【Description】
Do you hold grudges against those who’ve hurt you? If someone once hurt your family but is now pleading for your help, would you lend a hand? How should we deal with our foes?
In this short film, Grandmaster JinBodhi tells a true story about a small grudge that his ancestors held. From this story, we will learn the best way to deal with conflict, realize the true impact of karma and see the power of compassion.
【You will learn】
- The best way to resolve negative karma
- Specific ways to resolve negative karma
【Featured aphorisms】
- When no one in this world curses or hates you, you will live an auspicious life.
- Face all things with compassion, and the results will be auspicious.
- Offer a light of compassion and wisdom for your enemy to help them eliminate disasters and attract good luck and longevity.
【Content】
About 20 years ago, I met someone who suffered from encephalitis. I remember she wasn’t even 10 yet. Several hospitals refused to treat her. They told her parents to arrange for her funeral.
One day, her father came to me. I was his last resort, because he had hurt my parents. He had falsely accused my father, and my father was denounced and beaten. Our families actively avoided each other. We were foes. My father hated him. I knew about their situation. When he came to me, I didn’t hesitate to help. From the righteous point of view, I would help him if I had the ability to.
His daughter had been in a coma for many days. When I met her, the room reeked of death. It didn’t smell like the room of a normal human. After I treated her for about 30 minutes, she woke up. She wanted to eat and drink and use the toilet. She woke up and recovered from then on.
After she recovered, 7 days later, her grandfather got possessed by spirits. He was like a person who had lost his mind, and sounded like a woman when he spoke. The words were from a dead woman. This tormented him for 3 days. He slept without awareness during daytime. At night, he would act up as soon as it was dark, usually after 9pm. His family had no choice but to come to me again.
I hadn’t left that place yet; hence, I agreed to help. He was acting up again. I communicated with the female spirit: “Why are you tormenting this old man?” “I was wronged!” “How were you wronged?”
“I am a spirit from a past dynasty. I have been in hell for 100 years. I was killed by the county magistrate because of his corruption. I cannot be at peace, they arrested the wrong person. They beheaded the wrong person! But the king of hell told me that another innocent person also died because of me. So they punished me, beating me every day. I can never be at peace.”
“Today, when the jailor was sleeping, I found the key and opened the door. This path was brightly lit, so I came here. When I came here, I didn’t know it was this man’s body. I jumped directly into his body without knowing how or why. That was my first time. The second time I jumped, the same thing happened.” This is weird.
There are Buddha statues in hell too. She said she prostrated to the statue and then fell asleep. When she fell asleep, the Earth Store Bodhisattva appeared in her dreams and told her to find this old man, for she would find illumination there. “What illumination?” “Great illumination.” She asked, “But what is this great illumination?” “To find liberation, you must meet him.” I told her that I practice The Meditation of Greater Illumination. She asked if I could save her. I said I didn’t know.
I said I understood how she felt, and asked her to stop talking. “I hope you won’t come find the old man anymore.” I then used great illumination to bless the old man. I placed my hand on his head, and visualized projecting great illumination into him. I prayed for the poor female spirit who was wrongfully killed to receive guidance from Medicine Buddha, to get protection from the Earth Store Bodhisattva, and to ascend into Heaven. About 5 minutes later, the old man no longer looked possessed. He was sound asleep in bed.
When I returned home that day, I meditated. I had a dream that night. I dreamed of Guanyin Bodhisattva telling me that the spirit had committed countless grave crimes. The female spirit who came to me seeking liberation had, in her countless past lives, harmed many people. And in lifetimes after, those who were harmed by her came back to kill her. This happened across countless lifetimes. The Bodhisattva told me it was my first encounter with this spirit, but that they had seen her many times and she had remained the same.
“You and she were fated to meet; hence, you have to help her. Your blessing of great illumination helped her tremendously.” I told the Bodhisattva that I hoped to lead her to the Pure Lands. The Bodhisattva replied, “You can’t.” Why? The Bodhisattva said she’d taken countless lives. The death she underwent 100 years previous was an act of revenge, done by someone she had killed. There will be many more. The cycle has to continue.”
“She will be reincarnated again and again. When she reincarnates, she will be killed again. And the cycle continues. Whether she is reborn a man or a woman, even after having a child, this suffering could still happen; this is how the debt will be paid. It will continue at least 10,000 times more.” Listening to this frightened me. I was jolted awake.
I had the same dream the next day. I said to the Bodhisattva, “There seems to be a lot of coincidences. This old man’s granddaughter almost lost her life from encephalitis; I saved her. Sparing her life was like asking for a favor from the king of hell. Then, this spirit possessed her grandfather. What type of karmic connection is this? Are they somehow related?”
Guan Yin told me that this little girl was the mastermind behind the initial killing. She was the first to have a murderous intent. It was a robbery where the victim struggled to escape; the little girl killed the victim back then. These people kept meeting in endless conflicts. She was the first to kill someone. Hence, time and again, she needs to be killed.
She also harmed her grandfather. Throughout this process, she harmed herself and others around her. It repeats endlessly. In this lifetime, they share a granddaughter-grandfather relationship. Before this, they were once father-daughter and mother-son. They got killed too. They’ve killed each other in past lives, suffering much negative karma. But, the debt has not been completely repaid yet. They have to endure an eternity of suffering.
In order to resolve this, I did a lot of work. I chanted for them for 3 days, and offered 49 lights for many days. Of course, the female spirit no longer visits the old man. The child has recovered as well. The old man passed away 20 years ago. This child is in a healthy condition now. But, if I didn’t help the spirit resolve this issue, offer lights, chant for it, and help eliminate misfortunes, this child could not have lived more than another 7 years.
She will still face countless challenges, including losing her life in a variety of ways. It will not be a normal death. Doctors can tell you that she died from a certain disease. But in reality, she got killed. The sickness I helped her recover from was created by the female spirit. The girl did not die, I stopped it from happening. Then, the spirit possessed someone else; she came to me this way and asked me to help her.
The best news is that this female spirit is no longer in hell. But she did not reach the Western Pure Land. She is in a kingdom just above hell, due to her immense negative karma. If she did not bear such massive negative karma, but were an ordinary person, she should have reached the Pure Lands when I chanted for her.
It sounds complicated, right? The grandfather and granddaughter initiated the killing, so they will suffer endless lifetimes. For instance, when they are children, their parents will have to witness their death. Their parents will then die after seeing their children die. They will experience various sufferings and killings. They will undergo countless lifetimes of incidents such as losing a child. Their family won’t be an auspicious household. But, they have become more auspicious ever since I helped them.
This is a real story, one where I helped the guy who once harmed my parents. Hence, we need to have a compassionate heart. Compassion can resolve anything. Please remember to use compassion in dealing with everything. The outcome will surely be auspicious. (Yes, thank you, Master.)
Ok. Since then, every year during the Qingming Festival and the Ullambana Festival, in my mind, as well as in my actions, I will offer many lights, not for my ancestors or common karmic creditors, but for my enemies from countless lives. I hope that their negative karma will be resolved. I hope to eliminate their sorrow and hatred as well as my past frustrations toward them. I want them to gain happiness and liberation. For those who are no longer in the human realm, I hope that they reach the Pure Land and enjoy eternal life. I do this every year.
I also hope that all fellow Bodhi practitioners pray to Buddha to bless your families, and your enemies as well. Offer a compassionate light of wisdom to eliminate their misfortunes. (Got it.) Gain auspiciousness and longevity. (Got it.) In this world, if no one curses or hates you, you will surely gain auspiciousness. (Got it.) Most importantly, you will be able to build lasting positive connections in the future. This allows our current and future lifetimes as well as our blood-bound kids and grandkids to stay healthy, successful, safe and auspicious. (Got it.)
(From Grandmaster JinBodhi’s personal experience, we’ve learned how scary the law of causality is. Also, we got to more fully experience the power of compassion. Even in dealing with people who have hurt us, we have to keep a compassionate and tolerant heart to help resolve the negative relationship. These negative relationships may precisely be the voyage toward the path of enlightenment; they may be our guidance in attaining enlightenment.)