The Mantra of Light（一）
■Book 148 - The Power of Mantra
■Written by master Sheng-yen Lu
I went to visit a small lake that was at a very secluded site. There I came across a place in the middle of a forested area which offered a spacious view of the location and also shaded me from the scorching sunlight. I set my eyes upon the glittering lake and felt relaxed and carefree.
I closed my eyes and meditated in silence. Suddenly, I heard someone whispering, ''This guy is illuminating light!''
''The light is strong!''
''Will he ruin what we do here?''
''It's hard to say!''
''Let's report to Dodo!''
I opened my eyes and caught a glimpse of several kids hopping and talking under a fir tree before they disappeared in a split second. These kids were not human beings. They were little ghosts.
I stood up quietly and walked along the narrow path along the lakeside towards a nearby shop. I then asked the shop owner, ''Do people often swim here?''
''Yes.''
''Have any accidents happened here before?''
The shop owner did not try to avoid the subject and instead replied, ''There are a few cases every year. School children love to play with water and disregard any danger. Accidents are bound to happen. The water in this lake is rather strange and there are a few areas that are quite deep actually.''
''Are there any signs warning people about this lake?''
''There are,'' the shop owner said, ''but to most school kids, it makes no difference whether there is a warning sign or not. They still swim there!''
At the lakeside, I saw several school students taking off their shirts and getting ready to enter the water. During the summer no one could resist a dip in such a fine lake.
I said nothing. After changing into my swimming trunks, I also entered the water.
The kids were splashing water towards one another, playing and pushing in their own game. Some even swam towards the deeper end of the lake. I noticed the lake appeared tranquil, but hidden beneath the surface flowed turbulent water current. The sand bed of the lake was very soft, sinking even deeper. Water weeds growing in the lake could entangle a swimmer's leg. The water closer to the shore was warmer than the water further away.
When the students were not looking, I formed a mudra with my right hand and wrote the Sanskrit syllable AH in the air and cast it in the direction of the students. I opened my divine eye.
Besides the four students swimming in the lake, I saw four little ghosts riding a wave towards the kids. But at a certain point, they were stopped by an invisible energy shield and could not proceed any further. The shield sheltered the four students, and despite many attempts, the ghosts could get no closer to the students as they had desired. In the end, the four little ghosts were exhausted and left unwillingly.
The four little ghosts darted an angry stare at me before they vanished. I returned their stare with a smirk.
The four students had fun for a while longer before they emerged from the water. I asked them, ''Was it fun?''
''We had great fun. We'll come back again!''
I said, ''Swimming is prohibited here. It's dangerous. The police have erected a warning notice!''
They rebutted, ''Didn't you just swim in the lake yourself?''
''I...'' I chuckled and could say nothing.
* * *
That night in my dream, a water ghost approached and transformed himself into a huge water snake. It was swimming in a zigzag manner around my bed, yet it could not come near me. The water ghost returned to his original form and shook his head, and out from his mouth he spat out a long strain of water weed. This water weed moved forward to wrap around my neck and tried to strangle me to death, but it stopped upon reaching my face.
The water ghost threw up gushes of water and flooded my room, attempting to drown me. Again, water filled the space around me, but not one drop of it could seep through and reach me. The water ghost vomited stinky and smelly mud and yet it could not affect me.
