A Son's Vow: From a Pirate's Legacy to the Pure Land

This interview features the Venerable Zuo Zang, who lived 1,715 years ago. Seeking deliverance from the karmic burdens of his past, he eventually found his way to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This testimony was recorded on February 7, 2019.

Venerable Zuo Zang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Zuo Zang. Before I lay down to sleep each night, my mother would sit by my bedside, reading stories from the Buddhist scriptures to me. Sometimes she would read one, sometimes three. As soon as she saw that I had drifted off to sleep, she would carefully put the books away, tuck me in, and step softly out of the room. She would then return to the Buddha hall to recite the Sutras and chant Buddha's name, continuing her practice until she herself felt the need for rest.

The Shadow of a Hidden Father

I never saw my father while I was growing up. When I asked my mother about him, she would only reply simply, 'Your father works at sea and returns home only after a very long time.' She rarely spoke of him beyond that. Although he was absent, every month someone would arrive at our home carrying a chest filled with gold and jewels. The messenger would hand the treasure to my mother and immediately turn to leave. I once asked her, 'Why does someone bring us jewels every month?' She would only say, 'Your father sent them.' Hearing this, I truly believed my father was a hardworking and noble man, sacrificing time with his family to work at sea and provide for us. Yet, despite these monthly riches, my mother and I lived in extreme poverty. This was a mystery I could not fathom. Whenever I tried to ask more, my mother would send me to the Buddha hall to chant. She would always say, 'Asking so many questions is not as good as chanting more.' Whenever she said this, I knew I had to go; I dared not ask anything further.

The Power of Compassion

To raise me well, my mother was always by my side, guiding me in everything I did. She taught me to approach every action with a heart of compassion. She often took me to the market, and whether we met people we knew or strangers, she taught me to think of others. She explained that even the smallest gesture is a way to spread the power of Goodness. Because of this, I learned to help others from a young age. If I saw someone in need—acquaintance or stranger—I would always offer my assistance, and then I would teach them to chant Namo Amituofo, planting a Vajra Seed of the Buddha within them.

One day, my mother returned home looking utterly dejected. I had never seen her like this before and immediately rushed to comfort her. She said, 'I have been living frugally, saving every penny to donate to the disaster victims in town. But before I could even make the donation, I was robbed on the road. Everything was taken.' Seeing her distress, I comforted her: 'Mother, the Buddhist stories you read to me tell of an old man who donated his money every month. He gave whatever he had without worrying about the amount. He never concerned himself with who ultimately used the money—whether it was a disaster victim, a poor family, or even someone lazy. He never investigated, because his initial intention was simply to help. This selfless and spontaneous giving allowed him to be at ease and filled with Dharma joy, without the pressure of attachment. He did not calculate how many people he helped or how much merit he gained. We should learn from his spontaneity and ease; it will bring us joy and reduce our afflictions.' Hearing this, my mother’s dejected expression vanished, replaced by a radiant smile. She praised me, saying that at only ten years old, I had resolved the suffering of a woman in her thirties. It showed that the teachings of the Buddha are truly inconceivable; even a ten-year-old can possess Wisdom (Prajna) that transcends that of adults—something ordinary education could never provide.

The Truth Revealed

One day, while my mother and I were reciting the Sutras in the Buddha hall, we heard a thunderous crash in the living room. The front door was kicked off its hinges, and all the furniture was overturned. Even the ancestral memorial tablets were ruthlessly thrown to the ground. The ceramic incense burner was shattered, ash scattered everywhere, and the tea offerings were spilled across the floor. Even the clothes drying outside were slashed with knives. Everything we owned was destroyed in a chaotic mess. My mother and I did not know what was happening, but we heard rapid, heavy footsteps approaching the hall. Suddenly, with a loud 'bang,' the door was kicked open, and five or six burly men stood before us. They held long blades, their faces covered in thick beards, looking incredibly fierce. My mother held me tightly and bravely asked, 'P-please, what is the meaning of this?' The men shouted my father’s name: 'Zuo Yan robbed us of a ship full of gold and jewels! He destroyed our ship and fled. When we finally caught up, we couldn't find him, but we heard he had a home here. We have come to settle the score with his family! Give us back our ship’s worth of treasure, or neither of you will leave here alive!' I asked my mother nervously, 'Mother, what do we do? We have no money to give them!' My mother gripped my hand, stood up, and told the men, 'I have the gold and jewels. Follow me.' She led them to a dilapidated warehouse in the backyard, pulled back a large, tattered black cloth, and revealed chest after chest of treasure. The men rushed forward, opened the boxes, and found them filled with glittering gold and jewels. Satisfied, they hauled the chests away and told my mother, 'You are lucky today! We will spare your lives!' With that, they left.

My mother collapsed to the ground, her legs weak. I rushed to support her, looking at her dazed expression, and could not help but wonder, 'What kind of work does Father actually do?' I dared not ask her, but the question remained buried in my heart. The next day, my mother took the initiative: 'I know you are curious about your father, as I have never spoken of him. After yesterday, I know I can no longer hide the truth from you, as you are growing up. Your father is a pirate king at sea. He leads hundreds of followers, and they frequently rob others. They steal vast amounts of wealth, and many people have been harmed because of them. I know this stolen money does not belong to us, so I have never spent a single penny of what he sent. I knew that one day, it would all have to be returned. Yesterday, when they appeared, the jewels were taken back—it was a debt we owed.' Only then did I understand that my mother had kept this secret to protect me, using the Buddha’s teachings to ensure I would not go astray, hoping I would walk the righteous path and become a person of integrity. She even hoped I would study the Buddha’s teachings to help all beings.

A Path of Deliverance

I told my mother with firm resolve, 'Mother, let us go to the temple to practice! Only by truly practicing can we save Father.' My mother looked at me, and seeing that this was indeed the path she had hoped for, she nodded. The next day, after settling our affairs, we went to the temple.

We served at the temple, and as there were few volunteers, our arrival provided much-needed help. Whenever there was work to be done, we did it immediately. One day, I was carrying buckets of water used for washing vegetables, using a ladle to water the garden. I chanted Namo Amituofo to the vegetables, hoping they would grow quickly to provide offerings for the monastic community. After watering, I immediately went to carry clean water to the kitchen. I knelt before the stove to start the fire, my face covered in soot. Seeing we were low on firewood, I ran to the wood shed to fetch more. Then I began pounding rice, collecting the white rice and setting the rice bran aside in a separate pile. An old monk approached me and asked, 'Why are you keeping this rice bran?' I stammered, 'I felt it was a waste to throw it away, so I collected it. At mealtime, my mother and I eat this in the kitchen.' I apologized to the monk for keeping it without permission, trembling as I spoke. The old monk replied, 'Your heart is entirely for the temple, saving food for the community. This intention is highly commendable. Give all the bran to me.'

The next morning, all the monastics were shocked to see their bowls filled with rice bran instead of white rice. The old monk told them, 'This young Bodhisattva, Zuo Zang, eats this bran every day with his mother to save the temple’s grain. You all have white rice to eat every day; you should also eat this bran and learn from Zuo Zang’s spirit.' Many monks struggled to swallow it, unable to eat the bran as Zuo Zang did, with A Heart of Gratitude in every bite.

The Fruits of Diligence

From that day on, the old monk brought me into the monastic community to study, training me just like a monk. My perseverance and compassion far exceeded that of the others, for I cherished this hard-won opportunity and seized every moment to practice diligently. The old monk saw my sincerity and helped me further, using various tests to temper my character. Having been raised with the Buddha’s teachings, I never did evil or sought shortcuts; I acted with a heart of compassion in all things. Thus, no matter what test the old monk set, I passed smoothly, and each one helped me grow in my spiritual path.

More than ten years passed, and I was ordained as a Bhikshu. News reached my mother from our hometown that my father had been released from the magistrate’s prison. It turned out that he had been imprisoned shortly after we left home. My mother returned alone to see him. A week later, my father appeared at the temple, standing beside my mother. He looked at the dignified Bhikshu Fazong (my monastic name) and bowed respectfully, two lines of tears falling to the ground. He repented for failing his duties as a father, leaving my mother and me to live alone, and was grateful that I had found the righteous path. I introduced the Buddha’s teachings to him, hoping he too would change his ways and begin to practice. Seeing the transformation in my mother and me, he became convinced of the inconceivable power of the Buddha’s teachings. From that day on, with the temple’s permission, he began to serve there, practicing with a sincere heart and repenting for his past transgressions.

I have never ceased in my efforts to deliver sentient beings. In this life, I have given countless Dharma talks, helping people achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death. I have travelled thousands of miles, until my rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

A Heart of Gratitude

Practitioner Su leads a great salvation team through the universe to deliver sentient beings. This team is unparalleled in the world, with each member actively delivering their own karmic creditors. The space is filled with sentient beings who have suffered for eons, and only now has Practitioner Su come to save them, guiding them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I watch as the universe changes constantly, at an incredibly rapid pace. Every planet moves swiftly along its orbit—some with order, some without. Countless planets are densely packed throughout the cosmic space; in the Milky Way alone, there are immeasurable numbers of worlds. I hold the deepest gratitude for Practitioner Su, for opening this opportunity for deliverance, allowing all sentient beings to receive this magnificent chance to be saved. I am grateful for Practitioner Su’s compassion. Namo Amituofo."

Recorded by the disciple Shi Fajing.