On Opening The shrine (Part 2) If we would one day overcome the ego self and bring
forth the true Buddha nature, it is essential that we put into practice the
principles taught us by the sages and masters. It is necessary at every turn to
seek out opportunities to give of ourselves, our time, our resources, whatever
is required of us without grumbling or complaining, in fact, we must meet those
tasks with effortless joy and boundless energy. We should feel compelled to
gather together to support each other, and mutually do our best to bring an end
to the cycles of birth, death, and re-birth that plague humanity, it is our
divine responsibility. It also is our divine responsibility to ensure that no
soul is excluded from having the opportunity to know and embrace the truth. The
mere appearance of differences between people must be seen for what it is, an
illusion. The appearance of appearances must be seen for being the same
illusion. Fat, short, skinny, blind, wheelchair bound, black, red, white, polka
dotted or striped, everyone is welcome because the differences donÕt really
exist. In short, we must learn to give genuinely, and live without separation.
Who among us is capable of setting such an example? Well, I believe I personally
know several such people. Master Chen exemplifies these principles from the
very core of his being, and radiates his tremendous peace and presence to
everyone who meets him. When I think of him, the picture is that of the quiet
power of a very deep river, always moving but seemingly completely still. His
ability to bring understanding and tranquility to complete chaos was
demonstrated time and again in my home. Tolerance and compassion, and boundless
joy mark this man as surely as his appearance. He carries himself in a floating
elegant effortless fashion, and yet is as close to the earth as the flowers. His
example is an inspiration to me every minute of every day, as I watched him
nearly float through a crowd of Westerners who no more understood the Tao than
the Chinese language, he was eloquent and articulate, eminently patient and
kind, as gentle as the spring breeze but possessing tremendous inner strength
and power. Here is a man whose friend and ally is the Great Tao. How does he do all of this? He keeps the rituals,
performs his meditations faithfully, he seeks out opportunities to give, in
service, in resources, in time, in any way he can. He seeks out opportunities to
share the Tao, and expresses himself with sheer joy. It is obvious to everyone
without question that his way and path is Tao and no other. But his path came at
some cost, discipline, education, choosing a way of peace, choosing to embrace
people that perhaps were not as embraceable as others, choosing to show
compassion when ignoring others would have been easier, choosing to help even if
helping meant sacrifice. Over time, the choices became nature and the nature
revealed itself in this remarkable man. This was not an accident. Master William is a man full of enthusiasm and
energy. Every obstacle is merely an opportunity to excel, every chasm of
separation only a reason to build a bridge of understanding. His joy knows no
limit, his patience is inexhaustible, his ability to move with the winds of
change is effortless and graceful. When I think of people who genuinely desire
to give, my mindÕs eye pictures Master William. Master William was instrumental
in making sure that all of the fixtures of the shrine were delivered to Indiana
in one piece. That single simple sentence resulted in a tremendous amount of
hard physical work, and a logistical nightmare of gathering packing wrapping and
shipping. The crate that the fixtures arrived in was a five hundred and fifty
pound work of art. Everything was meticulously packaged and arrived beautifully.
This may not sound like a big accomplishment, but please take note, the items in
this box are rare, some are irreplaceable, and all are priceless. The expense
and labor involved in making this happen was truly ponderous in scale. In
addition, Master William provided to the temples the ability to connect the
shrines via broadband communications. Through his efforts, the infant shrine in
Indianapolis has an umbilical to its mother shrine and the wonderful knowledge
of its masters and teachers. I am positive that Master WilliamÕs contributions
extend much further than what I will ever know, and yet he shoulders this
awesome responsibility with a quiet smiling face that beams with radiant joy and
contentment and peace, ever ready to sit down and share his wisdom and knowledge
of the Tao. This is an example worthy of following, a life worth emulating. This
was also not an accident. Derek Lin is my brother, I think of him like my own
flesh and blood family. Without his support, guidance, nurturing, and
recommendation, none of what I have written here would have been possible.
Before we ever met in person there was a bond between us born in the Great Tao
that descended from heaven and permeated our beings. His knowledge of the Tao is
unsurpassed in any person I have met to date. His ability to share this vast
reservoir of knowledge is combined with a tremendous nearly singular gift of
making the ethereal and mystical, real and tangible, to the western culture
where very frequently there are no words to describe what the Chinese masters
have said. It is a difficult and often thankless task that far too often falls
on deaf ears and hard hearts. Over time we have gotten to know each other well
and the more I know Derek the more I am convinced that his source, his well is
the Great Tao. Like the masters, his energy is boundless, his ability to pour
himself out like water is without boundaries or limits I have not seen the end
of his knowledge or his ability to give. When the shrine was dedicated, Derek presented a
lesson, geared to the Western mindset that led thirteen people to be initiated,
none of whom had heard anything of the I-Kuan Tao except from me. The power of
his words, the conviction of his faith and knowledge, the joy in his voice and
sparkle in his eye as he speaks, the unquestionable compassion for the people he
speaks to all demonstrate a life rooted in the Great Tao that springs forth from
within him and water and nourish every heart he touches. As we work together technologically, I have had
many opportunities to watch the way he redirects conflict and handles the
varying opinions and ways of people, how he brings peace to those who want a
fight, and refocuses those who have become confused. I have come to Derek
several times and have come to trust him as a confidant, mentor and dear friend
and brother. His hallmarks of honesty, integrity, forthrightness, faithfulness,
wisdom, compassion and respect are truly worthy of emulation. These are only three examples of a spirit that
pervades I-Kuan Tao. If one were to approach any of these people and ask them,
they would each say they are nothing special, that they donÕt do anything
difficult or special. They would be telling the truth. For each of them, despite
lifeÕs challenges, which we all face, they have chosen a life of self discipline,
self control, humility, giving without expectation, sharing without limitation,
studying and learning voraciously, keeping the rituals in there hearts homes and
minds, in short, bringing forth their respective Buddha natures in this lifetime
in this place for the benefit of others. None of these wonderful people and many
others whom I have not written about yet, does these things accidentally. A life
lived in this way is a day to day, sometimes second to second choice based in
the absolute knowledge that this way is the way of truth. There is no thought given about who they will share
this great truth with, they share it with everyone. I AM the proof. For those of
you who donÕt know me, IÕm an enormous American. I donÕt speak Chinese very well,
and thatÕs being very kind. IÕm not what one would consider attractive, IÕm not
wealthy, in fact, in every way IÕm pretty plain. In my heart though, exists the
passion for the discovery of the truth, and the strong desire to share that
truth and apply those principles in my life and help others do the same thing.
That was all that was required of me. In many circles, it would have been
reasonable, in fact practically expected to hear ÒHeÕs not Chinese, how could he
possibly do this??No such words were ever spoken. Instead the group from the
temple made videos for me to watch with the rituals recorded so I could see and
hear and practice. Everyone, the young, old, attractive and plain, men, women
and children all were welcomed, genuinely, lovingly, gently welcomed. Every
person was valued and treated with attention and compassion and taught with
wisdom and joy. It was a wonder to see and a blessing to be a part of. We all
could have been on the South Pole, and if there had been people there it would
have been no different. Nothing that I have written about here came about
by accident. Each of these wonderful people and many, many others have done this
by choice and hard work that led to effortless grace. It is just so with any
discipline. Mastering Tai-Chi, painting, music, gardening or anything else
requires self discipline, self control, focus, education, practice, more than a
few mistakes, and an unquenchable desire to succeed. What better practice could we put ourselves into
than those of compassion, wisdom, tolerance, giving, humility, respect for every
living thing, forgiveness, meditation, peace, and harmony? What else could be
more worthy of our attention and practice? What else would produce such
tremendous benefit for ourselves and others? What else has the potential to end
the cycle of birth and death and rebirth? Each of us can choose, either to live
an accident, or to live the way of peace that is the Tao.
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