During the Second Retreat, the Ten Guards Did Not Leave Their Posts
All of the doors and windows of the retreat room must be nailed shut with iron nails. Furthermore, the Buddha-dharma stipulates that each guard must sign a yellow paper that has dharma power and use it to seal the seams of those doors and windows. This is to prevent demons from intruding into the retreat room and causing havoc. It also prevents anyone from opening those doors and windows. There were fifteen places to be sealed in the retreat room. Ten yellow pieces of paper, each containing the signature of one guard, was pasted over each of those fifteen places. Thus, all together 150 yellow pieces of paper were pasted over the various seams.
Even the only door of the retreat room through which meals were sent was also sealed with one yellow paper containing the signatures of all ten guards. When they sent meals into the retreat room, the ten guards chanted a mantra and practiced dharma together. They had to together tear off the yellow paper sealing the door in order to open the door. After they delivered a meal, they together locked the door and sealed the door with paper again.
Those ten guards kept watch outside the door of the retreat room and did not leave their posts at any time. Even if some of them needed to use the restroom, there were at least seven of them guarding the door all day and night. It can be said that not even a bird, mosquito, or fly could enter. Only through these measures did they prevent the dangerous situation that occurred during the first retreat when the demons entered the retreat room and engaged in battle with the Rinpoche.
At the beginning, the Rinpoche ate on a normal basis. After three days, on March 18th, the amount of food he consumed dropped dramatically. On March 19th, the Rinpoche rang a bell and beat a drum morning, noon, and evening. He drank only one cup of rice tea that whole day. Starting from March 20th, Hengxing Jiacuo Rinpoche did not consume any food or water. The food and water sent in were not touched. No sound could be heard coming from inside the retreat room. On March 23rd, the Dharma Matters Department of Great Dharma King Yangwo Yeshe Norbu, which is located in the United States, made a phone call to Taiwan to show their concern about how the Rinpoche’s practice was going. On March 25th, the Rinpoche had stopped eating for five days. There was no sound at all coming from inside the retreat room. Even the sound of the toilet flushing, which happened three day earlier, could not be heard anymore. Hence, some of the guards started to worry, fearing that something had happened.
Then, that evening at 7:00, from the retreat room came the sounds of the striking of a metal bowl, the ringing of a bell, and the beating of a drum. The guards became excited. They immediately felt relieved. Then, the retreat room returned to total silence.
A few days later, the food that was delivered into the retreat room every day was taken out without having been touched. Upon seeing this situation, those guards became very worried over the Rinpoche’s situation in the retreat room.
On April 1st at 11:50 a.m., the sounds of the ringing of a bell and the beating of a drum again emanated from the room. The rhythm was clear and vigorous. Those disciples who were guarding the room became ecstatic. Although the Rinpoche had stopped eating for twelve days, he was still able to ring a bell and beat a drum. The meditation practice of this great Rinpoche is indeed extraordinary!
On April 8th at noon, the Rinpoche had entered meditation and fasted for twenty days. The clear and vigorous sounds of a bell ringing and a drum being struck again arose from inside the retreat room. The disciples outside were very moved. They continually praised the magnificence of the Buddha-dharma. Their master was truly amazing. He had attained the goal of his retreat and was able to abide in vajra mediation for twenty days.On April 9th, the Rinpoche had entered into meditation and practiced the dharma for twenty-one days. He was not consuming any food or water. At 9:00 that day, a loud beating of a drum suddenly was heard. The disciples then knew that their master had attained the goal of his retreat and was about to come out of retreat. Before he went into retreat, Hengxing Jiacuo Rinpoche announced to his disciples that when they hear the loud beating of a drum it means that he has attained the goal of his retreat and realized dharma skills. His disciples understood that their master had entered into a holy state. Thus, they notified the news media. They did not sleep day or night, keeping strict watch over the retreat room so that no mistakes would be made at that critical moment.
