Today
is the eight day of the first lunar month, which is the day the Chinese
worships the Year God. According to the Chinese culture, this is the Year of
Rat, with those born in the years of Horse and Rat predictably facing ill fate
for the rest of the year. Those born in the years of rabbit, hen and goat will
also face ill fate for the rest of the year but probably not as severe as the
first group mentioned. Acho Rinpoche arranged a special session for these two
groups of practitioners including their family members to pay respect to the
Year of God for blessing and elimination of ill fate.
Acho
Rinpoche also did a special prayer for the 2019-nCov. Dharma Sister Chan shared
with the group a weird dream she had recently. She dreamt of a huge group of
bats attacking human recently, causing deaths. But she did not take this dream
seriously and forgot about it soon after. She was now reminded of the dream because of the news reporting on the origin of 2019-nCov virus traced to bats.
Acho
Rinpoche told us that the first infection was traced to a seafood market
selling wild animals for food. Those eating raw meats from the wild animals are
even more prone to infection. Such is the collective karma of the human beings.
He stressed again that a practitioner must observe strictly the Five Precepts
(no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no excessive drinking of
alcohol and no lying). Particularly, a practitioner must abstain from killing.
We are unlikely to kill a human but we
could easily commit the killing of animals. A practitioner must not kill any
live animal for food. Sakyamuni Buddha only allowed his students to eat three
types of “clean” meats: an animal is not killed because of me; the killing is
not witnessed by me; and the killing is not heard by me. We may eat such meats
under the said circumstances, if given no better choice. He encouraged us to
eat vegetarian food if possible. Those killing the animals with cruelty will
commit even greater negative karma.
Next,
Acho Rinpoche led us in the recitation of a special sutra expounded by
Sakyamuni Buddha on the prevention of epidemic and the names of the Buddha. We
dedicated the merits to 2019-nCov, praying for the speedy recovery of those falling ill and that the epidemic may end soon.
Sakyamuni
Buddha explained to Ananda when the latter asked him about serious epidemics
causing deaths. The Buddha explained to Ananda that the cause of such epidemics
came from seven evil ghosts and their poisonous breath causing such deaths.
However, if we know the names of these seven evil ghosts and read their names
aloud, the Buddha will transform into Guhyapada and subdue the evils. The habit
of eating meats by human beings will develop a propensity that could be one of
the reasons leading us to fall into the Three Lower Realms in future more
easily . We should pray to our Root Guru and the Buddhas for blessing and
protection, and follow the method taught by the Buddha for treatment of such
illness.
Later,
Acho Rinpoche shared two stories with us. During the time of Sakyamuni Buddha,
there was a natural disaster that occurred which affected the food supply. The
people were too poor to afford any meals. The monks who went around for alms
could not get any food and even the Buddha himself did not have food for three
days. Finally, one of his students sold his monk robe for food and offered it
to the Buddha. Buddha rejected this offering and told his student that the monk
robe is too important to be sold away or discarded. Only the parents could
accept such offering of meal because the parents are even more important to the
student than the Buddha. The moral of the story tells us that that our parents
are even more valuable to us than the Buddha, and that we ought to be filial to
them.
Another
story goes like this. In ancient India, one day, blood rain fell from the sky.
A prophet told the king that it was a bad omen foretelling a devil being born
into this world. The king decreed that any baby born with blood stain on his
body and mouth must be arrested and locked in jail. Indeed, the devil grew up
eating human beings daily. The king fed him with prisoners. The devil would
exhale his breath on a prisoner and kill him, before eating the dead person. In
total, the devil ate 72,000 people in his life.
One
day, Buddha asked Bodhisattva Maitreya to salvage the devil and he came before
the devil. The devil did the same trick on him by exhaling poisonous breath
towards Maitreya twice, in vain. The devil was completely awed by the sublime
look of Maitreya and suddenly thought to himself, “I did not expect to meet a
person who is so accomplished in his spiritual practice in this world!” As a
result of this kind thought that dawned on him, the devil immediately died and
was reborn into heaven. He was reborn into heavenly realm for six times
repeatedly, over an inconceivably long period of time and endowed with all the
sensory pleasures enjoyed by beings in such a realm.
Finally,
his life in the heavenly realm ended and he was reborn into this human world.
He became a Pratyeka Buddah in this life endowed with a golden-colored body.
One day, while he was meditating beneath a bodhi-tree, his body emitted golden
light. An army of 72,000 soldiers saw a huge golden rock lying underneath a
tree and wielded their knives on the golden rock, taking a piece of gold home
each. This Pratyeka Buddah willingly accepted his fate and paid his debt
because the 72,000 soldiers were just the people whom he ate during that
lifetime when he was the devil.
Acho
Rinpoche told us that a Bodhisattva fears the cause but an ordinary being fears
the effect. Those who attended the group prayer today, anyone who rejoiced at
the merit generated by the group prayer would have certainly planted a seed
that will bear the fruits of goodness in future. Finally, Acho Rinpoche led us
in the recitation of the names of the Buddha and the “Acho Rinpoche’s Long Life
Prayer”. We dedicated the merits to the 2019-nCov, praying for the speedy
recovery of those fallen ill and the end of the virus outbreak soon.
Reported
by Sun-Moon KFS on 1-2-2002
Annex
A：《佛说秘瘟经》
Treatment
of Epidemics, as advised by Sakyamuni Buddha
At
a time, while Sakyamuni Buddha was surrounded by his entourage at an assembly
in Śrāvastī, Ananda knelt before the Buddha and asked, “Buddha, when the world
is faced with a wide-spread epidemic that burnt like fire which kills many, how
could the people in this world protect themselves from such epidemic?”
Sakyamuni
Buddha said, “Listen carefully. I will explain this to you. Such epidemic is
caused by seven evil ghosts, who exhale poisonous breath harming the people.
When a person is infected, he will suffer from headache, cold and fever, joints
pain, and unspeakable sufferings. If there is any good man or woman who knows
the name of the seven evil ghosts, they will be spared of such agony. Recite
the following mantra:
Namo
Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya. Namo Seven Buddhas in the past. Namo
Buddhas in the ten directions. Namo Bodhisattvas. Namo all sentient beings who
hear my name – Guhyapada (金刚密迹).
Man-tuo-lo Gui (漫多罗鬼), A-qie-shi Gui (阿伽尸鬼),
Ni-qie-shi Gui (尼伽尸鬼), A-qie-ye Gui (阿伽耶鬼),
Po-luo-li Gui (波罗利鬼), Po-luo-ni Gui (波罗尼鬼),
A-pi-luo Gui (阿毘罗鬼). Om. Wu Lun Ni. Po Cha. Svaha (唵。乌轮尼。泼咤。娑诃。)
Sakaymuni
Buddha told Ananda, “Thus, any good man or woman who knows the names of the
seven evil ghosts will be shunned by these ghosts. These ghosts will not dare
harm such people. People or object contaminated by such poisonous breath will
be cleared of the contamination. Those protected by Guhyapada will be safe
and will be free of troubles.
When
Sakyamuni Buddha finished expounding this sutra, the assembly comprising the
eight heaven and dragon families and all those present accepted the teachings
with great joy.
