From Karmic Debt to the Golden Light of Planets

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Mingda, formerly known as Su Dawang, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 520 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on August 13, 2018.

Venerable Mingda speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Ever since I was born, our family home flourished in an extraordinary way. My mother, filled with joy, would often say, 'This must be the auspicious energy brought by the character "Wang" in "Dawang".'

The 'auspicious energy' my mother referred to was the constant arrival of new life in our household. It began with the mother dog raised by my eldest brother, who gave birth to a litter of ten puppies. Soon after, the mother dog raised by my third brother mated with my second brother's male dog, resulting in six more puppies. Then, my fourth sister brought home five stray dogs she had found, and my mother, at the request of relatives and friends, took in three small white dogs. Our home suddenly became incredibly lively. My mother had given birth to ten children, and each of us had taken to raising at least three dogs, not to mention the new litters that kept appearing.

A Legacy of Compassion for Dogs

The origin of our Su family's love for dogs can be traced back to my father. He was a man who truly cherished dogs. Even before he married my mother, he would travel everywhere to rescue stray dogs and bring them home to care for them, simply because he could not bear to see them wandering the streets. The people in our village all knew of my father's kindness. Some would even abandon their unwanted dogs directly at our doorstep, and my father would accept them all, bringing them into our home to provide for them.

It was through this process of caring for strays that my father met my mother. She shared the same passion and was equally devoted to dogs. My mother came from a very wealthy background, which allowed her to purchase and keep many expensive breeds. When she saw how deeply my father loved dogs and how meticulously he cared for them, she was profoundly moved by his compassion. They fell in love, and every date they went on was inevitably accompanied by a pack of dogs following in their wake.

After my parents married, my mother gave birth to nine children. All of us were deeply influenced by our parents and became attached to dogs, each of us raising our own favourite breeds. No one kept just one; everyone had at least three. The tenth child, who arrived many years after the ninth, was me—Dawang. My mother chose this name deliberately, the 'Wang' character representing her deep affection for dogs.

A Strange and Painful Pregnancy

When my mother was pregnant with me, a strange phenomenon occurred. Whenever a dog came near her, she felt an overwhelming urge to vomit. This had never happened during her previous nine pregnancies. My mother thought to herself, 'Perhaps it is just because I am having a child at an older age.'

As the nausea grew increasingly severe, my mother had no choice but to distance herself from the dogs in our home. For the ten months she carried me, she stayed with relatives to avoid any contact with them. For a woman who loved dogs as much as she did, those were the most painful ten months of her life.

When I finally slid out from the birth canal, my mother was instantly terrified by the sound I made. I had let out a distinct dog's bark. The midwife, who heard it clearly, was so frightened that she stumbled back three steps, trembling as she cried out, 'Madam, you have given birth to a dog!' She then fled the room, screaming.

The Truth Revealed

My father and our relatives, who were waiting outside the door in anticipation, were shocked by the midwife's behaviour and rushed into the room to check on my mother. My father demanded, 'What is this about a dog? Let me see!'

My mother's eldest sister was a devout Buddhist who had been practising for thirty years. Her eyes had already developed the ability to perceive different realms. When she saw me, a newborn, she immediately told my mother, 'This is not a dog-child. It is because you carry too many dog spirits on you. They have all attached themselves to this child, which is why he emits the sound of a dog.' Everyone was stunned; they had never encountered such a thing. My mother herself was terrified, never having imagined that she carried the spirits of dogs within her.

My aunt, who was my mother's eldest sister, helped to perform Chao Du for the dog spirits attached to me during a Dharma assembly at the temple. After several ceremonies, I gradually returned to normal and regained the appearance of a regular child.

After giving birth to me, my mother's passion for dogs diminished significantly. As for me, I could not bear to be around them at all; the moment a dog came near, I would begin to cry and scream. Helpless, my mother had to send me to live with relatives, where my aunt took care of me. Consequently, I did not grow up living with my immediate family.

The Path of the Dharma

Every day, I followed my aunt to the temple. When the Venerable there saw me, he would teach me to chant Namo Amituofo, planting a Vajra Seed within me. My aunt told the Venerable, 'This child has a profound Buddhist affinity. Whenever I tell him we are going to the temple, he waves his hands with joy. Once we enter the temple, he seems completely immersed in the Buddha-name.'

The Venerable smiled and nodded, for he had already seen my past. He said to my aunt, 'This child has come in this lifetime to attain Buddhahood. In the past, he was a monk, but he was eventually seduced by worldly desires and forgot the great vow he had made to save all beings. In this lifetime, he was originally destined to be reborn as a dog to repay his karmic debts. However, before he became a dog, he made a great vow: if he could be reborn in the human world, he would dedicate his entire life to the Buddha's teachings and propagate the Dharma. Because he made this vow with such sincere and earnest intent, the Causal Conditions were arranged, and he was born into this family that loves dogs so dearly.'

My aunt was dumbfounded. Only then did she finally understand the strange phenomena that had occurred around me. It was truly inconceivable. From that moment on, knowing my past, she cultivated me even more diligently, hoping that I would one day contribute to the Buddha's teachings.

A Life of Devotion

I was very determined in this life. It felt as if every pore and every bone in my body carried a powerful vow—I was here to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, I loved going to the temple. Even though I was young, I could already feel that the magnetic field of the temple was different from the outside world.

At the age of five, with my parents' consent, my aunt sent me to the temple. The Venerable there, knowing my past, was willing to train me well, starting me from the most basic tasks. He told me, 'There is nothing you cannot do; there is only learning.' Thus, he was strict with me, aiming to cultivate me into a well-rounded Venerable.

Beyond teaching me how to work, the Venerable taught me to learn the state of 'no-mind' and 'no-thought', ensuring that every action I performed was contained within the Buddha-name. Even when I was busy, my heart remained with the Buddha. No matter how fast my hands and feet moved, my heart remained in a deep meditative state, always maintaining a sense of stillness.

My Dharma name was Mingda. Throughout my decades of practice, I encountered both favourable and adverse conditions. But regardless of whether things were smooth or difficult, there was only one belief in my heart: 'For the sake of all beings.' If there were adverse conditions, it meant there was still a 'self'. Without the 'self', how could there be any adversity? Whatever happened, it was merely a way to temper myself, to grind away the angles and shapes of this 'I' until I was free and at ease.

The Cosmic Deliverance

In this lifetime, I saved many, many beings, and in the end, I even saved my own family. My heart is filled with infinite gratitude. I am grateful to the Buddha for giving Mingda the opportunity to work for the Dharma in the human world and, at the end of my life, to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Today, looking at the 'Dharma Body Chao Du' performed by Practitioner Su, I see that all the planets saved by her have changed. From the perspective of the spiritual space, these planets have all begun to emit a halo of golden light. Although it is only a faint glow, they stand out among all other planets. The more sincere the chanting of the Buddha-name on a planet, and the more genuine their faith in the Buddha, the more powerful the golden light they emit. The greater the intensity of the light, the stronger the energy of that planet. I am grateful to Practitioner Su for her powerful deliverance across the universe. I am fortunate to have participated in this magnificent cosmic deliverance, and I hope to use my own strength to help save beings and lead them to leave suffering behind.

Namo Amituofo."