A Lamentation from Lay Practitioner Li Bingnan

The Unprecedented Presence of Namo Amituofo

I, Li Bingnan, must express my deep lamentation. Namo Amituofo is the teaching master of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. He is the Universal Buddha who dwells within the Dharma realm, leading and saving immeasurable and boundless sentient beings from the cycle of reincarnation, guiding them to remove defilements and attain purity, and enabling them to enter the sacred Western Land. How noble, how magnificent, and how rare it is to encounter such a Buddha! He is the King of Great Vows and the Great Physician of all beings. Countless practitioners and sentient beings throughout the Dharma realm have held His name, praying for His Buddha’s light to shine upon them and for Him to lead them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

It is a matter of profound regret that although this Great Holy Buddha has descended into the human world and has been residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia for many years, the world remains unaware. People either do not recognise Him, or they hear of His presence but choose not to believe. This is a tragedy of the highest order. Such a monumental causal condition is incredibly rare and difficult to encounter. I truly struggle to find the words to express how difficult it is to meet such an opportunity in this lifetime.

A World Blind to Salvation

Namo Amituofo sits in residence at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and while the world remains ignorant of this, it does not affect the Buddha in the slightest. His great compassion remains boundless. His Buddha’s light shines in all directions without discrimination, illuminating even the darkest corners of the ten directions. He is constantly working to lead countless sentient beings into the Western Pure Land, and the spiritual realms are filled with gratitude. Yet, it is the human world that suffers such a great loss. The Buddha has come to this world to save everyone, but He has not yet seen humanity allow itself to be saved.

The Buddha has descended to the human world for several vital reasons: to resolve the disasters and plagues currently afflicting the world; to provide peace and security for the body, mind, and spirit of all people and sentient beings, so that they may live without fear; to offer a place of refuge for those lonely, suffering creatures and people who have nowhere else to turn; and to pacify the Collective Karma of this Dharma-ending age. The Buddha is ready to offer these blessings unconditionally. However, despite Practitioner Su’s tireless appeals over the past two years, there has been no response from any world leaders or officials. It is only through the cooperation of these leaders with the Buddha that the current global pandemic can be resolved. The Buddha is waiting for the sincere prayers of humanity so that He may assist everyone. The gates to the mountain of treasures are wide open, yet no one is willing to enter to claim the riches, simply because they do not believe that what lies before them is truly a mountain of treasure. This causes the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, the holy assembly of the Western Pure Land, and the patriarchs and venerable masters to sigh in sorrow. We feel a deep sense of regret for every precious human life lost to the pandemic, and for the young lives cut short by the distractions of the internet and digital games.

The Karmic Ties of the Past

I must speak the truth: all of this is inextricably linked to the Teacher. For decades, the Teacher has given Dharma talks as a great master of the Pure Land school. If the Teacher had not initially excluded Practitioner Su from the Pure Land circle, Practitioner Su would not have had to work so arduously to establish the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and struggle to call for the construction of the headquarters of the Pure Land school. If the truth of Namo Amituofo’s presence in the human world had been widely spread, many people would have been able to learn of it, and many disasters and misfortunes could have been averted in time. Everything is governed by the laws of karma and cause and effect. Collective Karma is difficult to transform, though it is not impossible. Individual karma must be endured, but it is not inevitable. I speak these words now in the hope of helping the Teacher reduce some of his sins.

A Final Plea for Humanity

Although the Teacher’s three souls have awakened, his physical body has yet to recover, and he remains unwilling to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to seek Namo Amituofo. This is all a result of the laws of karma and cause and effect; it is the suffering the Teacher must endure. It did not have to be this way. His body could have remained healthy, and his own teachings regarding longevity and freedom from illness could have been verified through his own physical health and age. Although it may seem late to say this, it is not too late, for the Teacher still draws breath. If only the misunderstanding between the Pure Land school and Practitioner Su could be resolved, and if the Teacher could simply state, "Namo Amituofo is at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre," then everyone could be saved. Practitioner Su does not seek personal fame or profit; he does not even need his name to be mentioned. Yet, this task, which seems simple, has remained unfulfilled despite the long efforts of the holy assembly of the Western Pure Land and Practitioner Su. Whose fault is this? Or is it that no one is to blame? Perhaps it is the difficulty of transforming the Collective Karma of the environment, where even when the Buddha descends, sentient beings lack the fortune to receive His grace. Or perhaps there is still time, and if a practitioner with great power, great vows, and great practice appears, it may still be possible to transform this Collective Karma.

In the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su has already emerged as one with great power, great vows, and great practice. He has already bestowed grace upon the spiritual and underworld realms, performing Chao Du for immeasurable and boundless beings, helping them to leave suffering behind and be reborn in the Western Pure Land. However, for the sake of humanity, we still need such a person to emerge to resolve the current suffering and dilemmas. All of this is hoped for from the Teacher. I share these words in this interview, hoping they will reach the Teacher and be known to all those connected by karmic affinity in the Dharma realm and the Pure Land. To save yourselves, I implore all who hear or read these words to believe what I say: Namo Amituofo is at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre!

Li Bingnan