Ever
since I began following Master to practice the Quan Yin Method, under
Her indiscernible edification, I have noticed some incredible changes
in my daily life and social interactions. Everything is going miraculously
smoothly. Unknowingly, I have been treating everyone friendly. I have
become more willing to share with others and feel more unrestrained
in body and mind.
One day,
I bought some fresh fruit of varied sizes and states of ripeness from
Chinatown. Usually, I would keep the best for myself, and share the
rest with other people. Each time I did that, I would feel full of
"bliss" and "love".
This time,
I changed my habit of first reserving the best fruit for myself, and
let others choose first. When the choicest fruit was all picked by
others, I was a bit upset and thought, "Why were they so discourteous?
They picked precisely the fruit that I wanted to keep for myself!"
Most probably this disheartening experience was the retribution for
my "conditional sharing" in the past!
My being
upset over the lack of understanding and inconsiderate way of others
made me think, "These few pieces of fruit costing less than a
dollar have imposed on me great attachment and bondage!" I just
couldn't figure out the reason! Finally, I got the answer in meditation:
What we cling to is not the value of the object, but our die-hard
habits accumulated through many lifetimes.
So I decided
to change this undesirable habit. On another occasion, I bought two
types of peaches and put them together, including a big red one that
I loved most. That day I was mentally prepared; even if someone took
my favorite peach, I would still be happy, because spiritual practitioners
ought to love others as themselves! Surprisingly, the last peach that
remained was the favorite one I had already "renounced"!
It was like a reward from Master.
Whatever
the reason, only when we can renounce will we be willing to give.
Only when we are willing to give will we beget. This is an essential
lesson that we have to learn in order to forsake the ego. We do not
need to worry about not being able to renounce, but should worry instead
about not knowing that we have to renounce. We should not worry about
not being able to do it, but worry instead about not wanting to do
it. Our spiritual cultivation is to practice Master's teachings. When
we can truthfully put Master's teachings into action, we are close
to Sainthood!
We rarely
notice that there are precious truths in insignificant daily-life
experiences. It's no wonder the ancient Zen masters said, "Walking,
resting, sitting, sleeping; everything is Zen."