Hello dharma brothers and sisters,
This is the story of your little dharma brother. My name is Lucas king, i am a tall slim blonde blue eyed 19 year old Army Soldier who took refuge in HH Living Buddha Lian Shen Sheng Yen Lu in May 1996 just being 12 years old.
I was born in 1983 Tacoma washington to a interesting family. I was young kid who has had my shares of a stressful life. I have one older half sister and 1 full little sister and a big brother. My parents seperated when i was 10 and just found out my mother was a drug addict at the time. I lived with my father who moved around alot and married a woman named Mona, I was hyperactive and was diagnosed ADHD and didnt do well in school but always had a foundness in religion. I wouldent be studying my school books but instead decided to read the whole bible in 4th and 5th grade. As i grew older little by little i had alot of unanswered questions about the bible but stuck to it and always prayed. As time went on i became more fond in studying other religions though, most of which were eastern paths. I was doing fine but a year later my Father divorced Mona and eventually met his current wife Susan.
My mother started cleaning her life up and met alot of new friends such as a very interesting one who was a psychic. This woman while doing a reading on me mentioned how i would one day become Buddhist but that seemed very odd to me.
My father, my siblings and i were on our way to our new home in Redmond washington and just passed by a big temple on our way and i was mezmerized by the site. Right after we moved in i rode my bike to the temple which was only a couple blocks away at about 8:30pm to satisfy my quriousity. As i approached the door i looked in the window and was startled at the site of huge golden buddhas with mystical looks stareing at me, it was so foreign to me. A nun came up to me and i started asking questions, i had this incredible affinity with it that only 15 minutes of talking i asked how to take refuge. They gave me my certificate and made me a necklace with a picture of GM and gave me some pictures of Dieties. I right away went home and setup a little make shift amature shrine and bowed to it all the time. I told my father about this and he wasnt too happy. He thought GM was some cult leader trying to take away his son so he tried all he could to stop me from going. But i would sneak out my window and ride my bike there crying, wishing i could go there and when i would return i would just tell my dad that i was at my friends house. I loved it there so much and felt so much at home and was so comfortable with everyone. I would come meet Grandmaster from his office to the chow hall(during lunch time) and i would be so blissful cuz Grandmaster would put his arm around my shoulder and ask me how my day was and how school was going for me.
I was happy but i was tired of lying to my father about where i was and didnt want to hide my faith anymore. One weekend right before the saturday night ceremony i kneeled down before Our Guru and said "Grand master you say you are the true buddha and you have so many powers so please bless me and make my father let me follow the dharma and come to temple!" Grand master just smiled and said "Ill tell you what luke, go before the shrine and ask Kuan Yin right now and see what happens" So obidiently i lit some incense and prayed for her help. I swear the very next day my Father got home from work and said "hey son i would like to have a word with you..." And he just said i think its alright to give the temple a try, i will let you decide your path this time. It was truely the first miracle for me.
My first true expirience which even made it down to the ears of Grandmaster through hearsay was while i was meditating under the instructions of my mother like nun "lotus gold". It was a quiet summer afternoon and my favorite nun told me to sit down calm myself (i was always a hyperactive energetic kid and still am) and meditate next to GM's thrown where he sits sometimes when hes done with the saturday services. I was so relaxed then all the sudden i saw myself in a different world that was unlike anything i could describe. It was so amazing and brilliant, there was jade grass and jewel filled temples on all sides with this limitless blue sky with singing from double headed birds and peacocks. I could see myself talking to grandmaster but i was in a saffron robe like the ones in thailand. We were walking on this very long winedy road that lead all the way into the horizon which was a HUGE!!! golden Amitabha in meditation with the son behind his head like a halo. I got up and told the nun and she said it meant that i was on the path to the western paradise and what i saw was the description of Sukhavati(western paradise) in the Lotus Sutra. Word was passed down and one time before lunch GM mentioned that i was lucky to have this vision.
I have had many more expiriences which i would be glad to share but its getting late and i gotta wake up for exercize tommorow morning. Good night everyone may all of you be blessed with enlightenment soon!
Luke
This is the story of your little dharma brother. My name is Lucas king, i am a tall slim blonde blue eyed 19 year old Army Soldier who took refuge in HH Living Buddha Lian Shen Sheng Yen Lu in May 1996 just being 12 years old.
I was born in 1983 Tacoma washington to a interesting family. I was young kid who has had my shares of a stressful life. I have one older half sister and 1 full little sister and a big brother. My parents seperated when i was 10 and just found out my mother was a drug addict at the time. I lived with my father who moved around alot and married a woman named Mona, I was hyperactive and was diagnosed ADHD and didnt do well in school but always had a foundness in religion. I wouldent be studying my school books but instead decided to read the whole bible in 4th and 5th grade. As i grew older little by little i had alot of unanswered questions about the bible but stuck to it and always prayed. As time went on i became more fond in studying other religions though, most of which were eastern paths. I was doing fine but a year later my Father divorced Mona and eventually met his current wife Susan.
My mother started cleaning her life up and met alot of new friends such as a very interesting one who was a psychic. This woman while doing a reading on me mentioned how i would one day become Buddhist but that seemed very odd to me.
My father, my siblings and i were on our way to our new home in Redmond washington and just passed by a big temple on our way and i was mezmerized by the site. Right after we moved in i rode my bike to the temple which was only a couple blocks away at about 8:30pm to satisfy my quriousity. As i approached the door i looked in the window and was startled at the site of huge golden buddhas with mystical looks stareing at me, it was so foreign to me. A nun came up to me and i started asking questions, i had this incredible affinity with it that only 15 minutes of talking i asked how to take refuge. They gave me my certificate and made me a necklace with a picture of GM and gave me some pictures of Dieties. I right away went home and setup a little make shift amature shrine and bowed to it all the time. I told my father about this and he wasnt too happy. He thought GM was some cult leader trying to take away his son so he tried all he could to stop me from going. But i would sneak out my window and ride my bike there crying, wishing i could go there and when i would return i would just tell my dad that i was at my friends house. I loved it there so much and felt so much at home and was so comfortable with everyone. I would come meet Grandmaster from his office to the chow hall(during lunch time) and i would be so blissful cuz Grandmaster would put his arm around my shoulder and ask me how my day was and how school was going for me.
I was happy but i was tired of lying to my father about where i was and didnt want to hide my faith anymore. One weekend right before the saturday night ceremony i kneeled down before Our Guru and said "Grand master you say you are the true buddha and you have so many powers so please bless me and make my father let me follow the dharma and come to temple!" Grand master just smiled and said "Ill tell you what luke, go before the shrine and ask Kuan Yin right now and see what happens" So obidiently i lit some incense and prayed for her help. I swear the very next day my Father got home from work and said "hey son i would like to have a word with you..." And he just said i think its alright to give the temple a try, i will let you decide your path this time. It was truely the first miracle for me.
My first true expirience which even made it down to the ears of Grandmaster through hearsay was while i was meditating under the instructions of my mother like nun "lotus gold". It was a quiet summer afternoon and my favorite nun told me to sit down calm myself (i was always a hyperactive energetic kid and still am) and meditate next to GM's thrown where he sits sometimes when hes done with the saturday services. I was so relaxed then all the sudden i saw myself in a different world that was unlike anything i could describe. It was so amazing and brilliant, there was jade grass and jewel filled temples on all sides with this limitless blue sky with singing from double headed birds and peacocks. I could see myself talking to grandmaster but i was in a saffron robe like the ones in thailand. We were walking on this very long winedy road that lead all the way into the horizon which was a HUGE!!! golden Amitabha in meditation with the son behind his head like a halo. I got up and told the nun and she said it meant that i was on the path to the western paradise and what i saw was the description of Sukhavati(western paradise) in the Lotus Sutra. Word was passed down and one time before lunch GM mentioned that i was lucky to have this vision.
I have had many more expiriences which i would be glad to share but its getting late and i gotta wake up for exercize tommorow morning. Good night everyone may all of you be blessed with enlightenment soon!
Luke