Generations of Devotion: The Legacy of Chen Dongyang

This is a record of an interview with the 643rd Venerable, Chen Dongyang, who lived approximately 1,850 years ago. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on August 16, 2018.

Venerable Chen Dongyang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Chen Dongyang. My family has always been renowned in our town for our charitable works. Every generation of our descendants has been joyful in giving and generous in making offerings; many of us have been devout Buddhists. Our family possesses a unique tradition: each generation has only one child, and that child is always a son. Once a male heir is born, the task of continuing the family line and inheriting the Dharma is fulfilled, and the parents cease all intimate relations thereafter.

A Childhood Immersed in the Buddha-Name

From the moment I was in my mother's womb, she began teaching me to chant 'Namo Amituofo.' My mother chanted the Buddha's name 24/7 without interruption. Consequently, during the ten months I spent in her womb, I heard the sound of the Buddha-name every single day, growing peacefully within her. Throughout those ten months, I never caused my mother any physical discomfort. Even my birth was smooth and swift, sparing her from unnecessary hardship.

In our family, once a mother gave birth, her most important task—aside from her own diligent practice—was to carefully nurture the child, ensuring they learned the Buddha's teachings so they could contribute to the Dharma in the future. After my mother gave birth to me, my father was busy every day, working tirelessly to build a temple. This was his greatest wish in life: to establish a temple in our town, a pure place of practice that would inspire all the townspeople to believe in the Buddha and chant His name. More importantly, he wanted to ensure that the Buddha's teachings could be passed down eternally.

The Clarity of Pure Water

My mother taught me the heart of compassion through the bits and pieces of daily life. For my innate character and habits, she patiently used the Dharma to guide me, helping me to polish away my flaws bit by bit. She often used the clear water in a wooden bucket to educate me, hoping my heart would be as clear and transparent as that water. When she scooped up some water and poured it into my palm, she taught me that my temperament should be as gentle as that water. I would cup the water in my hands and drink it, and my mother would tell me that every day of practicing the Buddha's path is as sweet as this water, for practicing the Buddha's path is the greatest enjoyment in life.

I was the happiest child in the world. From a young age, I had the guidance of the Buddha's teachings. Think about it—how many people in this world are unable to leave suffering behind because they lack the Dharma? They live their days as if in total darkness. These people were waiting for me to save them, to help them hear the Buddha's teachings, to find the light of life, and to let them know about chanting Namo Amituofo to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Spreading the Light of the Dharma

Carrying the mission to save the world, I practiced diligently in the Buddha-name every day, cultivating a pure and dignified Dharma Body. I remember when I was ten years old, my mother took me out onto the streets. Many townspeople praised my appearance, noting my smiling face and approachable nature. Not yet knowing how to introduce the Dharma to them, I simply shouted, 'As long as you chant Namo Amituofo, you can become beautiful, and you can live every day as happily as I do!' Hearing this, they all laughed joyfully, happily accepting this sacred name and departing in high spirits.

When I played with the children on the street, I never forgot to tell them of the same age to chant Namo Amituofo. I told them that chanting the Buddha's name could help them grow taller, make their eyes brighter and larger, and make their minds sharper. These children were so happy to hear this that they followed me in chanting. Many even went home to tell their parents about the benefits of this Buddha-name. Seeing their joy made me very happy as well.

The Truth of Life and Death

My mother led me to observe the entirety of human life—from infancy to childhood, adolescence, middle age, old age, and finally, death. Everyone lives their life this way, filled with emotions, marriage, work, raising children, and illness. After death, there is only darkness. If life lacks the teachings of the Buddha, this is how the life cycle plays out. Within the realms of emotion and marriage alone, how much suffering torments the human heart? I once watched a beautiful woman become an old woman overnight simply because the man she loved betrayed her for a new lover. That beautiful woman eventually took her own life, ending her short existence.

I understood clearly that only by practicing the Buddha's path can one be liberated from all suffering. My greatest wish was to help everyone hear the Buddha's teachings, because there is nothing in this world happier than practicing the Buddha's path. Only through this practice can one understand the falsity of life and realize how miserable life is without the Dharma.

A Vow to Save the World

I did not intend to continue the family line in the traditional sense. The Chen family would not lose its legacy because our mission was to inherit the Dharma. I had to take on the responsibility of passing down the Buddha's teachings. All the children of the world became my children; I wanted to spread the Dharma everywhere so that every child could be educated by it. At twelve, I bade farewell to my parents and took over a dozen children of my own age into the temple to practice. These were friends who shared my aspirations and had the same goal: to save the world. We did not speak of worldly friendship, only of the Dharma, and we vowed to become monastics together and save the world together.

Inside the temple, we each worked hard on the Buddha's path. Our master taught us patiently. By the age of twenty, we were all ordained as Bhikshus. Each of us possessed a pure and dignified Dharma Body, and we worked hard to cultivate our own hearts. Having a dignified appearance is the most basic resource for delivering sentient beings and capturing their hearts. We dispersed to various places to propagate the Dharma, saving many who had lost hope in life, helping them regain hope amidst their painful and lost lives, and encouraging them to wholeheartedly chant the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

In this life, I brought many children back to the Western Pure Land. The Buddha's teachings will be passed down eternally. Every child is a child of the Buddha; we are all one family forever, with no discrimination, and each of us will be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body Deliverance

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body travels into the universe every day to perform Chao Du for all spirits in the universe. Throughout the vast universe, there is a place of extreme brightness, bathed in the Buddha's light; this is where Practitioner Su's Dharma Body performs deliverance. The scope of this deliverance is becoming increasingly vast, and the bandwidth of the deliverance is widening.

I followed Practitioner Su into the universe. In an instant, all the Venerables and Practitioner Su went to places where they had karmic affinity, dispersing throughout the universe. Sometimes, we could even return to the space we occupied during our own lifetimes. When I was alive, I did not have the ability to travel through the universe. Today, the planets I deliver are those I visited over twenty lifetimes ago when I first stepped into the universe to deliver sentient beings. At that time, I transmitted the six-character name of Namo Amituofo to many planets, planting the seeds of the Buddha in them. Today, those seeds have finally flourished.

When the name of Namo Amituofo was transmitted into these planets, they were like beings reawakening. The Buddha's light shone upon these planets, and they seized the opportunity to follow the Buddha's light and leave their original spaces. I am deeply grateful to the great compassion of Namo Amituofo."

Namo Amituofo.