by Teresa Lee of Taipei
I have practiced Mahayana Zengong since November 1991. I remember so many fond memories about the practices, remarkable stories about members and their families, etcetera. Now I want to share with you a miracle about a new life attributable to Ben Shi’s blessing. My indebtedness is beyond description and expressed by the word “Gratitude.”
It all happened in August 1996. My husband used to drive a car and seldom rode a motorcycle. To help out his good friend he bought a used motorcycle from him. On his way home from work around eleven o’clock at night he was struck by a passing car inside the Sing-Hai Tunnel. He fell down at the center divider. By the time I got to the scene of the accident, my husband was sitting on the pavement and looking a bit confused and disoriented. There were no obvious injuries except a few minor scratches on his face and the temple area. As soon as we got home, he went to bed immediately. Between one and two o’clock in the morning he started vomiting and complained of a severe headache. Somehow I got a hint that I should take him to hospital right away, which I did.
As we arrived at the hospital, my husband sank into a coma. The doctor at the emergency room examined him and diagnosed an excessive hemorrhage inside his skull and recommended an immediate operation. The pupil of his eye was already enlarged. I was told it could be too late if he was not operated on. As I signed the surgery agreement, the chief surgeon told me in a serious tone that, because of the severe bleeding inside the skull, there was no guarantee that the operation would be a success. He asked me to prepare to accept the inevitable consequence.
During the operation, which took about four hours, I sincerely prayed to Ben Shi and Avalokitesvara for a successful operation. I must admit that never in my life had I been so sincere, devoted, and concentrated in praying and calling on the Buddhas. The surgeon finally came out of the operation and gave me a briefing. My husband was in critical condition because his brain stem suffered from a swelling pressure and that the brain stem was twisted. He reiterated: “The conditions are not very optimistic. In the worst scenario, he could become a vegetable. Otherwise, he could become paralyzed with a serious handicap.” Facing a situation like this, I felt nothing else could be done, but I prayed to Ben Shi.
While staying in the Intensive Care Unit, Grand Masters and my fellow practitioners were continuously reciting the Nine-Syllable-Mantra, performing rituals, and dedicating virtue and merit for the sake of my husband’s safe recovery. Under the blessings from the group in unison, my husband miraculously gradually regained his consciousness and made progress every day. When Grand Masters visited him they performed cleansing and healing rituals. My husband woke up alert. The Grand Masters told him to recite the Nine-Syllable-Mantra all the time. He responded by folding his hands together and replied: “I know”. The Grand Masters asked him again: “Do you know what is that?” My husband answered: “Namo Ben Shi Da Zi Zai Wang Fo”. I was amazed at his response, because he always refused to recite any Buddha’s name.
After he was transferred to the regular room for recovery he mentioned to me that he saw Ben Shi in his coma. The Buddha looked like the giant statues on top of the Mt. Pa-Kua. The Buddha shone forth resplendent rays and golden rays of light from his whole body. I asked him: “How do you know HE is Namo Ben Shi Da Zi Zai Wang Fo?” He answered: “The words Namo Ben Shi Da Zi Zai Wang Fo were written on his side”.
After two more operations, my husband was finally able to walk out of the hospital on his own power. Before he was discharged the chief surgeon came to the recovery room to take pictures with him to keep on file. He proclaimed: “It is a miracle! It is a miracle indeed!” He told me a sad case had happened a few days before. A college student got involved in a traffic accident just like my husband. Unfortunately that young man did not survive the surgery.
Alas! Life is like a candle burning in a wind. Life is impermanent like a flame which can be extinguished at any moment. Sometimes, I watch my husband go to work, play ball, and he has good health like he used to. I can hardly believe that he had once been a thin hair away from death!
I would like to express deep gratitude to my fellow practitioners for their support, to Grand Masters for their unconditional blessing, healing, and empowerment, and to Ben Shi for His manifested powers of Virtue, Wisdom, and Good Fortune. These great powers help cleanse karmic forces, relinquish calamities and bad luck, grant blessings and the miracle of life to my husband. It is beyond words to express my gratitude to all of you.