Awakening to the Illusion of Samsara

Venerable Chang Gao, a dedicated monastic who sought deliverance through the teachings of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, currently resides at the Centre. This interview was recorded on December 12, 2019, and transcribed by the disciple Shi Faxin.

Venerable Chang Gao speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. A warm current once whistled across the horizon, and I witnessed a magnificent, brilliant light piercing through the sky, moving from the edge of the heavens into the distance. Some spirits claimed it was Namo Amituofo, while others insisted they saw their mothers, or perhaps Lord Jesus, or even Allah. Such is the boundless compassion of the Buddha—he manifests in myriad forms to lead all sentient beings to salvation, meeting them exactly where their hearts are.

The Fleeting Nature of Earthly Bonds

On a vast, open grassland, I watched a mare leading her foal, teaching it how to run. High above, on a cloud, rested a spirit—a soul that was once a beloved son in a past life. Now, transformed into this new form, the son and mother no longer recognise one another. They exist between heaven and earth, crossing paths, yet they pass by as complete strangers. Because in this current lifetime, their karmic paths do not intersect, they must each continue their own development. The mother pours her profound, enduring love into the child she is destined to raise in this present life, while the other remains unaware of the bond that once was.

The Eternal Dance of Attachment

Consider a pair of souls: one reborn as a flower, the other as a worm. When the worm crawled through the grass, it was instantly captivated by the flower. Yet, the flower paid the worm no mind. It understood that it was not only this lowly worm that could appreciate its beauty; there were bees, great birds, and even other creatures. The charm of this woman, even in her form as a flower, had not diminished in the slightest. The worm circled the flower incessantly, while the flower constantly tried to turn its head away. This chase was a continuation of a karmic connection from the past. They met again in this life in different forms, yet the same drama unfolded: the male could not win the female, just as the flower ignored the worm. Eventually, the worm gave up, moving on to seek another flower, or perhaps a mate more suited to its own kind. Even within the six realms of existence, the same old stories of desire and attachment play out endlessly.

The Necessity of True Awakening

The terrifying reality of how Causal Conditions entwine us between heaven and earth is clear. As we rotate through the various realms, the answer is always the same: there is no lasting result, only a play that repeats life after life. We act out different roles, but the plot remains hauntingly similar. If you observe the interactions of all things, you will realise that they are no different from how you interact with the people around you today. The horror of this performance is that we do not know when we are meant to leave the stage. What are you clinging to right now? What role are you preparing to play in the six realms next? Will you be a worm, a snake, a spirit lost in the dark ghost realm, or will you pursue fleeting thrills only to fall into the hells to suffer the karmic fruit? If you can thoroughly penetrate the truth of all things in heaven and earth, you can achieve Awakening and become truly clear-minded. Every day, as I follow my Master in performing Chao Du for all sentient beings, I see that no one can escape these patterns. Everyone, wake up! No matter how high your spiritual level may seem, it is worth nothing compared to a single moment of true, clear-minded Awakening.

Namo Amituofo."