A TRIP TO HEAVEN

                                                 Sưu tập

         Ku Shuhchih was a Vegetarian who lived in Chiangsu of China. He never ate animal products or the unclean vegetables (garlic, onions and scallions…). But one evening he went to bed and didn’t wake up the next morning. His family was worried to death! He kept breathing and snoring, so they knew he was alive, but he just kept on sleeping and sleeping! All in all, he slept for seven whole days!

         “What happened?” They asked when he finally woke up.

         “Hey, I was having a great time! When I went to sleep, I was groggy, but I thought I heard someone calling me. I asked: “A tax collector?”

         “No, not at all, it was Dharma Master Takuang, my favorite monk. He said: “Mr. Ku, let’s go listen to some real dharma preaching. Of course I agreed, so we set out.

         We reached a huge temple. It was beautiful! You’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t find words to describe how beautiful it was. When we got there, there was already a crowd listening to a sutra. In the front room they were preaching the Diamond Sutra. In the back room they were preaching the Gratitude Sutra.

         We went to listen to the Gratitude Sutra. When the monk finished, he reminded us not to kill anything, especially to eat. On the one hand, that way you can earn merit for your parents. On the other hand, you can reduce your own bad karma.

         Also, he said that vegetarians can concentrate on spiritual matters more easily, and can stick to their principles better than people who eat meat can.

         Then Master Takuang took me to this place. It was terrible! The first thing I saw was a pool of blood!

         Then I saw a woman lying in the pool of blood, crying, and groaning. Her body was covered with snails and worms, and I think they were eating her.

         “What’s going on here?” I asked.

         Master Takuang explained: “Because you are a vegetarian and have done many good deeds, your mother in this life has been saved. But this is your mother from one of your past lives. She used to love to eat ducks. This is what she got for that. You can save her, too. Recite the Great Mercy Mantra and the Pure Land Mantra, and she will be released from this suffering.

         And the Master Takuang brought me back. I had no idea I was gone so long! Ku got to work on the Great Mercy Mantra of Kuan-Yin Bodhisattva and the Pure Land Mantra of Amitabha.

         If you would like to learn for you, or if you can’t find anyone to teach you, you can just recite Kuan-Yin Bodhisattva or Amitabha. That’s just as good.

         And if you can be a pure vegetarian like Ku, that’s even better.