Day Five: Shifting the bones, revealing the spirit

The chiropractor worked on me for two and a half hours and charged me $30.00. When I offered to pay more because he had worked so long, he was offended. Rainbow translated, “He says, ‘I work as long as needed.’” I had explained to him that I had had 12 car accidents over the past 25 years so I had a lot of trouble with my neck. He said it was my lower back that was the problem. It needed to be shifted. That and my heart, the second and third vertebrae were pushing on my heart and that was dangerous. He worked very deeply, shifting my bones around and walking on my back. Rainbow said she found it torture, yet she felt better afterwards. It wasn’t torture for me, rather it was kind of meditative and I liked the idea of re-aligning the bones.

Afterwards, I took Rainbow to lunch to celebrate my survival and then we visited a Kwan Yin Temple (at left). Since 2002 when I went with my Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, to China, I’ve been wearing a necklace with an amber pendant of Kwan Yin that I bought in a Chinese monastery. I’ve often buy some odd piece of clothes or jewelry and then that spirit begins to manifest in my life. Kwan Yin plays an essential part in Journey to the. West. She is the Bodhisattva who answers Buddha’s call to find a seeker and once she finds the Tang Priest, or Tripitaka, to make the journey, she has Tripitaka rescue Monkey King from his imprisonment. Throughout the journey from China to India, Kwan Yin rescues the seekers. Her statues portray her as a goddess and we call her the Goddess of Compassion but she’s not Mary. She’s multi-armed, fierce, saucy, practical, no-nonsense, and humorous.

Meeting with Mr. Lin in the evening was a revelation. We watched him stand before the statue of Monkey King. Smoke rises in front of the Statue and so the statue’s expression keeps changing. Mr. Lin stood for some time in front of the Statue and then drank red wine and insisted we drink with him. It was a strong, very good, almost spicy California wine. He explained that the wine was mediocre but by blessing it, he made it superior. It was excellent and Sat and I and Mr. Lin drank two bottles, something I could never do in ordinary circumstances. Immediately, he began to speak to me before I could ask a question. He said, “You and I and Monkey King have the same spirit. Monkey King spoke to you; that’s why you came here. We have a strong affinity. Your karma is good because your studied Buddhism in a past life. In your past life you were a Chinese princess. Your project will be successful, but you need money. You will find it. All that you need will come to you.

Your heart is troubled. Your child, you have one daughter? Where is your son? You should have had a daughter and a son. Your daughter is disobedient. She is very much like you, but she doesn’t want to be you so she moves away. Be steady, do not flip flop and she will come to you. You were very wild in your youth—like me. You made mistakes. But now, you can change your life. All you need is to be happy. If you are happy, you can turn your luck around.  Do you have a lover? Don’t worry. He’s coming. Wait. Two more years and he’ll be with you. Take refuge in Monkey King and whatever you wish will come true. He pushes away all obstacles. Do you have a question for me?”

Goodness. I thought I was going to interview him about Monkey King. I hadn’t expected that he would plunge straight into my insides. Before I could answer, he started to tell Jeremy about his life. Jeremy protested and said, “No, not me. I’m the cameraman. Speak to them.” But Mr. Lin was in trance and unstoppable. He kept urging Jeremy to drink wine so his heart would open. After finishing with Jeremy’s love life, he turned to Sat. Sat did not translate. At last, I ventured to ask some questions. I had planned to ask about Monkey King. It seemed more relevant to ask personal questions about the project. I asked him about the relationship between Sat and me. His reply made Sat laugh out loud. He then translated, “You were my husband in a former life and betrayed me. So you owe me in this life.” This was too much for me. Monkey King was safer. “What makes Monkey King so powerful?” I asked.

“Monkey King has no fear. If anyone is greater than him, he will defeat him. What he is really defeating is the darkness. Wherever he goes, he takes care of those who are suffering. Come back. I have more to say to you. Next week-end is Monkey King’s birthday. We will have a banquet, a big celebration. You have big project, a good one, Monkey King is happy with you.” How wonderful. Different temples have different dates for Monkey King’s birthday. And this one’s was next week!

I fell asleep thinking how improbable the evening was. Almost like a dream. A mischievous Chinese trance priest arrives. I do not know him.  He reveals my life and blesses it.