Interview at the Western Land of Dharma Nature — Lin Cheng-chieh (Former Legislator of Taiwan)

Interviewer: Fa Ning

June 4, 2026

Lin Cheng-chieh:

My name is Lin Cheng-chieh, and now it is my turn to report my life story to everyone. I have been in the Western Land of Dharma Nature for over a week.

You may not know this place, and my family and friends do not know it either. But I want to tell you that I am living a very good life now, which is truly different from before. I hope you can go online to look up the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and search for the Western Land of Dharma Nature; perhaps you will better understand what kind of world this Buddha-land is.

Let me tell you, I was a person who believed in Buddhism before, but I did not truly believe. After arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I realised that I was truly very wrong. However, looking back at all of this, it was not in vain; since I have now safely arrived in this very beautiful world and can share all of this with you, that is already a very good thing.

It is just that my life was too legendary. What is called legendary actually means that I had a very strong personality, which resulted in such a turbulent life. Looking back at these various bad deeds now, I truly must let everyone understand what the universal principle and the righteous path of Truth are.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have been listening to what Practitioner Su says. At first, I did not understand, but later I finally realised that the universal principle and the righteous path of Truth are moral foundations. In the human world, the term moral foundations is used, but the scope is actually quite small. The universal principle and the righteous path of Truth spoken of in the Buddha’s teachings have a very vast scope. What can be done, what cannot be done, and what kind of thoughts should not arise are all clearly stated. As long as one is thinking of oneself and not for others, these selfish thoughts and various feelings are actually not allowed.

This is why, after leaving the human world, I suffered so painfully in the hells. People in the human world may find it hard to understand, but I truly suffered in the hells for a long time, perhaps for a year.

I mentioned earlier that my personality was not good, and that is the truth. Now that I have arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I feel very emotional when looking back at my life. Only by suffering such torture in the hells could I understand the preciousness of life and know what can be done and what cannot be done. I think I have no regrets. Since I have gone through this, I can still share it with the world; I do not feel aggrieved at all. I hope everyone will not follow my old path, but instead follow the path of the Buddha.

If you have the opportunity to read this interview, and you can believe what I say, then you will surely gain many benefits.

I, Lin Cheng-chieh, was once a member of the Democratic Progressive Party during my lifetime, and I was also once not a member. I joined and left the party several times, but throughout my life, I was indeed inseparable from the struggle for democracy and freedom, hoping that Taiwan could move towards a situation where different parties take turns in governance as soon as possible. In my early years, I often called on people in the streets to change their thinking, accept different political parties, and realise a more democratic and free country. Therefore, people called me the Little Street Bully; this name is really not very pleasant. In today's terms, this proves that my personality was very strong. In order to advocate for everything I believed to be right, I also used a very tough tone and methods to promote it.

I like driving. I have travelled all over Taiwan from south to north to promote the ideas and thoughts of our liberal faction, calling on people in both cities and rural areas to have the opportunity to accept different ideological impacts and accept different ideological transformations. This is what we thought we should do, but all of this was also my own strong subjectivity and expectations, and it was not something that truly conformed to the universal principle and the righteous path of Truth.

I before did not know so much; I just thought that if it was something that should be done and something I believed to be correct, I should bravely go ahead and do it, regardless of the consequences or the methods used. I would forge ahead, which led to the current result.

I went to the Hell of Gouging Eyes and the Hell of Copper Pillars. These two hells, oh, they were truly too painful. The Hell of Gouging Eyes was because I had looked at many things wrongly in the past, thought of many things in a distorted way, and saw things negatively, so naturally, I went to the Hell of Gouging Eyes. At the same time, I also went to the Hell of Copper Pillars because I had indeed committed infidelity during my marriage in this life, and deep down, I did not know how to repent, nor did I seriously feel that this was a wrong thing to do.

At that time, my first wife divorced me because of such behaviour. I had a pair of twin daughters with the lady I briefly had an affair with, and I loved them very much. However, I could not help but think of the karma I had created. I still regard them as my beloved daughters, but in this relationship, I also let down my first wife. Anyway, human relationships are just that complicated, and it is really not worth mentioning now.

I only wish to advise my family, my son and my daughters, with the most sincere heart: do not follow your father's old path. I loved you sincerely in the past, and I sincerely advise you now. I hope you can understand the true Buddhist education and use this education to transform your own heart, so that your heart can always remain on the universal principle and the righteous path of Truth. Only then will you not do wrong things, nor will you create karma that could lead you to hell.

Because your father has gone through this, I know that the hells are so painful. There are so many people inside who are suffering so much, and this suffering has no end; it is too deeply engraved in my heart. So I am telling you now that I am very fortunate to have arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature; otherwise, I do not know how long I would have suffered in the hells. If Namo Amituofo had not appeared in the human world, or if a person like Practitioner Su had not appeared in the human world, I think I would still be suffering in the hells.

Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are the Buddhas I am following and learning from in the Western Land of Dharma Nature now. These two Buddhas are truly very wise. In just one week, I have learned many principles from them that I never knew before.

Everyone knows who Namo Amituofo is. But in the human world, many of us in Taiwan still do not know Practitioner Su. Let me tell you, she is actually a Taiwanese person, known as Sister Su, Lay Practitioner Su, or some even call her Grandma Su. She is eighty-three years old this year, but thirty years ago, when she was fifty-three, she had already awakened and realised her true nature and attained Buddhahood in Taiwan.

People might not understand what this means. What does it mean for a human body to attain Buddhahood? It is because Practitioner Su completely operates according to everything the Buddha said, especially by observing everything described in the Infinite Life Sutra (The Buddha Speaks the Mahayana, Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment Sutra). She does what should be done, does not do what should not be done, maintains her righteous heart, righteous thoughts, and righteous conduct, and chants Namo Amituofo all the way. Therefore, as an awakened being, she follows Namo Amituofo in the human world and has saved many, many beings. This is called Chao Du, which means she can lead the spirits of us beings from different places in the six realms of existence to the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

I did not explain clearly just now; the Western Land of Dharma Nature is a Buddha-land established by Practitioner Su. With the help of Namo Amituofo, Practitioner Su established this Buddha-land, which can lead immeasurable and boundless beings to come here and receive the opportunity for purification. After purification, if one can chant the name Namo Amituofo all the way and is truly willing to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, then one can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is the true final home for the spirit.

I am like many beings here now, wanting to chant Namo Amituofo all the way and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the future, so as not to wander in the six realms of existence anymore. The hells are very painful, and the six realms of existence are also very painful. We have been rolling in this for so long without any chance of escape. But now, after suffering in the hells for a year, I received the illumination of Buddha-light, which immediately led me to the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

I do not know why I was so lucky to be chosen, but later I realised that it was because I still had a certain influence in the human world and people knew me. Being led up here now, I can also serve as an example to tell everyone that many of us famous people are almost all suffering in the hells. I hope that people in the world, especially the people of Taiwan, who are originally simple and kind, will never follow our old path. Buddhist education can ensure that after you follow it, you will not suffer the pain I once suffered.

Many people think they are good people, but after they die, they still go to hell because everyone does not know that everything said in Buddhist education is the universal principle and the Truth. Judging what is moral and what is not moral by one's own standards is inaccurate, because we ordinary people have not yet realised our true nature and attained Buddhahood, and we are still in a state of ignorance regarding the spiritual world. Therefore, it is very important to learn honestly here.

I am just like that; I have removed all the arrogant air I had during my lifetime and am wholeheartedly chanting Namo Amituofo all the way, hoping to achieve success in my practice soon. I can also let my story serve as a mirror, letting everyone know what can be done and what cannot be done.

I created a lot of karma in my life, influencing people's hearts. I had never studied the Buddha’s teachings before, so I really did not know that influencing people's hearts in such a way was a bad thing. But I understand now that everything that has a profound impact on people and causes their Body-Mind-Spirit to be polluted should not be done. I was sick in my old age, and it was not a minor illness; lung cancer tormented me for eight years before I left the human world. So, most of my later years were spent fighting cancer, which was very painful. But the suffering of hell is even more painful.

Everyone must believe all of this, because the universal principle is that Goodness has good rewards and evil has evil rewards; this is clearly displayed in the book of cause and effect. People get sick because they have not done well, and their bodies are filled with immeasurable and boundless beings they owed debts to in the past, who are called karmic creditors. They came to seek revenge, which is why I got sick, died in such pain, and then went directly to hell to suffer retribution. I seem to have repeated this many times, but I must explain the importance of Buddhist education to everyone.

If one can focus on practice, chant the Buddha's name wholeheartedly, and elevate one's spirit, then one will have the skills like Practitioner Su, and can return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss at any time. This is called the skill of freely travelling back and forth to the Western Land. I now greatly admire the high wisdom in the Buddha’s teachings and the abilities of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; the ability achieved under this Ultimate Vow is truly admirable.

As a person of the Western Land of Dharma Nature now, I can speak to my family through the people at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia using spiritual communication. I also advise everyone to go online to understand what kind of place the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is and what kind of work it is doing. Regarding the matters of this universe, only this place can help everyone dissect them, and it is explained in great detail. You will be very surprised.

If you want to find me, just come to the temple. You can contact the people at the temple online first, and then arrange a visit to the temple. This is also a very good thing, allowing everyone to have the opportunity for purification. Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su, and gratitude to everyone.

Namo Amituofo

Lin Cheng-chieh