{"id":3477,"date":"2016-09-25T00:17:05","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T16:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gloje.org\/en\/?page_id=3477"},"modified":"2016-09-25T23:38:32","modified_gmt":"2016-09-25T15:38:32","slug":"traces-685","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.gloje.org\/en\/traces-685","title":{"rendered":"685: Using Illness as Fuel for Buddhist Practice — My Destined Path"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It behooves me to show my obeisance and make prostrations before His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, the Lineage Gurus, Dharma Protector Achi, and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas! Greetings, Dharma brothers and honorable believers! I am Ke Yixian of Group Three, and my mother is Ke Shuhui of Group One. I am grateful to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for bestowing upon me this opportunity to praise the guru\u2019s merits, and to share with everyone an account of how I met the guru and how the guru helped and saved me.<\/p>\n

I remember when I was five years old, I mysteriously contracted type 1 diabetes mellitus, possibly as a result of a vaccination I was given against Japanese encephalitis. From then on my life completely changed, and I had to take insulin injections daily with every single meal. Later, after I\u2019d grown up and gone to England for a master\u2019s degree program, complications from having been sick for more than twenty years began to emerge one after another. At first I nearly went blind in both eyes due to a retinal detachment, and my mother sold a house so that she could go to England and care for me. During my university\u2019s winter break, I flew to Taiwan for surgery and then back to England, after which I resumed my studies despite only having vision in one eye. During spring break, I went to Ukraine to undergo human stem cell therapy in the hope that it would improve my condition. Now that I think about it, using another person\u2019s undeveloped embryonic stem cells to try to cure me was actually, indirectly, an extension of my own life at the expense of someone else\u2019s. As such, I committed the act of killing, and for this I repent deeply.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t easy, but I finally finished my studies in England, and in 2010 I returned to Taiwan. The day after arriving something started to go wrong with my metabolism, and before long I was faced with the possibility of having to undergo kidney dialysis. After vomiting more than seventy times within a period of two months, I gave up all hope in living, and decided to go to the hospital and have a catheter inserted. At the same time, I also submitted to vascular reconstructive surgery on my left hand so that my veins could be used for dialysis purposes for the rest of my life. In the early stages of dialysis, a temporary Y-shaped tube was inserted through my collarbone and left sticking out of my body for three months; this was the manner in which people were connected to dialysis machines at the time. Later, once the reconstructed veins had grown to maturity, I began to receive dialysis intravenously. I got two doses per treatment, three times a week, and each treatment lasted five hours. My life became nothing but an endless series of dialysis treatments. The needles used in the treatments were about as thick as a toothpick, and by the end the veins in my hand had become grossly deformed. In addition to the dialysis shots, I also needed to take my normal insulin doses, so each week I had to get close to thirty shots in total.<\/p>\n

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Hospitalized, awaiting for kidney transplant<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

In the years that I was on dialysis, another retinal detachment in one of my eyes required the insertion of silicon oil to reattach the retina. This caused me to only have about 10% of my vision in that eye from then on, and soon I felt so much despair that my only desire was to die. However, I forced myself to go on living and not give up, because I wanted to figure out once and for all what the point of all I\u2019d been through was. Only then would I be able to leave this world in peace.<\/p>\n

My diabetes had prevented me from eating whatever I wanted ever since I was a kid. After the kidney dialysis treatments began, however, I lost even the freedom to drink water as often and as much as I would have liked. Later, under the advice of a doctor, we decided to put my name on the waiting list for an organ transplant. After a while of hearing no news, my mother decided something that made me feel very conflicted: She would donate one of her own kidneys to me. Thus, again heeding the doctor\u2019s advice, we transferred our entire medical histories to a well-known major hospital in Taipei. This was the first step toward forming a connection between us and His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.<\/p>\n

The kidney transplantation happened on November 30th of last year (2013). Strangely, the anti-rejection medication I took afterward caused my only working eye to become severely photosensitive. The intense flashes of light grew so bright that I could hardly see, so the nephrologist arranged an emergency appointment with an eye specialist for me. At the time, Dharma Brother Wang, who had bumped into me and my mother a few times in that major hospital\u2019s ophthalmology division, just happened to be on duty at the ophthalmology clinic to which overflow patients such as ourselves were sent, so she had finally heard our story. Later the doctor diagnosed that my eye had been temporarily affected by the medication, but that my vision would recover after a while. My mother and I had just walked out the door of the clinic and were about to leave when Dharma Brother Wang stopped us and asked a question, the likes of which we had never heard in a lifetime of visiting hospitals.<\/p>\n

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Seeing with only one eye due to retinal detachment<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Dharma Brother Wang asked, \u2018Besides tangible medical treatments, have you ever sought the help of intangible powers?\u2019 Somewhat taken aback, we said, \u2018Yes; actually, all along we\u2019ve had friends helping us in that regard.\u2019 Dharma Brother Wang then said something that completely riveted our attention: \u2018Well, you must not have found the most extraordinary one out there!\u2019 She then told us briefly about how His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had saved more than three hundred victims during the SARS outbreak, and how Dharma Brother Wang herself had obtained help from the guru. She then informed us of how to register to seek an audience. I immediately thought to myself, I absolutely have to seek an audience with this extraordinary master practitioner! Dharma Brother Wang went on to mention the auspicious book, Happiness and Suffering. Thinking the title sounded familiar, we later discovered that we already had a copy of this book at home; we had gotten it from the dialysis clinic. At the time, my mother had simply meant to borrow it and have a look, but the head nurse had told us that we could take it home with us, and so we did.<\/p>\n

Three days later, on January 11th, we sought our first audience with His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. The guru compassionately asked, \u2018How may I help you?\u2019 I reported, \u2018For some unknown reason I have had diabetes ever since I was little, and over the past few years my retinas have been detached and I\u2019ve had to undergo kidney dialysis. Then the medicine I had to take after getting a kidney transplant had all sorts of negative side effects on my eyesight. I\u2019m here to implore for your help, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. Please allow me and my mother to participate in the pujas.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told us, \u2018Diabetes results from having heavy karma from killing,\u2019 and then explained to us a bit about what that meant. Next the guru asked my mother whether she had killed any chickens or sheep when she was married and pregnant to serve at banquets or to take as a tonic. She answered, \u2018More or less, yes.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said, \u2018That you would say\u201cmore or less\u201d means you have no intention to repent.\u2019 The guru explained that repentance means taking responsibility for one\u2019s actions. Next Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche asked if we had gone vegetarian or not. My mother answered that we could do so. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche said, \u2018You shouldn\u2019t speak too soon.\u2019 Only afterward did I learn that the same night after seeking this audience with the guru, my mother finished eating some leftover seafood that she had bought before going to the Buddhist Center. This gave her a stomach ache that lasted for several days, and that made me realize just how all-knowing Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche really was.<\/p>\n

Later, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche continued to address my mother, saying, \u2018Today you wish to help your son resolve his physical ailments. But even if you were to succeed for the time being, what about his future lives? Are you sure you will find a way to solve your problems in the future?\u2019 The guru then said, \u2018If your only reason for coming here is to improve your physical health, then there is no point in imploring to participate in the pujas. Aren\u2019t you happy enough that the organ transplant was completed? It is obvious that you do not have peace of mind.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said that the unusual acne that had appeared on my face was the result of taking the anti-rejection medication, and that the surgery I had to undergo was karmic retribution for having killed people in my past lives. The guru then gave an example using his own family, several of whose members had undergone surgery due to having ancestors who raised silk worms. Because of all that karma from killing, the males in the guru\u2019s family tended not to live very long. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche himself, however, had never had an operation; he had changed his original karma by way of Buddhist practice. After telling us these things, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told my mother to think long and hard about what he had said to her that day.<\/p>\n

Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then turned to me and asked, \u2018How old are you?\u2019 I answered, \u2018I\u2019m twenty-six this year.\u2019 The guru asked, \u2018So what do you want me to help you with?\u2019 I said, \u2018I\u2019d like to implore you to show me how to be free of these illnesses that keep barring my way.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche replied, \u2018Don\u2019t think that just because you are so young it means you don\u2019t deserve to suffer from these sorts of illnesses. Likewise, you should not think that there are many things you want to do just because you have a good memory.\u2019 The guru then gave an example of someone even younger than I\u2014only two years of age\u2014who had gotten diabetes. This had happened because the child\u2019s mother had killed a large fish to put in a soup for him to eat, and shortly after eating it, the child had gotten diabetes. Changing the subject, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche said to me, \u2018You should know that were it not for this illness, you would never have thought to come into contact with Buddhism and start learning it. Not everyone can learn Buddhism; no matter what your role or position is, you cannot learn unless you have the right conditions. Thus, from the point of view of allowing you to have the causes and conditions for learning Buddhism, it is you who owe this illness a debt of gratitude, not the other way around!\u2019<\/p>\n

Right then and there I stared at Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, eyes wide and brimming with tears, struck with a sudden realization of the compassion that had always been hidden behind my ailments. Later, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche instructed us to go back home and think long and hard about the teachings he had bestowed upon us that day. At the end of the audience, gazing into the distance, the guru said, \u2018Until you\u2019re ready to come back, I\u2019ll be waiting for you.\u2019 These words would resonate continuously within my consciousness over the following month. Before the audience was over, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche said, \u2018This has been very hard on your mother. You should help her to her feet!\u2019<\/p>\n

Afterward, Dharma Brother Wang said to my mother, \u2018Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche bestowed teachings upon you, and spoke for quite a long time! I\u2019ve been with the Buddhist Center a while now, but have rarely heard of the guru saying he would wait for anyone to come back.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s unwillingness to speak of anything that would not happen in the future indicated that we did indeed have an affinity with the guru. Dharma Brother Wang then encouraged us to go home and think it over, and then come back to implore to participate in the pujas. We felt both shocked and grateful as we went home, where we then decided we would definitely return to seek another audience with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.<\/p>\n

After returning home that evening, we decided once and for all to eat vegetarian. I told my mother, \u2018In just a few short sentences, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche made me come to a profound and complete realization that my relationship with my illnesses should never have been one of enmity; rather, it should have been one of cooperation and partnership.\u2019 The physical pain caused by my ailments was a constant reminder that I should hurry up and set foot upon the path I should be walking, and that this path was to explore life and learn Buddhism. I began to feel very grateful toward these ailments, and whether or not they would ever be cured ceased to be the most important question on my mind.<\/p>\n

After that first audience with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, we began to read the materials available on the Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center\u2019s official website. Gradually we discovered that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had a greater background and wealth of experiences than we could possibly have imagined, and that he was not a so-called A-grade, B-grade, or C-grade guru, but was an A+ grade guru. I then understood that the person I must follow for the rest of my life was none other than His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche.<\/p>\n

In late January, while inviting us to participate in a holiday visit to the Glorious Jewel Group and its companies, Dharma Brother Wang mentioned a certain traditional Chinese ointment. To our surprise we discovered that we had the very same sort of ointment in our home! A few years previously, a friend of my mother had brought it over to treat her for a sprained wrist. Hearing this, Dharma Brother Wang was amazed at the sheer coincidence of it all.<\/p>\n

That day we also went to the jewelry store to pay our respects to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. It was our first time seeing the guru in plain clothes. When Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche entered, I was shocked and had a hard time believing my eyes. I wondered, How is it that the guru looks so much like Raphael, the great fashion king of French Chanel?! In that moment I came up with the appellation, \u2018Raphael of the East.\u2019 I will never forget the guru\u2019s noble disposition!<\/p>\n

At about that time it just so happened that we had to return to the hospital for a check-up to monitor my recovery from the organ transplant. I remember that day well; as soon as we entered the examination room, the doctor said that this post-operation physical check-up report was the best one in history! Meanwhile, my mother began making frequent remarks to everyone that she was very happily eating vegetarian.<\/p>\n

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On February 15th we sought a second audience with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. As Dharma Brother Wang had reminded me to do, I said to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, \u2018Thank you so much, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, for the teachings you bestowed last time with regard to eating vegetarian.\u2019 I then went on to report that my physical check-up results indicated that I had made a great deal of progress. I said that I would like to learn the Right Dharma from the guru, and implored for me and my mother to be allowed to participate in the pujas. After hearing me out, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche smiled and said to my mother, \u2018Before, when I told you two to eat vegetarian, you still harbored a bit of doubt!\u2019 My mother immediately responded, \u2018No, no; I had no doubt at all.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said, \u2018Well since then you\u2019ve been eating vegetarian quite happily!\u2019<\/p>\n

My mother promptly bobbed her head in agreement and said, \u2018Very happily! Very happily indeed!\u2019 Hearing this, I felt strange and wondered where I had heard this phrase before. As it turned out, it was what my mother had been saying at home! Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said to me, \u2018So yours was the best post-operation physical check-up report in history!\u2019 Shocked, I thought to myself, Isn\u2019t that exactly what the doctor in the examination room said? The guru had quoted the doctor word for word, and this caused me to feel completely mystified! Then Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told my mother that I had been eating cookies on the sly. At first I did not remember doing that, but then I recalled that one of those days I had indeed eaten a few cookies in secret. Was Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche even aware of little details like that? It was absolutely amazing!<\/p>\n

After that, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told me to temporarily refrain from eating too much cheap food such as snacks sold at convenience stores, because they were bad for my health. The guru asked a Dharma brother standing next to me whether or not there were any seats left for the Chod Puja being held the following day, and the Dharma brother replied that there were. So Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately instructed me and my mother to register to participate, and added that if I wished to learn Buddhism, I must first be a filial son. Regarding my ailments, the guru told me not to dwell on such questions as why other people had not contracted diabetes, and said that I should not be angry at my illness.<\/p>\n

After participating in the Chod Puja for the first time, I thought of taking refuge in Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, so I asked Dharma Brother Wang\u2019s advice. She said, \u2018If you want to implore to take refuge, be quick about it!\u2019 This was because Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche might hold a refuge puja at any time, and if I missed it there was no telling how long I might have to wait until the next one. Thus, on March 1st my mother and I sought a third audience with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, during which I implored to take refuge. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche said, \u2018I can be very fierce. Aren\u2019t you scared?\u2019 My mind went temporarily blank, but a moment later I promised the guru, \u2018We will do our best!\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche replied, \u2018It\u2019s not about doing your best; it\u2019s about being determined!\u2019 I immediately responded as quickly as I could, \u2018We are determined!\u2019 Glancing to the side, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche compassionately granted our wish. My mother then asked the guru whether or not there was any possibility of reducing the amount of anti-rejection pills I had to take, and of using traditional Chinese medicine to recuperate instead. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche said that he could not answer this question with one hundred percent accuracy, but that I could go ahead and see a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine to get my pulse taken and then ask his or her opinion.<\/p>\n

Next, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche taught us about the attitude we should have while taking refuge in Buddhism. I had to remember that I was not simply there to become physically healthy. After taking refuge and receiving Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s blessings, my health would naturally improve, but whether or not I would be cured of diabetes depended on my causes and conditions. Our purpose in coming to practice Buddhism should be for the sake of our future lives. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche again said that in order to learn Buddhism, I must first possess filial piety and be grateful for my illnesses, without which I would never have had the opportunity to come to this Buddhist Center. Finally, the guru said that after taking refuge my karmic retribution might manifest more quickly, so I must accept and endure it all happily.<\/p>\n

After that, on March 7th, Dharma Brother Wang invited me and my mother to the Japanese foods store in Dazhi for a reopening launch at its new location, and we saw Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche there. Looking at a car parked right next to a sports car, I stupidly asked, \u2018Is Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s car the one parked next to that bodyguard?\u2019 Dharma Brother Wang replied, \u2018No; it\u2019s the one next to that. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche drives a sports car.\u2019 Stunned, I again felt that this master practitioner standing in front of me was totally beyond what I had imagined. A few days later, Dharma Brother Wang passed on a message to us that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had once said that the book, A Biography of Master Milarepa, contained the Venerable Milarepa\u2019s blessings, and that it was available for us to purchase in bookstores.<\/p>\n

As it turned out, we already had this book at home, too! A few years earlier, while having a pair of glasses cut, I\u2019d picked up a free copy at a place on our street corner. All of these various coincidences left me completely speechless. I began to believe that I was destined to walk the path of Buddhism! At the same time, I was in total awe; it was as if the power of Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s blessings had already entered our home, long before we had ever met the guru!<\/p>\n

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Later I learned from Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s online Journal entries that having a repentant attitude is essential while learning Buddhism. Thus, on April 12th, I signed up to seek an audience with the guru, hoping to implore for a Dharma CD of Repentance. This time Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche asked me, \u2018How many times have you read my book?\u2019 I thought to myself, Oh no, I\u2019m done for! Because I was still unable to see very well out of one eye, I had not read it very many times. Biting the bullet, I answered the guru honestly: \u2018Twice.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche admonished, \u2018What do you do while you\u2019re at home? Do you think that is just an ordinary book? Don\u2019t assume that being sick excuses you from having to do anything! In fact it is exactly because you are sick that you should work more diligently than other people!\u2019 At the time I felt bad for having been so careless; I had not been respectful enough. For this I truly felt the need to repent! The upshot was that the guru told a Dharma brother next to me that for the time being I would not be allowed to take refuge. After meditating for a moment, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said that I must read Happiness and Suffering from beginning to end every day for a month, and that if I failed to finish even one day, I would not be allowed to seek an audience with the guru ever again! After that, I spent about five or six hours a day reading. Finally, using the vision of just one eye, I had completely read the book thirty times.<\/p>\n

Over the course of that month something very wondrous happened. After I had read the book about twenty or so times, the doctor arranged an operation to extract the silicon oil from my eye. I am grateful to Dharma Brother Wang for giving me nectar water and a nectar pill before my surgery, and I am also thankful that Dharma Brother Chen specially requested that the attending physician operate on me in person. Just a week after surgery, my vision had recovered from a 0.1 to a 0.7, and now it is at 0.9. My nearsightedness, which always used to be above 300, has fallen to just 25. At the time the doctor thought I was joking and said, \u2018You sure are recovering quickly!\u2019 I am grateful for Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s auspicious blessings.<\/p>\n

On May 17th, I again sought an audience with Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, during which I reported that I had read Happiness and Suffering thirty times. When Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche asked me what my impressions were after reading it, my mind suddenly went blank again. Finally I answered, \u2018I think the Dharma is very important, and I\u2019m definitely going to pursue it wholeheartedly!\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then turned to my mother and said compassionately that her relationship with her son had lasted for many lifetimes, and that it must come to a perfect completion in this lifetime! The guru added that he was aware of the worry and hindrances my mother had felt while watching me suffer from ailments from the time I was very little, and said that from that day both of us, mother and son, must adjust and change the way in which we related to each other. She should stop worrying over my health, for this was in fact not good for anybody. Likewise, she should not worry about me suddenly dying as a result of my illness. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said to me, \u2018As long as you practice Buddhism diligently and believe in the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, They will not let you die without first having had an opportunity to learn the Right Dharma.\u2019 It then hit me that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche had just brought peace of mind to both me and my mother.<\/p>\n

Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche went on to say, \u2018Do you know why I asked you to read Happiness and Suffering thirty times? It was so that you could gain a clear understanding that the whole point of learning Buddhism is to become liberated from life and death.\u2019 Using himself as an example, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche continued: \u2018Didn\u2019t you feel more at ease after seeing me? I\u2019m the same as you in that I must face afflictions and problems every day, but why am I able to constantly help sentient beings? It is because I place the utmost importance on having a determination to become liberated from life and death!\u2019 Looking at me, the guru suddenly said, \u2018From now on if you have anything on your mind, just come and talk to me in private, okay?\u2019 As Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche spoke these compassionate words, my mother watched from the side, tears streaming down her face the entire time.<\/p>\n

Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche continued, saying that we had not been able to see him in the past due to not having had enough good fortune. If I had seen the guru when I was little, we would not have had to go through everything we\u2019d experienced; nor would we have needed to spend so much money on medical treatments. Right then and there I felt that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche certainly must know about our trip to Ukraine. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche then said that we only had the opportunity to see him, come to the Buddhist Center, and learn Buddhism that day as a result of our gradually emerging good fortune, and so we should do our best to treasure this opportunity. Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told me to go home and communicate thoroughly with my mother about the teachings I had heard that day.<\/p>\n

My mother then asked Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, \u2018So, given that we\u2019re now going to practice Buddhism to become liberated from life and death, should we not go through with the pancreas transplant being planned right now?\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche replied, \u2018I can\u2019t say with one hundred percent certainty, because the doctor is sure to tell you that such a transplant can solve your diabetes problem. However, you must take note that right now you\u2019ve donated your kidney to your son, and your genes are 50% the same. Pancreas transplants are different, however, because the organ has to come from someone else. Thus, some of the variables and possible effects of such a transplant could be rather major. Moreover, if there are any side effects, this procedure will not necessarily be good for your son.\u2019 Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche continued: \u2018Where does diabetes come from? It comes from killing. This does not necessarily mean lives your son himself has taken; it also comes from breaking the precepts and engaging in sexual misconduct.\u2019 I listened closely to each of the points being made by Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. After that, the guru told us to go home and think carefully about what we had learned that day. Later, Dharma Brother Wang, who had accompanied us to seek audience with the guru, said that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche truly was very compassionate, and that she had been much moved while standing to the side and listening.<\/p>\n

During the puja held the following day, Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche reiterated from the Dharma throne, \u2018Some people think organ transplants can cure them. You should know that your current illnesses are an indication that you should learn to be more humble and practice Buddhism diligently so that you can amend your behavior.\u2019 As we listened, we thought to ourselves, Isn\u2019t that exactly what Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche told us yesterday? Right then and there we felt extremely grateful for the teachings the guru had repeated from the Dharma throne.<\/p>\n

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Yi-Xian Ke with his mother, Shu-Huei Ke, who donated one kidney to him<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

I am grateful to Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche. On July 20th, my mother and I finally took refuge and formally became the guru\u2019s disciples. Later, we were also fortunate enough to participate in the puja held during the Daimonji Festival in Japan. Coincidentally, the other Dharma brothers on our bus seemed to all be protagonists from stories we had read in the Journal entries, and now we finally were getting to meet these people in person. We then felt that Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche\u2019s unfathomable ability to help sentient beings was even more praiseworthy.<\/p>\n

I sometimes said to my mother, \u2018Just think; what other master practitioner on Earth has reached such outstanding achievements in Buddhism, has such incredible Dharma powers, is so remarkable at liberating sentient beings, is such a skillful driver, and even has such taste in the clothes he wears?! He really is one in a million!\u2019 In those days I was also receiving treatments at the Glorious Jewel Chinese Medicine Clinic, and every time I returned to the hospital for a check-up I was found to have made progress in great leaps and bounds. My current hematopoietic function is at a hemoglobin level of 14.7, a number so high that it was even startling to the doctor, because back when I began receiving kidney dialysis my hemoglobin level was never higher than 7 or so.<\/p>\n

I once asked the doctor how high a person\u2019s hemoglobin level can get. The doctor said that if one\u2019s hemoglobin level is between 11 and 13, that person is doing quite well; as for being between 14 and 16, only people living up in the mountains or in areas such as Tibet can have levels that high. The doctor had specially mentioned Tibet. I really am extremely grateful to His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche for helping my body to recover at such record speed, and for enabling my mother to feel more and more relaxed about my physical condition.<\/p>\n

In this lifetime, my parents have given me physical life; His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche has given me wisdom life; and my sickness has provided me with the causes and conditions for learning Buddhism. I will definitely practice with even more diligence and humbly amend my ways from now on until I can become liberated from life and death in this lifetime. I will do it! I will do it! I must do it! So that I can repay the debt of gratitude I owe the guru, the Buddha, my parents, and sentient beings.<\/p>\n

I am grateful to Dharma Brother Wang for that time she ran out of the examination room to hail us. I believe that that was certainly the most crucial moment in our lives, and it was precisely the right time for us to turn around; doing so eventually allowed us to reach the shore. Finally, I pray that His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche will maintain good health and keep turning the Dharma wheel, that the guru\u2019s Dharma activities will be spread far and wide, and that the Drikung Kagyu Lineage will flourish forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Written by Disciple, Yi-Xian Ke, Group 3, on September 7, 2014<\/p>\n

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It behooves me to show my obeisance and make prostrations before His Eminence Vajra Guru Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche, His Holiness the Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, the Lineage Gurus, Dharma Protector Achi, and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas! Greetings, Dharma brothers and honorable believers! I am Ke Yixian of Group Three, and my mother is Ke Shuhui […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3477","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t