and I suddenly woke up and vomited. Since that incident I was on my way to recovery. Physically I slowly became stronger and the visions of visiting demonic beings started to disappear. As weeks went by, I soon forgot about my dream until I heard the same mantra being chanted while shopping in a Buddhist bookstore. The same mantra that I heard in my dream resonated. I was flooded with excitement and wanted to know what the mantra was. Upon asking the shop assistant, he presented me with a CD and I was filled with awe because the mantra was actually the Mantra of Earth Store Bodhisattva – but it is in Sanskrit! Though I chanted Earth Store Sutra in Chinese at Tze Yun Tung temple but in my dream I heard the Earth Store Mantra in Sanskrit – how inconceivable is the power and kindness of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Amara

I prayed for a man wanting to go home that he would get there.

As a gratitude to an old mentor, I wrote a small poem to him a few weeks before he passed away this month. He was Director of the Council of Churches’ civil rights organization based in Mississippi, where we met. He remained a Presbyterian minister while I became a lay-Buddhist but our commonality connected when we began sharing ideas of our spirituality.A Next Jouney—It is okay for me to be Afraid to fear the inevitable to wander off into my past and torture myself for experiences I wish I’d had not had to wander then to deep moving moments in my lifetime that I will forever cherish all those moving experiences that have transformed me in so many minute and profound ways shaping me to who I am now.It is okay foe me to continue shaping myself even to the last moment like tiny sands of clay that molds and shapes a being inside and out from loving hands and loving minds from forgiving hands and forgiving minds.It is also okay for me to be alone and not fear how that is like to look at the stillness and be so alone that finally fear flitters away; I flip it off with a flick of my fingers in my mind letting it go disengaging saying ‘bye but saying hello when it is revisited.For life is a continuous journey after all it does not really end we travel on to seek and to fulfill To live again for compassion, wisdom and joy.It is okay.I am ttansferring merit to you, Bob, as I think of you everyday.