A Reunion Across Millennia: The Vow of Three Brothers

This is a record of an interview with Feng De, a venerable spirit who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 735 years ago, detailing the profound karmic connections that spanned centuries. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on May 31, 2019.

Feng De speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. In this present lifetime, I was born into a scholarly family of some repute. My parents and I shared deep and enduring Causal Conditions from the distant past, which is the very reason I was born as their child in this life. I cannot fully explain why, but from the very moment I entered this world, I seemed to possess an innate recognition of my parents. When I was merely five years old, the veil of time parted, and I caught a fleeting, yet unmistakable, glimpse of our shared history together.

A Bond Forged in the Fires of Chaos

In a previous life, my parents and I were sworn brothers. Our bond was incredibly deep, forged in the crucible of a difficult era; we even gave each other names to seal our brotherhood. My father was called Yicheng, my mother was Yifeng, and I was Yilian. At that time, society was in utter turmoil, and the common people were suffering immensely. Without the True Teachings to govern the hearts of men, chaos reigned everywhere. My parents from that life left me when I was only five years old. I grew up alone in a hostile, unforgiving environment, living a life of extreme hardship, and I nearly lost my life in a tragic disaster. Throughout my difficult upbringing, I witnessed so much injustice and saw how the vulnerable were treated with such cruelty by those in power. Being young, I was powerless to help those poor, suffering souls, which left a permanent mark on my heart.

When I was thirteen, I unexpectedly met a master of martial arts at a local inn. He was over thirty years my senior, but we shared the same ideals and hit it off immediately. We became close friends despite the age gap. He not only taught me martial arts but also took me travelling everywhere. I swore an oath of brotherhood with him; he was Yicheng, who is my father in this present life. After mastering his skills, I became a knight-errant, roaming the land to uphold justice, robbing the rich to help the poor, and acting on behalf of Heaven. I used my skills to do whatever good I could. Many people were truly helped, no longer forced to live under the oppression of others. I felt a burning need to rectify the wrongs I saw, even if it meant risking my own safety.

The Vow of Three

Yicheng, my father, often tried to counsel me. He worried that my methods would harm others and myself, and he urged me to find a more balanced approach. But at the time, I could not listen to a word of it. Having seen so much injustice since childhood, my accumulated emotions felt like they could only be vented in this way. Seeing so many people suffering unfair treatment only fueled my resolve. I spent years wandering the world, helping people in my own way. I did not fear for my own body; as long as I could help others, I was willing to make any sacrifice. One day, while walking alone on a country road, I heard a woman screaming in the distance. I knew someone was trying to assault her, so I ran with all my might. Just as I was about to intervene, a figure appeared before me, moving even faster than I could. He instantly pulled the attacker ten metres away from the woman. He taught the man a lesson with such skill that the attacker was forced to submit, eventually crawling and scrambling away in terror.

The woman wept and thanked her benefactor, but this man of profound skill simply gestured gracefully, indicating he was merely doing his duty and needed no thanks. As he turned to leave, I quickly caught up to him and praised his peerless martial arts and agility. We sat at a roadside teahouse, shared a pot of wine, and talked for a long time. It was like finding a kindred spirit. It turned out we both shared the same aspiration to uphold righteousness and justice. We became deep friends, and I introduced him to Yicheng. It turned out they were old friends who had not seen each other for years. We named him Yifeng, who is my mother in this present life. The three of us were of one mind. We swore an oath: 'Though we were not born on the same day, we wish to die on the same day. In the next life, we shall meet again to continue our work of saving the world.' We mixed a drop of our blood together, representing a firm heart that would never be separated, vowing to protect each other and share life and death. Who would have expected that after a thousand years, we would reunite in this life as a family of three? I remember that past life, but my parents, Yicheng and Yifeng, have long forgotten it. They became husband and wife and gave birth to me.

A Legacy of Compassion

What is remarkable is that even though our roles changed from sworn brothers to husband and wife and parent-child, that heart of compassion remained deeply rooted within us. Although we were a wealthy family, my father learned to follow my grandparents in doing good deeds from a young age. His desire to help others was intense because my grandfather had instilled the meaning of charity in him, often taking him to live in slums for nearly a year just so he could understand the hardships of the people. It was during that time that my father met my mother. She grew up in the slums. Despite the vast difference in their backgrounds, my father did not care about her status; he loved her kindness, her purity, and her compassionate heart. My parents fell in love at first sight, but my mother knew their status was worlds apart. To spare my father, she tried to avoid him, but he was persistent, even bringing my grandparents to the slums to meet her. To everyone's surprise, my grandparents did not reject her; they admired her compassion.

Even though she was born as a woman in this life, her ambition to help others never wavered through the cycle of rebirth. To improve the lives of the slum residents, she proposed various systems, allowing them to change their way of life and develop the local economy so they could be self-reliant. She was always where she was needed, doing everything within her power. My parents' perseverance and ambition were just like ours in the past. Even when we had no money, we would drink river water to satisfy our hunger. They eventually married with everyone's blessing. They had not planned on having children, intending to travel the world doing good, but my mother unexpectedly became pregnant with me. I was not delivered by a midwife. My mother was resting under a tree after helping at a disaster site when I suddenly arrived. Fortunately, a woman with experience in midwifery was there to help. From the age of three, I followed my parents to do good deeds. Despite my small stature, I did my best to help the masses. My parents did not care how much I did; they only hoped I would cultivate a heart of compassion.

The Path to the Dharma

By the time I was seven, I began to travel and do good on my own. I once lived away from home for two years, relying on my own perseverance and compassion to help others. Although I was born into a noble family, I had no airs of a young master. I felt close to everyone, and everyone was worthy of my respect and learning. What brought me the greatest joy was that during those two years, I unexpectedly encountered the Buddha's teachings. I was luckier than my parents; I began to learn the Dharma at a young age. My parents had done good deeds their whole lives but did not know the Buddha, nor did they know that helping others should include helping them end the cycle of rebirth. I excitedly returned home to introduce the Dharma to them. My parents had deep good roots and were connected to the Buddha; in the past, they had both been monastics of high virtue. As I introduced the Dharma, they immediately sensed the presence of the Buddha.

Less than three months after my mother began learning the Dharma, she encouraged me to become a monastic. She hoped I would contribute to the Dharma, so my life would not be in vain. Her mind-capacity was vast; she not only encouraged me to leave home to spread the Dharma, but she also encouraged my father to do the same. To her, family ties were not meant to be shackles but a means to support each other's growth and liberation from the cycle of rebirth. As long as it was the right path, she insisted on it. Although she and my father were husband and wife, that relationship was no longer important; the most important thing was that we could all return to our spiritual home: the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. My father praised her vast mind and compassion, saying, 'I truly did not misjudge you; you are a woman worthy of my admiration.'

Returning to the Western Pure Land

My mother's encouragement for my father to become a monastic caused a stir in the village. Some praised her as a great woman for being willing to sacrifice her loved ones to help others. Others held negative views. But my mother did not care about their opinions. She knew what she was doing was right, and she persisted in whatever benefited sentient beings. Under her encouragement, my father and I became monastics. We practised diligently and sought the Dharma to save the masses. Later, we heard that my mother had also been ordained at a nunnery. My father and I were full of admiration. The three of us practised diligently on the Buddha's path. Within a year, my parents saw their past lives and realised we had been sworn brothers who had vowed to save the world. Seeing us all ordained for the sake of salvation, we felt the Causal Conditions were truly inconceivable. In this life, we each practised diligently, and in the end, we all met in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo and for the arrangement of such magnificent Causal Conditions. Namo Amituofo.

In a society of deceit, simplicity is rare. People are accustomed to hiding things, protecting themselves, and thinking only of their own interests. They do not realise that this 'self' is tainted and impure, leading them astray from the righteous path. In today's world, it is difficult to find someone with a pure nature because profit comes first. Who has the mind-capacity to not think of themselves? The entire worldly realm is like this, and everyone is sinking within it. Fortunately, Practitioner Su has emerged, sacrificing himself to save the spirits of the entire world.

Practitioner Su himself never knew that his ordinary birth could lead to such extraordinary achievements! His honest and straightforward nature became the purity of his practice. His innate compassion and the mind-capacity cultivated over past lives have further aided his achievements on the Buddha's path. His every thought is for the sake of sentient beings; he is one with them, using his Dharma Body to deliver endless spirits. I, Feng De, have the utmost respect for Practitioner Su. I am grateful for his compassionate actions. Namo Amituofo."