Deliverance to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss: Lay Practitioner Yu Guoying

This is a record of an interview with Yu Guoying, the mother of Lay Practitioner Liu Yonghong, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her transition from the darkness of the intermediate state to the light of the Buddha. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on March 21, 2025.

Lay Practitioner Yu Guoying speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Yu Guoying. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Practitioner Su. My heart is finally at peace, and I am filled with a profound sense of relief, knowing that I have attained liberation and have arrived safely in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

To be perfectly honest, my spirit was absolutely terrified. I was filled with such intense anxiety because I had no idea where I was going or what was to become of me. When I still possessed my physical body, I never imagined that death could be so frightening. But once my spirit left my body, I found myself surrounded by an overwhelming, suffocating darkness. I did not know where to turn. I searched and searched, but I could not find a path, nor could I see even a glimmer of light. I was panicked, trembling with fear, and I truly did not know what to do. It was a nightmare from which I could not wake."

The Illusion of Worldly Attachments

"This was my first time experiencing death, and it was only after I had passed that I realised how truly terrifying it is. If I could be granted the chance to live my life over again, I would dedicate myself entirely to chanting Namo Amituofo and studying the Dharma with absolute sincerity. I would let go of everything else. It is only when you face death that you realise how little the world has to do with you.

All the things I clung to were merely tools for my physical body to use. Even my family—they were only connected to me through the ties of my physical form. Once I passed away, they had absolutely no connection to my spirit anymore. This is a harsh, cold reality, but it is one that I only truly understood after I had already left the world behind."

A Mother's Gratitude and the Path to Deliverance

"I was eventually saved by Practitioner Su, and I am so deeply grateful that it was my own child, Liu Yonghong, who reached out to help me. If Practitioner Su had not brought my spirit out from that dark, desolate space, I would still be trapped in that state of panic and terror today.

When Practitioner Su brought me to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I was finally able to rest, sitting upon a lotus flower. In that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that I had been saved. I began to listen to the Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su, and I followed along, chanting Namo Amituofo and participating in the Dharma assembly. My spirit began to grow clearer and brighter with each passing moment. Eventually, I was even able to see many of my past lives. The cycle of reincarnation is truly terrifying; life after life, I have wandered through different realms, trapped in this endless cycle of rebirth."

The Light of the Western Land

"But now, at last, I have been rescued. Today, with the compassionate help of Practitioner Su, I have arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I no longer have to wander in the darkness. I am finally home.

Thank you, thank you. Right now, I can only think to say thank you and to continue chanting Namo Amituofo. I am filled with such immense gratitude.

Yu Guoying bows in reverence. Namo Amituofo."