A Voice from Ten Millennia Past

This is a record of an interview with Dan, a primitive human who lived approximately 10,000 years ago. He sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Venerable Hai Yuan, on March 8, 2026.

Dan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My name is Dan. I never knew my own name while I was alive, because back then, we simply called out to one another with sounds like 'Hey, hey, hey.' It was only after I arrived here at the Western Land of Dharma Nature and heard Namo Amituofo call me 'Dan' that I finally realised that was who I was. I am a male, and I was not very old when I passed away.

You might find it strange that I am using these words, or that I even know who Namo Amituofo is. After all, am I not a primitive human? You would expect a primitive person to live a very basic life and use only the simplest of words. You are right; that is exactly how my days were spent. We communicated heart-to-heart, mind-to-mind. Even now, I am drawing upon that same language of the heart—it is the power of the spirit. As for why I can use these written words? It must be Namo Amituofo helping me. I have come to realise that Namo Amituofo can help anyone with anything, provided that what you are doing is good and right. The Buddha will always provide assistance."

A World Beyond Time

"For some time now, I have been earnestly feeling the place where I am and everything that is happening around me. What time is it now? How long has it been since I lived? These questions crossed my mind when I first entered the Western Land of Dharma Nature. At first, there was only a blank void, but then a voice told me that I was a primitive human from ten thousand years ago. I did not understand what that number meant, but I memorised the sound of it. Ten thousand years. I believe this, too, was taught to me by Namo Amituofo. How do I know? Because I asked, 'Who is telling me this?' and the voice replied, 'It is Namo Amituofo.'

In this place, I have come to know two Buddhas. One is Namo Amituofo. With Namo Amituofo, we communicate heart-to-heart; I can understand the Buddha's meaning, and the Buddha understands mine. Although I cannot see Namo Amituofo with my eyes, I can feel the Buddha's presence very clearly. The other is Practitioner Su. I can see Practitioner Su, and we can hear the sound of his voice here. Once, I tried not to listen to the sound of his voice, but instead tried to directly receive the meaning flowing from his heart. I discovered that it was far richer than what the spoken words could express. I can learn so much more that way."

Simple Lives and Simple Truths

"I am learning everything from the very beginning. I have discovered that I absorb the information here very quickly—so quickly that it feels strange, as if I have suddenly become much smarter. The environment here makes me feel so at ease. It turns out that learning in a state of peace and security feels completely different. Because I was a primitive human living a very simple life, my ability to learn is quite strong. It is just like what Practitioner Su always tells everyone: we must chant Namo Amituofo to find our way back to our pure true self.

Namo Amituofo takes great care of me. At first, I did not understand the sounds or the words that people were speaking, but my heart understood. It is a truly subtle and wonderful thing. Our thoughts were very simple, and we spoke heart-to-heart. We could understand the sound of the wind, the language of the grass and flowers, and what their movements represented. Even the animals—their eyes could speak. We would look into their eyes and know exactly what they were saying. We did not harm one another, because they understood our cries for help as well."

The Language of the Heart

"I have never heard the way modern humans speak, but my heart understands the intent behind their words. It is even more accurate than when they use their voices. Here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, when I see people talking, I sometimes notice that their words do not match the state of their hearts. In those moments, one must grasp the meaning of their hearts to know what they truly intend.

We primitive humans never thought of doing bad things; that is my understanding of who we were. We did not want to hurt anyone. If someone made us feel their evil intent, our most primitive instinct was to run away, rather than thinking of harming them to protect ourselves."

A Different Kind of Existence

"It is truly interesting. Not long ago, I was still in the space of my primitive people, and now, I have arrived in a place completely different from anything I have ever known. In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, everything—the food, the housing, the clothing, the tools, the speech—is entirely different. The only things that are somewhat similar are the trees, the small flowers, and the grass, the scenes of nature. But here, the flowers and trees grow with such order. Where I came from, plants grew in wild clusters, growing naturally. Some grew this way, some that way; some liked to face the sun, others liked to hide from it. They were not like the flowers and trees here, which are so well-behaved and obedient, standing neatly in their places.

Everything here feels so special to me. Especially the clothes people wear, which are so different from the simple pieces of tree bark or animal hide we used to cover ourselves. We only cared about protecting our bodies from external harm, or ensuring we would not be injured by wild beasts. We just needed something to wear. We would use stone knives to cut large pieces into smaller ones for the children, but eventually, they would be cut so small they could no longer be worn."

The Passage of Time

"I know that the place we lived is what you now call China, which has a five-thousand-year history. Primitive humans are not part of that five-thousand-year history. At first, I did not know how long ago it was. Later, Namo Amituofo told me it was ten thousand years. I do not know how long ten thousand years is, but I can feel that it is a very long time—much longer than five thousand years! Looking at the person who is interviewing me, I can see that he is truly different from me.

The light here makes me feel incredibly secure. I do not have to worry about wild beasts or other primitive humans attacking me, which was the very thing we had to be most vigilant about in our previous life."

A Simple Way of Life

"I know that in the place where I lived, there were adults and children. I have learned here that those older than you are 'older brothers,' and those younger are 'younger brothers.' Actually, back then, we used simple, single-syllable sounds. For example, when I called my younger brother, I would say 'Ge, Ge'—'Ge' was his name. When I called my older brother, I would say 'Bu, Bu'—'Bu' was his name. The one who brought you food was 'Mother,' and the one who protected everyone was 'Father.' When we called for Father, we said 'Da, Da'—'Da' meant Father. When we called for Mother, we said 'Man, Man'—'Man' meant Mother.

We lived together, and there was a distinction between the old and the young. You could distinguish your father and mother because they looked different. We lived the simplest of lives, but we had a way of surviving. That way of survival was very simple, but because it was simple, it was also powerful. Many things I see now are very complex, and the lives modern people lead are just as complex. It seems I am still better suited for the life of a primitive human."

The Soul's Journey

"I know that before I was as big as my older brother, I fell ill after being caught in a heavy rain, and I died. My body was buried in the earth, and my spirit kept wandering in our home. In that space, there were many spirits—or perhaps you call them 'ghosts.' There were so many of them, and these spirits stayed there, never leaving.

Later, my father died, and my mother died; they did not enter our space. My older brother died, and my younger brother died; I watched them, but they did not enter our space either. I do not know where they went. But I hope they are living a good life, just like me. Because in my space, there were people I knew when I was alive—old men, men, women. It is so strange; how am I able to say these words? It is because we communicated heart-to-heart back then; we did not need to distinguish between men and women—we just knew by looking. Now that I am doing this interview and need to describe our situation, it seems that when I think of these things, I can naturally express them. This must be the miraculous power of Namo Amituofo!"

The Light of Deliverance

"I can read everyone's hearts, and I see that you are all very curious about us primitive humans, just as I am curious about you. Our life back then was so natural; I never imagined such a place as this could exist. Just as modern people would never imagine being able to ask questions of a human who lived longer than China's five-thousand-year history. Things that seem natural to us seem quite different to you.

I am the primitive human 'Dan.' Not long ago, a very, very bright light suddenly shone into our space. Everyone did not understand what kind of light this was. Some people had never seen it and ran far away. But very strangely, I walked right into the light. I do not know why. Just like that, I arrived here—at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Everything I know, I only learned after arriving here.

Because our space was different from the space where you live, Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su were able to open up so many different spaces in China, allowing the beings within to come out. When the light shone on us, many primitive humans ran into the light or were led away by it. But I know that there are still a small number of beings who did not dare to enter the light and were not brought here. Everything here is so different."

The Beauty of the Pure Land

"In our primitive space, we had no bodies, but there were many spirits. Except for not having bodies, everything else was the same as when we were alive. We already knew how to pile up simple, dry tree bark or hay to lie on, or build our own houses with thick tree trunks. Life was very simple; we only needed to avoid the rain and the sun. Although there was no sun in that space—it was a grey, dim place—everyone's appearance and way of life were the same as when they were alive.

Sometimes, if we wanted to pass something on to more people, or let future generations see good things, we would carve the things we wanted to say or do into the walls using simple lines and shapes. This was what we could do; this is how images and lines were passed down.

It turns out that every world is so different. I look at the lives people lead now, and they are completely different from what we had before. Why is there such a big difference? I cannot understand it, as I have never encountered it. But I believe in one thing: as long as we keep that kind heart, that happy heart, and have enough to eat and a place to live, we are satisfied.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, everything is bright everywhere. There is no darkness, and there are no grey, chilly places. There are lotus seats everywhere, which are very different. I had never seen them before. Every person and every thing here is so different to us. A few of us primitive humans were brought here together by the light, and everyone is very happy and joyful. This is a place that makes one feel happy..."

A Reunion with Namo Amituofo

"We have seen many Practitioner Sus flying in the sky, faster than birds. In the world of primitive humans, the birds were very large, flapping their huge wings. The birds here are so small; you call them pigeons. I originally thought everyone here could fly! Haha! Later, I discovered that only Practitioner Su could. At this time, many people who look different come here together. Like us, they have no bodies, and they look so miserable—not as happy as we are here. Later, I learned that the temple was holding a Chao Du Dharma assembly. Chao Du means bringing these spirits to a better place, but I feel there is no place better than this.

All of this was told to me by Namo Amituofo. Namo Amituofo is very much like the elders in our world, speaking to us very gently. It is not speaking with a mouth, but a heart-to-heart exchange. The Buddha also brought back many, many demons—I also learned about demons here. I learn very quickly; I have been listening carefully to what you say in the Buddha hall. I also know that the demons hurt Practitioner Su's body, but it did not affect Practitioner Su's flying at all. I saw him fly very, very far, until I could no longer see him, and then he would circle back, bringing back many people like me who have no bodies. It is truly special.

I really want to tell the primitive humans in our space about what I have encountered, and I hope they can also come here. I hope the light of Namo Amituofo can go and lead them as well. I believe they would love to come here.

Back when I was alive, I would naturally wake up when the sky brightened and go to sleep when it darkened. It was very simple. Now, at the Dharma assembly here, I can hear everyone chanting 'Namo Amituofo' at any time. This is the name of Namo Amituofo; it sounds so beautiful. We can hear it here, and we chant Namo Amituofo along with everyone. I can feel Namo Amituofo looking at us and smiling. Here, we are very close to Namo Amituofo, as if the Buddha is right by our side.

When I chant Namo Amituofo, I see my past self—not when I was a primitive human, but from even earlier, when I was with Namo Amituofo. It was a very beautiful place. I immediately thought: is this what everyone calls the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss? Could it be that I knew Namo Amituofo long ago, which is why I was brought here by Namo Amituofo now? When I thought this, I saw the very bright, very tall Namo Amituofo. He nodded at me and smiled at me. This is truly a wonderful thing, and I am smiling very happily myself.

Thank you, Namo Amituofo, for bringing us here. Thank you, Practitioner Su.

Dan"