A Soldier's Journey from the Northwest Frontier

This is a record of an interview with Lin Maohe, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,400 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on February 28, 2026.

Lin Maohe speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. We were a family from the northwestern regions of China. In that sparsely populated, desolate desert landscape, we lived our lives as people who had never ventured beyond the vast deserts and grasslands. We possessed a profound understanding of the stars and the flow of water; these were the essential skills upon which our survival depended. Only by mastering the rules of living in harmony with nature could we ensure that we had enough to eat and warm soup to drink.

Our family was large, with many brothers and sisters—if my memory serves me correctly, there were fifteen of us in total. My mother began bearing children when she was not yet fifteen years old, and they arrived one after another in quick succession. It was not until she reached her thirties that she finally asked my father to stop having children. In our village, everyone performed manual labour, so having many children was not considered a burden. The sky here was vast, and the land was immense; we never feared a lack of arable soil, only a lack of hands willing to develop it.

A Life Defined by the Frontier

As time passed, my brothers began to leave our home one by one, heading towards the east. Everyone knew that there were many opportunities in the city of Chang'an, and finding a way to make a living there was not difficult. I, however, was timid by nature. I always believed that I would never leave our local mountain pass—a famous, imposing gateway on the Silk Road that was a mandatory passage for merchants and travellers alike. At that time, the Silk Road was bustling and unobstructed, so we would occasionally see people of all kinds gathered in the city. If nothing unexpected had happened, I truly believe I would never have left that place.

Later, my parents passed away one after the other, and few of my brothers remained. It was then that the imperial conscription teams arrived. There were very few men in our village truly suited for the battlefield, yet no matter how I tried to decline, I could not escape. Strangely, as I watched the endless stream of travellers on the Silk Road and the prosperous scenes within the city, I had no idea where we were about to be taken to defend the country.

The Call to Arms

We were led by the generals of that time, marching through every village and town across that vast expanse of land. Every village was required to surrender a specified number of men to serve in the imperial army. Consequently, every time we arrived at a new place, we would get to know the local people and observe the customs and traditions of the Northwest. We quickly gathered a large force, preparing to head towards the Central Plains. We, the children born and raised in the Northwest, had never seen a world beyond the drifting yellow sands or the vast grasslands. At that time, Chang'an was the place everyone yearned for. We only knew that in the north, the speed at which dynasties changed was faster than the speed at which generations of people were born.

After much difficulty, we finally arrived in Chang'an. We were assigned to a district on the outskirts, where we found only dilapidated houses waiting for us. We were ordered to camp there, and subsequently, we began to renovate the buildings so that we could have a safer place to live. Once everything had stabilised, the leading general arranged a series of martial arts courses for us, training our physical strength and teaching us to wield spears and swords. We found joy in this, and several thousand of us began a new life in that almost uninhabited wilderness. We all studied diligently, single-mindedly wanting to serve the imperial court and protect our homes and country. Although I was not very strong and lacked natural talent, my persistent efforts allowed me to keep pace with the others step by step.

The Vision of a Unified China

Several months passed in this manner, and we all began to wonder what our true mission was. We, these children from the countryside, were full of ambition and wanted to do something for the country, yet we had not received any notification regarding our specific tasks or duties from that point forward.

At that time, China was in a state of division between the North and the South. The Chang'an city where I was stationed was under the jurisdiction of the Northern Zhou dynasty, which was said to have been established for less than a decade—a very new dynasty. We inquired repeatedly and eventually learned that our small, temporarily organised army of a thousand men had nothing to do with the Northern Zhou court; rather, we belonged to a subordinate of the imperial relative, Yang Jian. It seemed that Yang Jian himself was not even fully aware of this. We began to feel afraid. Were we participating in a rebellion? We were unarmed, and the jurisdiction here was strict; there was simply no way to escape—we could not return to the mountain pass in the West. Thus, everyone began to resign themselves to their fate, comforting one another by saying that if we were truly forced to go to the battlefield or plot a rebellion, we would rather die than comply, or if we were sent to the front, we would not kill a single soldier. Our bottom line was that we could not slaughter the innocent; we could not do things that were unclear and unjust.

Eventually, we were brought before their master, Yang Jian. This time, only a few of us were responsible for meeting him in person. I saw that this man possessed an extraordinary aura; for us country folk, the moment we saw him, we were struck by the realisation that he was no ordinary person. He did not say much, but his subordinates spoke to us at length, explaining the incompetence of the court and the division of the situation. They said that if we could help Yang Jian unify the North, and even unify all of China, it would be a brand-new era of prosperity—a blessing for the people of the entire nation. We were simple, honest people from the countryside, and only then did we realise that we had been tricked into this wilderness. On one hand, there was not much opposition among us, perhaps because we were conquered by the dignified, upright, and righteous figure before us. He later spoke to us very sincerely, hoping that we would think of the people and asking us to trust him, saying, "The world belongs to the people of the world," and that people would surely be able to live good lives.

We had no way out at that point, so we promised him that we would do our best for the people, asking nothing else and vowing never to kill the innocent. If serving him could help many people, why not do it?

A Soldier's Afterlife

After we returned to our base and resumed training, another half a year passed before news from the outside reached us again. We stood guard there, waiting to serve the extraordinary man we had once met. When we received news again, we were surprised to find we had the opportunity to join the regular army. Upon inquiry, we learned that Yang Jian, whom we had met once before, had already established a new dynasty called the Sui Dynasty. We were all astonished, knowing that our new emperor was the hero we had once seen. Thus, we had new identities and officially became soldiers of the Sui Dynasty. Our past lives no longer mattered; the cause of national unification was waiting for us to participate and contribute.

The days that followed were filled with long, arduous campaigns. We followed the Emperor, dedicating nearly ten years of effort to the cause of national unification. Finally, we marched south across the Yangtze River and unified the Southern Chen Dynasty in one stroke, completing the great task of unification for the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Wen of Sui was a very visionary emperor. Although he was quick and decisive in his actions and possessed a natural leadership style, those of us junior officers who followed him for a long time knew that he was a good man who cared for the country and the world, and he was also generous and unpretentious. He was extremely diligent by nature; for the sake of the country's stability, he often worked without sleep during the early years of his reign.

At this very moment, many of us from the army are already sitting peacefully in the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Looking at everything happening in the world, we cannot help but sigh. Many of us followed Emperor Wen of Sui on military campaigns for a lifetime, and later, most of us died in foreign lands, becoming lonely spirits scattered across many regions of China, North and South. I am one of them. Because I never dared to kill the innocent throughout my life and acted according to moral foundations and righteousness, I did not fall into the hells. Many in our army died miserable deaths, and I suspect that after death, they had no opportunity to be reborn as humans or to wander the world as spirits.

A Reunion Beyond Time

This is my life, Lin Maohe—a life spent coming out of the Northwest and following Emperor Wen of Sui into military service. For over a thousand years, I have seen the traces of my brothers across the vast lands of China, as if a bond tied us together. Although some went to the hells after death, and others continued to fight in the space between realms, I wandered aimlessly. We were all diligent, honest, and simple-hearted old soldiers who knew only how to work for the country during our lives, yet our destinations after death were not the same.

Many of us arrived at another world called the Western Dharma-Nature Land because we encountered beams of bright Buddha-light. This place is truly beautiful and dignified. Looking back at the past, we finally understand that although we did the same things, our final destinations were so different. It was because our mental notes were different; although we were all marching and fighting, the difference between fighting for the country and fighting for oneself was immense. We have come to know Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and we know they are the Buddhas who saved us from the space between realms. We immediately bowed to the Buddhas to express our gratitude, thanking them for their compassion and mind-capacity.

What surprised us most was that at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, we actually saw our former master—Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian. He now has a human body; he has become a bhiksuni at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, known as Venerable Hai Yuan. Unexpectedly, Venerable Hai Yuan is now fortunate enough to follow Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su, working hard to handle the teachings of Namo Amituofo and the Teacher, as well as interview manuscripts and other affairs. He is working hard for the temple and for bringing Namo Amituofo to the forefront. This is so much like the diligent character of our master back then. We believe in the wisdom of Venerable Hai Yuan and know that this life must be one in which he strives for the Buddha's teachings, returning to the West only after fulfilling the Buddha's path. He is also very much like the Emperor Wen of Sui of the past, who would stay up all night to seek the Dharma from Venerable Du Shun; we have seen all of this with our own eyes.

My gratitude as Lin Maohe is beyond words. Most of the brothers who once fought side by side with me have now been led by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, sitting upright on lotus seats in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. There are no bloodstains or scars left from the past, and the traces of suffering in the space between realms for over a thousand years have also been purified without a trace under the illumination of the Buddha-light.

We are grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. We will certainly practise diligently here, hoping to see more of our brothers enter the Western Dharma-Nature Land one after another.

Namo Amituofo.

Lin Maohe"