I do not know if the story below has other logical explanation but this was experienced personally by me.
When I was still working in the corporate world, I sometimes would start certain tasks in my home. For example, decluttering exercises which I dispose/donate/give away stuff, organizing items and keeping them from dust and bugs using storage bins, etc.
One such mission that I had was clearing up my garden and putting some landscaping of my own. The weeds had grown a little too out of control. And there are also wild shrubs, a kind of yam (keladi) species growing all over my garden.
I have been told by a spiritual teacher that it is important for us to keep our garden tidy and get rid of weeds and undergrowth as well as junk and unusued items (some people treat the space in their garden as a storage unit….for junk). Reason being, when a place is unkept and abadoned, it may attract wondering spirits that think there is no owner and hence they start to reside there (and maybe later call in more ‘friends’). After all, bear in mind that the official land ownership and grant is not known in the spirit world.
One Saturday, few years ago, after finishing my laundry, I got to work. I was trying to tug and cut off a persistent small banana tree that grew near the place where we hang the laundry. There seemed to be nothing sharp enough that could help me cut off the small tree.
Not someone deterred easily, I drove out to a hardware shop and bought a sharp parang knife (machete).
These small banana trees were a little annoying because they kept growing near the place where we hang out laundry. When we pull out one, not long later another tree would grow either at the exact or nearly spot.
I was able to cut off the shrub but I had a weird feeling, as if I shouldn’t do it. But I ignored it and continue cutting other shrubs.
It was about 2pm and I was chopping off another shrub when I felt like I was being watched. There was no one around. I continue working on it when I suddenly felt light tapping on my shoulders.
I turned over abruptly and there was… No one. There were dried leaves around hence no way anyone could have walked without making a sound. And really there was no one. Something seemed to come over my mind that it seemed as a kind of warning to stop.
But I ignored it as I was determined to clear my garden. I continued cutting the schrub but had to stop soon after as I begin to feel unwell.
The next few days I fell sick with fever.
First, I took special care to mostly work under shades of trees and did not work under the hot sun. Also, I do this garden work from time to time, ie sweeping leaves which could take me an entire afternoon. So this is the first time I felt sick after clearing my garden.
My work was not yet finished. But I recalled the tap on my shoulder by an invisible hand the week before.
So, the next Saturday before starting work, I said silently that, “I sincerely apologise if my cutting and clearing the garden had caused any disturbance. I am sorry for the inconvenience caused. Please allow me to do my work. Tomorrow, on Sunday, I would head over to the Buddhist temple to offer alms to the monks. May the merits be dedicated to you and may you be well and happy. ”
When I did my work and clear off more shrubs, nothing happened. No spooky feeling of being watched. No falling sick after.
The next day, I went to the temple to offer alms as promised and had merits dedicated to ‘them’.
Please do not say I am crazy but I got curious and so I mentally said to the banana trees that if they choose to keep growing at that area I would be forced to chop them off as they would interfere with the space for us to hang our laundry. I suggested another spot that they could grow and I would not cut them.
It was strange, the banana trees stopped growing near my laundry spot and started growing at another unusued area that I had specified. It was just so weird.
So because I was afraid of falling sick, I would make an aspiration to go to temple and offer alms when I intend to clear my garden and cut off some shrubs.
But then, I started noticing weeds and small shrubs were growing at even a faster rate. That time I had a full time job, and I cannot cope with the constant strenous work which take up hours of the day.
Offering alms is considered a meritorious act and perhaps the stuff were growing faster in order for me to go temple more frequently?
I was not able to make it to temple each week. Furthermore I felt the approach was not right. In the end, since the weeds were growing too fast, I decided to outsource the work to some workers. There are some municipal workers (foreigners) who tried to earn money on weekends. Hence I paid them to do the work.
They would use the weed cutter and was able to cut off small shrubs when they are still very small.
I also frequently do my prayers (Buddhist chanting and meditation). Usually after that I would dedicate merits to my family, relatives, friends and all beings including them as well. After a while of consistently doing this, I felt the vibe in my home and its surrounding change as well.
