THE TALE OF MADAM HUANG: AN UNGRATEFUL DEVOTEE
This is a translation of a chinese miracle tale from 觀世音菩薩感應事跡實錄- A True Record of Guanyin's Response and Effect.https://book.bfnn.org/books/0530.htm
This miracle tale is one of retribution, and indeed, the conflict between Buddhism and Christianity in the late 20th century. In summary, a Chinese woman prays to Guanyin for Son, she gets her wish and all other kinds of blessings. She hears that a church scholarship is a surefire way of getting to America, and converts to Christianity. She burns all the images of Guanyin in her house, and promptly goes insane.
The tale ends with reflections on the nature of this retrbuton: it is caused by the Dharma Protector gods, who manifest it to keep people in line.
◎黃夫人，結婚十年未生兒女，心甚焦急！聞求觀音菩薩，必遂所願，即虔誠祈求，求賜一子，如滿所求，誓願盡此一生供奉觀音菩薩，茹素念經。果即孕生一男，次年又生一女。
Madam Huang was married for over a decade, but yet did not have children. She was extremely anxious! She heard that by praying to Guanyin, all wishes may be fulfilled. As such, she sincerely prayed to Guanyin for a son: If her wish was fulfilled, she vowed that she would, for the rest of her life be a devotee of Guanyin, become a vegetarian, and chant the sutras. She soon had a son, and in the following year, a daughter.
大陸陷匪後，全家遷居來台灣，其夫事業更順利，子女聰明孝順，同肄業台灣大學。知此一切皆蒙菩薩慈恩，早晚禮念，更加虔誠。因鄰居多信洋教，見其吃素拜佛，種種譏笑誘惑，尚未動心。
After the Mainland was invaded by the Bandits [i.e. communists], her whole family migrated to Taiwan. She and her husband’s jobs went well; her son and daughter were both intelligent and filial. Both of them graduated from Taiwan University. Knowing that this was all due to the Bodhisattva’s blessings, her faith increased, and she prayed and recited morning and evening. But her neighbors were mostly believers of the Foreign Religion [i.e. Christianity]. Seeing a vegetarian Buddhist was for them a cause of laughter, but she was steadfast.
民國四十七年某日鄰居又云：「某人之子及某夫人之女，到美留學，皆由教會幫助。汝子即將畢業，如想留美，若得教會幫忙，絕無問題。」
One day, In the 47th year of the Republic [1958] a neighbour said to her "Mr X’s son and Mrs Y’s daughter studied overseas all because of their Church’s help. Your children are about to graduate: If they want to go to America to further their studies, they will surely achieve their goal if you get the church’s assistance”
心便動搖，願隨往教會參加幾次禮拜後，決聽牧師及鄰居煽惑，接受洗禮，將家中所供觀音聖像，撕碎焚燬，而紙灰赫然顯現聖容，予以警告。
Her heart began to flutter, and she vowed to go to several services at the Church. After hearing the inducements of the pastor and her neighbors, she was baptized. She then took all the images of Guanyin at home, tore them up and burnt them. However from the ashes the Sacred Visage [of Guanyin] manifested itself; a warning to her.
猶不知懺悔，強拉其夫及兒女參加教堂聚會，忽然瘋癲，舞手動腳，哭笑狂呼，理智全失，連丈夫兒女均不認識。強抱回家，哭笑無常，數日不食，牧師教友為求上帝耶穌，禱告無靈，遍請名醫注射麻醉，依然無效。
Not only did she feel no regret, but she then dragged her husband and children to Church. [There] she suddenly went insane—her hands and feet writhed about; she laughed, cried and screamed madly, and lost all reason. Even her husband and daughters could no longer recognize her.
強抱回家，哭笑無常，數日不食，牧師教友為求上帝耶穌，禱告無靈，遍請名醫注射麻醉，依然無效。
They dragged her home, where she alternately laughed and cried, and stopped eating for several days. The pastor and her Christian friends prayed to God and Jesus, but their prayers received no response. They even asked a doctor to inject her with tranquilizers, but those equally had no effect.
其友鄭夫人詳告大慈佛社馬紹謙居士，代求醫治，馬云：「彼一生蒙菩薩庇佑，有求必應，忽忘恩背誓，改信洋教，若不撕燬聖像，不致有此現報。因撕燬佛像，必墮無間地獄，菩薩慈悲，故一再示警，令速回頭，而免墮落。
Her friend, Madam Zheng, then sought Householder Ma Zhaolian of DaCi (Great compassion) Buddhist Temple for help. Ma said “For her whole life, she was protected by the Bodhisattva; Whatever she sought the Bodhisattva granted, but she forgot this kindness and went back on her vows,altering her faith to the Foreign Religion. Had she not destroyed the Sacred Images, this immediate this immediate retribution would not have manifested. Because she destroyed the Buddhist images, she will surely be born in Avici Hell. The Bodhisattva is compassionate and so warned her once again, that she may quickly turn around and be spared hell.
詩轉告其夫及兒女，仍在家供奉觀音菩薩，跪為懺悔，願此後虔誠念佛行善，永不退轉，求諸佛菩薩及護法鬼神，宥其無知，病可即瘉，無須醫治也。」 詎不聽勸告，不肯回頭，菩薩雖慈悲，亦無可奈何。
“You should inform her husband and children to reestablish worship of Guanyin in her home, and to bow and confess their sins. They should vow sincerely to recite the name of the Buddha and perform acts of merit, never to revert. They should beg all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting gods and spirits, to forgive her ignorance. By doing so her illness will be cured, with no need for a doctor”. But for those who would not listen to this warning, and are unwilling to repent, what can the compassion of the Bodhisattvas do?
按紙畫木雕之聖像，筆寫石刻之佛號，皆應視同真佛，恭敬供養，得福無量，輕慢褻瀆，惡報無邊。 All images of sacred beings- drawn of paper or carved of wood, or names of the Buddhas, written with the pen or engraved on stone, should be treated as if they were the Real Buddhas. Those who venerate and make offerings to them will get immeasurable fortune; those who insult and slight them, their evil retribution will be endless.
佛說：「破壞塔寺，焚燒經像，或取佛法僧物，是名第一根本重罪，應墮無間地獄，受苦無窮。」某夫後造屋而取同一石牌作門限，褻瀆佛號，均遭天火示警而送還。
The buddha said “To destroy Stupas and temples, burn sutras and images, or take anything belonging to the Sangha, is the first root offence, the retribution of which is to fall into Avici hell, and suffer endless torment”. Someone , in building their house, took a stone tablet [with the buddha’s name on it] to use as a threshold; by thus blaspheming the buddha’s name, the heavens sent fire to burn his house, as a warning, and to return it [i.e. spare the tablet from further desecration by ‘sending it to heaven']
惟黃夫人奉觀音而得福報，忽信洋教而燬聖像，立發瘋癲示警。雖諸佛菩薩大慈大悲，幻軀猶捨，豈為一石牌紙像而瞋恨報復耶？
It was through the Bodhisattva that Madam Huang attained blessings; but her deluded belief in the Foreign Religion caused her to destroy the sacred images; and at once she went insane as a manifest warning. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are compassionate, and they have left the illusory body— So why is this terrible retribution inflicted because of a stone or a paper image?
蓋護法諸神慾彰現報，寓勸於懲，令即悔悟回頭，免墮地獄之後報。且懲一警百，使咸生敬信，得福無量，是懲惡實以勸善也。
It is because of the Dharma Protecting Gods, who wish to manifest this retribution, as an encouragement to repent, and a warning to turn back [from evil], and thus be spared the further torment of falling into Avici hell. Thus, through reprimanding one, a hundred are made respectful. To live a life of faith will get innumerable blessings, such is the result of Reprimanding evil and encouraging good.