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The Buddhist Lotus Bureau in Taidong was reconstructed from a wooden warehouse full of pillars and trestles. There was a blind man who would always come in without a guiding stick, and he never bumped into any of the surrounding pillars. Every time he went near a pillar, his body would naturally dodge away from the hindrance, which amazed me.
One day, I saw him come in, so I silently walked to his side to test his reaction. He reacted very quickly and didn’t make contact with me at all. At that point in time, I thought he could hear people’s breaths - what a sensitive hearing he had! Later on, I found out that he could memorise the entire Wonderful Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapundarika Sutra) which has seven volumes and a hundred thousand words! I even checked word by word while he was chanting the Sutra and realised that he did not miss any single word, nor did he make any mistake. Many have consulted him about the meaning of the Sutra, as well as Buddhism in general. He also mastered music and musical instruments, and his numerous talents astonished many people. He epitomises how one could preserve a clear eye in the heart.
Witnessing supernatural ability in disability
Once, I was doing follow-up visits to Gan-en Households (Tzu Chi beneficiaries) at Hualien’s Xincheng Village. There was one family with 4 or 5 children and both parents were blind. When I arrived, the door wasn’t shut, so I walked in while murmuring, “The door isn't closed, seems like someone is here.” Then I heard a reply instantly from the inside, “We’re here.” Following the voice, I found the blind woman sitting at the edge of a bed, mending clothes by hand, so I stood by her side and watched her sew. Coincidently, the thread she was sewing with had run out, so she tilted her head to one side, with the needle in one hand and the thread in the other, once, twice, and on the third try, she managed to thread the needle! This is very admirable because she used not her physical eyes, but the power of her heart and spirit. Even though she was blind, she was still able to put the thread through the tiny needle eye. This ability is the so-called supernatural power.
Speaking of supernatural powers, there’s also a story in Buddhism.
Aniruddha, Buddha’s cousin, became a monk to follow Buddha in the practice of Buddhism. Every time Buddha started to give lectures on the Sutras, Aniruddha would doze off as soon as Buddha spoke. But once the lecture had finished, he would immediately wake up. This happened repeatedly, so Buddha scolded him, “If you want to sleep so much, you might as well be a clam on the ocean floor. A clam sleeps for three thousand years each time.”
Aniruddha felt very guilty after hearing Buddha’s comment. Once he returned to the dorm, he made a vow, “I will not sleep from today onwards, and will not close my eyes until I have become enlightened.” Since then, he kept his eyes wide open every day and did not dare to sleep. When he couldn’t keep them open any longer, he propped up his eyelids with grass stems and kept them open for seven days without rest. Although Buddha came to him many times and tried to persuade him, he refused to take a rest. At last, his eyes turned red and he lost his eyesight.
The Buddha sincerely commiserated for his loss, and compassionately consoled him by saying, “Although you have lost your sight, your heart is still clear.’’ Buddha then taught him how to cultivate calmness for his return to a bright future. After a period of calm cultivation, Aniruddha gained his sights to all scenes in heaven and hell. Therefore, Aniruddha gained the title of the Buddha of “Half head with Heaven's eyes”.
A clear heart exceeds bright eyes
We need to keep our hearts rested. To “rest” means to suppress our cravings, greed and discriminating thoughts. Discriminating thoughts are easily elicited upon exposure to the external world. When we discriminate matters, conflicts and worries arise. People say, “Out of sight, out of mind.” If we do not bother to see anything, our hearts will naturally be pure and clear. When the heart is pure, we can hear clearly and not be affected by external noises. When we are not affected by external noises, wisdom will grow. When wisdom grows in us, all senses and reasons shall come to us, and thus reduce our worries and prevent us from creating bad karma.
Translated by Tzu Chi New Zealand translation team
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