While on the Path

The Story of
a Native American

By brother-initiate Phillip Moynagh,
Massachusetts, USA (Originally in English)

I am a Native American. For years, I walked with my dog Moley in the woods everyday. I sang songs to God in my native tongue and worshiped in my native way. It took about an hour every day. It was a nice walk in the woods with my dog.

And then one night in the middle of the winter, it was an extremely cold night. I got up out of bed for no reason at all. I got dressed and went out the door. I was not even thinking about it, and I just stood there in my driveway and wondered: “Why am I out here? What am I doing?”

All of a sudden way off to the side I heard a great horned owl. It was off to my right. It was going, “Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo.” Then it came closer and louder. Pretty soon it was right in my back yard going hoo, hoo, hoo. It started going to my right, each time a little softer in tone and finally it was gone.

“Well, I guess that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m supposed to hear that,” I said to myself. So I went back inside and decided I’d think about it over a course of time. Over the next two weeks I learned that what that bird was doing was hunting. And when it made that call, it hoped to startle any small animal or small bird. So it made the call and it listened for the sound of food. It was looking for food like I was, however, it listened to see but I didn’t listen. All I ever did was go out to the woods, sing songs and pray, but never listened at all.

I realized that this was a message telling me to meditate. When I did at first I heard the chanting sounds of monks in a monastery in my mind. I brought it up and eventually it became a very low tone vibration and very loud. I got up and actually looked out the window for a truck, because that’s what it sounded like, but I never found the truck.

Then I realized that this was something very important. I didn’t know anything about it and I didn’t know anyone who could help me. So I prayed for a teacher, that was what I had to do.

Then I started dreaming of a woman. She was a young Asian woman with thick black glasses and she had a pointer in her hand and a chalkboard behind her with all kinds of numbers on the board. She was a schoolteacher and she always smiled at me in the dream. I realized that the woman was the Teacher, because I had enough dreams where I’ve actually seen people that I needed to see or situations that were coming to me. But there was one problem: there were so many people in the world, how could I find this Teacher?

Right away, a disciple of Hers came and started working where I was working. Since I had the dream, I had always talked to Asian people because I was looking for some information or someone that really knew something. I told him about the dream with the woman-Teacher. He picked me up one afternoon and said, “Come on, we’ve got to go!” He took me to the Quan Yin Restaurant in Worcester. There they had a magazine and in it was the exact woman who I had constantly seen in my dreams. It was Her with thick glasses and a chalkboard. So I knew right there that She was my Teacher. I knew that this was the person I was supposed to make contact with. So I did. And that’s how I came into the Quan Yin family.

I was initiated into the Quan Yin Method of Meditation in New Jersey. The minute we came home the fellow brother immediately announced to me that he was moving to another state. He instantly left my life. He served his purpose here and he was gone. He was only here for that one reason: to bring me in.

Since coming to Quan Yin family, I have met people that I respect and love. I’ve been accepted into the family so well that I know in my heart I am on the right path. Everything has gone so well and my connection to God is increased through Master Ching Hai. I thank Her everyday for the connection and I thank God everyday for sending Her to me.