Opening the Mind's Eye: Clarity and Spaciousness in Buddhist Practice by Hsing Yun

Author:Hsing Yun [Yun, Hsing]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Buddha's Light Publishing
Published: 2011-06-12T14:00:00+00:00

The Supernatural in the Social Context

Most people in our society are particularly attracted to strange and unusual phenomena. The profound, wonderful and practical teachings of the Buddha do not attract similar attention by comparison. The supernatural does have great drawing power for the masses because it satisfies their curiosity. What then is the relationship between the supernatural and people’s lives?

The Supernatural Is Hope in Times of Trouble

There is a popular saying, “Every household has Amitabha. Every family has Avalokitesvara.” Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is a very popular figure of devotion among the people. How did Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva enter the lives of so many people? According to “The Universal Gate” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, when sentient beings encounter difficulties such as the seven calamities including floods, fires, violence, war, etc., Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva will protect and guide us. This Bodhisattva sometimes even points out a way for us to solve those seemingly impossible problems through our dreams. This Bodhisattva has boundless supernatural power and uses it to deliver sentient beings out of suffering and calamity. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva thus becomes the torch of hope for helpless and suffering beings.

Besides Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Goddess Mazu is also held in high esteem. Because Taiwan is an island surrounded by open sea, people have to live by the sea and endure the associated unpredictable dangers. Believed to protect people from drowning, Mazu has been revered as the seafarers’ guardian. Jigong, regarded as a living Buddha by many, has been another popular figure of worship because he frequently used supernatural power to solve problems for suffering people. Just like rain during prolonged drought, the supernatural can bring people hope in a hopeless situation. People often are transfixed by supernatural phenomena.

Speaking of “a living Buddha,” in recent times there was a Buddhist monk, Venerable Miaoshan, who was regarded by the public as “the Living Buddha of the Golden Mountain.” His life had been full of unusual, colorful, and supernatural stories. The Abbot of Golden Mountain Temple, Venerable Taicang, and he were good friends. Once a young woman contracted an unusual, intractable illness and could not swallow. Eventually she went to Golden Mountain Temple for help. Venerable Miaoshan, “the Li-ving Buddha,” asked her to open her mouth, removed some mucus, and she was miraculously cured.

On another occasion, Venerable Taicang and “the Living Buddha” were both using the community bathing facility. Venerable Taicang knew of “the Living Buddha’s” numerous stories of curing and implored, “Living Buddha, with your compassion, please cure my mother’s long-term stomach disease.” Immediately “the Living Buddha” scooped up the bath water and said, “Here, this is a bowl of the soup of prajna. Give it to your mother and she will be cured of all illness.” Venerable Taicang understandably hesitated, yet he could not openly protest. He thought to himself, “This has to be a joke. How can a person drink the used bath water from the community bathing facility?” “The Living Buddha” then said, “This is why I advise you not to come to me for illness. I have prescribed the soup of prajna, yet you treat it as used bath water.

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