This amazing story happened in Taiwan and was contributed as a testimonial article to one of the Buddhist Magazine.

An old woman without family lost her job as a janitor. Her bank savings was depleting.

She had been a staunch believer of the Bodhisattva of compassion throughout her life and chants every day.

She would recite Namo Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa. which is Chinese for Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattvaya.

She had difficulty getting a new job as she was old and uneducated. In desperation, she stayed home and chanted. She prayed to find a job soon. After an entire day of chanting she was exhausted and fell asleep.

Avalokiteshvara appeared in her dream and instructed her to walk down a particular street at 5pm the next day. She should put on her red jacket and has to carry her blue thermal flask in her hand.

She woke up feeling puzzled and unsure if her mind was playing tricks on her. Nonetheless she decided to follow the instructions from her dream.

At the appointed time, she walked down the street with her red jacket and was carrying her thermal flask in her hand. As she walked, she began to feel silly about herself but somehow she convinced herself to stick to it.

As she was almost nearing the junction where the street ends, a man in business attire called out to her and inquired if her last name is Lin?

The old lady said yes and the man asked if she would like to work in his company as the tea lady? Her workshop is to keep the pantry and toilet clean plus keep all the coffee flask filled at all time.

Madam Lin couldn’t believe her ear and just nodded. In this manner, she got herself a new job.

After one month, she mastered enough courage to ask her new boss about the employment offer in the street.

To her surprise, her boss is a member of a Buddhist chanting club and he had dreamt of Avalokiteshvara the same night that she did. In his dream, Avalokiteshvara instructed him to hire a lady in red jacket with a thermal flask walking by his office at 5pm and informed him the last name would be Lin. That was the reason why he was on the lookout for her that day.

Note: I had forgotten the exact name of the old lady and her boss. In the testimonial, their name and residential district was published in the magazine. I am retelling this story by giving the old women an alias, Mdm Lin.

When I first read this testimony, the skeptical me thought that perhaps the power of the mind of Mdm Lin and her new boss was attuned to such a degree that they communicated telepathically via a dream. Since both Mdm Lin and her new boss were practicing the same technique of chanting.

But that would take the magic out of our mundane life, wouldn’t it?

It is interesting to note that “Educated” Buddhist does not like the idea of praying and tend to be cynical about the concept of an external bodhisattva to call upon for help.

To the Educated, this is not the Buddha’s message which emphasize self reliance and mind training for Enlightenment.

Nevertheless, such efficacy of prayer had been recounted by Buddhist all over the world.

It wouldn’t be unimaginable to believe there are beings in other planes of existence that secretly watched over us and help us while we are questing for Enlightenment.

I guess, a middle path approach will be wise.

Not to be over reliance on prayer and continue to do our best in daily life and

A little prayer to soothe a worried mind wouldn’t hurt if skilfully applied.