The Dog Spirit （一）
■Book 148 - The Power of Mantra
■Written by master Sheng-yen Lu
Once, I attended a dinner at a friend's invitation. The host, Mr Cao Chung, introduced me to everyone and said, 'This is Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu. It is not easy to see him in person as he is simply too famous and too busy. He is known for his spiritual ability and he can solve every difficult situation and problem. Living Buddha Lian-sheng has the Divine Eye!'
Everyone looked at me, and remained silent. During dinner, the host Cao Chung asked, 'Living Buddha, can you do a reading and tell us if we're doing fine?'
I scanned the group. Everyone remained quiet, waiting to hear what I had to say. I smiled and said, 'Most of you are OK.' The host picked on my words and said, 'You say most of us are OK, which means some of us are not. Who are you referring to?'
I said, 'Can I reveal? Anyone minds?'
'Of course we don't mind.' Everyone agreed.
I said, 'This Mr Pan, Pan Ching, has a little...'
'A little what?'
'There's a strange ambience around him.'
'Can you be more specific about this ambience? Is it one of a sissy, kind of feminine, or one that which simply attracts women...' Everyone was teasing Pan Ching.
Pan Ching then said to me, 'What ambience? Can you please state clearly. I don't really mind!'
I responded in no uncertainly terms, 'It's the spirit of a dog on your body.'
Everyone was stunned. Pan Ching said, 'I don't feel anything!'
The host Cao Chung said to me, 'Living Buddha, could you have mistaken?'
I said, 'I am sure. This dog spirit only recently attached itself to him. It is not making any move now, but it might in the future.'
Pan Ching said, 'We'll continue with our meals. After which, I shall have a private word with Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu. I don't want this to affect everybody.'
After the dinner, Pan Ching invited me to another room. He was all serious when he said, 'You're right on target!' Pan Ching then said, 'I kept a German Shepherd Dog (Alsation or K9) at home. He was usually very loyal and adorable. But during the past few months the dog kept barking for no reasons. He barked in the day and barked at night. It disturbed us and our neighbours. Our neighbours could not stand it and grumbled. Despite our attempts to discipline him, he simply ignored us. We spanked him and still he kept barking. We were at our wits' end and finally we felt that the K9 must have gone mad. If we gave him away, who would want to keep a mad dog? If we let him go, we felt we're being irresponsible. Finally, I decided to mix an insecticide called Parathion with dog food and silenced him.'
I nodded my head after listening to his story. Pan Ching asked me, 'Now that the dog spirit is attached to me, what would it do?'
'I'm not sure myself.'
'Will it stay for while and then leave?'
'It's possible.'
'I wish this is the case.' Pan Ching said.
'This is most ideal!'
* * *
Faced with a dog spirit that attached itself to a person, I would not offer to help out if Pan Ching did not ask me to exorcise the dog spirit. Moreover, Pan Ching was fine and showed no signs of abnormality. He was not particularly worried and I said no more.
Three months had passed before Cao Chung came to me and said, 'Pan Ching is dead.'
'How did he die?' I was astonished.
'Acute Hepatitis. We sent him to the hospital but he didn't make it.'
'Ah! So fast so soon!'
Cao Chung told me, 'After Pang Ching died, strange phenomenon began to happen in his house. Pan Ching's family was terrified and now they would like to request Living Buddha to help them.'
'What is the strange phenomenon all about?'
Cao Chung said, 'Mrs Pan Ching is having recurring dreams of Pan Ching telling her to seek Living Buddha Lu's help. If not, everyone will be in danger. The strange phenomenon involves a pungent smell in the house which is unbearable. It smells like a stray dog that has not had a good bath for a long time. The lingering smell simply wouldn't disperse. One after another, the family members fall ill. Mrs Pan Ching's body is swelling all over, and her skin dries up and cracks. Pan Jing, the younger daughter has been suffering from headache. The elder son Pan Ming is even weirder, as his eyes have turned completely reddish, just like the rabid dog's eye. This occurs after Pan Ching's death. Pan Ming's behaviour also goes through a transformation. He becomes irritable and depressed, always pacing the house and appears very sad. The most interesting thing is that objects in the house seem to move about. Clothing placed on the east is found at the west. Shower cap in the bathroom appears at the sofa mysteriously. Books on the shelf fall onto the floor all at once, not just one or two at a time. Rubbish collected is scattered all over the place. The kitchen is unoccupied, yet the forks and knifes, pots and pans rattle. At night, when everyone goes to sleep, you hear noises in the house, as if someone is walking around. And not just sound of walking, but sound of knocking on walls as well.'
Cao Chung finished his talk in one go. I said, 'Let's go over to the house!'
Pan Ching had lived in a luxury residence, a villa in the suburban area. The entrance led to a small fountain decorated with a concrete mountain and an artificial garden. The living room was spacious and the floor was laid with marble. The windows were adorned with decorative artwork and the furniture was exquisite and tasteful.
