I went shopping for groceries at the market place one day.  

I noticed that one of the salesgirls at the entrance of the market place was leaning on crutches.  She would usually greet customers and guests in a cordial manner.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"I got into an automobile accident," she replied.

"How long ago?"

"Two months ago. I've consulted numerous doctors since, but to no avail.  I am still suffering from the pain caused by the accident."  Her facial expression reflected the excruciating pain she endured.

"Please give me a glass of water."

She provided me with one, not knowing what I intended to do.

I went to a secluded place.  I then blessed the glass of water by visualizing the Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond entering the water.

I instructed the salesgirl, "Drink this water. Your leg will be healed, and your pain will subside."

She finished the cup of water.

Within two days, she recovered from all pain and suffering. She no longer had use for crutches since she was able to stand upright and walk on her own two feet again.

I was exuberant!  I had successfully helped her, yet I did not need her name, age, or address ¹  to do it. Therefore, when I returned to my cabin, I did not transfer the merits to the Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond.²

A period of time passed by.

One day, I began to exercise by doing sit-ups.  As I lodged my feet under the edge of my bed, I concentrated on my exercise.  When I woke up the next day, I realized that my left foot was as swollen as a bun.  When my foot touched the floor, the pain was so severe that I almost cried out in agony.

"This is terrible!" I thought.  

"Is it because of transference³, or is it due to exercise?"

"Did I injure my tendons or my bones, or is it an infection?"

In an instant, I thought:

"I am presently a solitary man.  Now that my foot is swollen, my movement is completely hindered, and my foot will hurt if I touch it. I am in retreat now, completely alone without anyone to help me. What am I going to do?  I don't even know a single doctor in this area."

Yet, at the time before I set out on my retreat, I thought:

"I am protected by the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and even the Vajra Protectors, thus I should not encounter any problems on this retreat. Even the simplest flu cannot affect me. Living the solitary life at this time would be refreshing for me."

With such an advent of impermanence, I thoroughly realized that everything went wrong, very wrong indeed.

Having a pair of arms and only one leg brought me great inconvenience. At first, I was able to move by hopping on my right leg. Not long after, I was reduced to crawling about by using my hands and right leg, and raising my left leg, all the while using great caution not to bump it into anything. Doing so would be extremely painful!

I bathed, used the restroom and had breakfast as I crawled all the while. My face was twisted in pain. I recalled that I had prepared a first aid kit prior to my retreat. The kit contained medications for influenza, gastritis, various digestive ailments, eye problems, external medications, and several other ointments.

From experience, any sports injury would require bone pain reliever, painkiller spray and gauze. Treatments for internal use would include anti-inflammation pills, painkillers, skin tissue medications, and stomach medications. But I only had Saronpasu, medicated muscle relieving spray, in my first aid kit.

I had no one to turn to for help. At that moment, I realized that this solitary old man must not fall ill. If I would become sick, it would be a time of hellish suffering for me. I had to twist and turn to get things done-whether it be for meals, getting dressed or even using the restroom. It was extremely difficult for me to crawl about in my cabin, as tiny as it was. As I scaled across the wall with my hands, I remembered that luckily, I had packed some snacks. Otherwise, how would I be able to go to the market? I would certainly have died of hunger if I had not prepared any snacks.

I made the following prayer to the Golden Mother of the Primordial Pond:

"I have been living peacefully for some time. I have now been resigned to the hands of fate, should fate leave me with two hands and one leg. I can remain in total seclusion in this small cabin, twisting my way through the entire house if this is destined to be. I can learn to enjoy this suffering till death. If this is really destined for me, I pray that at least I can always be at peace."

I sprayed some Saronpasu to my foot. I then used a pillow to elevate my left leg, to help get rid of some excess fluid.  Finally, I began to meditate.

During meditation, the Golden Mother appeared before me. Using her hands, she rubbed and massaged the channels and energy veins in my foot, and blessed my foot with her fingers. This continued daily until finally, everything became normal again. Sunshine brightened my cloudy skies once more.

After this incident, I realized--even I have karmic hindrances. This old man fears nothing but illness.

I stood firmly on my feet, gazing at the sunset and the mountains through my window.  I recollected thoughts of Sheng-yen Lu, the Living Buddha Lian-sheng of the past. I thought of the present me.

Through thoughts of the past and present, I found that the verse still holds:

The fierce tides of the Yangtze River⁴ vanish in the East,
As the tides surge away, the heroes of past disappear as well.
Right or wrong, success or failure will be forgotten as we turn around.  
The mountains still stand unmoved
Yet the sun has risen and set numerous times.

Footnote:  

1. Such personal information is commonly required in order to effectively help one with spiritual consultation.
2. Merits should be dedicated to a specific person, reason, wish, etc. after completing dharma practice, especially when the practice is to help another
3. This term is used to describe a phenomenon where karma is transferred from one person, place, or thing to another person, place, or thing.  It occurs most often when doing cultivation on behalf of someone else.
4. Chang River is the longest River in China

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