Sudden Death

In the past, when Venerable Master Hsuan Hua returned to Taiwan for the first time, many spirits of aborted babies came to him for help. He had been in the United States for a long time before visiting Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia on that trip. He was very surprised by the large number of those spirits in Asia. Therefore, he performed a ceremony that very few people have ever conducted. It was called the "Transmission of the Precepts in the Dark Realm" (U Minh Giới), intended for beings in the hell realms, in order to save those children.

He said that those children were in a great deal of suffering, expressing anger and aggression, and it was very difficult for them to be liberated.

Recently, there have been wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia, Sudan (Africa), and Myanmar, which have killed many people. However, because these places are far away, we don’t feel very connected to them.

About a month ago, while I was in Asia, a disciple called to inform me that a friend of hers had died in an accident and asked whether I can help. The deceased was Mrs. Quách Cẩm Yến, born in 1958. In the past, she had been my disciple and had participated several times in pilgrimages organized by our organization. She was walking across a small river and the water wasn’t deep, but the current was strong. She slipped, fell, and was swept away by the water, hit her head on a rock, and passed away.

After I spoke with Mrs. Quách Cẩm Yến’s friend, I had a very strange dream one night.

In the dream, I saw Mrs. Quách Cẩm Yến going on a pilgrimage with our group by train. When we arrived at a certain station, everyone got back on the train, but she screamed because she couldn’t get back on. I pulled the emergency brake to stop the train and went looking for her, but couldn’t find her.

That dream left me with a deep sense of unease. There are many kinds of dreams. Some dreams are only auditory - we hear sounds but nothing more. Others are called lucid dreams, in which we can smell, hear, and even interact with the people in the dream. In that particular dream, I could smell the train fuel, hear her voice, speak with her, and felt very clearly that she was stuck, trapped.

That dream let me know that she was in a very difficult and troubled state, so I decided that I would perform ceremonies to help her. I conducted the rites for encoffining, cremation, and the burial of her ashes. After completing those three ceremonies, I realized that people who die suddenly and unexpectedly often carry a lot of fear (due to the circumstances surrounding their death). In their hearts, there may still be many unresolved issues or unspoken words meant for their family and loved ones. When we harbor such intense anger and suffering, it becomes very difficult to attain liberation.

That suffering can also affect the living. If the surviving family members feel a sense of peace and lightness, it means the deceased has been liberated. In this case, however, her husband and children were in deep anguish and torment.

Therefore, on the upcoming July 12th, I will not hold a traditional prayer ceremony, but instead will organize a gathering where people come together to cultivate and recite the Lotus mantras, then dedicate the merits to her. We will do this with full sincerity and effort, in hopes of touching her heart.

The Lotus mantras bring the light of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas into the intermediate state (the bardo), which is a dark realm filled only with the self or ego. That light helps open the heart, and only then can the rebirth mantra truly be effective.

What’s special about the Lotus mantras is that the person chanting them does not need to know or have any prior connection to the deceased. The radiant light of the lotus can enter into the bardo realm.

When I and the deceased had a personal connection, only then could my chanting of the rebirth mantra help that person attain liberation. Oftentimes, if someone without a karmic connection recites the rebirth mantra for you, the mantra cannot enter the bardo (intermediate state), nor reach your consciousness. The Lotus Dharma of Kwan Yin Bodhisattva is truly wondrous.

Therefore, on Saturday, July 12 at 10 a.m., I warmly invites all of you—those who have cultivated with me—to join either in person at the center or online, to sincerely practice together in order to help save this lady. If we can save even one person, then through this method, we will be able to help many others who have died suddenly or unexpectedly. 

Even if someone hasn’t practiced this method before, as long as they have compassion and sincerely recite the mantra written on the paper, it can still bring benefit to the deceased.

We need as many people as possible, who are sincere and compassionate, to participate. When you come,  I will speak, and the family will also share, which may move our hearts even more and deepen our sincerity.

Our intention is to send lotus flowers into the dark realm, so that those lotuses may radiate infinite and boundless light—only then can Mrs. Quách Cẩm Yến be liberated.

This is not an obligation—it’s simply that someone needs our help.

Just like a living person trapped in a burning house, the deceased also urgently need us to come and assist them. Venerable Master Hsuan Hua once said: “Often, those who need help are already standing right at the door, reaching out their hands—just waiting for us to take hold and pull them in.”

In summary

The Lotus mantra radiates an indestructible light. When we see the image or the name of Mrs. Quách Cẩm Yến, then our recitation directs that light toward the spirit realm—specifically the intermediate state (bardo)—and focus it on her consciousness, and the lotus can enter her mind and radiate light from within. When someone in darkness sees a light, they will naturally follow it.

This happens regardless of whether the person chanting the mantra had any prior connection with her. That is the special nature of this practice: the chanter does not need to have a karmic relationship or personal connection with the deceased.

In contrast, with the rebirth mantra, the chanter must have a karmic connection with the person they are chanting for. Otherwise, the mantra cannot reach their consciousness. Such a connection could be something simple, like having known each other or shared even a brief relationship.

That’s why we usually begin by reciting the sacred name of Amitabha Buddha, to first establish a connection with him. Once that connection is formed, chanting the rebirth mantra becomes effective.

But often, even when the Buddha radiates his light, those who have passed away and still carry too much anger, sorrow, or resentment cannot perceive the Buddha’s radiant light—even if he is standing right beside them.

But with the Lotus Dharma of Kwan Yin Bodhisattva, regardless of whether the person who recite has a karmic connection or not, the lotus is an infinite light that no one can reject or fail to see. It is a boundless radiance that reaches all beings, even those trapped in the deepest darkness.

However, once the lotus appears, whether or not the deceased chooses to ascend onto it is another matter entirely. That is why, afterward, we recite other mantras such as the rebirth mantra, and so on.

There are four types of lotus flowers:

• White lotus

• Pink lotus

• Blue lotus

• Purple lotus

Each type of lotus has its own function, such as resolving karmic grievances, clearing karmic debts, but they always radiate light within the intermediate state (bardo).

I warmly invites all of you—brothers, sisters, and friends—to attend the session on Saturday, July 12, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, at the iB Center of the Compassionate Service Society.