Fortune favors the virtuous: Famous Taiwanese Monk reborn in higher Deva Realm

A famous Pure Land Buddhist Monk from Taiwan, reborn in higher Deva Realms

Near 7m:10s part of video, there is a photo of his head at the time of his death. There's a lump of flesh, almost 4 inches high at the peak, protruding from his crown chakra. Near or after the time of death was when it started protruding. The crown chakra area and protruding flesh after his death stayed warm for an unusually long time. According to Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, this phenomena happens when highly accomplished meditators are reborn in higher Deva realms, their consciousness leaves through the crown chakra area.

While rebirth is not proven with this story, it's still well worth studying for the many dramatic turns in karmic action and consequence, rehabilitating one self ethically, doing positive deeds in the world, and dying in peace, love, and support of countless friends and family.

10min video, picture of bulge in the crown chakra area starts at 7:10.

My friend told me the bulge was 10-15 cm high (or 4-6 in), but from the picture, it looks to me like it more like 2 inches.  And he told me that the bulge was warm, but I did not ask him how he knew.  I will ask him on these two things.

Translation of video from Chinese

The video states that this monk was in the military and loved to eat meat and drink alcohol. There was a time when he was staying in a large duck farm and would have duck meat everyday.  There was one day the meal was served without any duck meat. Very agitated by this, he asked why there was no meat. Then the sickening realization dawned on him that all of the ducks were gone because they ate them all.

1. virtue: stopped eating meat and drinking alcohol out of compassion 

A great sense of remorse came upon him that so many lives were slaughtered due to their desire to eat meat.  So he became a diligent Buddhist and quickly became a monk.

2. premonition of retribution for eating all the ducks

During a session of chanting Amida Buddha, he heard duck quacking sound and he saw that there was a duck in his arms.  And when he turn his head back, he saw hordes of chicken, ducks, cows, pigs, and dogs reaching far into the distance.  He thought to himself that this is my bad karma from all the animals I had killed and eaten coming to get me and that I should get severely sick after this.  He told people in his monastery to please pay attention to him as he expect bad things to happen to him.

3. karmic retribution happens

And that very night, on smooth and flat surface he broke his leg in a fall and ended up being in a wheel chair for the next 20-30 years (he is well known as the Taiwan Wheelchair Dharma Teacher).

4. virtue: wrote book on benefits of compassion, strict precepts

So he wrote a book on the benefits of being a vegetarian.  Because of this incident, he practiced diligently, adhere strictly to precepts, do vassas every year and passed away during his last vassa (rain season retreat) just after giving precepts to students.  And these precept recipients were there to chant and stay with him during and after his death.

5. presence of devas signaled by aroma

upon his death, there was a refreshing aroma unlike the typical foul smell of dead people.  And after his death and these students finished chanting for him, a red round bulge was developed on the deceased.

6. big karmic reward: rebirth in higher deva realm signaled by warmth at crown chakra

This is an extremely good sign that he has gone to the pure land. In the Mahayana sutras (also described in Taoist yoga, Hindu, and probably any meditative tradition will have similar observations):
* People who likes to practice the Dharma and chant Buddha's name would leave from the top of his/her head.
* People who like to do good but doesn't know the Dharma would go to the Deva realms through the eyes.
* People who are going to the human realms will go out from the chest.
* People who are going to the ghost realms, they go out from the abdomen.
* Animal realm - out from the knees.
* Hell realm - from the bottom of feet.  This monks spent his whole life promoting precept and chanting Buddha's name.