Anyone who contacts others for offerings, or any benefit, has to share that person’s karma. And you never know what the followers are doing at home, or in their heart what do they think, or how much bad karma they have in this lifetime or from the last lifetime that continues to flow over. All that you have to remember and bear it. So, if you are monks, nuns or priests, you have to truly, truly, every day humbly thank God, thank the Buddhas for helping you, for forgiving you, for supporting you with Their Power. Otherwise, a human alone cannot digest all that.
In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), there was a story told to me by my teacher nun when she was a refugee in Germany. I worked in one refugee camp in ALAC (Advice and Legal Aid Center), and there was one family, a Buddhist family, of four – two monks and two nuns. The husband and the son were monks, and the daughter and the mother were nuns, as the mother nun told me. They are the ones who witnessed my vow in front of them. They told me whatever I wished, if the incense never curves, rounds down, or falls down, the incense ash doesn’t fall, then my wish will come true. My wish was real and sincere. All the incense stood up – all burned, but none of the ash fell down. That’s why after I went to the Himalayas and came back, I wanted to repay her kindness, because she taught me something about Buddhas, Buddhists, and encouraged my faith more in Buddhism.
At that time, I had the Buddhist faith as well as Christian, so I wore a cross in front of my chest. One of the Caritas workers gave it to me, so I wore it. The Buddhist nuns didn’t like that I wore the cross. They would like that I wear the Buddha’s statue instead. They would like to drag me into Buddhism instead of Christianity. I’m telling you, it’s difficult in this world to follow one faith, because others would like to drag you into their other faith, because they think Buddhism is better, and the other one thinks Christianity is better, etc. They could fight forever, verbally at least. But in my family, my father is Christian, my grandma and mother are Buddhists, so what am I to do? I was born and raised up in both traditions.
And my vow at that time, in front of my four monastic reverends, was that I think my life… I said to the Buddhas in Heaven, “My life is not too bad as a human. I know a human’s life is bad, but mine is not too bad. So please, if I have any merit, please transfer it to the worst, the worst souls possible, but don’t let me know it.” And that’s how all the incense stood up. And at that time, I did not tell the monks and the nuns, but I think I can tell now. I did, and why not? Just one moment, I’ll ask whether or not it was wrong to tell. No, it’s already happening.
I’m already very old and for many decades I’ve already been doing that, so I never know if I’ll die tomorrow, working so hard and running a lot, so never mind. Otherwise, you would have it in your mind all the time. “What did She say? What did She vow? Why did the incense stand all straight and nothing from their ashes fell down like that? What did She say?” And it will make your mind too busy.
So, that really happened in my life. Since then, it has happened all the time. But it did happen already before without me knowing it. Just like I was already born a Buddha, but I was not allowed to know when I became older. I had to go and get it back again. And after I knew it, I didn’t dare to say anything anymore because I can see that all the Masters tell people that they are Masters from God and the Buddha and all that, and They all get very terrible lives, and not many people believe Them anyway.
Even just to be a normal Master, even Supreme Master, I already got beaten everywhere, not to talk about being Maitreya Buddha or Christ, the One and Only for this period of time that could help the world. Of course, people would not believe it. If they look at me, they say, “What? She’s just a small woman. How can She be a Buddha? A woman cannot be a Buddha.” What if I am already a Buddha? Thus, I can do many things. I can become a woman or man according to what benefits humans the most. So even if you don’t believe that I’m a Buddha, please don’t say anything bad about me. Otherwise, I cannot help you. I’m not trying to threaten you. I swear to God, to the Buddhas, that I told you the truth. Or I will be punished, like I will lose my existence forever. What else do I want to tell you? One moment, I’ll think about it.
Oh, yes, I forgot that I wanted to talk about the Lotus Sutra in which Manjushri told a questioner that He went to the Ocean Kingdom, and one of the spirits, a water spirit, a dragon’s daughter, daughter of the Dragon King – mostly the King Dragon ruled the water. So, a dragon’s daughter has attained enlightenment. She’s an Arhat worthy of worship. She was only eight years old. After all the others doubted Her, She proved it.
But these people, the ones who questioned Her and questioned Manjushri, they’re also on a higher level already, not as high as Arhat or Buddha, but they’re probably on one without return, never have to come back to human life again if they don’t want to. They are high already. So, when She proved it, they could see Her when She manifested Herself in other countries, other areas, other Realms and revealed Her own identity as a very enlightened Being, teaching other beings, teaching sentient beings in faraway, faraway lands.
Manjushri said: “There is the daughter of the Dragon King Sāgara Who is only eight years old. She is wise; Her faculties are sharp; and She also well knows all the faculties and deeds of sentient beings. She has attained the power of recollection. She preserves all the profound secret treasures taught by the Buddhas, enters deep meditation, and is well-capable of discerning all Dharmas. She instantly produced the thought of Bodhi (enlightenment) and attained the stage of non-retrogression. She has unhindered eloquence and thinks of sentient beings with as much compassion as if they were Her own children. Her virtues are perfect. Her thoughts and explanations are subtle and extensive, merciful, and compassionate. She has a harmonious mind and has attained Bodhi (enlightenment).”
The Bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa said: “I see the Tathāgata Shakyamuni Who has been incessantly carrying out difficult and severe practices for immeasurable kalpas (eons), accumulating merit and virtue while seeking the Bodhi (enlightenment) path. Looking into the great manifold cosmos, there is not a single place even the size of a mustard seed where this Bodhisattva has not abandoned His life for the sake of sentient beings. He attained complete enlightenment only after this. It is hard to believe that this Dragon Girl will instantly attain complete enlightenment.”
Before He had finished speaking, the daughter of the Dragon King suddenly appeared in Their presence. Prostrating respectfully to the Buddha, She withdrew to one side and spoke these verses in praise: “The Buddha is deeply versed In the characteristics of good and evil, And He completely illuminates the ten directions. His subtle and pure Dharma body Is endowed with the thirty-two marks; With the eighty good characteristics Is His Dharma body adorned. He is adored by devas and humans, And honored by dragons. There is no sentient being Who does not pay Him homage. Moreover, that I will attain enlightenment Upon hearing Him Can only be known by a Buddha. I will reveal the teaching of the Mahāyāna And save suffering sentient beings.”
At that time Śāriputra spoke to the Dragon Girl, saying: “You say that You will soon attain the Highest Path. This is difficult to believe. Why is this? The female body is polluted; it is not a fit vessel for the Dharma. How can You attain Highest Enlightenment? The Buddha Path is long. One can only attain it after diligently carrying out severe practices, and completely practicing the perfections over immeasurable kalpas (eons). Moreover, the female body has five obstructions. The first is the inability to become a great Brahma. The second is the inability to become Śakra. The third is the inability to become Māra, and the fourth is the inability to become a King of Dharma Turning Wheel (Cakravartin). The fifth is the inability to become a Buddha. How can You with Your female body quickly become a Buddha?”
Then the Dragon Girl presented to the Buddha a precious jewel worth the great manifold cosmos, and the Buddha accepted it. The Dragon Girl spoke to Bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa and the noble Śāriputra, saying: “I offered a precious jewel and the Bhagavat accepted it. Was that done quickly or not?” They answered, saying: “It was done extremely quickly!” The Dragon Girl said: “Through your transcendent powers, watch me become a Buddha even more quickly than that.” Then the assembly there all saw the Dragon Girl instantly transform into a male form, perfect the Bodhisattva practices, go to the Vimalā (Pure) Land in the South, sit on a jeweled lotus flower, and attain Highest, Complete Enlightenment, become endowed with the thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics, and expound the True Dharma universally for the sake of all sentient beings in the ten directions.
Then the Bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, eight kinds of devas, dragons, and so on, humans and nonhumans of the Sahā (mundane) world, all saw in the distance that the Dragon Girl had become a Buddha and was universally teaching the Dharma for the sake of the humans and devas in that assembly. They rejoiced greatly and honored Her from afar. On hearing the Dharma, incalculable numbers of sentient beings became enlightened and attained the stage of non-retrogression. Incalculable numbers of sentient beings received predictions of their future Buddhahood. The Vimalā (Pure) Land shook in six ways. In the Sahā (mundane) world, there were three thousand sentient beings who desired to become enlightened and received predictions of their eventual attainment of Buddhahood. The Bodhisattva Prajñākūṭa, Śāriputra, and the entire assembly accepted and believed this in silence. ~ The Lotus Sutra, Chapter 12
So, they bowed, or they paid respect to Her from afar and believed Her. Even Manjushri told them they didn’t believe it, because She’s a woman. “How can She become enlightened and Arhat if She’s a woman?” Even Manjushri told them they did not believe Manjushri. Can you believe that? Manjushri Bodhisattva was the number one Wisdom Arhat in Buddha’s circle at that time.
But some monks and nuns can see the future. They can see me as well. That’s why when I came back after the Himalayas, I repaid her kindness by transferring this Quan Yin Method to her and the daughter, only the two of them. And they believed me very much and still call me Master nowadays when I offered something to pay for their temple. They said, “Thank Master” and all that. I was not there. I just sent people to offer it. I offered to some temples, but I don’t want to say how many and where.
And when we first met, she also taught me things, at least she gave me one sutra. In Germany, at that time, I didn’t know where to get some sutras, so she gave me one. I remember that, whatever I read, it was before, a long time ago, in Âu Lạc (Vietnam). In Germany, you can’t find an Aulacese (Vietnamese) Buddhist sutra – very difficult. And she believed in me very much, still does, and she did tell me what she knew about Buddhism at that time. At that time, I was still running around the planet and didn’t go to find enlightenment anywhere yet.
But those who said that I took refuge – but she’s very humble – she didn’t accept me as her follower or disciple, because you take refuge in a monk or a nun, and then you make an offering to them and all that. She did not accept that. She took me to the other monk who has a temple. She didn’t have any temple and she thought she’s a woman, and she’s not fully a bhikkhunī. She didn’t take 250 precepts at that time to become a real bhikkhunī, meaning not a full nun. So, she took me to fully equipped, full monks to take refuge in, and it was nothing really. They just maybe take your red envelope with some offering money in it and they just tell you, “OK, now you are the disciple of Buddha, Sangha and the Dharma.” That’s it.
And they taught me nothing. The so-called two monks, big monks with temples, they didn’t teach me anything at all, not more than the nun that taught me or gave me a sutra even. And then, when I went to learn somewhere else, they blamed me for being a heretic or whatever. They didn’t teach me anything. They should have taught me how not to be a heretic then, if I am a heretic.
But never mind, humans. Monks, nuns, they are humans also. They are not Saints yet. That’s why. Buddhas are different. Buddha was born as a human, but He wasn’t a human. He said He had been a Buddha since forever already, just this time He came back after the full circle of work, service in the human world. That’s what it is. So this was the last time. He went the full circle already from Buddha to become a Buddha again. That’s it. But He has been Buddha since forever before. Eons, eons, countless of periods of many Earths, many Heavens, destroyed, rebuilt – He’s been Buddha a long time already. So long you can never count. That’s called many, many eons of time. The same with Maitreya Buddha and many other Buddhas. It is possible for a human to become a Buddha, of course, also.
Photo Caption: Withering to Protect the Next Spring-Lives!
