Special Reports----Echoes Of The Australian Retreat

By Sister Initiate Xiao Zhen, Indiana, U.S.A.

During the 4-Day international retreat in Australia, Master was fighting against the negative forces all the time. One day, many unpleasant things occurred which made Her so upset. Not surprisingly, the atmosphere in the meditation marquee became so dense as if it had solidified.

Closing my eyes, I prayed for Master. Suddenly a huge cross appeared in my inner vision, accompanied by a great sense of agony and extreme loneliness. My heavy heart was overwhelmed with a sense of pain that seemed to be more than what the whole universe could bear. Tears immediately poured down my face as I realized that Master is the Christ who suffers for the world, by being constantly mentally and spiritually crucified! The ineffable agony is silently endured by Her alone.

For the first time, I completely understood what Master has said: "According to universal law, at the present time, they can't kill a Master here. But the Master has to suffer much more inside." However, we disciples are usually unaware of this, because for most of the time that we spend with Master, we are all intoxicated in Her cheerful talks, elegance and pleasant humor, without even the slightest inkling that She has kept all the unimaginable suffering to Herself.

I prayed even harder to the Buddhas of the ten directions and three periods of time, to all the gods in the whole universe: "Please bless Master with peace and good health; please allow me to share even a tiny little bit of Her suffering."

Afterwards, an initiate asked Master a very beautiful question: "What can we do for You?" Master answered by saying that originally She was going to ask us to pray for Her because She had been undergoing extreme pressure recently. However after a moment of thought, She decided not to, because "Whatever you pray, it will come true. If you share my sufferings, you will become less happy. Then how can I be okay if you are not happy? So whatever comes to me, I just take it. It's all God's arrangement."

Tears streamed down my face again as my whole being was totally immersed in Master's infinite and boundless ocean of love. Watching Her tiny physical body, I remembered experiencing similar feelings of extreme heartache and wanting to cry when I was with Her on a previous occasion.

I fully appreciate that Master and disciples are one. If even I can sense the suffering, then how much more intense it must be on Master's super-sensitive body? Yet magnanimously, She doesn't want to let us share even a tiny bit of Her enormous burden. What kind of love in this entire world could be compared to Master's love?

Truly, Master's love and commitment to us are far more than ours to Her, and are far beyond even our imaginations. Before we even heard of Her, She was already taking care of us; and after we get initiated, many of us always ask Her unnecessarily for this and that, all the while believing that we love Her very much.

Looking into my own heart, I ask myself: "What can I do for Master?" In arriving at an answer I remembered Master talking about how Maya makes use of disciples to attack Her, "So, if you don't make trouble for me, I'm lucky already." Therefore, if we can practice diligently, take good care of ourselves and those around us, we have already helped Master a great deal. Also, we should try our best to promptly fulfill whatever tasks Master requests of us.

How incredibly lucky we are to live within the same time and space as a living Buddha! We really should treasure such an affinity and try to ensure that we don't burden Her unnecessarily, so that Her stay in this world can be prolonged to bless many more sentient beings!

★Creating A Paradise Amidst Violent Storms ★Buddha's Paradise Land Descends ★Creating A Heaven On Earth With Joy And Love ★Give Yourself To Others ★The Suffering Of The Living Christ ★The Best Prescription ★The Joy Of Loneliness ★The Glistening Milky Way ★My Dreams Come True