Master's Wonders
Wonders during the Formosa Earthquake
Combined reports by the Taichung & Nantou Center News Groups

Sincere Believers are Saved

It was early morning on September 21, 1999. Brother Chen, sensing an earthquake, put on his slippers and dashed to the door of his house. In no less than two seconds after he was out of the door, he heard a loud boom behind him as the house collapsed. Except for being covered by a layer of ashes, he was not affected.

Another brother initiate didn't wake up until the quake had happened. Although his house had fallen apart, he was safe and well. Later, he discovered that the ceiling above his bed had not fallen on him because a single brick was supporting it. After he escaped through the cracks in what was left of his house, all he could see were ruins of the surrounding buildings. He believes that Master saved his life.

An initiated couple and their two children were unable to escape before their house collapsed. Nevertheless, each one crawled out of the debris to safety.

A petite sister initiate lived on the 14th floor of a towering apartment building. During the earthquake, the tower tilted and the floors collapsed, causing the fourth floor to become the ground floor. Trapped in her bedroom, she was unable to open the door. At this life and death moment, she prayed to Master for help. The door instantly opened and she was able to run out of the building. Later, she successfully rescued a family of six that lived on another floor of the building.

In the Tung-Shih and Rockhill areas, located close to the epicenter of the earthquake, the houses of some initiates collapsed, but they all felt Master's care taking them through the disaster intact. When the earthquake struck, one initiate heard Master's voice urging him to, "Get up! Quickly!" Another initiate ran barefooted on smashed glass without being hurt. Other fellow initiates and their families happened to have just left areas that later were struck by the earthquake.

Not only were initiates taken care of by Master, but so too were their relatives and friends. One of these was a 70 year-old teacher of a brother initiate, who, although he had not become a vegetarian, sincerely believed in Master. He had never met Master but had seen Her paintings and photos. When the earthquake struck, he was not at all frightened. While his neighbors' furniture was smashed, his belongings remained intact; the electric power to other houses was cut off and the whole area was in darkness, but in his house, it was as bright as a sunny day. It seemed that he had entered another dimension.

Sister Hsieh's parents, both in their seventies, live in Rockhill in a house that is very old. Sister Hsieh worried that her parents' house could not withstand the devastating earthquake and she feared they might be buried in the ruins. Later, she was informed that their house had cracked apart but her parents were fine. The first words her mother said to her on the telephone were: "It must be your Master who has protected us! In the last few months, I have been repeatedly listening to Her Buddha chanting tape. How fortunate I am! Your father and I were sleeping in bed when the cabinet and everything on it fell on the bed, but we don't have any injuries. Many thanks to your Master!"

A Miraculous Photo

At the time of the earthquake, Sister Wu was operating a vegetarian restaurant in Puli. Remaining alone overnight in the restaurant, she was awakened from her dreams by the shattering tremors of the earthquake. She felt the sky swaying and the earth trembling, and found herself in complete darkness. Hearing the rumbles of the crumbling buildings, she was stunned and didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, she saw a photograph of Master flying through the air, immediately, she called out Master's name and began to chase the photo. She raced from the third floor to the second, where finally she was able to catch the elusive photo. Holding it to her breast, she began to search for a way to the ground floor. Just as she was about to step onto the stairs, the faint emergency light illuminated a shattered stairwell. At that point, she thought her life was about to end. The room was dark; broken tables and chairs lay in the corners; shattered glasses and plates were everywhere; her exquisite pendant lamp was swaying in the air. Seeing that she had no way out, she leaned against the wall to avoid being hurt by falling pieces and recited the Holy Names, hoping that her death would not be too ugly.

While reciting the Holy Names, she suddenly realized: "If I'm destined to die, why did Master's photo bother to lead me through the darkness to the second floor?" She immediately pushed aside the swaying furniture and managed to get to the second floor window. At that very moment, a fire engine arrived on the scene and subsequently, the firemen rescued her from the crumbling building. After she had jumped onto the fire engine from the second floor and reached the safety of the ground, she almost collapsed. The only remnant of thought left in her mind was that Master had saved her. Master was the Guide who had led her through the darkness to safety.

My Home Became a Shelter for Victims

Sister Jiang lives in the suburbs of Richland. Her family operates a factory that makes plastic products. She is the only initiate in her family and, although her family members do not identify with her spiritual practice, a happy smile is always on her face. Many times, she has been seen volunteering to work at Master's bookstall. Her favorite saying is: "Everything is given by Master. My only wish is to be one of Her good vehicle."

Last year, sister Jiang purchased a motorcycle from a nearby dealer. Mrs. Hwang, the dealer's wife, was attracted by sister Jiang's easy manner and smile of contentment. She was fond of talking with sister Jiang, who introduced Master's teachings to her and brought her books and magazines of Master's teachings. Both Mrs. Hwang and her husband became vegetarians, and from that time on, whenever they saw meat, they felt uneasy. Several times, Mrs. Hwang planned to be initiated, but had missed the chance because of some mundane reasons.

After the early morning earthquake of September 21, 1999, the most severely damaged spot along Fontsing Road was a mere two hundred meters from sister Jiang's house. When she looked around, she was shocked: buildings were leveled; families were ruined; twisted roads rose above the ground to a height of a two-story building. On the 60-meter wide Fontsing Road, not one inch remained that could be walked upon. The water supply and electric power were cut off. People were frightened in the chilly darkness.

In striking contrast, at Sister Jiang's house, water and electricity flowed as usual; her house stood firm and secure. As many people began to seek refuge at her house, she took out all her warm clothes to offer them. Stepping into her house, many people exclaimed: "Inside your house is heaven; outside is hell." Later, when fellow initiates visited sister Jiang's home, they were surprised to find that her house had become a shelter for the quake victims. Sister Jiang believes that Master saved her house as a piece of "Pure Land" so that the victims could have a bathroom to use, a spot to pitch their tents, and some pure water to drink.

Soon after the earthquake, sister Jiang received a call from Mrs. Hwang, who told her that when the quake began, together she and her husband had prayed to Master for help, then they led their three children, aged seven, five and three years, downstairs through a broken stairwell, crawling out to safety through a hole that was formed when a metal door had been crushed and twisted. Mrs. Hwang expressed her gratitude for these arrangements that seemed to have been made especially in order for her family to escape. Even though her house lay in ruins, she decided to be initiated as soon as her family was resettled. As usual, we always see sister Jiang at group mediation. Recently, when we asked her about the reconstruction of her earthquake-stricken area, she told us that the roads were open again, but some people were still living in the tents that had been set up in her yard. She then repeated her pet saying: "Everything is given by Master; everything is arranged by God!"