Finding Home After the Storm of Samsara

This is a record of an interview with Chen Lixue, who sought Chao Du 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 suffering of the cycle of rebirth to the eternal peace of the Buddha. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on October 18, 2024.

Lay Practitioner Chen Lixue speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. After the overwhelming fear I experienced at the moment of my death, I have finally seen the light again. It is a warmth that has settled deep into my heart, soothing the cold terror that once gripped my soul.

I am Wang Lixue. I am filled with such profound gratitude—gratitude that the Buddha came to welcome me. I have arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, a world of eternal joy, and that is why you see a smile upon my face. When I first beheld the Buddha, I could not hold back my tears; they simply flowed of their own accord. At first, I did not understand why I was weeping, but now I realise it was the deep, stirring emotion of my spirit finally finding its way home. I have been lost in the cycle of rebirth for I know not how long, and it has been such a difficult, arduous journey to finally find the path back to my true home.

The Final Trace of a Life

I know that this account may be the final trace I leave behind in this world. Because of this, I have a burning desire to share with all of you things I never understood before—specifically, the reality of what happens after death. My purpose in sharing this is not for my own sake, but to urge you to plan for your own future path. I hope that by speaking these words, I can offer some help to others and give my own experience a small measure of meaning.

Before I actually passed away, even while I still had breath in my lungs, my soul had already been torn away from my physical body. I was cast into the hells, where I had to endure the agony of retribution at every single moment. I felt my tongue being cut, and my body was pierced by blades again and again. I was in such unimaginable pain that I could only wail, begging for the suffering to end. That scene played out over and over, an endless loop of torment from which I could not escape. It was only when a powerful force reached down to pull me up that I was finally able to flee that terrifying place and arrive in a realm of light. Later, I came to understand that this place of light was the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and it was the compassion of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su that helped me reach it.

The Weight of Karmic Creditors

At the very beginning, my entire body was still racked with pain, and my mind was far from clear. It was only after my soul had slowly begun to heal that I could gradually see the people and things around me with clarity. When I looked back at the state of my physical body, I was truly horrified. I was surrounded by a densely packed crowd of beings. Their expressions were fierce and hateful; they had no intention of letting me go. In my past, my thoughts had been in sync with theirs, and so I was swept up like a leaf in a storm, unable to break free. That is why my body had decayed so rapidly, and why my karma had finally caught up with me. From head to toe, there were so many karmic creditors demanding retribution. In truth, I was not a bad person; I did good deeds from time to time. But those small acts were not enough to offset the heavy karma I had accumulated over lifetimes.

What I was destined to encounter, I eventually had to face. No matter how much I could not let go of my family in this world, at the moment of death, I had to let go. Because in death, you truly cannot take anything with you—not your dearest family, not your wealth, not your power, nor your status. Like me after death, you will have nothing, and you will still have to face the consequences of your actions. This was something I had never once considered, yet it happened to me. I had no time to react; I simply had to endure it.

A Message to the Living

The things I describe feel so vivid, as if they are still unfolding before my eyes. If I had simply followed the momentum of my karma, I do not know how much more suffering I would have endured in the hells, nor do I know where I would have been cast next. I am so grateful to the Buddha for giving me a sense of security, allowing me to be filled with such light and joy today.

Regarding the many events of my life, I do not wish to dwell on them. But I want to tell my family and my friends that I am doing very well now. Although the suffering I endured after death was truly intense, I have walked through that fire and come out the other side.

When I was alive, I held onto so many standards and worried about so many trivial things. I thought this body belonged to me, so I spent my life trying to manage it, but in the end, I held onto nothing. I am luckier than most. I am now in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, staying with Namo Amituofo. The lotus flowers all around me are so fragrant, and I am living a life far better, happier, and clearer than I ever did before.

The Path to Awakening

I am deeply grateful to Zhuo Shuling for helping me with the Chao Du. It is because of your great kindness that I am able to see the Buddha today. My husband also arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss with me today. That we could have such a profound Causal Condition is entirely due to Zhuo Shuling. I want to tell my family: while you are still alive, you must know to strive for your future destination. We never know when something might happen in life. What I am saying today may be different from the things I usually talked about, but I truly hope that everyone I know can come to know the Buddha and stop the cycle of rebirth. The suffering of samsara is constantly churning, and no one can resist it. Only by truly arriving in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss can all of this be brought to an end.

Do not take this human body too seriously. Like me, I thought everything before my eyes was real, and so I kept suffering. Now that I am awake, I urge all of you who are still asleep to walk out of that illusion. In truth, beyond what our eyes can see, there is so much more to our existence waiting to be discovered, so do not limit yourselves to the present moment. The most important thing is to wake up and stop the cycle of rebirth.

I am grateful to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su. I hope that those who read this can find some insight and reflection. Namo Amituofo."