I was bitten by a fox (Dec. 2006)

hi,

 

i am going to tell you something which is hard to believe.

 

i am now back in sydney for two weeks.  have always wanted to share this experience with you but just did not know how to begin, until i saw a magazine from the Art Gallery of NSW with a very impressive photo, the photo of a fox with its mouth wild open.  this brings back memories of an incident which happened to me while i was in Stowe, it was so vivid that i know i have to write it down and share with you.

 

Rabbit

 

while i was in Stowe, Vermont, USA, i stayed in a resort which has 29 acres of land, with fields, forests, gardens, etc.  its like a paradise. 

 

The next morning after i arrived, i went into the marketing office (a few blocks away from my room)  and saw a no. of staffs looking out of the window, i joined them and saw a beautiful red fox running across the shrubs.  it was about 11.00 am.

 

In the afternoon, at about 4.30 pm, while i was looking out at my bedroom balcony, i saw the same fox running across the grass down below towards the back of the building and i hurried outside.  the fox hid under a car and a couple tried to drive it away.  i had my camera with me but was not able to take any pictures because the fox ran away quickly.  i then went back to my room, got a coat and wanted to go out to buy groceries.  as i was going out, still in the back garden, a lady asked if i had seen the fox.  i looked around and said no.  i was ready to go away and then the lady said, 'there it is, under a shrub.'  i hurried over, and saw the fox hiding under a shrub, about 20 ft away from me.  i took out my camera and took a few pictures.  

 

then the fox came out, i thought it was running away and hurriedly took another couple of pictures.  to my great horror and surprise, it was not running away, it ran cross me and attacked and bit me from my back!  it initially bit on my coat, it was biting very hard and would not let go  (fortunately i was wearing my sisters coat which was quite long and covered my behind, otherwise there wouldn't be anything left of me from that area).  i tried to shake it off, it then bit on my sneakers,  i tried to shake my foot and it then bit on my ankles.

 

by then the lady and a security guard near me tried to help me.  the guy kicked on the fox, it flew off about 5 ft away and lied on the grass, no movement.  so i said 'now its dead'.  however the guy said, 'no, its pretending'.  we waited for a few minutes and yes, it was on its feet again and tried to chase us.  no wonder people say that foxes are cunning.

 

the lady and i went into the building.  i checked myself and saw a few scratches and a teeth mark on my ankles, and blood was coming out.  then a couple from another room came out and said:  'the fox could have rabbis, there is a rabbis outbreak in vermont, you better go to the hospital or you will be very sick.'

 

i was shocked and stunned.  i have never, in my whole life, come across rabbis and do not know what i should do.  anyway i hurried to the reception and reported the case.  the receptionist said he will get medical help and asked me to wait.

 

after waiting for about 20 minutes, a team of policemen came and asked if i was one of the ladies attacked.  i said, as far as i know, i was the only one attacked and bitten.  anyway, the team said they had to catch it to examine it.  i was told not to move and put my foot up.  not knowing anything about it, i thought maybe its like bitten by a snake and the quicker you move, the quicker the poison will go thru your body, so i sat very still.

 

another 20 minutes past and then came an ambulance.  as soon as the medical team came, they asked:  'you were bitten by a rabbit', and i said, no, i was bitten by a fox.  they wanted to put me on a stretcher but i refused.  so they put me on a wheelchair and then on the stretcher in the ambulance.  i had never enjoyed watching ER on tv but found myself suddenly becoming part of the cast.

 

on arrival in the hospital, a doctor came along and again said to me, (obviously the hospital had been informed about the incident) 'you were bitten by a rabbit', at that point, i really cannot hold myself and asked, 'i was bitten by a fox, why did everyone say i was bitten by a rabbit?'   the doctor told me that an animal which contracts rabbis is called a 'rabid', not a 'rabbit'.  i couldnt help laughing at my ignorance .

 

then the doctor gave me two vaccine injections, one is tetanus (sp) and the other is antirabbi vaccine.  she said that they had caught the fox, if the test is rabbi negative, then i do not need further treatments, however, if the test is positive, i will need to have a series of injections on certain dates, and its vitally important that i get all the injections according to the specified dates.

 

according to the schedule, i will need another two injections on the third day.  however, i would have left vermont and will be in montreal on transit to toronto on that day.  i therefore begged the doctor to give me the vaccines for the third day, just in case i needed them.

 

somehow i had a feeling (maybe this is what we call the buddhist wisdom) that it would not be easy to get the vaccines in such a short time in montreal.  at first the doctor did not agree, saying that if the test is negative, then i would not need them.  but i said: if the test is positive, and i cannot get the vaccines in time, my life would be at risk.  finally the doctor agreed.

 

Montreal

 

i arrived in montreal at about 5.00 pm the next day.  on arrival at the hotel i got a call from the medical department in vermont telling me that the test result is positive, which meant that the fox did have rabbis and asked me to make sure i get the injections the next (3rd) day - a saturday, and carry thru with the rest of the treatment afterwards.

 

again, with blessing, the hotel receptionist found a nearby medical surgery which opens on saturdays and i went there the next morning.  both the doctor and the nurse were shocked to hear what happened, but was pleased to help with the injections.  i then asked the doctor for prescriptions to buy the rest of the vaccines.  the doctor said their clinic does not carry it and asked me to check with the pharmacies.

 

when i was at the pharmcies, the pharmacist told me that they had never heard of this vaccine before and suggested that i go to a vet!  so all of a sudden i have become an animal!

 

Toronto

 

On arrival in Toronto, my sister immediately helped me check with a no of pharmacies, finally one of them said yes, they know about the vaccine and could order them in for me.  so i got a couple of more injections in toronto.  by the way, the doctor in toronto said the he had never come across a similar case, and its one of a million chance that this could happen.

 

Karma

 

maybe some of my friends will say, lydia is always chanting, she is protected.  why would this happen to her?

 

when i told my brother in law  what happened, he, being a buddhist, said: so, you flew all the way from the other side of the world to be bitten by this fox in USA?  so this must be your karma.

 

yes, to be honest, this fox seemed to have followed me the whole day, from 11.00 am until 4.30 pm, its a wild fox and should have gone far during the 6 hrs, somehow it kept coming back to me.  when i wanted to abandon looking and  go shopping, the lady pointed me to the fox.  it all seemed destined.

 

The Blessing

 

yes, i was bitten by a fox, i was shocked, but then somehow deep inside me, i knew i would be alright.  i know i would get all the blessing and help i needed.  i trust in the gohonzon, and just knew that i would be alright.

 

if this had happened while i was driving alone in the forest the day before (remember my email about autumn leaves?  i drove around the wilderness alone for 8 hrs), it could have been much much more serious, or i would just look at the wound and put some antiseptic cream and forget about it.  however, it happened when there were other people with me to help and remind me of the danger of rabbis and to get immediate treatment.

 

therefore, instead of sulking, i thanked the gohonzon and am very grateful. i was given sufficient medication and treatment in urgent need and that sure is a blessing indeed!

 

The Difference

 

after i got back to the hotel from the hospital, they told me that yes, there was another lady which was attacked by the fox earlier, she had a club in her hand and beat the fox and she was not bitten.  (if you look carefully in my photos, you can see bruises on the fox's leg).  however, she made a big scene out of it and the hotel staff said that, compared to her, i was very calm, poised and wonderful.

 

this is the difference when we practice buddhism and chant nam myo ho renge kyo.  we know whatever happened, we would be alright, we have faith in the gohonzon and would react differently to adversities.

 

The Mission - Turning Negative into Positive

 

after i recovered from the shock, i tried to recall the incident and knew there was a lot of negligence on the part of the state of vermont and on the part of the hotel.

 

the state of vermont should have made known to visitors that there is an outbreak of rabbis and warned visitors to stay away from wild animals, people, like us, come from australia, we face wild animals like kangaroos, koalas, etc. all the time and our level of alertness is not high.  if i had been warned, i would never ever go near any of them.

 

also if there was a lady being attacked earlier, and if the fox had been running around the hotel property for a whole day, the hotel should take action to alert, warn and  protect its guests, espectially when there is a fear of rabbis.

 

as soon as i gathered my thoughts together, i called the top hotel managment and the staff at the medical department of vermont and strongly request that they put out signs and warnings to prevent similar inicidents happening.  i said : i understand tourism is important to them, but they owe this to all the visitors and guests.  its bad enough that i was bitten, however, if this could prevent further people from being hurt, then the pain i went thru has served its purpose.

 

so this is my way of turning negative into positive, to help other people with my own experience.  also, the medical experts in vermont said that after going thru all the treatment, i am immune to rabbis and would get myself a job in the vets.  

 

To end this email, i would like to tell you that medical expenses in the US are skyrokettingly high.  i just got a bill from the hospital, for the injections, etc. the bill was about US$2600, the ambulance was US$450.  therefore in future, if you want to travel to the US, plesae please make sure that you have enough travel insurance coverage.

 

i hope i have not bored u with this long email. 

 

lydia

 

 

 

What I don't want (May 2006)

hi,

 

i read an experience from may's issue of indigo.  its so good that i cannot help copying some paras and sharing with you.

 

its about a japanese lady who was married to a husband who is a marijuana smoker and was abusive.  she got divorced after two years.  the following is one of the paras that touched me deeply:

 

Was her karma finished? 

 

"No, Life isnt that simple.  i kept getting into the same kinds of relationships to the point where i felt there was something wrong with me, that i was not capable of being in a relationship.  I always rushed in.  I was so hungry for love, but i felt unlovable.  I was always attracted to artistic, complicated, broken guys - the 'injured pigeon' syndrome.  I was always trying to find my happiness through my partner.  Then I was in a relationshiip with yet another arty, unstable type.  He also had problems with drugs.  it was such a difficult, very difficult relationship.  different man, but almost exactly the same scenario.  I felt desperate.  I was so miserable.

 

Then on day, i was walking down the street with him.  On the other side of the street, i saw my ex husband!  I just felt that was gohonzon telling me, "what the hell are you doing?  Wake up Reiko!  You're with exactly the same guy!"  Then my life really changed because i realised what I DID NOT WANT anymore.

 

I remember chanting in tears desperately, asking angrily to my gohonzon: "why are you giving me these wrong guys?  they are draining me.  They drain my energy, drain my soul.  Please stop, so i can put all my energy into kosen rufu instead."  This is the vow i made: "I have no time and energy to waste on destructive relationships - instead i need a nurturing relationship that allows me to focus my energies on my happiness and the happiness of others."  I really meant it.  i knew i had so much to offer, but my focus in life wasnt right.

 

Also i realized that i attracted the wrong men because my attitude towards life was wrong.  My boyfriends mistreated me because i mistreated myself by not respecting myself.  It wasnt them after all; it was ME, MYSELF, and I!.  I felt very happy.  I was no longer seeking happiness in a relationship!  I felt confident, i had no fear of not having a boyfriend and, for the first time, stopped looking for one!  Afterall, i didnt want 'any' boyfriend.  Instead, i wanted a life partner, and  I knew he was coming my way sosoner or later.  I had this immense confidence, so it no longer mattered WHEN this man would appear.  for the first itme, i felt strong and happy with myself!  Hooray!

 

The ending:  after her change in attitude, she soon met a nice and sweet man (her next door neighbour) who respects and loves her.  she said" I couldnt believe he would appear so soon.  and someone so close to me!  he was right next door!  i really felt that the depth of prayer is beyond time and space.  She is now married and has two lovely children.

 

such a powerful life story.

 

cheers

 

lydia

How to attain absolute happiness (May 2006)

last night my son came for dinner, and he asked me: what is absolute happiness?

 

Buddhism is about helping people to obtain absolute happiness.  there are two types of happiness, though: relative happiness and absolute happiness.

 

relative happiness depends on external circumstances, ie you get a new car, new relationship, win the lottery, etc etc etc.  however, this type of happiness doesnt last.  if you crash your car, relationship turns sour, money all spent, etc. your happiness is gone.

 

so what is absolute happiness?  at the beginning of my practice, my mentor asked me this question and i was not able to answer.

 

Now after ten years of buddhist practice and study, my realization about absolute happiness is:

 

1) when you really know and can transcend the real aspects of life, ie death, separation, financial and health problems etc.   here is a story:

 

in the days of Shakaymuni, the founder of buddhism, 2500 years ago,  a woman whose son had just died came to Shakaymuni, crying, miserable, asking Shakaymuni to bring her son back to life.  Shakaymuni, being a buddha with superior wisdom, did not ask her to accept the reality, he knew that it was pointless to say it, we cannot ask a person "not" to suffer.  instead he said: give me some poppy seeds and i will revive your son,  but you must not buy the seeds, you have to ask people for them, people that did not have any deaths in the family. 

 

happily the woman started knocking on doors asking for seeds.  doors, after doors, she was not successful.   after knocking on more than a hundred doors, seeing, with her own eyes, that every family had had their own suffering in some way, death, sickness, separation, poverty, hunger, etc, she began to realize that death is just a part of life, she had accepted it, was able to transcend the pain, became enlightened and became a follower of  Shakaymuni.

 

2) when you have the faith that, whatever comes along, no matter how bad it is, would turn out to be a benefit.

 

i remember a few years ago, my daughter had had serious financial problems, so much so that my grandchildren's education was in jeopardy.  how i suffered!  my health suffered due to worrying.  with sincere chanting, the situation turned around, and is still turning around for the better.  because of that, my daughter has become a better person, wiser on budgetting, more earnest in improving herself, more active on kosen rufu.   this is sure a benefit.

 

had i had enough faith in the gohonzon then and knew that everything would be alright in the end, i would not have suffered.

 

I remember one of my sgi senior member had said "I am always happy, i have enough faith in the gohonzon to know that whatever comes along would turn out to be a benefit."  i will try to keep this in my heart.

 

3) when we have the wisdom, courage, life force and blessing to overcome our problems, become happy and help others to obtain happiness.

 

after i had separated with my ex boyfriend 7 years ago, i was all crying and desperate.  so much so that my mentor had asked me to stop thinking about myself and help others.  then i started to do kosen rufu (teaching people about chanting and buddhism) and visited people in hospitals, etc teaching them chanting.  there were two incidents:

 

a) i visited a guy with terminal cancer.  he suffered physically and spiritually. due to prior misunderstanding he broke away from his family.  i encouraged him to chant and told him about buddhist philosophy.  he reconciled with his family, felt very happy, the physical pain also lessened  and he died in his sleep.

 

b) i visited the mother of a sgi member in the hospital and encouraged her to chant.  one week later when i visited her again, she told me:  "there was a 37 year old lady in the opposite bed suffering from terminal liver cancer, she was very painful, screaming, wanting to die but couldnt.  i asked her hushand to chant for her and the same day, she passed away.  her husband came to me to thank me."

 

at that moment, my own broken relationships (with a plural s) seemed so trivial, i was happy with myself, i was happy that i could help people.  a few months later, andrew, my present husband, came along, he is loving, respectful  and we got married a couple of years later.

 

although all of the above may seem vague and far reached,  it could  be obtained through sincere and continuous chanting nam myo ho renge kyo.  it works with me, and i am sure that i will work with you too.

 

thought i'd share the above with you.

 

cheers

 

lydia

 

Heaven and Hell (May 2006)

recently i saw a movie called "what dreams may come" by robin williams.  its a story about a couple whose two children died in a car accident.  shortly after, the husband, robin, also died in a car crash.  he ascended to heaven.  he missed his wife and was told by his counter parts that his wife, unable to cope with the trauma, committed suicide and ended in hell.

 

determined to save his wife, robin decided to go into hell.  he was told that he only had five minutes, if he 'd stay longer he would be stuck in hell with his wife.

 

upon seeing his wife, who was lost in her sorrow and did not recognize her husband, robin tried very very hard to lift her up, but with no avail.  his time was running short, finally he rememberd an incident when he successfully cheered his wife (during their life time) to lift her from her depression.  he reminded her of the wonderful moment in their past life: the beautiful picture of the incident: the flowers, the trees, the soft spokeness of robin came into her mind,  at that instant, she recognized robin, became very happy and both of them ascended into heaven.

 

the story tells us that heaven and earth exist only in our minds.  with a change of thinking, we can switch from hell to heaven.

 

cheers

 

lydia 

Letter to my sister (April 14, 2010)

dear sis

 

tks for your email.  yeah, after writing my first email on BBQ hotdog, i was thinking.

 

back in 1989, after we  immigrated to toronto canada from hong kong, one sunday afternoon, you and michele were out dating.  i took kevin, who was still a very young child then, to a hardware store in mid town eglington.  i can still remember my feelings then,living in a big new country with two children and one sister, no jobs  and so unsure about my future, i was very unhappy, lost and depressed. 

 

20 years later, in sydney, one sunday afternoon, apr 18, i did the same thing again, ie visiting a hardware store, but my feeling had completely changed.

 

so what made me change?  its my continual effort in our buddhist practice and chanting nam myo ho renge kyo which has awakened me.  also it teaches me that if we face any unhappy situations, dont worry, with our chanting and buddhist practice, everything will come good.

 

Sunday April 11, 2010

below is my one day diary:

 

sunday april 11

 

woke up at 7.30 am by phone calls from patients who had toothache. andrew said he could handle them alone and i did not have to assist him, so i went back to bed and slept for another hour, good, so much better.

 

woke up and found andrew had already done a whole pile of laundry before he went off to play mahjong.   a while ago my son kevin did the laundry for me, and now andrew.  i am sooo happy, so blessed..  andrew has not been very active with housework, hopefully this is a good  new beginning ?

 

at 10 am, a handyman came with his wife to repair our roof at the laundry area,  they  also built two steps for dog dog to use the doggie door .   a good husband & wife teamwork.  i made myself instant noodle for lunch.  their work was finished at 2 pm and i drove to a hardware store to buy something.

 

while i was shopping for hardware materials, there came a smell of BBQ sausages, the instant noodle in my stomach disappeared and i kept smelling the nice mouth-watering aroma  of hot dogs longing to have one.

 

i finsihed shopping quickly and to my delight found the hot dog stall at the front of the shop.  bought one for $2.5, with tons of fried unions, plus a soft drink for $1.5.   spent a total $4.  then i went back into the shop, sat on a wooden bench and started to enjoy my hot dog, and the bottle of lemonade.   it was so de li cious !    i felt so happy, content  and satisfied.

 

can u imagine $4 can bring me sooo much pleasure?  when i went back home, i changed a few ceiling light bulbs, one that i had wanted to do for six months but never got to it.  i was also very happy with myself because today i found that i was able to change halogen light bulbs which i couldnt figure out to do in the past.

 

then i watched two nice documentaries, one on picasso, one about hilter.

 

all in all, my day was constructive, peaceful, happy and enjoyable.  it was a very nice day.  i am sharing this simple and happy day with my family and friends and i sincerely wish that all of you will also

 

have a nice day, in each and everyday.

 

cheers

 

lydia

 

 

Absolute Happiness

we mentioned a lot of times that we would like to achieve 'absolute happiness' with our buddhist practice with chanting nam myo ho renge kyo.

 

but what is 'absolute happiness'? 

 

if we ask ourselves this question:  have we got really sad and angry, i mean for a prolonged period of time,  because someone has mistreated us, or a so called ' loved one'  deserted us?  if yes,   then we are placing our happiness in the discretion of other people.  if someone is nice to us, we are happy, if not, we are unhappy.   how miserable can our life be under these circumstances?  we are just like puppets on the strings, pulled by other peoples hands.

 

therefore, in way of buddhism, absolute happiness is: i am going to be happy no matter what.

 

i read a story about an old man.  he was going into an age care home.  people ask him: will u be happy there?  he said: yes, i will be because i have already set my mind to be happy no matter what the environment turns out to be.

 

there is a SGI member in hongkong, my mentors husband, mr. wong, he has a huge turmour in his liver which burst, and before he had operation, i could see him attending all our buddhist meetings in the centre, all well, up and smiling, there is no way we can tell that his life is in danger.

 

he even said: well i have told everyone how good and powerful our chanting is, so now is my turn to prove it.  during the operation, he had 1/3 of his liver cut off, but after the operation, he DID NOT EVEN NEED ONE PAIN KILLER, there was no pain.  also, in the second day, he could start eating.  he is now undergoing chemo, and will speak of his experience in our hong kong 5.3 meeting april 30.

 

so, that is absolute happiness, no matter what.

 

having said so much, how could we achieve this kind of life state?  yes, by faith, have faith in the gohonzon, have faith in yourself, have faith that: everything will be turn out fine, and with our chanting nam myo ho renge kyo, we have the power to turn everything into a benefit.

 

cheers

 

lydia

My little new car (March 2010)

today after cleaning the buddhist centre in sydney i was driving home in my corolla, (which i got in jan after extensive research,  with the help of wendy (my neice), sid (her boyfriend) and kevin, my son,  on other models, ie honda, mazda, suzuki, subaru, mercedes) and i found that  i enjoyed every minute of the drive.  the car is smooth, great handling, its got GPS, bluetooth, cruise control, etc. and is sooo comfortable.  for the first time, i feel that driving is a pleasure and i drove very slowly, listening to the beaufiful singing  by 'the three tenors'.

 

looking back, i had always wanted a small car  but i always landed on bigger and more flashy cars such as mercedes, BMWs, and a jacquar. 

 

to be honest, i did not enjoy these cars, and the jacquar is so big i found it hard to handle , especially during parking, banging onto here and there and kept damaging it. so why did i get something which i did not enjoy?  the answer is simple: vanity.  i wanted to look good in the eyes of other people.

 

thru out my years of buddhist practice, i have come to know myself better,about what i want in life.  i used to love sparkling evening clothes, high society parties, diamonds, fur coats.  i tried very hard ,  i got them, but i was not happy.

 

now everyday i wear jeans, sneakers, eat simple food and drive a corolla, and i am immensely happy. jewels, flashing cars and clothes are not in my agenda any more.  yeah, thanks to my chanting nam myo ho renge kyo and my buddhist practice, i am much clearer about what i want, and i am much happier.

 

yeah, what i look to other people, and what other people think of me is not important, what is important is that i should be happy with myself, and try to make other people happy.

 

cheers

 

lydia

60 cents (June 2010)

i was in melbourne the past few days sharing inspirations and encouraging some sgi members whom i met in sydney last year.

today before my return to sydney, i decided to spent a few hours at the art gallery.  after parking my car, i went to the parking meter and found that the meter does not accept credit cards nor notes.  i searched all my pockets, hand bag, coin bags and could only come up with $4.20 whereas i needed $4.80
 i stood there counting and counting, not knowing what to do as there are no shops in the area.  then three young people came, they were talking and saw that i was stuck.  then one of them asked me how much coins i have, i said $4.20, then he took out some coins and gave me the rest of the money: 60 cents.

i said i dont have any change to give him back, and he said, 'i am giving you the coins".  i just could not believe it!  a stranger giving me MONEY!!!

you cannot imagine how HAPPY  AND DELIGHTED i was.  it is so true that
 when we chant nam myo ho renge kyo, there are four protective buddhas, two in front, and two behind to protect us, and these people are  the actual proof.

to me this 60 cents means more to me than $60 thousand.

i cant wait to share this happiness with you because if i dont do it now, with soooo many things on my mind, i am going to forget.

cheers

lydia

How I made my husband smile (Aug 2010)

my dear husband, andrew, is very serious at work, i tried to ask him to 'smile' more often but ...

last week, as i was chanting, i suddenly knew of a way to make andrew smile.  i immediately took action.  whenever and wherever i see him, i give him big smiles, and big kisses.  i could see that immediately he smiles and is soo happy, and i could see him smile more often at work now.

furthermore because i am nicer and more appreciative of him, he is becoming nicer also.  sunday night, he cooked fried scallops with asparagus, scrambled eggs with prawns.  yummm.  last night he bought a mud crab and gave me half of the crab plus two claws!!!   then yesterday morning i found that he hang all the washed clothes for me.

oh by the way, andrew said i praised my children, and grandchildren but not him, therefore,  i am showing my praise and appreciation of my dear husband, with my family and friends. 

yeah, my buddhist practice tells me that the best way to change someone is to change yourself first.  its true.

cheers

lydia

GPS and the Gohonzon (Sept 2010)

i am now in canada, driving to different places on personal and business matters. a few days ago, i had to go to a distant area and i was only given the street name and no. 

 

however, because i had my GPS, i just followed the instructions given by my GPS.  the place was quite far away and not easy to get to, but because i trust my GPS, i was not worried and was even able to enjoy the drive abd the scenery along the way .  sometimes i missed a turn, but the GPS was quick to give me  new instructions to set me back on track.

 

on my way back, i was thinking: this is exactly like our buddhist practice!!  the GPS is like my gohonzon.  with the GPS, i put in the street name and address and it will direct me along my way, but i still had to put in petrol and carefully drive my car, observing all road regulations.

 

with my buddhist practice, i put forth my goal or target to the gohonzon, and  i know that the gohonzon will direct me along the right path and i dont have to grope in the dark. however, i still have to take action,  sometimes there may be obstacles along the way, but if i trust the gohonzon, i will be sure that i will reach my target, no matter what.

 

glad to share my thoughts.

 

lydia

A good investment (Sept 2010)

last night i attended an sgi study meeting, during which a new member said that sometimes she found it hard to chant.

 

to encourage her, i told her about my recent thinking. 

 

 i said i am a practical business woman, and i do think a lot about ROI (return on investment).  lately i had a thought that: chanting daimoku (nam myo ho renge kyo) is the BEST investment for me, because doing about 30 min of good chanting can bring forth hours or days of happiness for me, so what better investment can i have?

 

just want to share.  sometimes if we can relate our profound theories with everyday life, it will be much easier for people to comprehend and practice.

 

cheers

 

lydia

Window Seat (Oct 11, 2010)

on my return flight back to sydney, a 15+ hrs flight, despite repeated requests, i was being put in the middle seat.

 

i tried to arr at the airport 3 hrs earlier hoping to change my seat, but  the staff who checked me in was very very hostile, she said: someone has got to sit in the middle! i know you people, i have been working for many airlines for over 47 yrs and my parents are also working for airlines........., and she went on and on.

 

she then said: well we are so full that we cannot even move ONE single seat but u can check again one hour before departure at the gate.

 

i then asked: will there be anyone at the gate one hour before departure? and she started again: of course, there are a lot of people like u requesting change of seats ........, and on and on.

 

 it would be perfectly ok for me if she could have said: the flight is very full, but i will try to put in a request for u but i cannot promise.   instead she gave me lectures using abusive language.

 

after checking in and while i was sitting down  i could not help getting angry,i did not understand why i came across such a nasty person because i always meet nice and supportive people all the time! 

 

finally i got up and decided to speak my mind.  i went back to the counters and asked to speak to the supervisor, who after hearing what happened, was shocked and apologetic, she said: yes the flight is very full but i will try my best to help u.

 

and u know what: i got a very nice window seat and had a very nice flight back home.

 

at first i did not understand why i met the nasty person, but nowi do.  if i had not met this nasty one, i could have just accepted the polite answer and will not talk to the supervisor and be given my window seat, so the adversity was to help me achieve what i wanted.

 

this is exactly what is said in our buddhist practice: that we have the power to turn poison into medicine, we have the power to change any problems into benefits, and the 'seemingly' difficulties are just to help us do better and gain more benefits.

 

i apologize for such a long email, however i know quite a lot of my friends are facing difficulties, and i do want to share with them this experience.

 

cheers

 

lydia

Sydney, Shanghai, Sydney (oct 2010)

 in mid oct, andrew and i joined a group tour to china, flying directly from sydney to shanghai and back.

 

at the time of booking the tour, i requested the travel agent for a delayed return flight from shanghai to sydney in order that i can fly to hongkong for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends. however, at that time, ie july, the agent told me that it was not possible because we are issued with group tickets.  therefore i arranged another trip back to hong kong in nov.

 

during our tour, i found out that seven other members were able to stay behind in shanghai to fly back to sydney on a later date.  needless to say, i was not very comfortable because the agent TOLD me that it was not possible. i was all prepared to talk to the agent on my return to sydney.

 

however, at the end of the tour, on the very last day, i got really really sick, i had a very bad cold, so bad that i virtually had to stay in the hotel to sleep.  on my return to sydney, i was still not able to recover, i had lost my voice and there was not one single drop of energy left in me.

 

yeah, i am getting better now, but its been 10 days now since i just stayed home to rest.

 

i started to think, if i were able to postpone my return to sydney and fly to hong kong, it would be quite disastrous:  getting sick and not able to do anything i wanted.  therefore i honestly am very grateful that i was not able to postone my return to sydney.  in fact, the past ten days, though i was sick, i enjoyed my stay and rest at home, with lots of sleep and TVs .

 

again, i remember what a senior SGI member in sydney said: i am always happy, because i trust the gohonzon, and i know that whatever comes along will turn out to be a benefit. 

 

this is so true.

 

lydia

 

 

 

From Sarah (Nov. 11, 2010)

Dear Lydia I hope that all is well with you and that your sister is on the mend.. I have to let you know about this, it's one of the strangest things that has happened to me.. I went to the dentist this morning and had my teeth cleaned.  Whilst I was sitting in the chair, I started chanting nam my ho renge kyo.. and felt much better.  As I was finishing, I had to make my 6 month appointment for the next cleaning.  I pulled out my cell phone and I couldn't believe what I saw..  A note was in my phone as a reminder "can feel the power and protection of chanting name my ho renge kyo!", so I had to send you an e-mail to let you know..  I had not put this reminder in my phone :) All the best, Sarah

Energy (2007)

"What can each of us, as an ordinary human being, do for others, for society?

 

Religion for the people, religion in the 21st century, must be an inexhaustible source of such awareness and the energy to carry it out.

 

                             Daisaku Ikeda"

 

this is the slogan on the wall of our sgi centre in sydney.

 

since i arrived in sydney in 2000, every thursday i went to the centre to do volunteer cleaning.  i vacuumed all floor areas, incl carpet and floor tiles,  mopped the floor, cleaned the kitchen, bench tops, tables, chairs, glass doors and partitions, and sometimes the toilet.  there is a total of about 250 sm of space to cover.

 

growing up in hongkong, where almost all working women hire maids to do their housework and cooking, i found it really really very hard to do the above.  not only did i not know how to do it properly, i also had no energy at all because my health condition was not good.

 

i practically had to stop, pant, rest, drink or eat every fifteen minutes to regain energy, and i took more than three hours to finish the work.  here, i have to state that no one, nobody, asked me to do anything at all, it is completely out of my own free will to contribute my time (which i had had plenty)  and effort to help.

 

 while having lunch, i always looked at the motto and thought: how i wish i have this inexhaustible source of energy to do what i want to do.

 

now in 2007, without my noticing, i do have a lot of energy .  not only can i finish my work in 1 1/2 hrs, half of the original time, everybody in the centre says that i have done a beautiful job and the centre looks sparkling.  at one time, a visitor even asked if i am a professional cleaner  .  at the end of the day, i always feel very very good, that i am able to contribute, and my health is getting better and better.

 

furthermore, to me, to be able to do this work regularly is a real blessing indeed, because i need the time, energy,  good spirit....

 

cheers

 

lydia

True Happiness (July 18, 2006)

i have brought  my grandchildren with me to sydney for their summer holidays (in hongkong).  to help the youngest one to acclimatize, i made them sleep in my bedroom for a few days.

a couple of days ago, when i went upstairs to sleep, i saw my loving husband sleeping in bed, my three lovely grandchildren sleeping together on the mattresses on the floor, and my beautiful dog (a maltese (sp?)) sleeping under the couch, i suddenly realized what true happiness is,  this happiness and satisfaction is coming from the bottom of my heart. how i thank the gohonzon, how i thank my buddhist practice, i sure have come a long long way.

cheers

lydia 

A beautiful letter (written in 2006)

Below is a letter I have received from a lovely lady I met five years ago in Melbourne.  At that time she seemed lost and not very happy.  I have told her about our chanting.  Since then we communicated for a while and then I thought I have lost her until I have received the following letter:

15.3.06

Dear Lydia,

How are you?  I’m sorry that it has been so long between my communications, but I stumbled across your address yesterday and was excited about telling you a story!

Ever since meeting you at the Crown Casino I have had the chant that you gave to me written on a piece of card next to my bed.  It has been a story that I have shared with nearly everyone who crossed my path and I hold the words/chant in special regard.

Four years ago I met a man on the Geelong train and wrote down Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo for him – underneath in brackets I wrote (BRINGS ABOUT THE HIGHEST GOOD).  We did not exchange names or details, we just had a spiritual conversation about what had happened in our lives.

Anyway, last year I was cast in a play in the Melbourne Festival and met a lovely man who becomes my boyfriend. It wasn’t until I saw a book on his bookshelf that I was reminded of a conversation on a train 4 years ago- and I said to him “you don’t have a habit of talking to young girls on trains, do you?” and he said “No”, but then he said – ‘Oh, I did once’ – She gave me a Chinese word …. And I said

“Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo ????”

Ha ha…..

We are very happy together….  This story rings true in our hearts and brings us much joy and wonderment.  Ever since I have been meaning to share it with you because you gave me such hope when I was lost and needed direction.

Thank you so much!!!

I hope that you are happy and well – and that miraculous things are happening to you too!!!

Love, 

From Lydia:

Such a beautiful letter, such a beautiful story, all started with her respect for the chanting and her compassion to share with everyone who came across her path.  We never know that just a simple act of  mentioning of this chanting to other people can have such a great effect on our own, and other people’s lives.

Children - Are they are blessing? or..... (2007)

I am sharing with you my experience in raising my two children, a daughter and a son.  I would like to tell you the mistakes that I made, the tears I shed, the problems I had to face, the crisis I had to go through, the agony I had to bear, the desperation that came upon me, and finally, the joy of seeing two fine individuals growing, maturing, refining, succeeding  and contributing to the happiness of other people.

Part One

My daughter - Michele

I was born and grew up in Hong Kong.  I got married when I was still a teenager, and had my first child, Michele, born immediately thereafter.  I did not even know how to take care of myself, let alone be a mother.  Therefore my daughter was being cared for and brought up by my in-laws until the age of 7.

At that time, the finance situation of my ex husband and myself became more steady and we were able to bring Michele back home with us and hired a maid to do the housework and care for her.  Being a dedicated career woman, I have to admit that I had never been a good mother, I did not spend time playing, talking, caring or coaching Michele, I failed to give her the attention nor affection which she needed so much and, as a result, Michele and I were never very close.  She had always wanted to go back to her grandparents.

When Michele was 13, I had my divorce with my ex husband. I was then immediately faced with the difficult situation where I had to take up the interior design business from my ex husband (who had lost interest in his business and carried a lot of debts) and at the same time, take up sole responsibility of raising Michele and her three year old brother, Kevin.

Before this, I had had worked as a secretary and had no formal training in interior design nor business management, but I knew I had to take up the business to

survive. It was such a struggle!   I was all alone in handling problems, both in business and at home.   (I can still remember the incident when I was handling a

complaint in the office with a client, I received a letter from Michele in England saying that she wanted to jump off the roof to commit suicide, at the same time, I received a telephone call from home telling me that Kevin was throwing a tantrum not wanting to do his homework.)  Life was hard, really hard indeed.

Michele was very disturbed and hated me for divorcing her father.  As a result, she failed in all her subjects in Hong Kong and had to continue her studies in England.  She went against me in whatever I said and we just could not get along.  The only way I could show my love for her was to buy her material things.

She was in England for three years and came back to Hong Kong before we immigrated to Canada in l989.  I must admit that I did not try to spend time and communicate with my daughter even when I did not work in Canada.  I did not know what she was thinking nor doing.  Our relationship turned from bad to worse when she met some really bad friends and spent a lot of money.

I was extremely angry, I cried, I yelled and scolded her,  I was so angry that, to release my anger, I hit on the table and broke my bracelet.   I regarded her as a heavy burden which I wanted to be rid of,  but what I did not realize was that her actions were mere results of my failure in fulfilling my duties as a mother.  At this critical time, instead of scolding her and getting mad, I should be more understanding, caring, supportive, and guiding.

Looking back, I know she was only following my footsteps.  Because, like me,  she came from a family with parents quarrelling all the time and gave her scolding instead of love and support, she was very much looking forward to having her own nice warm family and would jump to any chance that came along.  This is what we call “ family karma”.

It is very ironic.  Although I love Michele, I did not know how to love her.  Eventually she got married to a very nice young man, Ben, and has her own children.  Later they also returned to reside in Hong Kong.  However our relationship had not improved at all, we always argued, fought with each other and regarded each other unbearable.

At one time, she said to me: “If my own mother does not look up and respect me, how can I look up and respect myself?”  The reason she said this was because I used to criticize her for the things she did wrong, hoping this would help her improve,  and I failed to compliment and encourage her on the things that she did right and recognize her strengths.

 In 1996, I started to take up Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhist practice and started chanting nam myo ho renge kyo.  I learned about the theories of life, of cause and

effect and began to realize that whatever problems we are having, the cause lies within us.  I also learn that by chanting nam myo ho renge kyo, we will have the wisdom, courage and life force to overcome any negative situations and turn them into benefits, but it all begins with our own human revolution, i.e. to change any aspects in ourselves that cause our own sufferings.

I began to change my attitude towards Michele.  I tried to respect her as an individual, complimenting her on her achievements.  At times of crisis I was ready to give her encouragement and support, but because her experience in the past was so bad, she was still grudging against me and cannot let go of the things that I did.  She does not seem to be a happy person and can easily get angry, I can see myself (the old me) in her.  As soon as I started talking to her, she would put herself on the defensive and we could not communicate.

I continued to try to make good our relationship, accepting the fact that the pain she gave me is just a result of the things I did to her.  Then one day when I was chanting, I could feel that there was a big hole in her heart that needed to be filled, and when I chanted to the gohonzon, I was determined to use my daimoku (nam myo ho renge kyo) to fill up this hole.  I also chanted for her happiness. At that time, although Michele also chants, she was not very active.

Meanwhile Michele came across major finance difficulties in her family and for this reason, she and her husband, Ben, began chanting vigorously and learn how to overcome their problems with our Buddhist philosophy.  She and Ben also contributed and volunteered in a lot of SGI activities.  In the process, she and Ben regained their confidence, happiness and are going through their own human revolution.

With our joint daimoku, I can feel that the hole in Michele’s heart is filling up.  She begins to appreciate me, as a mother, more and more, and she is thankful of the things that I am doing for her and her family.  She offered me advice when I had crisis with her brother Kevin.  She is also helping me in giving guidance to and encouraging Kevin.  She is very active in kosen rufu, supporting, encouraging and guiding people who come across her path who need help.  Sometimes we even act as a team and contribute joint effort in kosen rufu to support other members.

I am very very happy and proud to have a daughter like Michele.  Yes, we had had very difficult times, but with our Buddhist practice, which gives us faith, hope and courage, we were able to transform our problems into blessings.

Later I will tell you about my son, Kevin, in Part II of this story.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Lydia

                                                                                                                                        June 10, 2007

變毒為藥 (寫於2002年)

我學習日蓮大聖人的佛法已六年。在這期間，除了得到無數的功德外，還把我的生命完全地改變。 

為了慶祝婦人部五十週年紀念，我願意與大家一起分享一個去年的體驗。 

我於一九九九年十月從香港移居雪梨，並與現任丈夫結婚。雪梨對我來說是一個完全陌生的地方。在這裏我只有兩個朋友。因為我是中國人的關係，一到步我就在找尋一位中國人的家庭醫生。直到去年五月，經朋友介紹在附近找到了一位普通科家庭醫生。我去找他有兩個原因。第一，是希望通過他的介紹，轉介我到另一位中國的女性婦科醫生作每年的婦科檢查。另外的原因是因為我感到有點頭漲、頭暈、作嘔、呼吸困難及腳踝有水腫的現象。 

經過那位家庭醫生講解後，說我大部份的不適是因為服食了一種降血壓藥所產生的副作用。我患高血壓已有六年多，一直是吃Plendil(降血壓藥)控制著。但去年二月，我因為覺得頭暈，所以一個在雪梨的心臟病醫生提意改吃另一種名叫Norvacs的血壓藥，而可能Norvacs不適合我，那位家庭醫生建議我數星期後回去覆診，到時看看要不要再換降血壓藥。

壹星期後，當去見那位家庭醫生介紹的婦科醫生時，她說我的子宮頸生了壹粒瘜肉，並即時(下午三時左右)替我做了一個十分簡單的切割手術。其實這手術我在香港也曾經做過，並不是大問題。所以手術後如常到雜貨店買東西。但突然間感到子宮頸內有大量分泌物。直到回到家裏才發現一些血水，並持續數小時之久。當我致電給婦科醫生時，她說一切正常。而這情況會持續數小時。大概六時許，當我駕車接丈夫下班時，頓時發現大量出血；並在丈夫的工作地方再次打電話給我的婦科醫生，同時也決定前往她的診所。

我漸漸有點緊張，並開始唱唸「南無妙法蓮華經」。當抵達診所時，我不停地顫抖及有點害怕。醫生把我帶到另外一個房間嘗試給我止血，初時並不成功。過了不久，她說一切正常並可以回家去。當我差不多到達家裏時，又發現再次出血，比上一次來得嚴重。於是我立刻返回那醫生的診所，她替我檢查時，我不斷大量出血，所以她要我立刻進入醫院。

當我的丈夫把我送到醫院時，我便即時打電話給香港的家人請求與我一起唱唸題目。不久我被送到手術室，醒來時血已停止了。而我的婦科醫生憶述在手術期間，發現有另外三個瘜肉在我的子宮內，並給我看了她在手術室拍下那三個瘜肉的照片。她說因為我不停地流血，所以沒有把所有瘜肉切除。她還說每星期也做同樣的手術，但從未遇過這種流血不止的情況。

第二天，當我出院時因失血過多，身體十分虛弱，需要吃些強身藥增強體力。直至第五天的晚上我又開始流血，但並不嚴重。過了數天，血還是沒有停下來，我開始有點擔心。我很想再聽取其他醫生意見，但又不知應該找誰？最後還是回到那位婦科醫生。她說一切正常，並說我大概會持續流血六星期傷口才會完全復原，需要小心處理。

我不知道應否再信任這個婦科醫生。那個時候我真的處於地獄界。一個小小的傷口，竟會不停地流血多達六星期，這是我不能接受的。我也曾生了兩個孩子，但每次產後流血的時間通常都不會多過四個星期。

這一次我知道只有向御本尊祈求，才能找到解決的方法。我嘗試卧在床上不隨便走動，但仍不能止血。這情況持續了兩個多星期，有很多會友都為我而唱題，而我自己就好緊張、擔心和不安。

再過一星期後(星期五)，我再到那位家庭醫生那裏，希望他給我多點意見。他說可以介紹我去見另外一位婦科醫生，並且給我換了另外一種血壓藥。我一開始服食這藥時就感到十分頭暈，於是我致電到這藥的製造商查詢。他們說這是副作用，遲些便會沒事。第二天(星期六)情況更差，除了頭暈、頭痛、手部不停地顫動外，視力也不能集中，像快要暈倒下來。我不停向康座(御本尊)祈求，讓我知道應該怎樣做。到了晚上，我突然有種感覺要停服這種藥。但是我已心力交瘁，同時要受流血及藥物副作用的煎熬。

到這時我忽然間想起一位幹部的指導。她說如要達成願望，最好的方法便是努力地去幫助他人，去做好廣宣流布。於是我決定暫時忘記自己的病痛，把精神轉移去幫助其他人。

到第三天(星期天)，我先生的弟婦與她的女兒到訪。她的女兒因在感情及工作上不如意，而顯得十分不開心。雖然我仍然流血及身體感到不適，但還是好誠懇地向她解釋我們的佛法，教她唱唸題目。同時也給她一些會友的體驗。並鼓勵好的母親為著她的女兒一起唱唸題目。真的奇怪，到了第四天(星期一)，我流的血不其然地停止了。

因為以上所發生的事情，我的血壓又再度上升。我開始體會到可能因自己的頑固及執著，以至令到自己受著不必要的痛苦。在這期間，有數位會友在一個星期五的早上到我家與我一起唱唸一小時的題目。當她們離開後，我第一次感到心境十分平和、寧靜。同時我也醒覺到，一個人能夠輕鬆地吃、睡及走動，已經是生命中的一大功德。

我明白到所有瘜肉在我身體內出現；是因為自己從小時及以往的不愉快經歷所積聚的憂慮、懊惱及怨恨所產生的。只有快樂才能有真正的健康。我一定要通過人間革命把自己負面的想法改變。並且我向御本尊祈求體內的瘜肉會自動排出，因為我真是害怕再要做手術。同時我也醒覺到因為自己對御本尊的信心不夠強盛，才會遇上問題時驚惶失措。

題目的力量真是不可思議。去年十月我回香港時，到一位政府婦科醫生處請教我的問題。她替我做了一個掃描，之後告訴我體內沒有瘜肉。並且給了我用掃描拍下來的相片做記錄，我內心真是十分十分之感激御本尊。

這次的病業給了我很大的啟發。我不時地提醒自己在生命裏所有的恩惠。並在遇到問題時，嘗試以歡喜的心去面對。無論發生什麼事都要對御本尊確信，把問題及困難扭轉為功德。我開始盡量輕鬆地面對自己及週圍的人。

我衷心地感謝各會友的關心及為我唱唸題目。我希望每一位讀了這個體驗後的朋友都會得到鼓勵，以及生活得更輕鬆更快樂。

                                                                         

By Lydia Leung (梁麗荷)  Sydney 2002