From: Yutang Lin
Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2016 3:40 AM
To: Dharma Friends
Subject: Temple of Heaven
Upon request from disciple Ben Jing I have drawn a sketch showing how I saw the three Chinese word 天公在 “Presence of Heavenly Lord” in a dream as described in:
http://www.originalpurity.org/gurulin/b5files/f0/f0910.html
and http://www.originalpurity.org/gurulin/efiles/p0/p0773.html
May all beings attain Enlightenment soon!
願一切眾生早日成佛！
Yutang
鈺堂
From: ben_jing
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 1:31 AM
To: 金刚莲华林上师
Subject: Re:FW: Temple of Heaven
顶礼尊贵的金刚莲华林上师如意宝！
上师，在你的感应中有“天公在”这样的文字，弟子想请上师依感应书写他，希望有益于大众！
愿一切众生同领法恩，诸苦早消，智悲增长！
弟子本净 敬上
-----Original Message-----
From: Yutang Lin
Sent: Sunday, January 03, 2016 1:42 PM
To: Dharma Friends
Subject: Temple of Heaven
In 2003, in a dream I saw myself standing inside the famous Temple of Heaven
in Beijing, see the record (in Chinese and English) as posted at:
http://www.originalpurity.org/gurulin/b5files/f0/f0910.html
and http://www.originalpurity.org/gurulin/efiles/p0/p0773.html
At that time I had never visited the place, so I wrote it as Heavenly Altar
天壇, but in my dream I knew that it was the famous building there.
After I visited it in 2006, I learned the difference between the Heavenly
Altar, an outdoor platform, and the famous building inside that park, called"Temple of Heaven" 祈年殿.
Last year I heard that in Malaysia there is lego-type model of the Temple of
Heaven available, so I asked a disciple there to get one for me.
Then I asked a grandnephew who is only 7 years old and yet very at home with putting up lego models to put it together for me.
Today the lego-model of the Temple of Heaven is in my altar-room, so I share
a photo with all on my email lists.
We will also add this email and the photo to the two web-pages above.
May all beings attain Enlightenment soon!
願一切眾生早日成佛！
Yutang
鈺堂
Presence of Heavenly Lord
Yutang Lin
Alone at the center of Heavenly Altar I stood steadfast.
Three words carved along the rim became conspicuous.
One by one I discerned them as: heavenly lord present.
Dynasty after dynasty worshipped for obvious reasons.
Comments:
A few days ago in a dream I stood steadfast at the center of a round platform inside Tian Tan, Heavenly Altar, that is the traditional place for emperors of China to make offerings to the Lord of Heaven. I have never visited this place, so I don't know the real situation there. Directly in front of me, near the rim there were three Chinese characters carved on the platform that suddenly became conspicuous while the rest of carvings on the platform turned dim. The characters were heading in the clockwise direction and hence the sequential order to read them is from my right to my left, in other words, they were arranged in counter-clockwise direction. One by one I recognized them to be: Tian Gong Zai, Heavenly Lord present. Throughout the history of China dynasty after dynasty had built altars to worship and make offerings to heaven (Lord of Heaven); based on this experience it seems to me that there are good reasons for such traditional practices.
In the future if I have the opportunity to visit this place, I would make prostration to Lord of Heaven there to supplicate for lessening of natural disasters, regular and helpful weather, and peace in the world.
Written in Chinese on November 16, 2003
Translated on November 17, 2003
El Cerrito, California