A Father’s Journey to the Western Pure Land

This is an interview with the late Du Guiyun, the father of Du Xiyan, Du Fangtao, Du Fangqiao, and Du Chunfang. After passing away, he sought deliverance through the Chao Du ceremony at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This testimony was recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe, on November 15, 2025.

Du Guiyun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Du Guiyun. It is with an overflowing heart that I share this report with all of you today. I am currently residing in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—the very place that everyone in the world yearns to reach. This place is truly magnificent, beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It is countless times more beautiful and wondrous than what we read about in the sutras. My children, you are truly blessed. Because of your good fortune, I have been able to benefit from your merit and reach this place, which is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity—or rather, a chance that is difficult to encounter in millions of years.

From the Realm of Ksitigarbha to the Pure Land

Let me tell you, when I first passed away, I was initially assigned to the realm of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. It is the best place in the underworld, a bright and peaceful location. There are many spirits there—you could call them ghosts, if you prefer—who, while they were alive, practised chanting, copied sutras, or performed acts of generosity. However, their cultivation was not deep enough; they lacked the true skills to reach a place of complete fulfilment. A place of fulfilment is the Heavenly Realm, which is generally reachable for those who practise, but the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is something else entirely. It is something you can only hope for, not something you can easily attain on your own.

The Greatly Compassionate Namo Amituofo resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, waiting to lead all sentient beings with karmic affinity who chant His name into His Pure Land. But when I was alive, I was what you might call 'half-baked.' My practice looked decent on the surface, but in reality, it was like a half-empty bottle making a lot of noise. I appeared to be a practitioner, but I had absolutely no real cultivation or depth of skill. I was just going through the motions.

The Precious Opportunity at Hsiang Kuang

My children are truly remarkable. I never expected that they would have the opportunity to learn about Practitioner Su and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre here in the world. Even though Australia is quite far away, distance is never an issue when it comes to the Dharma. For a practitioner, obtaining the greatest benefit for one's spiritual life is the only thing that truly matters. After all, everyone wants to go to a better place. If it were not for the light emitted by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, who brought me out from the side of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and guided me to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I would still be wandering in the underworld today.

Being able to reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is a source of immense joy for me. Every being who arrives here is filled with such boundless happiness. Everyone is smiling, and some are so moved that they kneel and kowtow repeatedly. The grace of the Buddha is simply too great; the kindness that Namo Amituofo shows to all sentient beings is beyond measure.

A Message to My Children

Therefore, I want to say to my children—Xiyan, Fangtao, Fangqiao, and Chunfang—that your father is deeply grateful to you. It is not easy to find a practitioner with true, great cultivation in this world, but this Practitioner Su is exactly that. You must take every opportunity to listen to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks. In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I often listen to these talks myself. I hear teachings that I have never encountered before. I finally understand what the spirit realm is truly like and how one must actually practise while alive to reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I could not do it before; even if I had understood the words, I lacked the ability to put them into practice. I could not reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss on my own. Although I am only hearing these teachings now through Practitioner Su, it is not too late, because I have already arrived here.

You must not go anywhere else; coming here is the right path. This is the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Namo Amituofo is present here. This is a precious land from which one can truly reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. When you have the chance, you must also repay the Buddha’s kindness. This is also a way of doing good, allowing more people and beings in the spirit realm to have the opportunity to reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is my hope as your father. Well, I have said quite a lot now.

Gratitude for Deliverance

I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su, the Venerables, and the volunteers at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. It is because of you that we are now in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is not a place one can enter through one's own power alone; one must rely on the power of the Buddha. In this world, there is a Practitioner Su who can lead everyone in, because Namo Amituofo is right there at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

Alright, I have finished conveying these words. I hope you will share this message so that more departed souls, after being delivered through the Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, can be led by Practitioner Su into the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo."