A Journey to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss

This is a record of an interview with Lay Practitioner Zhao Ronggen, the husband of Lay Practitioner Ma Aihua, 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 was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on May 10, 2024.

Lay Practitioner Zhao Ronggen speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. As I knelt before the Buddha, I intended to perform prostrations. Yet, the moment I bent my waist, I discovered that my body felt incredibly light and comfortable—it did not feel like the body of an elderly man at all. I looked at my skin and saw that it was the skin of a young man; I had regained my youth. I immediately began to prostrate, offering my deepest gratitude to the Greatly Compassionate Namo Amituofo, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and Practitioner Su. My heart is filled with such endless gratitude that I truly do not know how to repay them.

A Long-Awaited Arrival

I have truly arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss this time. This is the place I have always longed to reach, and I am so fortunate to have had the blessings to make it here. I am so overjoyed that my tears simply will not stop flowing. I am deeply moved and profoundly grateful.

I never imagined that after a lifetime of chanting the Buddha's name, I would end up trapped within a strange, dark space. At the time, that space felt so alien to me. Now, looking back, I realise it was the result of my past karmic retribution. Sentient beings led me into that place, and that is why I became trapped. That spirit—my consciousness—had absolutely no way to follow its own will. I was taken into that darkness, and I had to remain there. If no one had saved me, I would have been stuck there forever, unable to leave. Fortunately, my dear wife saved me in the end. Not long after I passed away, I was given the opportunity to be rescued.

Witnessing the Power of Deliverance

I am so grateful to Practitioner Su and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia! While residing in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I see Practitioner Su every single day, tirelessly working to deliver sentient beings. It is truly remarkable; how can one person save so many spirits? I have never witnessed such incredible skills before. Seeing it with my own eyes, my heart is filled with immense admiration.

Life in the Pure Land

I sit upon my lotus seat, listening to the Dharma talks and chanting the name of Namo Amituofo. When the Dharma assembly begins, I join in the singing and the chanting. I love chanting the Buddha's name so much; it fills me with such Dharma joy that my face is always beaming with a smile. That joy has never faded.

I truly hope that my dear wife will come to the Western Land to join me. I encourage her to listen to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks every day, to chant the Buddha's name diligently, and to single-mindedly seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I will be here, waiting for her return.

With deepest prostrations, Zhao Ronggen.

Namo Amituofo."