Beyond Two Millennia of Wandering

This is a record of an interview with Gu Mengjie, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 2,479 years ago in ancient India. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on May 12, 2026.

Gu Mengjie speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Gu Mengjie. Today, I am accepting this interview from within the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Arriving here, it feels as though several weeks have passed, and I have slowly adapted to this place remarkably well. I have come to realise that this is where my spirit will finally find its true sublimation.

In my past life, I was a practitioner within a sect in ancient India, and that was over two thousand years ago. Heavens! To think that I have been away from the human world for two thousand four hundred and seventy-nine years. Hearing the Buddha speak of this, I was truly astonished at my current situation. I had no idea that as a spirit in the spiritual realms, I had been drifting for such an incredibly long time.

Two Millennia of Wandering

I had always assumed that I was fixed in one specific region, never moving. But when I arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature and looked back at my journey over these past two millennia, I discovered that my soul had no autonomy at all. For over two thousand years, I had been wandering aimlessly through countless places. In my time, I was considered a practitioner of some attainment. Back then, many religions flourished in India. Of course, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre—the place where I now reside in the Western Land of Dharma Nature—is a place where everyone reveres Buddhism. In ancient India, however, there was a convergence of ancient Hinduism, Buddhism, and many other major religions.

As a practitioner of that era, I placed great emphasis on cultivating a 'pure heart.' To maintain this state of stillness, many of us practitioners could go for days and nights without eating a single grain of rice or drinking a drop of water. Although we believed at the time that our practice was excellent and that we were not generating too many wandering thoughts—remaining constantly in a state of deep meditative concentration—after leaving the human world, my spirit was unable to achieve any sublimation whatsoever. This was the point that surprised me the most. I had always thought that after all those years of ascetic life, my soul should have reached a higher plane, and that my perspective should have been much broader. I never imagined that for over two thousand years, I would remain a soul without any true autonomy.

The Light in the Darkness

It was not until I encountered the Buddha-light, the immense light emitted by the Namo Amituofo billboard from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, that things changed. This Buddha-light was truly extraordinary. I later learned that within this billboard, the Buddha himself was radiating light to welcome all beings from the spiritual realms to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. My heart is filled with gratitude. If such a place did not exist, where would we souls go? We would simply continue to drift in that space where we had no control, each of us caught up in our own affairs. While I appeared to be doing something noble, from beginning to end, I had never truly left behind my own attachments. I was attached to the space of my meditative concentration, attached to everything within it, and that is why I could never break free or achieve sublimation. This is what I can understand now.

A Life of Austerity and Seeking

Now that I have arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, let me share a little of my story from that time. I was born in northern India, during an era when many religious sects were flourishing. I was surrounded by practitioners from various schools, all living peacefully, meditating in forests, mountains, or bamboo groves. The truth we pursued was the belief that if one practiced to the highest level, one would surely be able to liberate oneself from all suffering and see the true, eternal spirit.

I believed that this spirit could reach an eternal state, free from any fluctuations, highs, lows, or emotional responses. But I did not know that this spirit could also realise its true nature and attain Buddhahood, or that it could save countless suffering beings just as Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su do. This was something I never thought of, nor learned, throughout my entire life.

The sect I learned from was limited to helping oneself elevate one's own spirit. Its mind-capacity was not as vast and boundless as the mind-capacity of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su that I see here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Everything they do is for the sake of saving all suffering beings so they may attain liberation, rather than just seeking personal liberation. This is something that both shocked and comforted me deeply. After meeting Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, I realised that this is the true Great Dharma of the human world, and I no longer struggle or cling to everything I learned in the past.

I only lament that in that space, there were so many practitioners from various dynasties, just like me, who were trapped there and could not get out. I am one of the lucky ones; perhaps I had a deep Buddhist affinity in the past! Although I did not revere Buddhism at the time, I did receive this message in the spiritual realm, telling me that in the small town of Bihar Sharif, there was a tall and majestic Namo Amituofo billboard. Although it was not very high—perhaps only about two stories tall—to the eyes of beings in the spiritual realm, this billboard was exceptionally bright and warm in the darkness. Many beings in the spiritual realm, yearning for light, came to seek Chao Du. There were also many who, not understanding the meaning of the light, were even afraid of it, because they had stayed in the darkness for too long and their spirits had become very murky and unclear. Consequently, they lacked the affinity to come to the Namo Amituofo billboard and receive the opportunity for deliverance.

Gu Mengjie actually stumbled upon this small town of Bihar Sharif by accident. Now that I see all of this in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I truly want to tell my fellow practitioners who used to meditate with me about this magnificent Causal Condition. I hope that everyone can avoid being trapped in that densely packed space as I was, and instead, jump out of it all and come to the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

When I was still Gu Mengjie, I was very frugal throughout my life. I did not have many desires or demands; I was single-mindedly following the teacher I worshipped at the time, constantly cultivating this pure heart of mine. I hoped that by finding my original nature and remaining in a state without any thoughts, I could realise the true Truth. As I just mentioned, although everyone’s intentions were good and we all hoped to attain spiritual liberation, because this heart could not truly let go of the 'self,' it was still mixed with many of my attachments and my feelings.

At that time, like many Indian ascetics, whether we were laypeople or monastics, we were all very strictly disciplined. We were very particular about every word, every action, every meal, and every drink. We hoped that through this highly disciplined life, we could reach a state of spiritual immortality—this was a commonly held belief among the masses. There were many practitioners who, while still in the human world, could already achieve spiritual sublimation; their souls could leave their bodies, not returning for days or nights, and they could go for long periods without eating or drinking.

To be honest, when I was young, I did not really understand what practice was. However, because my social class was very humble and I grew up in a family that could barely make ends meet, I was already accustomed to a life of suffering. At that time, I followed my family to various places to live and beg for food, leading a life of displacement. Therefore, my longing for peace was extremely strong. Many people, like me, because their families were so poor and suffering, and because disease and famine were very common at that time, always thought that if they could succeed in their practice and walk this path, and subsequently achieve spiritual elevation, they could be liberated from the suffering they were in.

So, at the age of eighteen, I left my hometown and came to a place where many practitioners gathered, wanting to find a good teacher to study under. At that time, I truly used up all the money I had to reach this place. I was as thin as skin and bone, and I officially began my days of practice. This period was both strict and extremely fulfilling for me.

After that, my life, like that of many practitioners, was one of extreme frugality and few luxuries. This was very similar to the peace and tranquility I had longed for. Throughout my life, I can say that in the eighteen years prior, I had experienced too many hardships in life, and the rest of my life was spent in peace and serenity. Although I did not have much in terms of material wealth, my spiritual nourishment was quite rich.

The pity is that at the time, I did not know what the word 'personality' meant, because the Dharma gate we practiced did not emphasize changing one's personal ego and habits. My teacher strongly demanded that we turn all our thoughts into 'nothingness,' but I did not know how to achieve this. However, after long periods of practice, asceticism, and hardship, I was always able to suppress many subtle thoughts deep in my heart, and it seemed as if they had disappeared. Therefore, everyone generally believed that our spiritual achievements were very high.

Now that I have arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I truly understand that I practiced for such a long time, and it could be said that I had reached a level of great purity in my heart while in the human world, but why was I still unable to achieve any spiritual elevation? Why did I still have to continue practicing in that space, unable to truly come out and return to my true self? This does not mean that my practice of nearly two thousand five hundred years was without progress, but it is true that it was as if, throughout this long period of time, I had no elevation and no degradation; I was just practicing and meditating aimlessly in my own space.

Namo Amituofo."

"Upon arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature and learning the Buddha’s teachings as instructed by Namo Amituofo, I finally realised that if one truly wishes to attain a state where one does not grow old, does not get sick, and the spirit does not die, one must—as Practitioner Su has said—adhere to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. One must fundamentally transform one's personality for the better. At that time, many of us practitioners were unaware of this. We all generally believed that our practice was excellent, but in reality, our hearts were filled with subtle attachments and feelings that we had not let go of. These accumulated in our hearts over time, eventually becoming like a massive stone. This made our practice appear quite impressive on the surface, yet we remained stagnant, unable to break free from our original position. The confusion that plagued me for so many years in Goombungee was finally resolved here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, where the Buddha abides and personally delivers lectures to us all.

The Hidden Truth of Spiritual Stagnation

Looking back now at the space in India where I once resided, there are still so many practitioners just like me. They come from all sorts of schools and sects, worshipping different teachers and striving for different goals, yet almost all of them remain trapped in that same space. I, Gu Mengjie, consider myself incredibly fortunate, for in the place where I once lived, there happened to be a sign bearing the name of Namo Amituofo. It was that extraordinary radiance that truly drew me in to seek Spiritual Deliverance.

Within the vast expanse of the spiritual realms in India, there are many beings who are still unaware of this. However, from my perspective at the time, the presence of the Namo Amituofo sign actually led many spirit realm beings to gather their friends and come together. Back then, the reputation of that sign was quite prominent in the local area. All of us beings are deeply grateful for this magnificent Causal Condition, because without that sign, we would never have had the opportunity to know the Buddha, nor would we have known that to attain true liberation of the spirit, one must learn to be just like Namo Amituofo.

The Limited Scope of Traditional Practice

The word 'Buddha' was very familiar to me. However, at the time, because the school I studied under did not belong to the lineage of Shakyamuni Buddha, my understanding of the Buddha was extremely limited. Our sect of Hinduism also emphasised spiritual liberation, but when you get to the root of it, it is not a complete education. Everything we learned only allowed us to temporarily maintain a sense of purity within our hearts and suppress our afflictions for a short while. In the long run, however, everyone remained confined to a certain space and level of existence, unable to transcend it. This is the reality for many practitioners in India, though most of them are simply unaware of it.

I, Gu Mengjie, truly envy the existence of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Center. If only one had the chance to possess a human body and practice in such a place—how wonderful that would be! One could genuinely fulfill the wish I once held: to achieve a state where the spirit does not die while still in a human body. I have come to realise that such an achievement is not merely about helping oneself attain liberation; it is about helping immeasurable and boundless sentient beings attain liberation as well. This way of practicing was not very common in our time. Often, people’s initial intention for practicing was merely self-preservation or personal liberation. Many, like me, entered the world of practice initially just to escape poverty. While this allowed one to receive offerings from others, it did nothing to help those people walk the path toward liberation. Thinking of this now, I feel truly ashamed—deeply ashamed.

The Weight of Unearned Offerings

There is a saying in the Buddha’s gate: 'A single grain of rice from a donor is as heavy as Mount Sumeru; if one does not attain the Way in this life, one must repay the debt by wearing fur and horns.' Although I did not experience the karmic retribution of 'wearing fur and horns,' I did indeed accept many offerings from the nearby villagers, which allowed me to spend my life in such a peaceful state of practice.

Regardless, I did not achieve any real progress in my practice at that time. After reaching a minor level of attainment, I simply remained stuck in place. By the time I left the human world, I was only fifty-six years old; a minor illness—a simple cold—was all it took for me to depart.

The Life of an 'Old Ghost'

After passing, I simply continued my previous life within that same space. I could not distinguish whether I was still alive or not, and I spent nearly two thousand five hundred years in that state of confusion. Had I not encountered the Buddha-light, would I still be there practicing, waiting for five thousand or ten thousand years? I do not know.

There are indeed many in that space whom people call 'old ghosts.' They look like practitioners, but they are dishevelled, with matted hair and bodies so thin they are unrecognisable. Generally, people do not show much respect for these spirits; they are just treated as 'old ghosts.' I was one of those old ghosts.

Yet, there are many ghosts even older than me. The number of ghost deities in that region of India is truly staggering—a densely packed mass of beings. Many have already learned about the need for Spiritual Deliverance, but there are far more who still do not know of the Buddha’s existence, nor of the existence of that Namo Amituofo sign. And so, everyone continues to live their own lives in that space.

A Heartfelt Vow for the Future

I, Gu Mengjie, sincerely hope that the message of the Namo Amituofo sign can continue to spread in our local area, allowing more people to know that there is such a place that can help everyone attain true spiritual liberation.

My gratitude and admiration for Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are beyond words. If Practitioner Su had not realised her true nature and attained Buddhahood in the human world, none of this would be possible. I will certainly continue to practice diligently here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, for I have also learned of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—a world that is even more ultimate and perfect. Practicing here, I hope to shed my old, ingrained ways of thinking and make the benefit of all sentient beings the sole goal of my practice. Following Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and learning from their spirit—that is what I, Gu Mengjie, wish to do now.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo. Gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Gu Mengjie"