Creating Destiny and Transforming One's Life

This is a record of an interview with the 864th Venerable, Lin Shan, who lived approximately 650 years ago. He sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on February 28, 2019.

Lin Shan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. As winter departs and spring arrives, new buds begin to emerge on the branches—it is the start of another year. Every household is busy cleaning, wearing new clothes, putting on new shoes and hats, pasting spring couplets, and setting off firecrackers in preparation for the New Year. In our village, Uncle Zhang has begun telling stories again. The children love this time most of all because Uncle Zhang is a wonderful storyteller. Every day, there is a dedicated time for his tales, and with the arrival of the New Year, he is preparing even more stories for the children, who are running and jumping with joy."

A Wandering Soul Finds a Place

"I was walking past this village when I heard the sound of someone telling a story. I peeked in and saw many children gathered around an old gentleman whom everyone called Uncle Zhang. I sat at a distance to listen, but suddenly, Uncle Zhang caught sight of me in his peripheral vision. He shouted loudly, 'Child, come over here and listen with us!' I felt a bit embarrassed and scratched my head, terrified that the foul smell clinging to my body would offend the others. I dared not approach, but Uncle Zhang called out again, 'Come quickly! Let us all have a lively time together!' Encouraged by his warm invitation, I slowly walked forward and joined the crowd to listen to his story.

This was the first time anyone had ever told a story to me. I was seven years old, but I had lost my parents when I was only four. I had been wandering alone ever since, stopping wherever I could find a place to survive. That was my home. In this new year, I was still wearing tattered clothes, and I had no shoes on my feet. Compared to the other children, I looked quite different."

The Lesson of the Wandering Child

"Uncle Zhang immediately changed his story. He said, 'A long time ago, in Ming Village, there was a wandering child who had no parents. He lived in the world alone, and many people looked down on him. They did not want to be his friend because he smelled bad and was often covered in flies and insects, appearing very dirty. Although he had no one to accompany him, he did not become depressed. He lived happily in the world because he knew the preciousness of having a human body. At the age of five, he wandered into another village—a village filled with kind and virtuous people. When they saw this wandering child, they felt great compassion. Some immediately brought him freshly cooked meals, while others gave him their own clothes. Everyone treated him like family, without any discriminations at all. For the first time, the wandering child felt warmth, and his lonely heart was no longer solitary. He strove to learn from the goodness of others and eventually became a great philanthropist, using his clever mind to help people everywhere. If someone treated him with one part kindness, he would repay them with ten parts. As the years went by, he used a bowl of noodles to earn a great fortune. But this was no ordinary bowl of noodles; it was a bowl someone had given him in charity. When he received it, he saw an old man nearby who was pitifully hungry, his stomach growling loudly. I—for I was that child—immediately gave my noodles to the old man. He ate them greedily, a satisfied smile on his face. After finishing, he bowed in gratitude for the child's Generosity. A year later, someone came to tell me, 'The master invites you to his home.' When I followed the messenger, I discovered the master was the very same old man who had eaten the noodles. He had transformed from a beggar into a wealthy man. He was grateful that the bowl of noodles had changed his life, and as he was about to leave this world, he entrusted all his property to me, urging me to use the money to start a business. I worked with such diligence that I soon earned a great fortune, becoming a wealthy man myself, and I used that money to help others so they would no longer suffer from poverty.'

After Uncle Zhang finished the story, he asked the children, 'What did you learn today?' One child shouted, 'Equality!' Uncle Zhang praised the child and told everyone, 'You must not measure people with your eyes, but interact with them with a sincere heart. You will discover their goodness, and they will feel your compassion. Perhaps he is a future emperor, and it is because of your kindness that you saved him.' After hearing Uncle Zhang's story, some children who had been holding their noses lowered their hands; others who had sat far away moved closer to sit right beside me. Uncle Zhang smiled at me, and my heart was deeply moved."

The Path of Compassion and Awakening

"From that day on, I played with the children every day. A wealthy child brought me into his home, and his parents adopted me as their foster son. I was filled with gratitude. I learned to emulate the child in the story, performing acts of kindness everywhere, repaying the kindness I received tenfold to society. I saved every bit of the allowance my foster parents gave me and donated it all to those in need in the town.

I never discriminated against anyone, following the 'equality and non-discriminatory heart' taught in Uncle Zhang's story. I helped everyone who needed it with the same sincerity. Once, I met a woman searching for her mother, who suffered from what is now called dementia. The woman was crying in distress. I helped her by posting portraits of her mother everywhere, asking everyone to help search. Soon, there was news; a hunter saw her mother shivering in a cave, but no matter how he called, she would not come out. I rushed to take the woman to the cave. As soon as the mother saw her daughter, she ran out, acting like a little girl again. The woman hugged her mother tightly, and they both wept. At that moment, I felt deeply touched. I saw that the woman had beautiful features, but worry and sorrow had made her face look aged and haggard. Her body was weak, yet she had to stand tall to be her mother's support. I clearly saw the suffering of being human. It was not just the woman who suffered; her mother suffered too, The Head unable to be clear, unable to live independently, relying on her daughter for everything. She would forget things immediately after doing them, sometimes not knowing who she was, and sometimes not even recognizing her own daughter. What meaning was there in such a life? After this realization, I began to observe the various sufferings of the world, lamenting that people had finally obtained this precious human body, only to use it to make themselves suffer in this world."

The Call of the Dharma

"I tossed and turned every night, unable to sleep, as images of sentient beings crying for help constantly surfaced in my mind. My individual strength was limited, and I did not know how to save more beings. My savings could not help many, and I did as much as I could, but it was never enough. It was this sincere desire to help that finally led me to the Buddha's teachings.

I accidentally met an eminent monk who was travelling on foot. I respectfully asked him about the Buddha's teachings, and in just a moment, he helped me awaken. It was my good roots and compassionate heart that made me believe deeply in the Dharma and resolve to practice in a temple. Only after I began to listen to sutras and hear the Dharma in the temple did I realize that helping people means helping them truly achieve liberation and leave suffering behind. The sorrow in people's hearts is driven by karma, and the inability to let go of emotions is also a result of karmic entanglement. We come to this world following our karma, and every moment is spent repaying the fruits of our actions. Every bit of diligent practice I undertook in the temple was driven by the desire to have enough ability to help sentient beings leave suffering behind. I never stopped for a moment.

At twenty-seven, I began spreading the Dharma, teaching those obsessed with the world to let go of their attachments to life and to stop creating the sins of greed, hatred, and delusion that lead to the cycle of reincarnated suffering. Our short lives should be used for liberation; no amount of wealth can bring back the youth that has passed. When karma comes to collect, the suffering of body and mind is endless. I used Wisdom to teach people how to break through delusion and attain enlightenment. Those who know suffering, understand suffering, and are willing to let go of suffering and escape it, will know how to learn from the Buddha to change themselves and transform their lives. Our short lives should no longer be used to satisfy false desires, but to truly help our spirits attain liberation."

A Final Return and Continued Vows

"I lived to be seventy-eight. While walking in the mountains to continue delivering sentient beings, I forgot that the time for my rebirth in the Western Pure Land had arrived. Only when the Buddha appeared before me did I remember it was time to go home. I was received by the Buddha and reborn in the Western Land right there on the road.

Now, I have returned to the world to support Practitioner Su. Many past Causal Conditions have manifested again. I had met Practitioner Su once before, and after several hundred years, we have met again today. At that time, Practitioner Su was travelling to save the world, rescuing immeasurable and boundless beings from the sea of suffering. It was Practitioner Su's teaching that led me to begin practicing Buddhism. Many of the fourfold assembly of disciples also have a connection with me; the Causal Conditions are truly inconceivable. No matter how much time passes, that connection remains.

When Practitioner Su opens the space for me, the beings within that space also have a connection with me. Some have heard the Dharma before but did not know to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land; others have never heard the Dharma, but after listening to Practitioner Su teach a single sutra, they are willing to seek rebirth in the Western Land. It is because the good roots, Blessings, and Causal Conditions of sentient beings are different. I do my best to save them, but I also follow the Causal Conditions to deliver them. Every day, immeasurable beings are freed from the shackles of that space. They are filled with gratitude—gratitude for Practitioner Su's compassion. Namo Amituofo."

This interview message was recorded by the Buddhist disciple Shi Fa Jing.