Tiny Blue Light

2 weeks back, my sister was admitted into hospital for a case of acute tonsilitis. She had consulted and change medication with her company panel doctor twice before the GP advice her for admission into hospital.

After her admission into a private hospital, the specialist told her that her tonsils have pus and its quite serious which intensive drips antibiotic. All of our family members thought that she was going to be okay, in view that she already got the medical attention needed.

4 days passed, and I received a missed call in the evening from her. I thought she was calling up to talk on some other matters and it was nothing urgent. On the following day afternoon, I receive another call from her, this time is while I am doing my daily Buddhist practice. When I picked up the call, she was crying uncontrollably on the other end and I can hear that she is unable to catch her breath due to the pain.

Her pain is not only on her throat but she told me she is also experiencing jabbing migraine plus each breath she draw in her throat feels like piercing nail onto the wall of her throat. She said the doctors and nurses cannot help her and that requested that I help her do some prayers and do something spiritually.

When she hung up the phone, I quickly bring up her chart on my mobile phone to see what's going on. Some of you guys must be wondering at this point, I should have known her chart in detail. I have hundreds of clients to keep track and usually I don't go looking at charts of everybody I know to keep track of what is going to happen in their life unless they have some queries. I knew its is going to be an unfavourable second half of the year, but didn't know that the few days interaction actually bring it to max.

Lamp Offering for her quick recovery

Anyway, the transformation in her destiny chart showed that in that few days she is in what technically we would describe as 'deep shit' period. The whole chart relation was turning into a very dangerous outcome.

So quickly I have instructed that Cheng Huang Hall 城隍殿 7 Star Lamp 七星燈 at our Temple be lighten up on her behalf and put in a request for her swift recovery. Lighted up 9 incense and do a special request from all Taoist Deities.

Cheng Huang Hall 7 Star Lamp at Kam Dong San Temple

At the same time, I offered up 49 lamp offering to Medicine Buddha, place her photo and perform a brief ritual for her on the Medicine Buddha altar and quickly perform 2 session of Cho in my prayer room and dedicate to her swift recovery and also perform a Protector Puja.

It was an emergency and I have no time to call up big monastery to perform puja for her. I was relying on the strength of my intention to get through the call up there.

By evening, I received another call from my sister. She told me that a senior duty nurse visited her and check on her to understand what is actually her problem. After she described her problem to the senior nurse, she have detail inspection on her nostrils and noticed that her sinus is actually flared up severely. The nurse is also surprised that how come the specialist did not administered medicine for her sinus. This explains her severe migraine, because the water fluid in her head is being push up her cranial, which cause her to experience intense migraine.

The nurse quickly use saline water to clean her inflame sinus and immediately her migraine is gone. For the past 2 days, she have been complaining about her migraine to other nurses, but they said they have given full dose of pain killer and also injected pain killers so nothing they can do.

'Luckily' for her, this senior nurse showed up 'coincidently after all that is possible is done for her spiritually. That night she can sleep well for the first time since admission and amazingly she was discharge the following evening, with tonsilitis cleared.

Medicine Buddha Thangka that is erected during our Animal Liberation activity

Later she told me, during the night where she sleeps well, she saw tiny blue orbs in her dreams. And coincidently again the blue colour is the same as the thangka of the Medicine Buddhas that we used in our temple Animal Liberation. Coincident? Lucky? I will leave that to you....

Buddhism and Taoism ? Are you confused?

Recently, a temple disciple asked me a question, he said his friend ask him 'You guys are a Taoist Temple, how come there is Buddhist rituals and also Tibetan Buddhist rituals during your Animal Liberation activities ?'

Many who are not familiar with either religion, Taoist and Buddhist will always take a separatist stand or view. It is like a choosing a political view, its either you are right or left. Some un- informed Buddhist with 'Divine Child Syndrome' or what we call 'I am better than thou' attitude will view that Taoist is lower and Buddhist is higher. Some un-informed Taoist will have renegade attitude and think that Taoist Deities are closer and grant our every request more easily.

Both views are mistaken.

Highest Taoist Cultivation is 大罗金仙 Da Luo Jin Xian, a state where you will surpass death and re-birth, the ability to manipulate your body 5 Elements and transform it into light and therefore one with the Dao 道.

This stage of cultivation is also known as Full Rainbow Body in Vajrayana. Which means when the person dies, his (it can be a she also) body turns into white light and glow of rainbow surrounds him, after which the physical body dissappear and only clothes and some parts of nail will remain. It is a manifestation that the cultivator have reached enlightment.

As you can see, the end goal of cultivators is the same for Taoism and also Buddhism. To surpass death and rebirth – samsara. But before we go too far and high up on our standards we must know how to gather merits to be able reach it. Without merits, nothing can be accomplished !

Many do not even know how to differentiate between karma and merit, but they are quick to jump on others when they see what they think is a mix and match. Below is my explanation to the Taoist Disciple.

From a Buddhism perspective, our Taoist Deities are our Protector 护法 in our cultivation in reaching Enlightment, Animal Liberation is a way for us to gather Merit (公德）or on a lower level Good Karma （福报）. During our Animal Liberation, we are doing 2 process at 1 go.

1. Name that have been written on the Biao Wen 表文list is being burn (submitted) to KDS Deities, to gather good karma for those people that have join the animal liberation.

2.At the same time, we chant Namgyalma mantra (Zhun Sheng Fo Mu) on the water and spray to the animal in hope that they obtain better rebirth in their next life - that is according to Buddhism - also we chant for mantras during our circumbulation - is to invite Buddhas and Boddhisatvas to grant their blessings to those fishes also in hope that they will obtain better rebirth.

If we just do the Taoist section, then all of us would only obtain good karma. That is also presuming you have a good request in your heart - better health, good relationship, good finance etc. If the person who went for animal liberation but inside their heart they request for bad luck on their enemies, sickness on the people they don't like, then in fact they will obtain a bad karma by requesting such action from Taoist Deities.

Karma affects everyone and all beings in any dimension.

Good karma can be use up. That is why it is consider a lower level good deed.

Our rebirth as human is also due to the balance of good and bad karma that we have gather in our many lifetimes in samsara. Changes of our luck also indicates, when our Good or Bad Karma will ripen. When the good ripen, we experience as good childhood, high study, good job, loyal spouse enter into a profitable business. When the bad karma ripens, we experience sickness, bad living conditions, failure of business, failure of marriage, Bad children etc.

Good and Bad Karma are constantly ripening, while we are also constantly creating them whether consciously or unconsciously. However good karma will not ensure that your next rebirth will be human or higher realms in samsara such as Deities etc. Only gathering of merits will ensure that you have a good rebirth in your next life. Therefore good karma is only very small compare to merits.

How do we distinguish good karma and merit? It is in your intention of your action.

1.When you do something for the benefit of yourself only - meaning better job, more money in life, successful business - and your intention is to benefit self - then your are USING UP your good karma.

2. When you do something good and HOPE that you can become better in your life situation or obtain something to benefit yourself - then you are creating only good karma for yourself and it is used up once you see improvement.

3. When you do something good, without any thought of self and purely in the hope that others will benefit THEN ONLY YOU ARE CREATING MERIT.

Why merit? Merit cannot be used up and it will follow you in your every rebirth until you achieve enlightment, Merit will constantly produce good karma in your every rebirth to help you in reaching enlightment. By being in KDS is also the result of your previous accumulated merit in your past lives to be able to be here as group to do something useful to benefit others.

While those new members that come to temple, we hope that they can create as much good karma as possible, when they see their life improve then they will start to accept in karma and merits and gather good merits instead.

While a person can create many many good karma, and in this lifetime they experience all the good karma and good conditions in life. However there is no guarantee their next life will experience the same comfort.

Can the same action produce either karma or merit? YES.

For example, when people come to join our animal liberation - if the intention of the organizer is to gather merit, even if those people who come and have request to obtain something, meaning they will only have good karma, it will also turn into merit. This is because the organization that is doing it is doing it CORRECTLY, therefore they have a higher benefit.

If KDS is built up for personal gains or personal intention, then whatever that is done will only gather good karma and not merits. Because the start is already due to personal gain.
If KDS is built up based on the sole purpose to benefit others and more people, then the whole organization is constantly gathering merits to benefit its member.

Then the next question is - When you are in the KDS contributing, are you thinking for the benefit of yourself or in hope that it can benefit others? Then that will also determine your presence in KDS is for exchange of good karma or to gather merit.
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Rest assured for those who frequent Kam Dong San Temple. I am not half baked cultivator who are filling in the activity when there is a gap. As a Taoist, I have the full lineage of 六壬伏英館 up to 五雷教 and also lineage 風火院. In my sworn oath into Tao Fa 道法, there will be no money requested and earn on personal basis in performing any Taoist rituals or help. In Vajrayana, I have kept and keeping full samaya with my teachers and lamas.

We are only helping you gain more merit in a single action....that however will depend on your karma and merit to join us in our activity! 大顯威靈. Om Mani Padme Hung !