"Being a guard of the dharma" means guarding the true teaching, loyally protecting Master, following Master's instructions, and meditating at least four hours a day. Also, while on duty, you have to maintain concentration, as well as be attentive and patient at all times. There is also another very important point, that is, if no one comes to take over your shift, even if you are very tired and in hardship, you should never leave the post unattended. This is the ideal and spirit of a dharma guard.
By fellow Initiate Zeng, Taipei, Formosa
When I put on the guard's vest that signifies incomparable honor, my heart is filled with waves of bliss. Once I was standing guard at the bamboo grove and suddenly saw Master riding Her cute golf cart in my direction. I was so delighted! Immediately, I put my palms together to greet Master. She raised Her head and looked at me with Her eyes filled with infinite love, peace and tenderness. I felt so intoxicated! This brief instant became eternity. I will never forget the love that Master gave me.
Through working cooperatively with the guards, I have learned the precious lesson of how to take care of large groups of people. This has enabled me to grow quickly in my spiritual practice. From the fellow initiates' grateful feelings toward the guards for their devotion, in my heart, besides fully realizing that it is all due to Master's love, the feeling of humility has also grown in me. In addition, after my task is completed, I am often very surprised at my ability to endure. If it were not for Master's invisible blessing power, how could I be able to work on other tasks with such enthusiasm right after performing the task of standing guard!
Thinking that, in this lifetime, I have the honor of taking part in this kind of service, I feel it is the greatest gift from Master.
By Fellow Initiate Chen, Taipei, Formosa
During the New Year, it just so happened that I was on duty as a guard at Hsihu Center; thus, I set off from home before dawn. When our car pulled off the highway for a rest, suddenly, my wife, also an initiate, said, "Why did you put on jogging shoes! Isn't it true that the guards should always pay attention to the tidiness of their dress to demonstrate their majestic dignity and stately spirit?" Because I had not put enough effort into my meditation, I could not even properly do such a trivial thing as dressing properly. During the New Year, the streets were deserted and quiet, and the shops closed. Nonetheless, I endeavored to seek an open shop, hoping a miracle would occur. As my faith started to vanish, a shoe shop appeared on the street.
Master has said, "Even though your spiritual practice is in tatters, you still receive great comfort from your practice, have improvement in your life and protecting power. However, if you were more diligent in your practice, you would feel more comfortable, and would have more incredible power and experiences." As guards, we should be more alert always remembering to meditate diligently. Besides developing righteousness, we should train our sense of attending to detail, so that our minds will not be blocked when taking care of our daily lives and serving the public.
Narrated By The Guards' Group, Taichung, Formosa
Recorded By The News Group, Taichung, Formosa
We have often heard Master say, "Practicing is not just crossing your legs and meditating twenty-four hours a day." Fellow initiates who perform the role of guards provide a worry-free environment, so that we can concentrate on our meditation. However, sometimes we ourselves should take turns and assume this new meditative posture. With a heart full of joy, dedication and longing for self growth, I became a guard. While performing the task, I feel that my heart has gradually broadened, I have become more focused on the universal self, and have become more concerned about others. My powers of observation have also become more acute.
The guard's task is a means through which Master allows us to temper and grow. In fact, Master has prearranged everything properly, large and small; but, She takes the opportunity to test us, so that we can see if we are able to brave the trials we encounter. This task provides me with many opportunities to subdue my ego and smooth my many rough edges.
The more we work, the more understanding we gain. The more we realize that Master's spirit of selfless dedication is not something we could ever imagine, the more we feel that our contribution is so little. That I am able to be involved in this work is indeed a great honor and blessed reward. I secretly hope that I can follow the example of Idaten Bodhisattva in his saintly mission of guarding the Buddha, spreading the dharma, and benefiting all beings; and that I am able to work as a perfect tool.
Practitioners who practice wholeheartedly are the best guards. Their task as guards is part of the foundation of a meditation center. As long as we work with devotion and fulfill our duty as a guard, we can gain enlightenment. Our qualities such as surrender, dedication, tolerance and happiness will develop spontaneously from our innermost heart. I hope that I have the wisdom and love to do well in the mission given to me by Master. I also wish that every fellow initiate could be Master's guard in spreading the Quan Yin Method.
By Fellow Initiate Lu, Taipei, Formosa
Highest and Supreme Being, embodiment of the omnipresent Tathagata; Loving mountains and waters, She marvelously turns the wheel of dharma. With pure, serene and selfless action, we never regress; Even in the remotest corner of the universe, supporting the dharma together.
Epilogue: Once in a dream, Master took a group mountain climbing. I have no idea where the place was. She then sat on the ground and gave a discourse. Strangely enough, I was a guard even in the dream....
Note: Loving mountains and waters in Chinese has a more profound meaning. It means being compassionate and wise.
By A Fellow Initiate, Taichung, Formosa
During a retreat held abroad, I was assigned to guard Master's temporary place of residence. Shortly afterwards, a worker came along wearing a cold expression, saying that he was going to do some maintenance work on the garden. "Should I or should I not stop him?" I could not make up my mind. And then, a Quan Yin messenger came out of the house and tried to convinced the worker to put off the work for several days. However, he refused adamantly, and insisted on doing the work that day. After he finished speaking, he leaned his ladder against a tree and climbed up. I exclaimed in my heart, "Good heavens! It is Master's window on the second floor." While trimming the tree, this fellow was grumbling the whole time, which was reinforced by other workers in the neighborhood. Then, a fellow initiate came out from the house carrying blessed food and drinks, and invited the worker who was cutting the tree to enjoy them. He also reassured him that it was alright to continue the work he was supposed to do. Shortly afterwards, we received Master's instruction that we should not stop the local workers from doing their jobs, which included entering the villa property to mow the grass. Immediately afterwards, the same fellow initiate came out again carrying a large bag of food. He explained to this worker that Master was giving a treat to all the workers that day. She was also sorry that their work was affected by the misunderstanding, and hoped that they would now understand.
The first time this worker received the blessed food, his ghostlike face melted like ice in spring. When he received the blessed food for the second time, his face blossomed into a smile, radiating like sunshine. As he passed by me, I heard him say, "Your Master is a good person!"
Suddenly, it started to rain. This worker cutting the tree had to stop his work, and took shelter under the tree. We happened to have some rain gear, so we asked him to put on a raincoat to avoid catching a cold. Then, the fellow initiate in the house also gave him an umbrella to keep off the rain. Several minutes later, the rain stopped. Suddenly, as if enlightened by something, he said that perhaps he could switch to another job elsewhere, and return next week to trim the trees and grass here. Therefore, he went to discuss the situation with his partners, and then came back to pick up his tools, happily bidding me farewell. They agreed unanimously to shift their job to another place, and then come back next week. Although there were some alterations to their plan, the progress of their work was not affected.
Looking back on the whole incident, from an argument to a happy ending, Master was acting as a great director. Without a trace, She melted the cold, tall iron wall into soft chocolate candy. The worker never had a glimpse of Master, yet he left with a joyful heart. Master taught me a lesson: Always maintain our patience and love, and any plan can be changed a little bit without affecting the scheduled target.
By Fellow Initiate Lin, Taichung, Formosa
I can still remember a summer retreat in the Hsihu Center several years ago. The main meditation hall was still there. I was standing on guard between the main hall and the small park. Master was meditating with the fellow practitioners, and the whole place was very quiet. Suddenly, a great stir broke out. It happened that a huge, round snake, about three feet long, had slithered into the middle of the men's area in the main hall. A fellow brother immediately wrapped the snake in a jacket and carried it out of the main hall. A resident fellow brother put the snake in a trash bag. He poked some small holes in the bag, and then carried it to the back mountain where he freed the snake. The incident had been handled within a few minutes of its occurrence. Master sat very still on the lecture stage, and only reminded us, "Be careful! Don't get bitten by the snake, or harm it either." She added a humorous remark, "This is a retreat. The snake does not have an initiate's identification card, so it is not allowed to enter the main hall." Everyone laughed, then all was quiet again. The meditation had resumed as if nothing at all had happened. Just imagine, in the main hall that was crowded with people, a not-so-tiny snake had been slithering around just a few minutes earlier; yet, the fellow initiates could still meditate calmly. Either they were really stable in their samadhi, or Master's power was truly great.
Narrated By Fellow Initiate Chen, Taipei, Formosa
Recorded By Fellow Initiate Liu, Taoyuan, Formosa
Once, at Hsihu Center, I accompanied Master in taking a walk around the Dragon Boat Lake. I was caught rather off guard. Master remarked, "That grass is so beautiful!" I replied, "Yes!" Master turned around, and then turned again. Thinking that Master had moved on, I simply walked forward and stepped right on Her foot. My heart twisted, feeling frustrated for having failed to accomplish my job perfectly and with concentration.
Master did not move but pointed at me, saying, "You, keep three steps away from me." I was on duty as the guard, yet I did not fulfill my obligation to protect Master. This taught me a very good lesson.
On another occasion at Laiyi Meditation Center, Master gathered all the guards, and She reprimanded us through Her attendant. Being always conscientious to do my duty, I thought the reprimand had nothing to do with me, so I was not penitent at all. After delivering the speech, the attendant returned to Master's house. Very soon, the same attendant came out again and added a little more, "There is another one. The one who stepped on My foot...." At that time, I felt my face blush and I had no place to hide myself in shame.
From this incident, I realized that Master is omniscient. Nothing can be hidden from Her. Whenever we think we are doing things perfectly, Master will pick out some faults in us, reminding us not to be arrogant.
Narrated By Fellow Initiate Chen, Taipei, Formosa
Recorded By Fellow Initiate Liu, Taoyuan, Formosa
It was at the Santimen Seven-day Retreat. One night after the group meditation, I escorted Master back to Her tent, carrying a flashlight in my hand. Master was in a particularly good mood that day, and She was swinging Her arms as She walked. Suddenly, Her hand accidentally bumped against my flashlight....
I could see Master's face turn pale. She was in so much pain that She could not speak. I became very nervous and kept asking, "Are You alright, Master?" After quite a while, Master finally pointed at the flashlight and said loudly, "This light is very vicious!"
At this point, Master's humility and sense of humor were truly revealed.