A Poet's Long Journey from the Ghost Realm

Fan Wen, a renowned poet from the Tang Dynasty, spent over a millennium wandering in the ghost realm before being saved by Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on February 21, 2026.

Fan Wen speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Most people in the world know Fan Wen as a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty. However, they do not know that after my death, I lived a dim and dreary life in the ghost realm. For one thousand eight hundred years, I wandered in darkness until I was fortunate enough to be saved by Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and guided into the Western Dharma-Nature Land.

A Debt of Gratitude

If I had not encountered Practitioner Su, I do not know how much longer I would have had to endure in the ghost realm. Fan Wen is deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su. It is because of Practitioner Su’s compassionate vow to perform Chao Du for sentient beings that immeasurable and boundless spirits have a chance to be saved and liberated. This is truly the vow and action of great compassion. Now, Fan Wen is grateful to be called upon by our Buddha, Namo Amituofo, to accept this interview. I hope that those with karmic affinity, especially the people in mainland China, will come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to see for themselves and find solutions to their problems and suffering.

The Pride of a Poet

I am Fan Wen. I was born in the Tang Dynasty. During my life, I was a talented poet, but after death, I became a spirit without a body—what is commonly known as a ghost. Actually, my Buddhist affinity was quite good. When I was alive, I had the opportunity to converse with several monastics, and some of my remarks were even passed down as witty sayings. It is said that so-called 'men of letters' often share a common flaw: arrogance. They have their own unique style of doing things. In the human world, this is easily admired or considered 'original.' But in the Buddha’s teachings, this is simply called 'personality.' Ha! Yes, when I was alive, Fan Wen was a person with a very strong personality.

Of course, although I had a strong personality, I was a good person. At that time, my poems and calligraphy were very valuable, and I am grateful to the many scholars who appreciated my work. My life was quite comfortable. I had more money than I could use, and apart from spending it on wine and women, I spent it on my parents and families in need. So, when I was alive, I felt I was a decent person. At the very least, I did not harm others, and I helped people whenever I could. Aside from my love for wine and women, I did not think I did anything evil.

The Illusion of a Comfortable Life

In that life, I read many Buddhist sutras and spoke with many great Buddhist masters. I quite liked the Buddha’s teachings, but I never truly embarked on the path of practice. Relying on my own wit, I could speak with eloquence and sprinkle my words with Zen insights. But when it came to liberation from the cycle of rebirth and escaping the sea of suffering, none of those things were of any use. One must do as the education at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre teaches: reduce one's personality to zero. Ha! From that perspective, the Fan Wen of the past was far too far from the mark.

This was due to the arrogance in my nature, combined with my indulgence in sensual pleasures; I did not want to live a restricted life. To put it bluntly, I simply did not understand the suffering of samsara. I was quite happy being a human. After all, as a famous poet, I had a good social status, and women were willing to throw themselves at me. Drinking wine, writing poems, and wandering through the human world every day—could it be any more delightful? That was the ignorant thinking of the Fan Wen of that time. If one does not seize the opportunity to learn the Buddha’s teachings when it arises, one often wastes an entire lifetime.

The Taste of Suffering

In the latter part of my life, my circumstances became somewhat more modest and impoverished. After I was demoted from my official post, my character did indeed change. Many of the poems that were passed down to future generations were written during that time. It is true that 'without the bitter cold of winter, the plum blossom would not be so fragrant.' The deeper one understands the 'suffering' of life, the more one can achieve. This is a curious point: people in the world always want to leave suffering behind, but if they do not know what suffering is, or have not tasted its bitterness, it is difficult to truly leave it.

Now, as Fan Wen residing in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I know that the more important question is: are you suffering enough? If you are truly suffering, you should awaken, seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and hold firmly to the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo.' This is the realization I have gained after listening to the sutras in the Dharma-Nature Land for many years.

The Urgency of Rebirth

When I was alive, I had heard of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, but at that time, most people who studied Buddhism preferred to talk about Zen, and few emphasized the importance of rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Now, as I listen to the Dharma in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I realize the importance of rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Otherwise, the spirit must continue to reincarnate, and reincarnation is extremely painful. Now, Namo Amituofo has descended into the human world; this is a rare opportunity, and those who have the chance to hear this should seize it.

The Technology of the Dharma Body

In the Dharma-Nature Land, I see Practitioner Su performing Chao Du for immeasurable and boundless sentient beings every day. He uses his hundreds of billions of Dharma Bodies. Every time I watch, I cannot help but marvel. It turns out that the human body can reach such a level! If it were not for Practitioner Su’s manifestation, who would know that the human body is truly the 'technology of technologies'? A spirit within a human body can manifest immeasurable and boundless emanations, and each emanation goes out to save immeasurable and boundless sentient beings, emitting golden light and leading them to the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This allows these suffering souls the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and avoid the pain of samsara. This is truly compassion to the extreme.

Practitioner Su’s speed of Chao Du is incredibly fast, and the scope is vast—from the Earth to the vastness of the Dharma Realm. In just an instant, Practitioner Su can travel from Earth to the universe, and even to the Dharma Realm. His thought power is truly boundless. This is my realization from watching Practitioner Su perform Chao Du. And the most magnificent thought power of all is the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo.' For many years, Practitioner Su has used this Holy Name to save countless sentient beings. This is what I have seen with my own eyes in the Dharma-Nature Land.

A Message for China

China today is vastly different from the past. I know that the Chinese people have great blessings and are very intelligent. You should seize this body to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to learn the 'technology of technologies' from Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, so that you can be free from aging, free from illness, and your spirit never dies.

In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I have learned that one must never think of oneself as extraordinary. Only someone like Practitioner Su, who has realized his true nature and attained Buddhahood, is truly extraordinary. Yet, at the same time, Practitioner Su is so humble and modest. This is what I must learn. Now, I chant 'Namo Amituofo' every day, hoping that one day I can regain a human body and deliver sentient beings.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo. Gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Fan Wen"