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Referring to this link:-
A group of people in Japan under the facebook page above are collecting the Heart Sutra copies that had been handcopied by people around the world. You can find the softcopy for downloading in the facebook page given. I find the Japanese version there the same as the Chinese version. So, if anyone has the hardcopy or softcopy from another source, even if it is in another language, it's okay. However, they need to be handcopied. Once you have finished copying, you can collect and send all of them to Japan in the address stated at the Facebook page. All the copies have to reach there by end of AUGUST 2011.
They will recite each and every copy of the 10,000 Heart Sutras receive and put them all there at the Japan Earthquake site and erect a memorial. This is also in line with His Holiness the Dalai Lama's advice to recite the Heart Sutra for Japan's disaster (the one that caused the tsunami and disaster at the nuclear plant).
This could not have come at a more appropriate time. My father has been copying this Sutra for several months. This was after he got a copy of Heart Sutra from a local coffee shop. He asked me for advice what to do with it after he has completed copying one whole book. I am not sure one book has how many copies of Heart Sutra but I suspect about 100. After knowing about this, I came up with an expedient skillful mean and advice my father that he will be able "to book a place" in Amitabha Pure Land if he can finish copying 10 of those books. That means about 1000 copies. He believed what I said and deveoped aspirations to be reborn there. He requested me to get him more of those books to copy. My mother helped him get a few more. He was enthusiastic about it. I am not sure but I suspected he has slacked a little bit lately... as in his motivation for copying has dropped. So, when I know of this effort by Japan to collect the Heart Sutras, I told him about it. He seemed to show a little excitement again in copying since I told him it will benefit lots of people affected by the disaster. Hopefully his enthusiasm will sustain and get him to write as many as possible until August. And then hopefully he will be able to motivate himself to do more of it even thereafter. So, in that way, my father will accumulate merits from helping the disaster victims. Hence my words that he will be able to book a place in Amitabha Pure Land is not an empty promise. Amitabha Buddha works when you have faith in him. That's for sure. The causes and condition for rebirth there will surely blossom. I was merely the conduit between Amitabha Buddha and my father.
I have also helped the cancer friend I blogged recently to believe in Amitabha Pure Land (known as Sukhavati in Sanskrit). I managed to convinced her of its existence by relating to the friend a dream I had. In that dream another friend of mine whom I had not contacted with for some time was shopping for coffin. Well, she moved to Kuala Lumpur with her family. She was from Penang. And while in Penang, I knew that she was suffering from cancer. It progressively worsened. From colon, it spread to her lungs. But after she moved to KL, I lost touch with her as well as all of her family members whom I knew too. She was calm and collected and serene. She was okay. I woke up immediately and knew that it was a dream to tell me that she had passed on and was doing well. I searched for the her son's phone number and he told me his mother had passed away about ...I forgot how long ago but I think it's a year before or slightly less than 12 months. Had she been reborn in the lower realms, she would not have been able to come back to tell me. And she has tremendous faith in Amitabha Buddha. In her house, there is a picture of Amitabha's Pure Land that she had drawn with her own hands. I really like that painting. It is a definite indication of her faith. Moreover she had been reciting Kuan Yin Bodhisattva's Great Compassionate Heart Dharani and reads a lot of Master Hsuan Hua's dharma books. All these point to my conclusion that she had been reborn in Amitabha's Pure Land, probably somewhere in one of the 3 classes of the middle grade of the nine classes of rebirth. After listening to my story, she developed faith in Sukhavati's existence and develop aspirations to be reborn there. She told me that she did try as best to recite Namo Omituofwo as well as the mantras. With that I feel that I have done my job. I have instilled faith in people and shown them the path to Amitabha. I am not like others who try to create a false sense of denial that they can be cured from their cancer. At the same time I did not let them fall into a depression. Skillfully it was giving them hope but at the same time, coming to terms with reality of impermanence. Just asking people to face reality of impermanence is not enough. It must be acompanied by a hope. And I gave people hope in Amitabha. That was the only thing I can help anyone with cancer. That's the truth. Often when someone is down with cancer, the friends and family members will ask that cancer patient to eat this and that, try this and that. They might have heard of so-and-so story of someone who has been seemingly cured. Whether the story or claim is true or not, you do not know. You will hear so many of these advices until you do not know who to listen to. You'll end up asking yourself, "Should I try this? Or, that?" Then you get even more depressed by the confusion. Hence all the things about treatment of cancer including herbs, acupunture, reiki, snakegrass, this juice, that juice or whatever else, I am sorry but I cannot advice on these matters. I cannot guarantee that these aforementioned food or treatments will work on them. But I do know that having faith in the Buddhadharma will always work.
I can only advice people to follow the Buddha way and to have faith in Amitabha Buddha. That's the only way I know how. I am not a phowa expert, so the only way I know how to reach the Buddha Pure Lands is through faith. And in my heart, I still believe that that is the only true authentic way. Correct me if I am wrong but it does appear to me that going to the Pure Land through phowa is like gatecrashing into someone's home without having any invitation card (i.e. faith in the host as the owner of the home). I believe that for people that are still alive, they should try to develop faith in Amitabha Buddha and recite his Name or his mantras as a means to gain entry. It is only for those who are too late or never had a chance to recite these that need phowa. You should not delay to have faith in Amitabha while you can and not think that you can always engage a Lama to send you to Amitabha Pure Land upon your death via phowa. If you have this kind of thinking, you may find that you end up in the hot hells or animal realms instead. And it will not be because of any fault in the Lama who performed the phowa. It will be because of your own karma and wrong thinking.
So, this has been my blog on helping Japan earthquake victims, and about instilling faith in Amitabha and His Pure Land.
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