Observations placeholder
Venerable Master Tu Lun Shuan Hua would not permit the earth to quake as long as he was in San Francisco
Identifier
025106
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
From website
Gold Mountain Monastery is the earliest monastery established by the late Ven. Master Hsuan Hua, founder of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA) in the United States of America. Along with the expansion and growth of DRBA, Gold Mountain Monastery relocated and expanded as well. Looking back at the history of Gold Mountain Monastery, we can trace it back to the first way place established by the Ven. Master – The Buddhist Lecture Hall.
The Buddhist Lecture Hall was established in 1959. At that time, Ven. Master has yet to arrive in the United States. Weekend dharma assemblies such as dharma lectures and Buddha’s name recitation sessions would be carried out by lay disciples who have taken refuge with the Ven. Master. In February 1962, after a brief transit at Japan and Honolulu, the Ven. Master finally arrived at the San Francisco International Airport. In April of that year, Ven. Master started to lecture on the Vajra Paramita Sutra and established Chan Meditation class to teach young people how to meditate.
A description of the experience
Patterns of Prophecy – Alan Vaughan
In an unusual press release dated December 25 from the Gold Mountain Monastery on Fifteenth Street, it was revealed that the Venerable Master Tu Lun Shuan Hua would not permit the earth to quake as long as he was in San Francisco. Four years earlier, Christmas Day 1968, the master had said to his disciples:
"It is not that there can't be an earthquake but rather that I will not permit the earth to quake. I don't want to move into the ocean, and I don't want my disciples, or anyone else, to move there either."
As the press release (entitled "An Unbelievable News Announcement") stated,
"Every year the Master has made the same announcement: 'I will not permit the earth to quake,' and to this day the big earthquake hasn't happened."
An additional news release on December 27, 1972, gave the reasons for this confidence: For those little acquainted with the Master's inconceivable and beneficent powers and the responses resulting from his rigorous practices and magnanimous virtue, a situation which prevailed in Hong Kong from 1950 to 1960 may be cited.
“When the Master arrived in Hong Kong the city was constantly threatened and often struck by typhoons. At that time the Master said that as long as he remained in Hong Kong the city would be safe from the disasters of wind, and that this would hold true while he was living in the city, but that after he left he would pay no attention to the problem.
Strangely enough, during the years of his sojourn in Hong Kong the city remained untouched by big winds. Time and again hurricane warnings alarmed the city but each time the storm either died out or changed course.
The immunity of the city was dramatically evident when on some occasions the storms beat a straight course for the city only to suddenly veer off as close as 15 miles from shore.
In 1960 the Master left Hong Kong and went to Australia. During that year upon his absence from the city, Hong Kong was hit by the worst typhoon in years which did vast amounts of damage. Coincidence you say? Yet isn't it strange how year after year the calculations keep indicating earth disturbances due in the San Francisco area and year after year the city remains solid and peaceful!
"I can't handle big business," says the Old Master, "but I can cope with little things like earthquakes."