From a Life of Service to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Xu Ningzhu, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life and his subsequent service in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on March 16, 2024.

Xu Ningzhu speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. We waited quietly, following along with the Dharma assembly and chanting the Buddha-name. When the 'Great Praise to Amitabha' was chanted during the assembly, that was the moment Practitioner Su guided us toward the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. We were so excited, so filled with gratitude. Upon arriving in the West, my heart was overwhelmed with emotion. This truly is the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The towering, majestic Namo Amituofo and the Sages of the West were right before us. We knelt and bowed, offering our deepest gratitude—gratitude to Namo Amituofo, and gratitude to Practitioner Su."

A Life Defined by Laughter

"Although my name contains the character for 'bamboo,' my physique was nothing like a bamboo stalk; I was short, round, and stout. From a young age, I was the target of mockery. Many people could not help but laugh when they saw me—laughing at my weight, my height, and even my perceived intellectual disability. Seeing how happy they were when they laughed at me, I felt happy too. When they saw me smiling back, they found it even funnier, calling me a fool.

In truth, it was not that I did not understand they were mocking me; I was genuinely happy because I felt my existence served a purpose. I could entertain everyone and bring them joy! Therefore, I never thought about losing weight. There was no need; I was content to let them laugh to their hearts' content."

The Burden of Parental Expectations

"My parents, however, did not see it that way. They always urged me to eat less, feeling that being mocked like this caused them to lose face. Because my parents were both educated intellectuals—teachers at a school—they were deeply embarrassed.

I had assumed I would attend the school where my parents taught, but that was not the case. They arranged for me to attend a different school, some distance from our home. At first, I was confused. Why would they not let me attend their school? Why take me so far away? Later, I realised it was precisely because I made them feel ashamed that they had made such arrangements.

I felt a bit sad about my parents' behaviour. After all, they were my parents, yet they could not accept me as I was. How was I supposed to think about them? How was I supposed to view my own parents?"

The Wisdom of Grandparents

"There was a period when I truly could not find my way out of that darkness. During that time, the smile vanished from my face. Not wanting my parents to see me like that, I returned to the countryside to stay with my grandparents.

My grandparents loved me dearly, but their love was never about spoiling me. They knew how to teach me, guiding me to grow up with a more correct perspective. The reason I was not afraid of being laughed at was because of my grandparents. They gave me the concept that I could be a source of joy for others, which was a wonderful thing, as everyone in the world lived with so much unhappiness.

Although I was labelled as a child with an intellectual disability, I knew clearly within myself that sometimes, a ray of hope would suddenly appear in my head, bringing a sense of instant clarity. In those moments, my mind was perfectly clear; there was absolutely no issue with my intelligence. However, that state of clarity would quickly vanish; it was only a fleeting appearance."

The Mysterious Stranger and the Path of Goodness

"I once tried to grasp those moments of clarity to observe my surroundings and my family. In those instants, I felt as though my home and my family were strangers—I felt as if I did not know them, even though they were my own kin. Once the light faded and I returned to my original state, with my head covered by layers of heavy, thick obstructions, I would look at my home and my family again, and the feeling would change. They were my family! There was nothing strange about them. Why had I felt like a stranger just moments before?

I was always puzzled by this, but no one could understand. They all thought I was confused and talking nonsense. But I was not; the feeling was real, and it happened many times.

However, among all those people, there was one who was willing to believe me: my grandmother.

One day, while walking home, a stranger approached me and said, 'Little one, if you do not want your mind to be interfered with, I will teach you a good method. If you follow it, you will gradually improve.' I was so happy and immediately asked, 'What is this good method?' He replied, 'From now on, do good deeds every day. Do not do them for yourself; sincerely help others. Then, no matter what happens to you, think of everything as good and see everything as good. Just follow this, and I guarantee you will see a great change.'"

The Transformation of the Mind

"I truly followed the method that stranger taught me. Every day, I helped others. Whether it was a big task or a small one, if I could do it, I would do it actively, without seeking any reward. At first, I was still doing it for myself, hoping that by helping others, the interference in my head would decrease. But as I helped more, I began to feel the joy of helping others. I grew to love this feeling, and I grew to love this version of myself. Furthermore, I listened to the stranger's advice: I thought of everything as good and saw everything as good. When I did this, I was so happy—every day was filled with joy. It seemed as if nothing could make me sad or angry. Even when others intentionally humiliated me, I was able to think of their behaviour as good.

After three years, doing good had become a part of my life, as natural as eating. I had also made 'seeing good' and 'thinking good' part of my personality. It no longer required effort; it was natural.

I had successfully moulded myself into a different person: optimistic, happy, and eager to help. Imperceptibly, my head began to change, which I could clearly feel. It was as if the intellectual disability had vanished; my intelligence had almost fully recovered. The black, layered obstructions that had covered my mind seemed to be peeling away, layer by layer.

As these obstructions decreased, my mind slowly began to see many scenes from the past. The first thing I saw was that I had once been a teacher, but for my own personal gain, I had misled many students, ruining their lives. These sins alone were enough to cause me to be born with low intelligence in this life."

A Vow to Serve

"I repented sincerely and continued to do good and help others even more earnestly. Later, I also began to see the past lives of others, knowing what karma they had created that led to the encounters they faced in this life. Thus, I prayed to the heavens, asking for the strength, Wisdom, and ability to help others. My vow truly began to take effect. When people came before me, I could not only see their past, but I also began to have the Wisdom to know how to guide them to change—though I never directly told them who their past enemies were.

Many people, under my guidance and help, received tremendous benefits and changed their lives.

In this life, I devoted myself entirely to helping others, so I never married or had children. I spent my life helping people. I thought I was doing well, but I did not expect that at eighty-one, when my life came to an end, my spirit would emerge from my body and enter the space of a pair of shoes. Those were the shoes I wore most often, the ones I wore everywhere to help people. So, in the final moment before I died, I wanted to go to the door to put on those shoes, and my spirit immediately entered the space of the shoes."

From the Hells to the Western Pure Land

"However, I did not stay in those shoes for long because the merit I had accumulated from helping others gave me the chance to be saved from that space in about ten years.

I entered the last pair of shoes connected to me by karmic affinity—the shoes worn by a woman. That woman had also been helped by me; she remembered me and was very grateful because I had saved her life. After she learned the Buddha's teachings, she went everywhere to help me seek Chao Du. During one Dharma assembly, she wore those shoes to attend, which meant I attended as well. In that assembly, my spirit unexpectedly left the shoes, and officials sent from the hells immediately took me away.

I was brought before King Yama. At first, I thought I was going to be punished. To my surprise, King Yama did not want to punish me; instead, he praised my good deeds during my life, noting that I had helped many people change their destinies. However, because I still had karma, and many personality traits, habits, and attachments that I had not yet changed, I had been taken away.

King Yama gave me the position of a prison guard, allowing me to serve in the hells. I was very grateful and cherished this opportunity. But in the process of serving, my heart was truly pained, especially when seeing the suffering of the prisoners in the hells; I could not bear it.

Fortunately, I later began to hear Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. The first time I heard them, I burst into tears, for I had never had the chance to hear the Buddha's teachings during my life. Only then did I understand that the Buddha's teachings are about the laws of karma and cause and effect. At that moment, I truly understood that to attain liberation, one must chant 'Namo Amituofo' and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Now, I connect my past good deeds with the insights I gained from listening to the Dharma. I realise that it was the lack of this Buddha-name that caused me to lose myself even while helping others.

I understand now—I finally understand. I want to quickly introduce the Buddha's teachings to these beings in the hells, and I hope to return to the human world to save people. However, even more fortunately, before I could receive a human body again, Practitioner Su saved me and brought me to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I was placed on the list to be guided to the West, and at this very moment, I am already in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I will not stay here forever, but I will strengthen my abilities here. Then, when the Causal Conditions are ripe, I will certainly return to the human world to continue saving people. I pray to the Buddha to give me the ability, the greater Wisdom, and the greater compassion to help all beings.

Xu Ningzhu bows in reverence."

Namo Amituofo.