Stories of Supreme Spiritual Responses《Shakyamuni Buddha Long Ago Prophesied Buddhahood for Me》

(Book 223 Stories of Supreme Spiritual Responses《無上殊勝莊嚴的感應》「釋迦牟尼佛早就給我授記」)
Preface : Shakyamuni Buddha Long Ago
Prophesied Buddhahood for Me
‧Ｗritten by Sheng-yen Lu‧
Translated by Janny Chow
A US Daden Culture Publication

　Many years ago when I returned from Seattle, WA in the United States to Taichung City in Taiwan, I stayed at the Park Hotel by Taichung Chungshan Park.
　　One night, my “starlight body” traveled out of my physical body and had a rendezvous with Shakyamuni Buddha.
　　The Buddha said, “Do you know that I am Shakyamuni Buddha?”
　　I replied, “Of course. Even if you changed your look or turned into ash, we, one Buddha to another, will recognize each other.”
　　The Buddha picked up a pen to give me a prophesy. He wrote: “The Great Light Unhindered Buddha.”
　　I stated, “I don’t like the word ‘Great.’ People will think I am arrogant and pompous.”
　　Thus the Buddha changed the word “Great” to “Lotus.”
　　Shakyamuni Buddha and I looked at each other and laughed aloud three times. We chatted about the many past events we shared together. It was a very delightful meeting.
　　***

　　Sometime later, I finally attained awakening and realization. With the opening of my innate wisdom, I came into possession of the Tathagata Wisdom. And I understood: Ah so, Ah so, Ah so, Ah so, Ah so, Ah so, Ah so, Ah so, Ah so.
　　I wrote a series of nine “Ah so” because:
　　Once enlightened, forever enlightened.
　　There is only Oneness and no separation.
　　It is absolutely absolute.
　　It is supremely supreme.
　　This realization I have intuited is equivalent to the realization attained by Shakyamuni Buddha under the bodhi tree. I know that this kind of realization, for people of the world, is beyond imagination and very difficult to understand.
　　Now I know why the Buddha only “picked up a flower.”
　　And why the ground-hitting monk only “hit the ground.”
　　I (Grand Master Lu) would only pose as the “Golden Rooster standing on one leg.”
　　This is because:
　　It is indescribable!
　　If I disclose it, people who have not reached this supreme and remarkable intuition will definitely respond with great calumniation. They will refuse to believe. They will scoff. They will become greatly fearful.
　　However, as long as you are enlightened, when you attend to the Zen koans, you will absolutely understand their meaning. When you read the Buddhist Tripitaka, there is nothing you will not understand. You will be able to penetrate those thousands of classics consistently.
　　Hahaha! Heaven! Heaven!
　　Just as described in the following verses: “With one gulp, one drinks in thousands of rivers; with one glance, one sees through myriads of mountain ranges.” I, someone who has a direct cognition of the “absolute truth,” will from now on understand “relative truth” and “absolute truth.”
　　***

　　The evening of May 1, 2011, someone brought me a sutra from Tibet. Its name in Chinese is Holy Great Liberation Sutra, or The Great Vaipulya Sutra of Repentance and Liberation to Buddhahood. It is clearly stated in the sutra text that:
　　Among the three thousand future Buddhas,
　　The first one thousand Buddhas will be headed by Lotus Light Buddha,
　　The second thousand Buddhas will be headed by Rudita Buddha,
　　The third thousand Buddhas will be headed by Maitreya Buddha.
　　Very well!
This is a great spiritual response!