Author：Sheng-Yen Lu
Publisher：True Buddha Prajna Treasury
Publication Date：2025/06/13
Language：Traditional Chinese
Suitable for ages ：All
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Summary：
Seattle’s Freezing Point (Preface)
When I was 38 years old, I moved from Taiwan to Seattle, USA, where I have now lived for 42 years.
Today, I am an octogenarian monk.
Seattle is called the Emerald City. Emeralds are beautiful, but also cold.
Winters are chilly and icy. At night, temperatures drop below freezing. Snowflakes occasionally drift down. It's beautiful.
This kind of weather is what I call “Seattle’s freezing point.”
My life has always followed a steady rhythm: I write a short article every day, I perform a spiritual practice daily, and I paint one painting each day. This is how I spend my days.
On Saturday nights, I give teachings at Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple in Seattle.
On Sunday afternoons, I conduct a homa (fire offering) ceremony and give teachings at Rainbow Temple.
My life is calm and peaceful, day by day, year by year, it passes.
This kind of life is “unmoving.”
And being unmoving is like a “freezing point.”
Water moves.
Ice does not.
In truth, my affinity with sentient beings is vast, boundless, and infinite.
Many, many disciples have taken refuge in me. They often travel to Seattle to visit this old monk.
Every day, disciples write me letters. Many of them are beautifully written, with elegant and touching prose.
When I read a good letter, I treasure it. Over time, my collection of letters has grown larger and larger.
These letters, written by sentient beings filled with emotion, melt “Seattle’s freezing point.”
And what do I mean by “heavenly maiden scattering flowers”?
This is how I describe these heartfelt letters, drifting down one by one from the sky, landing in my hands, settling into my heart.
One of my disciples, “Little Princess of Solace,” sent me a song composed by Hong Yutong. The lyrics are as follows:
Love is an invisible language
Love is a feeling you cannot touch
Love is our simple wish
That you may be safe and happy, always
Love is the joy of lifting your head
Love is a gratitude beyond words
Love is giving a little more each day
With palms pressed in prayer, undeterred by trials
Let love be passed on
Like the sun, it warms us, both you and me
No matter how far apart we are
One day it will surely arrive
Let love be passed on
On this long, winding road of life
With your blessings
There is no suffering we cannot overcome
“Little Princess of Solace” also wrote:
With sunlight in the heart, winter is not cold
With stars in the eyes, the world is wide
May you be free from worries
May your days grow ever more joyful
After reading her letter, Seattle’s freezing point transformed into Seattle’s boiling point.
The sun rose in my heart.
Living Buddha Lian-sheng
Sheng-Yen Lu
17102 NE 40th Ct.,
Redmond, WA 98052
U.S.A.
Dec. 2024
Translated by TBTTs
Editors: Henry Wolf and DJ Chang
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