A Lifetime of Devotion and the Path to Awakening

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Zunti, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 2,000 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on December 30, 2018.

Venerable Zunti speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Zunti. In my life two thousand years ago, I was the eldest son of a wealthy and prominent family. I was raised with the utmost care and attention. My father was a successful merchant, and my mother was a respected educator. They were figures of great prestige in society, and even my grandparents were held in high esteem by everyone in our community.

The Prophecy of the Two Trees

Before I was even born, my life was touched by the Dharma. While my mother was pregnant with me, she was walking through the streets when an elderly woman approached her. The old woman asked her a profound question: 'In the East, there stands a Money Tree. If you shake it, wealth will rain down upon you, but for every shake, your lifespan will be reduced by ten years. In the West, there stands a Bodhi Tree. If you chant the Buddha's name beneath it for one year, your lifespan will be extended by ten years, and you will eventually attain the fruit of Buddhahood and supreme Bodhi. If you had to choose, which tree would you pick?'

My mother was confused, not understanding the hidden meaning behind the old woman's words. The old woman, sensing her bewilderment, pointed directly at my mother's womb and spoke with clarity: 'The child in your womb can bring you immense wealth. He is an eminent monk returning to this world, and his current life is a continuation of the blessings he cultivated in the past. If you allow him to use his existing blessings to indulge in a life of luxury and extravagance, those blessings will diminish year by year. Without the practice of performing Goodness and accumulating merit, his lifespan will also gradually shorten, for this child has come into this world with a sacred mission. However, if you allow this child to study the Buddha's teachings, he will not only recover the power of his past practice but will also be able to save immeasurable and boundless suffering beings. In this very life, he can attain Buddhahood, achieve supreme Bodhi, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.' My mother finally understood. The old woman, with great compassion, urged her to carefully plan my life's path.

A Mother's Wisdom and Early Practice

Although my mother was an educator, she did not force me to pursue high academic achievements, nor was she opposed to the Buddha's teachings. She believed that if her child could learn the Dharma and save those suffering in society, then his life would not have been lived in vain.

Following the old woman's advice, my mother began exposing me to the Dharma while I was still in her womb. She practised diligent chanting every day, ensuring that I was constantly immersed in the Buddha-name. After I was born, she actively encouraged me to participate in all manner of Buddhist affairs, listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma. Despite being born into a wealthy family, I developed a compassionate heart from a young age. Whenever I saw the poor on the road, I would not only give them silver but, more importantly, I would teach them to chant the Buddha's name, hoping they could learn the Dharma and turn their fate around.

The Illusion of the World

As I grew older year by year, my understanding of the Buddha's teachings deepened. By the age of ten, I had gained a profound insight from the sutras: this world and this human body are merely illusory phenomena. I realised that the suffering of people stems from being deceived by these illusions. These illusions bring pain, and people become lost in their suffering, continuing to wander through the cycle of rebirth. I began to understand the preciousness of the Dharma, yet I lamented that most people in the world did not recognise it, and I felt the terror of karmic retribution in samsara.

I knelt before the Buddha and made a vow: 'I am willing to renounce a lifetime of wealth and luxury. As a Bhikshu, I will travel everywhere to deliver sentient beings, dedicating this body to attaining the Buddha's path and saving the Buddha-nature within every suffering being in this world.' I saw every person in this world as a Buddha who had simply been wandering for too long, having long forgotten the vows they made when they first descended from the Western Land. At twelve, I bid farewell to my family to live in a temple, and at twenty, I was ordained as a Bhikshu. Compared to being a young master in a wealthy household, I was now filled with Dharma joy at every moment.

The Discipline of the Path

Having never worked a day in my life, I learned to roll up my sleeves and participate in every task alongside my fellow practitioners. Although the beginning was difficult, I never gave up. Even if it meant spending twice as much time as others to learn, I was willing to use my rest time to hone my skills, all to nourish my capacity to save others. I cherished every moment, chanting the Buddha's name without ceasing. At night, I would sit wherever I was, chanting until dawn. This ability to practice without lying down was not learned overnight; it was my strong perseverance and my vow to save beings that allowed me to achieve this level of practice. Having seen the many facets of the world from my wealthy upbringing, I felt the suffering of the world all the more deeply.

My practice throughout my life knew neither smooth paths nor obstacles, for I had already placed my heart before the Buddha. Once there is no 'self,' there is no distinction between smooth and adverse conditions; the path ahead is always clear. Everything I did was for the sake of sentient beings, and my heart for them was always impartial and without discrimination. At thirty-five, I attained Awakening, far surpassing my fellow practitioners. This was not only due to my own diligent practice but also because my state of no-self and no-mind allowed me to gain insights from every aspect of life and practice. Once there is no self and no mind, the path one walks is always clear.

Returning to the Western Land

I left no footprints in this world. When my time came, I transformed this body into emptiness. My spirit went directly to the Western Land, where my compassionate Father, Namo Amituofo, was already waiting to meet me. I did not waste this life. If there is a next life, I will surely follow Namo Amituofo throughout my many lives to save sentient beings.

Through the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su, I was able to open a space to perform Chao Du for many spirits. In the universe, there once existed a Buddha-land, but the Buddhas there were not the Buddhas of the Western Pure Land. Even if one entered that Buddha-land, one could still not escape the cycle of birth and death. However, that Buddha-land taught people to perform Goodness, and all its inhabitants were purely good. I was once a member of that Buddha-land, nurtured by its good teachings, which nourished my own good roots. Only later did I reincarnate into the human world, becoming a monk, wandering through the cycle of rebirth until I finally returned to the Western Land.

A Mission of Deliverance

Today, as this space is opened, I see that Buddha-land where I once lived. There are still immeasurable and boundless beings there continuing to be taught by the good Dharma. Some are listening to the teachings, some are meditating, and others are walking or sitting in contemplation. Although they live in comfort and perform good deeds daily, they still lack the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Today, I return with the name of Namo Amituofo and a great golden light to deliver these beings with whom I have karmic affinity, teaching them to chant the Buddha-name and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

These beings in the Buddha-land truly possess deep good roots and blessings. Under the power of the Buddha-name, they followed the Buddha to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is because they have accumulated merit over thousands of years that they were able to enter the Western Land so swiftly. I am grateful for the compassion of the Buddha, and I am grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su."

Namo Amituofo.