The Loyal Scout of the Ancient Kingdom

This is a record of an interview with Zhu Wenlan, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon her life approximately 4,000 years ago in an ancient Indian kingdom. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faru, on March 4, 2026.

Zhu Wenlan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My sovereign, it is I, Wenlan. Do you still remember me? I was a palace maid under your command four thousand years ago—or, to be more precise, one of your special scouts. The work I performed was quite unique, but it was all done to repay the immense kindness you showed in taking me in and raising me.

I grew up surviving on my own in the wild. Our home was located in a very remote area, the only household for a hundred miles in any direction. My parents chose such a desolate place to live simply to escape the ravages of war. In those days, conflict was constant, and the common people lived in utter misery. Escaping the chaos of war was a daily routine; we felt fortunate just to survive another day. I am truly grateful to the heavens that my parents and I managed to flee to that place and stay alive. In truth, my father had once been a local official responsible for coordinating village affairs, but when war broke out, our village found itself on the border between two warring nations. A faction within the village wanted to defect to the enemy for personal gain, but my father refused. He believed that while nations have their ups and downs, and border villages are often neglected, betraying one's country for immediate profit—especially after having been protected and cared for by that country—was a profound loss of character."

A Childhood Forged in War

"My father refused to surrender, but the traitors in our village guided the enemy troops directly to us. They seized the transportation hubs and controlled our water supply. With their superior bronze weaponry, they easily overwhelmed our simple farming tools and wood-cutting knives. We had no choice but to flee. My father, mother, and I escaped along the border, but the enemy sent search parties to hunt us down. We pushed deeper into the mountains, moving until we were beyond their reach, yet we kept going. I asked my father where we were heading, and he, weary of the endless bloodshed, only wished to find a place in the deep mountains to start anew. Life there was incredibly difficult for the three of us, and my father, unable to let go of his concern for the people we left behind, aged rapidly. Between the stress and the harsh, freezing mountain climate, he passed away from illness one night. We had no medical care, no tools for a proper burial, and no way to mark his grave. I could only mourn him in my heart.

After my father died, my mother and I relied on each other, but she was elderly and could not adapt to the extreme mountain weather. She soon developed a severe cough, and a few months later, she too departed from this world. I was left alone, still quite young and without the means to survive, so I had no choice but to descend the mountain. I knew I was utterly alone, but I had to seize any chance to live. I did not return to our original village—I had forgotten the path, and I knew that returning would likely mean death. I followed a path I had never taken before, eventually reaching the plains, and after walking for some time, I arrived at an area occupied by an army camp. I knew it was not our country's army, but I hoped they would not know my origins, and I decided to take a chance."

The Encounter with the Prince

"I walked toward the camp alone and was stopped by guards. They asked who I was and what I wanted. I couldn't explain myself clearly, so I gestured that I was just looking for a meal. They assessed my condition and reported to their superior. At that time, you, my sovereign, were in charge of that camp, which was situated in a small border village. You asked me, 'Where did you come from? No one should be able to cross this border; the mountains are steep and the climate is freezing. How did you get here?' I didn't fully understand myself, so I could only point toward the mountain range behind me. You looked at me with disbelief, yet you seemed to see something in me. You simply arranged for me to stay in the camp.

This was a kingdom in northern India, and you were the Prince, training troops at the border to prove your capabilities. You had no desire to fight for the throne, but the other heirs were extremely bellicose, and you knew that even if you didn't want to join the fray, you would be forced into it. You decided that instead of being a pawn, you would use this opportunity to reform the entire dynasty. You saw that my background was unique and were willing to take me in. Six months later, when you returned to the capital, I officially became a palace maid under your command. I was not assigned to domestic duties or serving you directly; you saw my ability to traverse dangerous border terrain and decided to use it. It seemed inconceivable, but I truly had my own ways of navigating the wild. You had me learn the language, which took me about three years to master because my original dialect lacked the complex concepts of your kingdom. We had lived simple lives of hunting and gathering, with no advanced technology or complex social structures."

A Life of Service and Strategy

"I had always relied on observing the sky, the landscape, and the water to survive. You recognized this skill and planned to put it to work. Before long, the kingdom's civil war began. I was deeply saddened; we had fled our home to escape war, only to encounter it again in a new land. You understood my feelings and promised us that you would end the civil war quickly. Because you had been training troops in the harsh border climate for so long, your army was far more disciplined and resilient than the city guards. When the war began, while other armies were forced to move along plains and rivers, your troops could navigate the most treacherous terrain. You trained them to operate in small, independent units that could strike from unexpected directions. Your tactics were so brilliant that the enemy often surrendered quickly. You treated the surrendered troops with great kindness, inviting them to join your ranks and showing them how your army operated. Many enemy leaders were suspicious of your unconventional approach, but as they came to understand your philosophy, they grew to admire you and were willing to follow you. This was your leadership style—your way of dealing with people.

My role was special: I was responsible for scouting the battlefield and planning march routes. The terrain and climate were not difficult for me; I was accustomed to the mountains and extreme weather. I had always thought my ability to traverse frozen mountains at such speed was just because I was young, but I later realised it was a rare gift. The war lasted six years and ended in our victory. You ascended the throne, and I, having no desire for political power, wished only to return to the mountains. You understood my ambition, and in my third year at the palace, you proposed that I manage the border. You used skillful means to appoint me as a border inspector under your direct authority, rather than a local official. I was deeply grateful for your care and immediately went to my post. The people there lived traditional lives and knew little of city policies. I lived among them as a commoner, helping them with my experience. Whenever I saw villagers in need, I remembered your teachings: that the purpose of governance is to serve the people. If everyone can live in peace and have enough to eat, no one will want to start a war.

I spent over a decade at the border, passing away from illness at the age of forty-five. Before I died, I realised that as your appointed border minister, I had never returned to report on the situation. After I stopped breathing, my spirit automatically returned to your side to report. I have stayed near your ear ever since, because I hope to report on the border's needs and help you govern the country with peace of mind."

In this way, throughout my many lives, I have followed my master, always remaining by his ear. What is truly remarkable is that my master’s ears never entertain idle gossip. Even when faced with harsh criticism from others, my master truly never lets it in. The only things that can enter my master’s ears are words, policies, and memorials that help people, save lives, and bring peace to the nation. It is truly wondrous; a string of holy names resonates within my master’s ears. Especially when my master became a monk or a great practitioner, he was always listening with his heart and mind to this very name. During one of my master’s lifetimes as a monk, I finally understood: this is the Buddha-name, the holy name of Namo Amituofo, the sound that constantly circles my master’s ears. I began to explore what purpose this holy name served for my master. Why, no matter which lifetime he appeared in, was this string of Buddha-names always in his ears? I did not understand the logic, but as the Buddha-name continued to ring in my master’s ears, I naturally had no choice but to listen along. As I listened within that space, I finally understood: my master was constantly listening to the Buddha’s teachings, and as I listened, I too came to understand the Buddha’s teachings. Within this Buddha-name lies the Buddha’s supreme Wisdom. By listening with the heart and mind, when the ears hear the Buddha-name, the Buddha’s Wisdom can manifest within the heart. My master’s compassion and Wisdom, as it turns out, come directly from this Buddha-name. With the Buddha-name there to remind, teach, and bless at all times, I gradually understood the purpose of my master’s continuous appearances in the world, and the goal of his manifestations in various identities: it is all to educate everyone to chant this Buddha’s name.

The Power of the Two-Fold Force

Self-power and other-power—the two-fold force Dharma gate—is something I came to know when my master became a monk. The Dharma affinity for saving beings in each era is different; my master would use the school most acceptable to the people of that time to introduce the Pure Land. Since everyone’s level of practice is different, the depth of understanding and the feelings they experience are not the same. Regardless of the school, the key to the two-fold force Dharma gate is this: chant the Buddha’s name with self-power for one’s own ears to hear. When the ears hear it, it is the Buddha’s words; when the Buddha’s words manifest in the heart, only then can one transform karma as it arises. The Buddha’s words heard by the ears are the very words taught personally by Namo Amituofo. These words are not just heard by oneself, but by all the spirits within the entire body. The Buddha speaks the Dharma with a single sound, and sentient beings each understand it according to their own kind. The Buddha speaks one Buddha-name, and all beings can hear it; Amitabha’s Dharma-Nature body urges all to return to the West. This is the key to the two-fold force Dharma gate. As I listened to the Buddha-name by his ear, Namo Amituofo continuously gave lectures to me. The Buddha-light shone upon me, bestowing blessings, and my understanding of the Buddha’s teachings grew ever faster. Amitabha urged me to depart, but I knew I still had a mission to complete; I was willing to remain in my master’s cells to assist him. I followed my master, listening only to the good and not the bad, listening to the Buddha-name and not to idle chatter. I listened to the Buddha-name constantly, remaining in meditative concentration within it. Whenever my master made a vow to perform Chao Du, I could follow this Buddha-name and chant it for the sentient beings with karmic affinity around us. Everyone who heard the Buddha-name felt great Dharma joy, and those who were willing to chant along were able to leave their original space and disappear into the light.

The Resonance of the Buddha-Name

In this most recent lifetime, my master was reborn as Practitioner Su. In truth, the change in physical appearance did not have much impact on the space of the ears. This spirit drives the entire space of the cells, which is when the Buddha-name rings out. If Practitioner Su temporarily returns to the Western Pure Land, we rely on our own chanting within that space, and the cells remain bright. In this lifetime, Practitioner Su has practised with great vigour and achieved immense results. We, the beings in the ears, listen to the Buddha-name and follow Practitioner Su to spread it everywhere. The Ten Directions of the Dharma Realm are places our footprints have reached. Each of us loudly leads the chanting of the Buddha-name, and the melodious sound breaks through into every space. Namo Amituofo also reveals his infinitely tall golden body in every space, radiating majestic golden light throughout, causing the beings in those spaces to be startled and filled with praise. Anyone who follows the chanting can depart and enter the Dharma-Nature Land. Practitioner Su’s heart and the Buddha are never separate, and with the new technology of recent years, the use of earphones makes the Buddha-name incredibly powerful. The Buddha in the heart and the Buddha-name from the earphones resonate with each other, and everyone chants with great focus. When the thought power of Chao Du arises, riding upon the Buddha-name, we can instantly scatter the golden light and the Buddha-name throughout the boundless universe and Dharma Realm.

The Battle for the Buddha-Body

This time, Practitioner Su performed a massive Chao Du to save the demon crowds. The demon crowds in China were carried by the Buddha-name and the twelve golden lights of Namo Amituofo, breaking through spaces that had existed for billion-billion-trillion years. The demon palaces were completely destroyed, and those demon crowds with insufficient meditative concentration could not hide in deeper spaces. With nowhere left to go, the demon crowds only wanted to completely destroy Practitioner Su to ensure their own peace of mind for the future. Therefore, after the demon crowds attacked Practitioner Su in unison, his entire face, body, and bones suffered tremendous vibrations. I, being a cell by the ear, also felt the violent impact. Blood surged instantly, and I was thrown to the area of the face. I tried to return to the ear, but I saw many cells in a panic. I loudly chanted the Buddha-name in the facial area; this is my meditative concentration, a natural reaction I have developed from long-term immersion in the Buddha-name. Many cells heard the Buddha-name and immediately began to chant as well, remaining in meditative concentration within it. This is the result of Practitioner Su’s long-term education and well-trained cells. When the cells began to chant the Buddha-name, the interference from the demon power weakened significantly, and the surface cells then led the deeper cells. The surface cells were responsible for resisting the demons’ magic, while the deep cells chanted the Buddha’s name to self-repair. With pure and good spirits, they led all the cells, and the daughter cells returned to their original positions, quickly repairing the damaged areas. Every night when Practitioner Su returns to the Western Pure Land to repair, all the cells in our body receive the powerful illumination of the Buddha-light. The cells throughout the body chant the Buddha’s name loudly, and the speed of repair is extremely fast. When Practitioner Su’s cells return to the body with him from the Western Pure Land, the many venerable ones and Western Buddha-cells that have returned are all full of energy, radiating light throughout the body. The demon crowds outside are pushed several feet away, unable to cause further harm to the Buddha-body. Otherwise, a severely injured Buddha-body, if continuously subjected to magic, would require much more time to repair.

A Vow to Serve

It is thanks to the profound power of each Buddha-cell within the body, which is in sync with the Buddha-heart, that they have no complaints about saving the demon crowds. With this Buddha-heart, Namo Amituofo can continuously radiate light 24/7 to provide blessings, which is the only way to help Practitioner Su’s body recover quickly. Master, Practitioner Su, thousands of years have passed, and you are still so compassionate! All the demons have karmic affinity; they simply lack education and someone who knows how to use people’s talents well. When you took me in back then and gave me the opportunity to serve, that was also an act of knowing how to use talent. To save the human world, to save the demon crowds, and to give them a chance to turn their lives around—I know your true mind-capacity, and I know this is the mind-capacity of Namo Amituofo. Let me give everyone a warning: this mission to save the world and deliver beings is endless, and what we see now is only the beginning. The overture has already started. I hope the demon crowds who are sensible will surrender and follow the Buddha in chanting Buddhist music to save the demon crowds. Attacking Practitioner Su will not produce any discordant sounds; this music is performed by the Buddha-heart, and the Buddha-heart and the Buddha-name resonate with each other—they will not be shaken by attacks. Master Practitioner Su, I did not report this to you a thousand years ago, so I am doing it now. I will continue to observe and listen from the ears, and if there is any need for me, I am always waiting for your command.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Master Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Zhu Wenlan