A Father's Journey Home to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Wang Wencheng, 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 transition from the ghost realm to the Pure Land. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on May 1, 2026.

Wang Wencheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Wang Wencheng, and I am one of the many beings who have recently arrived here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I have been looking forward to this moment for a very long time, and now that I am here, the joy is simply indescribable—it is truly a state of supreme Dharma-joy! While I was still in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I was already listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma with such immense happiness. As my understanding of the Buddha’s teachings deepened, the many knots of confusion that had long been tied within my heart began to unravel. I felt my entire being relax, filled with a profound sense of peace and delight. I felt a deep longing to return to my true home, the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I say 'return' because, having been here before in my long cycle of rebirth, it is indeed my original home.

A Long-Awaited Return

Actually, since arriving here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have looked out and realised that many people in the human world have actually been here before. The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss has been established for ten kalpas, and throughout our endless cycles of rebirth in samsara, we have all encountered the Buddha’s teachings and lived as humans countless times. We simply became lost and confused, which is why we could not find our way back to this beautiful home.

Now that I have returned to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I feel a deep sense of humility. I was never a particularly diligent practitioner during my life. However, because my child came to know the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the name of Namo Amituofo, I was granted this precious opportunity to be reborn in the West. When I first arrived here, I was so overcome with joy that I prostrated myself before the Buddha. Like many others who have arrived here, I immediately said to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, 'Thank you.' Every time I prostrate before the Buddha, a lotus flower appears above my head. Here, one can smell the most comforting, delicate scent of lotus flowers at any moment, and my heart remains perfectly calm and serene.

The Reality of the Ghost Realm

Furthermore, I feel a sincere sense of gratitude toward my family for performing the Chao Du deliverance for me. I am so thankful that my child did not forget this old father and knew to have the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre perform the deliverance to lift me up. At that time, I was just a ghost wandering in the ghost realm. The space I occupied was one that could intersect with the human world, but when I was a ghost, my memories of being human had faded significantly. I had no idea where I was in the human world, nor did I have any concept of where my home was or where my family had gone. It was as if I had begun an entirely new, hollow life.

For nearly a decade, I lived as a ghost without any support or direction. I did not have any particular interactions with anyone; I simply drifted through those years in silence. It was a very unique experience. While it was not a life of extreme agony, it was certainly a life lived in darkness, without the light of the sun. This experience allowed me to deeply realise that being born as a human is truly an incredibly difficult and rare achievement. Most people, after they pass away, fall into the hells to suffer, or they become ghosts or wandering spirits, living lives of constant misery. It is so rare to be able to be reborn as a human or to ascend to the heavenly realms; I do not believe I have encountered anyone who has done so in all my time there.

The Truth of the Infinite Life Sutra

There is another very important thing I must do now that I have arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss: I want to share this good news with my family. I want to tell them that the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is truly magnificent. I do not know how to describe it to you in words, but if you open and read the Infinite Life Sutra, you will be able to see it for yourselves. Everything here is exactly as it is described in the Infinite Life Sutra—it is a perfect reflection of what I see before me right now.

I also want to tell my family that you must maintain the seeds of Goodness within your hearts. You are all kind and simple-hearted children. If you have Goodness in your heart, you must exert your efforts to save those around you; save as many as you possibly can. Promoting the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the name of Namo Amituofo is the only way to truly help everyone transcend the cycle of birth and death. Do not have any hesitations; just move forward directly on this path.

A Message to My Daughter

To my daughter, Wang Jingzi, who performed the deliverance for me: Father can see into your heart. I know that your faith is still not quite strong enough, and deep down, you still feel uneasy. As you gradually deepen your study of the Buddha’s teachings, this will certainly improve. You must believe in yourself, and you must believe in the Buddha; everything is the best arrangement. Do not cling to anything in the human world anymore. Everything you possess right now is, in truth, just an illusion.

I lived my whole life, and in the end, I left this world with nothing. Do not think that life is long. While you are in this world, you must cherish every single minute and every single second. In particular, if you can change your temperament and transform your personality, it will bring immense benefits to all the beings within your body and to your own spirit. Let go of the past and begin a new life following the Buddha. Just like me, you can be free and at ease—wouldn't that be wonderful?

Well, Father will not ramble on any longer. I will leave it at that. I hope that in the life you lead from this day forward, with the Buddha present and the Buddha-name held firmly in your heart, your path will become smoother and smoother. I look forward to the day when you are reborn in the Western Pure Land, and we shall meet again here.

Thank you, Namo Amituofo. Thank you, Practitioner Su. Thank you to everyone, and thank you to my child.

Namo Amituofo.

Wang Wencheng"