From the Shadows of Loneliness to the Western Pure Land
An Interview with the Spirit of Tang Rufang
Recorded by Chief Writer Fa Ning on May 1, 2026
This is a record of an interview with Tang Rufang, who sought at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Nature. This account reflects upon her life and her long journey through the spirit realms. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on May 1, 2026.
Tang Rufang speaks:
"Namo Amituofo. I offer my deepest gratitude to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su.
Today is a day of immense for me, Tang Rufang. It is also a day of great celebration for the many beings who have arrived here in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss alongside me. This day has been a long time coming; it is truly special, and my heart is overflowing with gratitude.
A Long-Awaited
I find myself constantly repenting before the Buddha for the mistakes of my past, and I never cease to express my thanks. Ever since I arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, this has been my state of being. However, it truly took me a very long time to wake up—to fully realise that I was no longer that young girl who had been suffering and trembling in that dark, cold space for so long.
Yes, it has been decades since I left the human world. If I had not chosen that desperate path so long ago, I would have lived out the better part of a lifetime by now. Yet, in that spirit space, I seemed to remain trapped in the form of that twenty-something-year-old girl, never changing. The only things I could feel were an endless, suffocating loneliness, a profound sense of isolation, and a biting, bone-chilling cold. I spent so much time trembling and calling out, but no matter how hard I screamed or how desperately I begged for help, it seemed as though no one could see me.
The Silent World of the Departed
I remember standing right beside my family in the human world, shouting at the top of my lungs, but they remained completely unaware of my presence. That is the reality of the world of ghosts and spirits. My space was always tethered to the side of my family; I never left them. As the days turned into years, they moved on with their lives, and as a lonely spirit, I did not want to disturb their peace. So, after a while, I stopped shouting and retreated into my own small, dark corner to hide.
How did forty years pass by in that state? When I look back, I wonder how I could have ever chosen such a path. It was truly the height of ignorance. It felt as though I had long ago lost the ability to be the master of my own fate. If you were to ask me now why I chose that path, I honestly cannot remember the details of that time. In that confused, hazy space, I spent decades struggling and trying to escape, yet time just slipped away in the blink of an eye. I seemed to be trapped in a cycle of repeating the same actions, having long ago forgotten where my original heart lay.
The Grace of Deliverance
If Namo Amituofo had not reached out to lift me up today, reminding me that I am Tang Rufang and that I am the sister of Tang Ruyu, I might have forgotten my own name and my sister's name entirely. Looking back at the inexplicable emotions and the unspeakable suffering I carried in my heart, perhaps it was simply because the pain was too great that I felt I had no other choice.
The human world is so different now from when I left it. Everything has changed; in my eyes, the passage of time has transformed everything in the blink of an eye. The human body is truly a vessel of impermanence, and I, Tang Rufang, have felt this truth in the very depths of my being. Here, I must express my immense gratitude to my sister, Tang Ruyu. Thank you for encountering the Buddha, and thank you for registering me for Chao Du. Only because of you did I have the chance to be liberated from that painful space. To everyone I may have hurt with my past actions, I hope you can let go and forgive me. I truly no longer care about things that happened so long ago.
The of the Buddha
Here in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I can now feel the infinite, boundless compassion of the Buddha. It is truly, truly compassionate. When I first arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, it took such a long time for my heart to settle. It was only through the help of the Buddha and the tireless, patient counseling of Practitioner Su that I was able to emerge from that trapped version of myself. As I slowly began to recover, I felt as though the Buddhist affinity I had cultivated over countless lifetimes was finally beginning to sprout and emerge.
My gratitude to the Buddha is beyond words. I have wept so much, and I have such a deep longing to truly grow—to become like the Buddha and save all boundless suffering sentient beings. I made this vow in my heart, and it felt as though I had finally broken through a barrier that had held me back for countless lifetimes. Once I was truly free from that obstacle, I found that I no longer wanted to dwell on any of the painful memories of the past. I only want to focus my entire heart and mind on chanting this phrase, Namo Amituofo, and follow the Buddha. My heart feels both secure and filled with joy.
A Message to the Living
Having shared this, I also wish to advise my family and friends still in the human world, especially my sister, Tang Ruyu. I hope that in your limited time, you will chant the Buddha's name diligently and live your lives well. This phrase, Namo Amituofo, is truly magnificent. Chanting the Buddha's name is like taking the Buddha's vows into your own heart, making the Buddha's vow your own vow—which is to save all boundless suffering sentient beings.
I can now deeply understand the suffering of the soul; being a lonely, helpless spirit is truly painful. Now, I can see clearly that the great Chao Du being conducted by Practitioner Su in China is truly, effectively helping so many beings. It opens up the spaces where they have lived for decades, centuries, millennia, or even tens of thousands of years, allowing them to break free from those layers of existence so they can follow the Buddha to the Western Land of Dharma Nature and truly learn the teachings of the Buddha.
This has truly broadened my horizons. I never imagined that there could be someone in the human world who could realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood. Now that I no longer have a human body, this task has become very difficult, but I will not give up. I will settle down here in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to practise diligently, to repay the Buddha's kindness, and to live up to the expectations everyone has for me.
My heart is filled with such gratitude that I must once again say to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su: Thank you, and thank you to everyone.
Namo Amituofo.
Tang Rufang"
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Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
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