The French Lieutenant’s Woman

​The Asian culture has innumerable stories of responses from reciting the Buddha’s name. Below is such a story.

Most Asian Buddhist practitioners are quite familiar with the Buddha’s name recitation method. Many already recite the (Amitabha) Buddha’s name. The Asian culture has innumerable stories of responses from reciting the Buddha’s name. Below is such a story.

This happened in when Vietnam was a French colony. A French lieutenant fell in love with a young Vietnamese girl. She was from a wealthy family and graduated from a French high school in Vietnam. Naturally, her family was opposed to the relationship and threatened to disown her.

The lovers ignored all the objections. On Sundays, she’d wear her “áo dài” (traditional Vietnamese long robe) and bring him to the temple to pray to the Buddha’s name. She’d teach him to offer incense, to hold his arms together and together they’d kneel and recite the Buddha’s name, asking for help and guidance. The young lieutenant didn’t believe any of it, he simply went along because he just wanted to be with her.

After she got married to her beloved French pilot, she moved into the military compounds with him because her family renounced her. They’d live happily like young people in love.

Once, the lieutenant went to evening patrol with his co-pilot. They flew to the seep sea. The weather was bad, visibility was very low and the air very choppy. The airplane had engine trouble and they were forced to make a crash landing on the sea.

As the plane started to sink, the young lieutenant reminisced of his lovely wife. He knew that she’d be at home, had finished preparing dinner and waited for him to come home. She’d also be sincerely reciting the Buddha’s name to pray for his safety as she usually did whenever he took to the air. During these last few moments of his life, he felt great love for his wife. Oh, what he’d be willing to give to be with her! Since he couldn’t be with her in body, he decided to be with her in soul: so he put his palms together and started piously reciting the Buddha’s name.

Then something amazing happened: the plane stopped sinking! His co-pilot also noticed and asked him what he was doing. Thereupon, the both of us started earnestly reciting the Buddha’s name. Within an hour’s time, a freighter passed by and rescued them. As they got on the boat, they looked and found that their plane then disappeared into the dark waters!

The more sincerely you recite the Buddha’s name, the more likely you could get your own response!