Anywhere a Buddha goes—whether to a state, a city, or a hamlet — people will be converted and brought towards the Way.
All the lands beneath the stars will be serene and harmonious.
The Sun will shine bright and the Moon will be luminous.
Pleasant breezes and timely rains will be the norm.
Plagues, intrigues and calamities will not occur.
Society will be prosperous and peaceful.
Soldiers and arms will be of no use.
Virtue will be revered and humaneness cherished.
All will feel compelled to refine themselves with etiquette and deference.
Society will be free from thieves and bandits.
There will be neither grievances nor miscarriages of justice.
The powerful will not exploit the weak.
Everyone will naturally be satisfied and content.
-Infinite Life Sutra
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Detailed instructions according to Patriarch Yinguang 印光.
How to consult the Guanyin Spiritual Response Oracle.
Guanyin Bodhisattva hears the suffering and sorrow of all sentient beings and sends relief in response. Those who seek the blessings of the Bodhisattva in order to do good will receive it — all their endeavors will be successful.
However, those who ask the Bodhisattva to help them accomplish evil designs will instead have their plans thwarted. This is to protect them from rebirth in the realms of suffering, where escape is difficult.
Moreover, the Bodhisattva is supremely compassionate and harbors only
true benevolence. Thus, he wishes to use this Dharma-door of the Guanyin Oracle to remove the doubts that prevent people from accepting the Dharma.
To consult the oracle, do the following:
1. Prepare five pennies and wash them with clean water. Afterwards, dry them with a clean towel. Arrange all five coins to face either obverse side up or reverse side up.
Prepare five small pieces of red paper and stick all of them onto either the obverse or reverse side of each coin. All pieces of red paper must be on the same side of each coin. Trim off any excess paper so that the coins remain completely round.
2. Use black ink to write the following Chinese characters onto the red paper (one character per coin):
金 木 水 火 土
Metal Wood Water Fire Earth
3. If you already have an image of Guanyin Bodhisattva, you should bow before it and reverently light good incense as an offering. If you do not have such an image or shrine, you can use the image this page or print it.
4. Take the five coins and circle them over the burning incense for three times. Afterwards, sincerely contemplate your question or dilemma in your mind.
5. Once you have earnestly contemplated your question, you should sincerely
recite Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa for 1000 times or more.
6. Shake the coins in your hands to scramble them. Afterwards, toss them into the air and allow them to fall onto a hard surface.
7. Select the matching lot based on the combination of the coins. Here you will see your lot on the next page.
For instance, if the coins show:
金 〇 〇 火 土
Then the answer to your question is Lot 22.
Important Notes:
The reason that you need to recite the name of the Bodhisattva for at least a thousand times is because doing so proves your sincerity, and only sincerity can generate the purity of heart needed to beget an accurate response. Just like you cannot see your own reflection in volatile water, you cannot consult the Bodhisattva with a turbid mind. Furthermore, recitation also generates ample stocks of merit. Furthermore, according to the Ven. Master Chin Kung, one thousand is a special number.
For instance, if you sincerely read and recite any sutra for a thousand times, you will be able to acquire the foundational tranquility of heart necessary to attain sudden liberation. Afterwards, it is very likely that you will attain profound insight during your regular sutra recitations or when a seemingly random trigger event occurs.
Lastly, many of the lots that make up the Guanyin Oracle indicate forthcoming rank and wealth. Rank and wealth naturally follow those who have done virtue.
However, the Sages have said that: The petty and base are often wealthy ; the Sagely and kind live simple lives and are often devoid of wealth.
This is because the Sagely and kind voluntarily lead simple lives and give away any excess wealth to the needy. Moreover, they also decline to seek power. As the Buddha has said that wealth, lust, prestige, food and excessive sleep are the roots of hellish rebirth, it is not hard to understand why the wise reject wealth and power while the greedy and petty exhaust their stocks of merit to seek it.
Thus, if you manage to draw a good lot, the best course of action would be to let others enjoy your good fortune (i.e. charity) and continue to live simply yourself.
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