Blog » Dharma Friends » Reflections on repentance » Being mindful of Buddha and bowing repentance bring abundant happiness
Being mindful of Buddha and bowing repentance bring abundant happiness 2013-01-10
By Guo Qiong Chang
English Translation By Huali Yuan
Today is the first day of the lunar New Year, I wish everyone a joyful and peaceful new year! I am very happy that many of you come to Gold Sage Monastery to do the bowing repentance. The response of being mindful of the Buddha and bowing repentance is inconceivable, and today I would like to share my personal experience with you.
Ten years ago, when I was waiting for the traffic light on my way home from work, a car bumped into my car from behind, because of the strong force of bumping, my chest hit hardly at the driving wheel and I felt a sharp pain, at that time, my only thought was: “Amitabha Buddha, I hope my rib is not broken.”Just in the split second of that thought, the bumping force drove my car to bump into a van in front of me, and this van bumped into another car in front of it; therefore, four cars were involved in the accident.
During that night, my whole chest was in pain and I thought I had to visit a doctor the next day. However, when I got up in the next morning, I did not feel any pain, so I checked again, and I could not find any trace of bruise. Ah! Thanks to the thought of Amitabha Buddha, although that thought arose a bit late, Amitabha Buddha was still very compassionate! The power of Buddhas is still inconceivable!
Around one year after the accident, my neck ached so strongly and the pain went into my brain; I could not bear it, so I went to see a doctor. The doctor asked me how I got hurt. I replied: “I did not get hurt recently, but I had an accident one year ago…” He said: “I never heard that it took so long for a car accident injure to come out! How come you did not have an immediate check-up at that time? Since it has been a very long time, your neck bone has the sign of degeneration which is difficult to be completely cured. According to your situation, the pain will come back once half a year and it will get more intense every time it come back….” After hearing what he said, I did not take it seriously since I thought the situation would not be that much serious.
Half a year later, the neck pain really came back, and it was so intense that I was on the verge of vomiting. It happened on the day when I was participating in the Emperor Liang’s Jeweled Repentance at Gold Sage Monastery. Originally, I was planning to go home; however, since the Emperor Liang’s Jewel Repentance was held only once a year, I decided to endure for a longer time, and if I really could hold on, I would go home in the afternoon. At the beginning of the first incense, the only thought I had was: “It really hurts!”Every time when I bowed down, I did not want to stand up. In this way, I tried my best to bow, slowly and single-mindedly, then without noticing, it became more and more easier for me to bow down. 80 percent of the pain was gone after the first incense, and I was very happy. With a deep faith, I continued bowing during the second incense, and it was even more wonderful this time since the pain completely disappeared shortly after the bowing. So in this way, being full of gratitude, I happily finished the entire session of Emperor Liang’s Jeweled Repentance.
After another half an year, the pain came back again, but this time it was not as intense as last time. From the experiences of bowing to the Buddha last time, this time, I single-mindedly bowed in the Buddha Hall of my house to eighty-eight Buddha and another twenty Buddha, which totals 108 bows. It was so efficacious! The pain in my neck disappeared, and since then the pain never came back again. No matter who heard about my experience, they thought it was inconceivable-
The power of Buddha is inconceivable!
Bowing repentance is inconceivable!
