Legend of Gold Mount Living Buddha 21 - The Mysterious Grass Fan 活佛遺留下的神秘草扇

(Chinese and English subtitles) Written by Master Optimist , 金山活佛神異錄, 樂觀法師(1902~1987) 著
Subtitles:
Jianfu Chen talked about the Living Buddha in great detail, he said: ”I was only nine years old at that time. My father originally believed in Catholicism and never interacted with monks. Only my mother believed in Buddhism. Because my mother took my eldest brother's dumb son to the Shwedagon pagoda to meet the Living Buddha, and he could speak after drinking the divine water blessed by the Living Buddha.
For this reason, my father believed in Buddhism and worshiped Living Buddha as his teacher.
Almost all of our family have become disciples of the Living Buddha. The Living Buddha has a predestined affinity with my family, and he is especially fond of me. Before the Living Buddha fell ill, I often went up to the Shwedagon pagoda with my parents to visit him. Later, the Living Buddha got sores on the back of his feet on the pagoda, and my parents took him home to take care of him. I was with the Living Buddha every day.
At that time my family lived in the 17th Street, and he lived in my house. He seemed very happy.
Every day he preached dharma and told Buddhist stories to me. The scene where the Living Buddha died in my house is still reflected in front of my eyes. He died standing in the shower room, a sight I will never forget. He is not only my refuge master, but also my savior!”
As he spoke, he walked to the shrine and took out a fan with a strange shape from the glass box on the altar, and showed it to me.
When Jianfu showed me the grass fan, he told a story similar to a myth.
I might as well write it because this is a discovery.
He said: "A few days before his nirvana, the Living Buddha called me before him and said:
'Disciple, I, a poor master, have never collected anything in my entire life. I only have this grass fan made by myself. I give it to you today because I see you as a good-hearted and blessed person.
That's why I gave it to you, as a memorial to our master-student relationship. However, you have to remember that no matter where you go, don't throw it away and must carry it with you. When you sleep, you can put it under the pillow. It will naturally keep you safe.'
After the Living Buddha passed away, I played with this grass fan from time to time. I felt that when I saw the fan, it was like seeing him, and I also regarded the fan as the Living Buddha."
Then he said: “When the Japanese invaded Myanmar last time, Yangon was bombed by Japanese planes from time to time. At that time, my family still lived in downtown Yangon.
Once, the Japanese plane bombed Yangon again. Unfortunately, a bomb fell on the roof of my house. At the time, I was in this house with nine other people. After the bomb fell, it exploded immediately. At that time, I was stunned by the power of the bomb and fell to the ground. When I woke up, all the adults and children in the room were injured, and I was the only one not hurt.
We all rely on that 'grass fan' of the Living Buddha to save our lives.
For this reason, our family put this fan together with the Buddha statue made of the Living Buddha relic on the altar. I offered flowers in the morning and evening to show that I will never forget the gratefulness of the Living Buddha."
I heard that the grass fan has such a fantastic inspiration. So I took it to my nose and sniffed. Strangely enough, I smelt a very strong fragrance on the fan. It was neither like flower dew nor like sandalwood, but was a special smell. After smelling that fragrance, I felt very fresh in my heart.
Jianfu said: "There has been this fragrance on the fan for a long time." This is another miracle!
The Living Buddha has passed away for 25 years, why is there still fragrance on the fan? I can't figure it out!
Then Jianfu told me another mystery thing.
He said, "Not only does this grass fan have this fragrance on it, but it also has another function."
I asked, "What is the function?"
He said: "If the children in my family have ailments like cold, headache, and stomach pain, just use this grass fan a few times, and it will cure the illness."
The more he talked, the more astonishing it became! I held the grass fan in my hand and looked at it carefully for a long time. It was oblate and not very big.
Its shape is similar to the banana fan held by Jigong Living Buddha. But the handle of the fan is so thick that it takes a palm to hold it firmly. The fan surface, is wrapped and sewn by a layer of cereal yellow thin silk. I touched it with my fingers, and it seemed to be grass wrapped inside.
According to Jianfu, "This straw fan was sewn by the Living Buddha himself with needles and threads when he was living on the Shwedagon pagoda."
This object is considered the only souvenir left by the Living Buddha in the world. No wonder Jianfu treasured it as a precious jewel.