Selected Excerpts by Venerable Hsuan Hua
Let me pass on a secret to you today. What secret? In moments of
crisis, maintain calm and do not be nervous. Forget about your life
and recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name with a singleness of mind.
With that, you will definitely turn danger into safety and survive
that test.
When you are in the severest of dangers, contemplate, “Since I
am going to die soon, I might as will give it my all and recite
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name before I die. Maybe there is still a
ray of hope that way.” Think like that and your problems will
reduce to something auspicious.
For example, the plane you’re on suddenly experiences mechanical
problems and is about to crash, recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s
name, because Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva who rescues
those in pain and difficulty. She is a Bodhisattva who responds to
every plea. “If I do not recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name, my
life will be in grave danger; there will be no hope for me.” Think
that way and you will definite recite with utmost sincerity,
thereby getting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva to respond to you with
compassion, saving the lives of every passenger on the plane.
Another example would be if I were on a train that is derailing.
At that critical juncture, if I do not recite Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name, all the passengers on the train may die.
Reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name is to ask for help. The
Bodhisattva will hear you and come before you instantaneously no
matter how far away you are. She will come and rescue you, getting
you out of your misery. It works really well.
Another example, the ferry that I am riding on is about to sink
into the bottom of the ocean. At this moment of grave danger, I
recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name, even if it is the last minute
or second, I still recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name. If so, I
will definitely turn misfortune into fortune.
Another example, the car that I am riding on is speeding along,
but suddenly some mechanism malfunctions and the car is up in the
air. Below it is a steep cliff. If the car falls over, the
passengers will definitely be crushed into powder; everything will
be finished. At this time, if you do you darnest and recite
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name, the car will safely fall and land at
the bottom of the cliff. You will only experience shock but no
harm. This will be a response from reciting Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name.
The power of reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name in an
emergency situation surpasses the power of reciting Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name millions and millions of times. Why? It is
because you are not so sincere when you recite Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name in times of safety. Hence, when we recite
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name, we must recite it sincerely and
honestly so that inconceivable responses happen.
I told Guo Qian just now, “If you can recite Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name as sincerely as you do when you are on a boat,
then you will definitely get a response. When you were on that boat
in the middle of giant waves and storm, things were so dangerous
that the possibility of capsizing was imminent. If you hadn’t
recited Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name, there wouldn’t have been a
bit of hope, but because you recited Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name,
there was one in a million chance that you were rescued. So you
recited with all your might and finally survived that difficulty.
The storm calmed and the waves quieted down, and you reached the
seashore. Now you want to rest when you recite Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name because you are not in that kind of danger.”
“The day has passed and life is on the decrease, like the fish in a
drying pond, what joy is there? Everybody, be diligent as if your
head were on fire. Be mindful of impermanence and be careful not to
be lax!”
Reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s name means that you recite it
at all places and at all times. In other words, you may recite
whether you are walking, standing, sitting and lying down. There is
the same merit whether you recite out loud or in silence. Do not
discriminate; let everything accord with conditions. You should
know that you will have no opportunity to recite Guanshiyin
Bodhisattva’s name when you’re dead. “Be mindful of impermanence,
be careful not to be lax.”