Even during Gautama Buddha’s time there are stories that ethereal beings came to listen
to his sermons
The Gautama Buddha said that there are phenomena which we cannot comprehend fully as humans. But that
does not mean they are not authentic and real. They are very real. There is no reason to fear these phenomena. My father used to say that his own father had said that there are beings other than the known life forms on earth, and that he could see them. Some people do see them. Those beings too want peace and happiness. As humans, we can transfer metta to them and offer merit.
My late father always believed in guardian angels. He had so many experiences where he was helped and guided by something beyond the ordinary. I know that he and my mother have had combined experiences on this subject.
Throughout my life, from time to time, I’ve had experiences too which I cannot fully fathom. and I’d like to share some of those experiences.
An incident with my cello
I was 22 at the time. I was a member of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, and I was to perform with the orchestra as a soloist. Before my concert I was attending a rehearsal where the orchestra was preparing for a concert when it started raining. We were all ( The orchestra members ) on stage and rehearsing with the conductor, when I saw the hall boy at the Ladies College hall, where the rehearsal was held, going round the hall closing the windows. After some time, there was a deafening sound ( A crash of thunder ) and then a blackout. We were all in darkness. Then the power returned I realised that something was not right with my cello and then it dawned on me. My cello completely came apart as I held it in my hands. The sound we heard was the lightning hitting my cello. It was in pieces. Later on, my father tried to reassemble it, but it never worked. Later on, I saw that one of the windows had not been fully shut by the hall boy. The lightning had come from that gap I believe. It was almost as if though my cello died in my place, saving my life. Some people might have doubts about this story. However, there were many eyewitnesses to what happened.
When our lives were saved
I was a schoolgirl then. I must have been in grade 5 or so. My father was taking me and a cousin sister of mine to school. We were passing the Boralasgamuwa junction and were passing the paddy field stretch. There was a bus in front of us and my father was overtaking the bus. The next thing I knew, my vision became a complete blurred. I felt a sense of immense peace and calm. I felt myself being lifted and gently being placed somewhere else. It was a massive accident. We later realised that we had hit the bus and that our car had tossed over to a ditch and was leaning against a wall. The car was smashed. My cousin, my father and I were unscathed. The people living in that area could not believe we survived. They said that about ten accidents had happened there and no one survived. I truly felt that our lives had been saved by our guardian angels ( also known as Devas ).
The Vision
My father had developed cancer and we had organised a religious ceremony at home involving Buddhist monks for him. My mother later related something which I have to believe. I know my mother was not hallucinated. She said that while we were preparing for the ceremony the evening before, that she had noticed an ethereal presence. She said it never really occurred to her to look at his face.( it was a male figure). She noticed that he was dressed in an immaculately white sarong and was there in the background working with us. She had vaguely thought throughout the evening that it was my father’s attendant- and thought to herself- she couldn’t say the exact word- maybe a sense of immense beauty or radiance, in the person she saw.The strange part is, there was no one present that evening in a white sarong. She had thought that maybe it was my dad’s attendant who was dressed. Later she realised that the attendant was dressed in trousers. She even asked him if he had changed into a sarong that day-to which he replied in the negative. We believe it was a sign given to us, that my father would be safe and in a really good place, when he leaves us. Also the fact remains that it was only my mother who saw this vision. We asked several others if they had seen a male person in a white sarong. No one had. My personal conclusion is that it was a heavenly being. Even during the Buddha’s time, we hear how the Devas visited places where the Buddha Dhamma is espoused because they too want to realise the eternal salvation that the Buddha spoke of.
The Blue Car
When in my teens, my father would give me driving lessons. Our car was not doing too well and my father promised me that when he could afford it he would buy me my own car. However, it never happened. And he passed away. By then, I had got married and I had a son as well.
My family was thinking of buying a new car. One day, I had gone somewhere and was returning home in our car which my driver was driving. When we were coming down the hill leading to my house I noticed a light blue car very much like the blue car my dad had - a blue Lancer- in front of us. My mind must have wandered and we were nearing our house. Suddenly I realised that there was no blue car in front of us. Which was strange. There was no way a car in front of us could have escaped our notice because the road led to a dead end. There was no blue car. I asked my driver where the car in front of us was and he replied that there was no car in front of us.
We made a deal after a few days and bought a light blue car, almost the same colour as the car owned by my dad. I personally feel it was a gift from my dad and my dad was telling me that day ( the day I saw “the blue car”) that it was a gift from him, and that he sent it my way.
My Dad’s Smile as he Passed- which I Witnessed
My dad was dying. The final night, my mother and I were exhausted and were getting some rest. And then early morning my aunt ( my father’s sister ) came and told us that he was gone.
We were near his body which was still warm - and then someone covered my father’s face with a white cloth.
I was in a daze. Everyone had dispersed and were busy preparing for the funeral.
For some reason I wanted to see my father’s face one last time by myself. I went over to him and lifted the cloth covering his face, and I was in shock. He had this beautiful smile on his face. A very obvious smile. I called out to everyone saying: “Daddy is smiling, Daddy is smiling! “- The close family members who were present arrived and were also in shock. In fact we were wondering if he was really gone, whether he still had life in him. It was an ethereal smile.
If I had not wanted to look at his face one last time, we would not have witnessed his smile. Something prompted me to go near him and look at his face, one more time.
Summary from a Buddhist Perspective
All in all, the fact remains that there are phenomena which are unexplainable. We have to accept the fact that we would never fully understand this life of ours, and we have to make peace with that. These are just a few examples of what I have experienced.
Wishing you a Happy Poya- With Metta!
