Assignment 3, Jin Shan Shi

A Dream That I Won't Ever Forget!

In 1996, a month after I took Refuge and and the Five Precepts with DRBA Sangha Group, I had a dream. Even until today, it is still vivid. I was visiting a monastery, and Dharma Master Hua appeared in front of me. He smiled at me, and told me: “There is a Dharma assembly. You hurry up, and go to listen to the Dharma talk.” I looked at him and then woke up.

It is strange to me because Venerable Master already entered Nivarna in 1995. I only saw him three times when he traveled to the Washington, DC area to propagate the Buddha Dharma. He would not know me. So I set the dream aside in my mind.

The following Sunday, I went to Avatamsaka Hemitage (currently the Avatamsaka Vihara). After lunch, several of us gathered around the kitchen table to chat. The Dharma Master there came in and stood among us. When we stopped talking, she said to me: “You would be very happy after you hear this news.” I was puzzled because I had recently joined the assembly. I looked at her and responded: “Me?” She said: “Yes, you!” The Dharma Master told me that she had a dream two days ago. She said: “It was during the break of a Dharma assembly and many people were outside of the Buddha Hall. I heard the Venerable Master say to a person: 'Go over there to ask the two lay-people come to listen to the Dharma Talk.’ I was surprised because the Venerable Master seldom says things like that to lay-people. Out of my curiosity, I turned my head to see who these two people were, and, one of them was you!” I was astonished. I recalled the dream I had four days before. The Venerable Master wanted to deliver this instruction to me! He knew that I didn’t pay attention to it, so he let the manager in the temple have a similar dream. It convinced me that it was not mere a dream. It was an instructional teaching from Venerable Master.

This dream had a significant impact to draw me became a Buddhist.

Following is a Video I download from YouTube about Venerable Master spoke about Weituo Bodhisattva.

He said that Weituo Bodhisattva will protect those people who behave properly, kind, selfless and maintain noble thoughts. If one bow to him every day, but does not observe the rules, commit killing, arson, rapes and wanders onto deviant paths, he won’t protect this person.

Venerable Master taught us to be a kind, selfless person, and to follow the six principles. These are valuable teaches to lead us on the Bodhi Path.