A Childhood Vow to Save the World

This is a record of an interview with Li Zhengyang, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,452 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on August 22, 2018.

Venerable Li Zhengyang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Li Zhengyang. In that lifetime, I was born into a wealthy family. From a young age, I lacked nothing; in particular, I had an abundance of toys and trinkets. Every time my father returned from his travels, he would bring me one or two new items, though in truth, I did not need so many. My father bought them because he was always busy with his work and had little time to spend with me. My mother had passed away when I was just over a year old, and I was raised by servants. My father felt a deep sense of guilt, and he used these toys as a way to compensate for his absence.

The Joy of Giving

However, my father never realised that I had never played with a single one of those toys. Whenever he brought home something new, I would store it away in my room. Once he left again, I would take them out and give them to the children in the neighbourhood. They came from poor families and had never had the chance to own such things. Watching their faces light up with joy brought me immense happiness.

I discovered these children because, one day, while a servant was taking me out to run errands, a child suddenly approached me to beg for food. I did not understand why such a person existed. After the servant explained the situation to me, I realised that there were many people in this world living in poverty. They could not even afford three meals a day, lacked everything, and lived lives of great hardship. After hearing this, I began to wonder what I could do to help them. My mind immediately turned to those toys. I decided then and there that I would give them to these poor children so that they, too, could have something to play with.

A Grandfather's Wisdom

Near my home lived a retired teacher, a kind old grandfather. Since his retirement, he spent his days at home caring for his grandchildren. They were about my age, and I envied them for having a grandfather by their side; they seemed so happy every day. One day, I brought my toys to the old man's home, where the sounds of laughter drifted from the courtyard. I ventured to ask, 'May I play with you all?' The old man immediately welcomed me with joy. I was so happy to sit with the children, listening to him tell stories. He was sharing tales from the Buddhist scriptures. I had never heard such stories before; they felt incredibly beautiful, and I experienced a sense of joy that I cannot put into words.

The old man introduced us to Namo Amituofo and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I immediately declared, 'When I grow up, I must go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss!' The old man replied, 'That is wonderful! But before you go, you can also help others reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss first.' I said excitedly, 'I want to bring my father, the old man, the servants at home, the children who have no money; I want to bring many, many people! We will all go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss together!' The old man laughed heartily at my enthusiasm.

The Springboard of Life

From that day on, I went to listen to his stories every day. Each story helped us understand the Buddha's teachings and encouraged us to perform acts of Goodness. Although we were young, under his daily guidance, we seemed to grasp the true meaning of life. Life is not merely about what my father did—getting married, having children, and working—but about escaping the six realms of rebirth and seeking rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Life is simply a springboard, a stepping stone toward the West. The old man told us that the people in his stories were unable to return to the West because their emotions were too heavy and they could not let go of the world, leading them to continue in the cycle of rebirth. Thus, we learned the importance of not being attached to emotions. Even at that age, we understood the necessity of letting go.

Our goal, and the goal of the old man, was to return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. As long as we did not let our minds wander and diligently chanted 'Namo Amituofo' every day, we would have the chance to return, and we were determined to bring many others with us.

A Team United in Purpose

To realise our dream, I began to gather all my friends—the children to whom I had often given toys. There were over a dozen of us. We formed a group, sitting together to listen to the old man's stories about the Dharma. We made a collective vow: when we grew up, we would help many people return to the West together. Our team was incredibly united. To help us achieve our dream, the old man took us everywhere to perform acts of Goodness. He taught us to see the suffering of life, and we truly saw it—scenarios similar to those in his stories played out right before our eyes. It turned out that life was exactly as described: everyone was lost in this illusory world, having long forgotten the need to return to the West.

To help everyone find the path back to the West, our team began introducing the Buddha's teachings to people everywhere, telling them to chant the Buddha's name and return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. But we were just a group of children. Even if we spoke with great passion, to the adults, it seemed like we were just playing a game. The old man told us that if we truly had the heart and vow to propagate the Dharma, we could choose to become monastics and use that identity to save sentient beings.

The Path of the Monastic

We did not really understand what it meant to be a monastic. The old man took us to visit a temple. Inside, there were many older children who had served there since they were young; when they reached the appropriate age, they followed their masters and became monastics, dedicating their lives to propagating the Dharma. They studied the Buddha's teachings actively and practised with great diligence. Each of them possessed a dignity that was truly magnificent. The older monastics went deep into the community, explaining the scriptures to the people, breaking through their delusions, and leading them to see the true light of the West. They taught people to view worldly matters with detachment, to let go of all attachments, and to seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. These monastics were pure and unstained, dedicated entirely to the benefit of all beings.

I was the first to stand up and say, 'I want to become a monastic too! I want to save sentient beings, I want to help people, and I want to be just like these masters!' I became the leader of our team. Our goal was to save people, and becoming a monastic was the method we chose to achieve that goal; it was our shared aspiration.

A Father's Understanding

I went home and told my father, 'I want to become a monastic.' My father stared at me, wide-eyed, and asked, 'You are still playing with toys, how can you become a monastic?' I took out the box where I kept my toys, but inside there were no toys—only a string of prayer beads. To help my father understand what we were doing, I invited him to join our daily gatherings. Other team members also invited their families. For several days, our gatherings grew to thirty or forty people. The old man invited masters from the temple to explain the scriptures to us, helping us better understand the significance of becoming a monastic, saving sentient beings, and propagating the Dharma.

It was not just us; other villagers became curious and sat down to listen, and the number of people grew. The masters from the temple were moved to continue giving Dharma talks there for a time, allowing us to continue listening to the scriptures, filled with Dharma joy. Whenever my father was not working, he would come to listen, sometimes even making special arrangements to attend. He listened with great joy. Seeing the masters, so dignified and dedicated to saving the world and propagating the Dharma, my father understood that this was my life's goal. After months of listening to the teachings, he accepted my choice and agreed to let me become a monastic.

A Life of Diligence

I entered the temple, and two years later, I became the first little novice in our group. One by one, other team members followed me into the temple. We all started by serving, and as our individual Causal Conditions matured, we became monastics at different ages, each carrying the vow to save the world and working hard on the Buddha's path. During my time as a monastic, I practised diligently every day for the sake of all beings. Later, I became a Bhikshu, leading many disciples to save the world together. Every day was a good day to propagate the Dharma, and every day, people chanted the Buddha's name and achieved rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The life of practising the Buddha's teachings is filled only with joy, not suffering. Once one sees through the illusory nature of life, no worldly matter can easily cause suffering in the heart. The feeling of letting go is so light and free. With the goal of rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, every day is spent working steadily toward that end. I never touched what could not be taken from this world, and for what could be taken, I exhausted all my efforts to manage it diligently. I spent my whole life working on this path of saving beings as a monastic. As the leader, I never failed in my duty; I was the first in our team to become a monastic, and the first to achieve rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Many of us from that group have returned to the West and reunited there. I am grateful for this magnificent Causal Condition. Namo Amituofo.

The Deliverance of Practitioner Su

Throughout the vast universe, there is a great golden light every day; that is where the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su performs Chao Du. Practitioner Su's Dharma Body Chao Du reaches out to sentient beings from all corners of the universe. Her Dharma Body manifests in countless forms, rapidly performing Chao Du on every planet in the universe, rotating and leaping with 360-degree flexibility, moving at incredible speeds. Today, immeasurable and boundless beings have achieved rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The moment they saw the Buddha, the emotion in their hearts was beyond words; each one was in tears, kneeling to express their gratitude to Namo Amituofo.

The darkness of thousands of years has finally seen light again today. The Western Land, so long awaited, has finally been seen at this moment. It is the compassion of Practitioner Su that brings blessings to all sentient beings, and it is her Ultimate Vow and great power that have enabled everyone to achieve rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Gratitude to the great compassion of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."