The First Retreat Was Not Carried Out in Accordance With the Dharma;
Demons Entered the Retreat Room and Almost Killed the Rinpoche
On February 27, 2005, Hengxing Jiacuoo Rinpoche returned to his retreat room in Jiayi. There he began his first retreat. He entered into meditation and stopped eating for four days. However, the people whose responsibility was to guard the retreat room during the retreat did not follow the dharma rules. They did not seal the windows and doors with a certain type of paper according to the dharma rules. They saw real demons make their way into the room to interfere Rinpoche’s dharma practice. The situation was very dangerous. At this critical time, the people who were guarding the retreat room received a phone call from the Dharma Matters Department of the Great Dharma King. The person who called said, “A problem has arisen in the retreat room. Demons have entered the room. Quickly call your master out of meditation by hitting the metal bowl.” (The metal bowl is a Buddhist instrument.) Following the instructions they were given, the guards used the metal bowl to call out the Rinpoche, who, in his meditation, was in the midst of battling with those demons.
On March 15, 2005 at noon in Jiayi, Hengxing Jiacuo Rinpoche entered into retreat for a second time. This time, learning their lesson from the first retreat, the guards arranged the retreat room according to the dharma rules. The dharma stipulates that ten people must guard the outside of a retreat room in which someone practices this vajra meditation. The disciples of Hengxing Jiacuo Rinpoche selected ten people to be guards. Their names are Shi Zong Guan, Shi Fa-Yun, Wang Jin-Rong, Chi Hai-Ao, Ao Jing-Chong, Hsueh Hsiu-Fen, Tsai Chun-Tao, He Yan-Yan, Tsai Yu-Nu, and Lu Ke-Yun. With the addition of the cook, Liu Ming-Hui, there were all together eleven people. The ten guards cleared the retreat room, even removing the Buddhist altar. Downstairs from the retreat room is the area where the guards stayed. The entire retreat room was cleared of everything except dharma instruments and one rush cushion used for meditation.
