For several weeks leading up to December 4, 2025 (Thursday), I contacted forklift rental companies. I called many renters, and the average price for a suitable forklift was around $1,000. The lowest price I found online was $890, likely before tax.
I remember mentioning to Master Zhengda Jiaozun on a Sunday, while she was outside pruning trees around the temple, that the forklifts were very expensive. She did not respond directly. On December 1, Chenming Shi (a monk) and I visited two rental locations in person. It was only at the last place we visited, and which I added last minute, that we found the most suitable forklifts. We originally weren’t going to visit Sunbelt because they told me over the phone that they didn’t have any forklifts to check out in person. But since it was on the way, we went anyways.
The total price for Sunbelt’s forklifts went to be $800, two hundred dollars cheaper than what we were probably going to get anywhere else.
The forklift arrived earlier than we expected but with 6-foot forks, even though I had emphasized multiple times for 8-foot ones. Master Zhengda came to look at it. On the spot, I briefly explained the situation and asked if we should get them to recall it and give us the correct forks. We decided not to do anything about it due to uncertainty regarding timing. In my mind I repeatedly thought in Chinese “Please bless us Zhengda Jiaozun,” “Please bless the operation to be smooth.”
The Guan Yin Bodhisattva statue was fully made of copper, 4 tonnes heavy with a length of only 10 feet. Things needed to go as planned!
The workers who loaded the statue did not follow the monks’ instructions and placed it too deep inside the shipping container, which made unloading it much more difficult than expected. As a result, the monks and Dharma brothers had to use improvised methods to pull the Guan Yin Bodhisattva statue back out, combining both lifting and pulling techniques.
I believe some of the monks and Dharma brothers had previous experience moving and unloading objects even larger than this, whether at work or at the temple. Even so, I think this may have been one of the more challenging moves they had ever dealt with because of the lack of equipment and placement of statue.
We were fortunate to finish without any injuries or damage to the equipment.
Namo H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. Namo Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Namo Master Zhengda Jiaozun.
Side lesson/test:
While we were near the forklift, Master Zhengda Jiaozun was speaking with a monk about a Guan Yin Bodhisattva statue that was said to weigh 800 jin (400 kg). As I overheard this, I immediately felt doubtful because the math did not seem to make sense. I even took out my phone on the spot to double-check the metric conversion, just to be sure. Part of the conversation also included Zhengda Jiaozun saying that a few men could carry it.
I overcame my doubt at the moment by thinking, “It’s fine Zhengda Jiaozun knows how heavy it is for sure anyways, she’s a holy being, might’ve just been a slip of the tongue.”
To be fair, I didn’t hear the entire conversation. But that’s not the problem. The problem is not fully trusting a holy being. This experience exposed something within me: my first reaction was still one of doubt, puzzlement, and confusion. Rather than taking her word for it, my instinct was first to question and analyze.
In reality, the container contained two Guan Yin Bodhisattva statues, one 4 tonnes (4000kg) and one 800 jin (400kg). This reminded me of the RV and VR situation imparted by Buddha Master H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III.
As we were around the forklift Zhengda Jiaozun was talking to a monk about a statue that was 400kg (800 jin) on the spot I was doubtful thinking wait whys the maht not working out? I even pulled out my phone on the spot to double metric conversions just to be sure. A part of the discussion was that Zhengda Jiaozun even said that a few men can carry it off. For context, I didn’t catch the whole discussion, nor even if had I was paying attention the whole time I still would’ve had the doubt because the 400kg statue was also a Guan Yin Bodhisattva Statue! However, I was able to overcome this test in an okay manner by believing a holy being as a true holy being. But it did point out that my first thought/instinct was to still doubt, become puzzled, confused, not taking her word for it to begin with.reminded me of the RV and VR story
note apr 2 2026 i also remember i was tempted to correct her and say something about it.
Google maps has Benevolence Temple’s entrance incorrect. So, Zhengda Jiaozun said something like “is it going to head to the wrong side?” with Huizeng Shi (monk) and I by her side. Note that she doesn’t say it in a commanding way. I was smart enough to take up the hint went to there to wait for the semi-trailer in case it can’t find our parking lot entrance. It’s important to have this “chemistry” with a holy being. The semi-trailer did end up going to the wrong side.
Side lesson/test: Before many things was moved out of the shipping container Zhengda Jiaozun and many Buddhists were on the sideline watching and helping at first. Zhengda Jiaozun constantly yelled for our safety. As we were having trouble figuring out how to move out the statue. The semi-trailer will cost extra after waiting for a few hours, so originally I thought and hoped that it would be possible to get everything done before time cost started. However it was also lunch time. Zhengda Jiaozun told everyone to go have lunch first. The poeple on the sideline went ot have lunch but many of us inside the container as well as mainly in charge of moving things didn’t listen and continued onwards. It wasn’t until Zhengda Jiaozun finished lunch and came out again did I go have lunch and later did the rest of us have lunch. Looking back there was no use to stay the extra time before having lunch and pushing back our lunch time. I deeply believe Jiaozun knew this to begin with. With so much learning of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Dharma discourses I have a good grasp of what to do when. But when applied here I didn’t listen to Jiaozun and bore very small but meaningful consequences. Many Chinese people are hardworking, so when having lunch is seen as the “lesser” thing to do we tend to not go have lunch. However, we cannot apply the same type of thinking with a holy being.
Edited: Apr 2, 2026
