Excerpt from His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-yen Lu’s 202nd Book, Sightings from Thousands of Miles Away
Translated by TBTTs
Translator: DJ Chang
Editor: Henry Wolf
The kidney is an important organ in the human body. The heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney are commonly known as the five organs.
Taiwanese call the kidneys “yaozi” because they are located internally on the right and left side of the waist [which is pronounced “yao” in Chinese]. The kidneys have a convex and a concave side and are reddish brown in color. Their overall shape is similar to a broad bean.
The kidneys function to filter out waste products in the blood and excrete them in the form of urine. Above the kidneys, there are adrenal glands that are either pyramidal or semi-lunar in shape. These glands are yellowish brown in color and have a major influence on appetite, muscular function, body temperature, and breathing.
I know a lot about the kidneys because:
- My father had kidney stones in his later years.
- When he was old, he required dialysis.
Also:
Many people have died due to kidney failure, including Master Sheng Yen of Dharma Drum Mountain, who was the founder of one of Taiwan’s four major Buddhist sects.
Master Sheng Yen said, “My kidney is sick. One kidney is gone and the other is weak. I receive one dialysis treatment every two days.”
Master Sheng Yen added:
“My kidney is sick, but my heart is not.”
How magnificent are these words!
●
I had a disciple, Reverend Mingyi. While living in Malaysia, he experienced a kidney stone. X-rays taken at the hospital showed that the stone was as large as a bird’s egg. He prayed into the void.
I was in Seattle, USA. One night, while meditating, my hand suddenly reached out. This stretch turned out to be a thousand miles, thousands of miles, all the way across the Pacific Ocean. This stretching hand was an illusory hand, not a real hand. It entered Reverend Mingyi’s kidney. Digging and digging, the illusory hand took out a stone as big as a bird’s egg.
Nectar flowing out from the illusory hand into Reverend Mingyi’s kidney refreshed his body and mind. Later, Reverend Mingyi went back to the hospital for an X-ray. Surprisingly, the bird’s-egg-size kidney stone had disappeared.
The doctor could not believe it. However, the before and after X-ray photos were undeniable evidence. Reverend Mingyi and the doctor praised this incredible event!
●
I had another disciple named Tang who lived in Australia. Tang had a heart perforation and often experienced heart pain. His condition had been treated with hundreds of medicines, but all in vain.
The doctor recommended surgery. Terrified by this prospect, disciple Tang began reciting the True Buddha Sutra and the High King Sutra on a daily basis, trying very hard to call out to Grandmaster Lu for help.
One day, he dreamed that Grandmaster replaced his heart with a new heart. Prior to leaving, Grandmaster rubbed the new heart with his hand several times. After waking up, Tang felt a coolness in his chest. He no longer felt any pain, and realized that a miracle had occurred. Subsequent X-rays showed that the heart perforation was no longer there. Neither the hospital nor the doctor could believe it.
(Actually, my father also experienced a miracle. He had been confined to a wheelchair for a long time, but was suddenly able to stand up and walk again. At the age of 84, he regained his ability to walk, and he walked just as if he was flying.)
Note: His Holiness Living Buddha Lian Sheng and True Buddha School advocate “dual execution” of spiritual and physical interventions. By this, they mean that one should not avoid going to the doctor, staying at home praying for miracles to happen; that is the wrong approach. Instead one should seek the best medical care one can get and combine that with prayers; that is the correct approach.
When illnesses have a karmic component, even reliable medications and procedures may not give complete relief of symptoms. Similarly, just praying for our ailments to go away without medical care is unreliable and many illnesses need some sort of physical intervention to happen in order that a miracle may appear. So always take a “dual execution” approach by using the best spiritual and medical methods possible.