From Wandering Spirit to the Western Land

This is a record of an interview with Lay Practitioner Wei Yixiang, who sought deliverance 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 transition from the cycle of rebirth and his newfound clarity. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on July 28, 2023.

Lay Practitioner Wei Yixiang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am doing very well now. I have already arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am so moved, so deeply grateful! It is a feeling that words can barely capture.

The Three Holy Ones of the West are right here before me, so magnificent and grand. I have been kneeling and bowing to them continuously, my tears flowing without end. I am overwhelmed with emotion. I must thank Practitioner Su for guiding me here; only through his help did I have the opportunity to achieve liberation from the cycle of rebirth and escape the suffering I endured for so long. It is a debt of gratitude I can never fully repay."

The Illusion of Samsara

"Only after losing my physical body did I realise that I had always been alone. I was a single spirit wandering through the cycle of rebirth, a single spirit suffering in the darkness. My wife, who accompanied me in this lifetime, was merely a connection formed by Causal Conditions for this one life. All those past lives I lived are gone now; they were all illusions. Think about it—how many people have we known, how many lives have we lived, and yet, in the end, we are all just spirits drifting through the vastness of samsara.

Originally, I was unable to let go, which is why I kept following my wife. But in truth, we were existing in different spaces. Practitioner Su often speaks of 'space' here at the centre, and it is truly real. We were in different dimensions; even when I was following her, we were separated by the boundaries of these different spaces. It was a lonely existence, one that I did not understand until I was finally guided to the light."

Clarity and the Truth of Past Lives

"After my spirit was brought by Practitioner Su to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, the Buddha-light shone upon me every day, helping me to recover. At first, I could not understand the sutras, but I listened with all my heart. As I continued to listen, I was amazed to find that I could suddenly understand them. It was as if a veil had been lifted from my mind.

My spirit became clearer and brighter. After I saw my past lives, I sat on my lotus seat and wept for a long time. It turns out that I have been reincarnated throughout my many lives—I have been an animal, an insect, a bird; I have been everything. In many of my previous lives, I was a human, but I created so much negative karma. This lifetime was just another chapter of paying off those debts. It is terrifying to think of how long I have been trapped in this cycle, and how much suffering I have caused and endured.

Being human is truly full of suffering. I hope my family can wake up, start to chant Buddha's name, and perform more good deeds. Do not wait until it is too late to realise the truth of this world."

A Final Message to My Family

"I am no longer a person of this world. Since I passed away, the home I knew in this life feels so distant, as if it belongs to a different world entirely. I cherish the brief connection we had, but I hope my family can all reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Only when everyone achieves liberation will we truly be free from suffering. Please, do not let the attachments of this world hold you back from the path to the Western Land.

Wei Yixiang, bowing in reverence.

Namo Amituofo."