Interview in the Western Land of Dharma Nature — Cheng Chou-yu (Master of Modern Taiwanese Poetry)

Interviewer: Chief Writer Fa Ning

June 2, 2026

Cheng Chou-yu:

The affairs of the human world are truly unpredictable! I no longer possess this human body, but as for the world after death, and even being able to come here to the lotus platform in the Western Land of Dharma Nature with such joy and sit down, I think this is an experience that is too wonderful and special. No matter what I have experienced before, I let it all go.

I know that I am someone who has been to hell, and I do not want to hide this fact. Please tell my family, my friends, and also tell the people of all of Taiwan and the whole world. There are actually quite a few people who know me, Cheng Chou-yu, because my poetry is very famous. In the literary circles on both sides of the strait, or in textbooks across major Chinese-speaking regions, my modern poetry has appeared.

But to be honest, looking back at those poems of mine now, I do not feel very honoured. These poems recount the suffering in people's lives, the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs experienced by people of one era after another, the bits and pieces of those days, and there are also quite a few love poems among them. I always described many detailed matters in a very subtle and heart-stirring way. This is where my skills lay; it seemed I did not need to rack my brains too much to produce these works.

My temperament throughout my life was like that of a poet—open-minded and romantic—but in the end, I still fell into the miserable state of hell. I would like to say that there is not much in my life worth sharing, nor much worth referring to for future generations. If I could now be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss in a glorious manner, perhaps I could share the bits and pieces of my life for future generations to refer to!

But given this outcome, to be honest, I can only reflect with everyone on why I ended up in hell. I was once very confused and very distressed, because hell is truly suffering; this is the truth of the matter. I came up from the brain-gouging hell, and I was saved by the Buddha! I must explain this matter further; I was truly saved by the Buddha!

Now I am shouting in my heart: "Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su!" This is the tall and majestic Buddha before me now. The Buddha's compassion has completely melted my heart and told me the direction to move forward now. I have not forgotten where the initial intention the Buddha told me about lies; I will not forget it, because my experience during this week in the Western Land of Dharma Nature has been truly profound, so very profound. Everything in the human world cannot compare to the bits and pieces here! I used to know that life is impermanence, but I did not know that this impermanence remains impermanence even after death. But now that I have arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, this is also a world of the Buddha. If I can diligently recite "Namo Amituofo" here and single-mindedly follow the Buddha's footsteps, perhaps one day I will be able to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss; that is the final destination for the spirit, where one can truly find peace of mind.

Now the Buddha-light is constantly shining upon me, and upon all those who have come to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Everyone's heart is as calm as a lake, without any ripples, without any highs or lows; everything is formed so naturally. So I am now filled with Dharma joy, and I know that such a good thing must be shared with people all over the world. That is, I have truly come to know the Buddha, and I have come to know the truth of the fact that the Buddha is in the world.

Now let me tell everyone this good news! Namo Amituofo is now residing in the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The wonder of this temple lies in the fact that there is a Buddha residing in the world. The reason there is a Buddha residing in the world is also because there is a person in the human world named Practitioner Su, who was once a wealthy person in Taiwan and the female owner of a jewellery store. Now, having dispersed all her family wealth, she established the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, dedicating all the money and energy of her life to Buddhist education, hoping to cultivate the next awakened being like Practitioner Su to take on this very important task.

Only when someone in the human world becomes a Buddha, truly realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood, can they have the means to save the beings of the human world. This is true, not false! Because someone has made such a vow, sharing the same heart and the same vow as the Buddha, Namo Amituofo is willing to come from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to reside here in the human world. Of course, this does not mean that there is no Buddha in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo is the Universal Buddha, and while residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, he can simultaneously Chao Du sentient beings in many places. It is just like Practitioner Su. Practitioner Su is a Buddha with a physical body, a Buddha who attained achievement with a physical body, but looking at Practitioner Su from the perspective of the spiritual realms, it is even more different, and very unlike what people see with their physical eyes. When we look at Practitioner Su's appearance, she truly is a Buddha, no different from Namo Amituofo!

But the most special thing that makes me feel amazed is: Practitioner Su can actually have countless manifestations, that is, countless small Practitioner Sus coming out from the top of her head to go to various places to help sentient beings and Chao Du them to be reborn in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This is truly amazing! Only the Buddha's teachings can explain such things so thoroughly; this is not something that people of the world can understand. But now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I must share it with everyone! I will not be stingy with everything I know; after all, being able to come to the Western Land of Dharma Nature is not an easy thing. Our group of Taiwanese people, altogether several dozen of us, have already arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

No matter what industry you are currently in, what temperament you have, what you look like, etc., as long as you are willing to learn the Buddha's skills, willing to follow the Buddha's footsteps, and do not have too much of your own subjectivity, personal opinions, or your own arrangements, Practitioner Su welcomes everyone to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to learn the Buddha's teachings.

Especially the younger generation, seize the time when you are young to exert great influence, come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre earlier, follow the Buddha's footsteps, learn step by step, let go of everything, and you too can attain Buddhahood and save immeasurable and boundless sentient beings. Practitioner Su welcomes everyone to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Those who have the heart must come for a visit, or even come here to serve as volunteers, or those who have vowed to save the world come here to make a vow to become monastics and follow the Buddha to save the world—how wonderful that would be! I believe there is no lack of such talent among Taiwanese people; this is something I firmly believe.

Speaking of this, it seems I haven't properly explained to everyone why I ended up in hell.

The poems, collections, or various works I once published, in the end, contained quite a bit of content that did not conform to the "Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way" spoken of in the Buddha's teachings. Those poems that expressed personal inner feelings or emotions, although mostly based on the grand background of the era and describing all phenomena in the human world, indeed contained quite a lot of emotional factors.

Although I did not describe the love between men and women in a naked way, if there was content that stirred up people's attachment to the word "emotion," this is a kind of sin. The Buddha has made it very clear here: one really cannot be attached to the word "emotion," especially for those who want to realise their true nature. If they see my poems and instead develop an obsession with emotion, are unable to let go, and consequently cannot learn the Buddha's teachings or diligently attain Buddhahood, isn't that a sin?

This word "emotion" can be big or small; it seems like nothing, just giving people a little comfort; in fact, it can derive a very wide range of karmic causes. Everything I wrote was merely a seed of karmic cause, but the mistakes people have committed since ancient times because of the word "emotion" are truly too many. If there were no emotion, no such things that are not advocated in the Buddha's teachings, people would not have so many possibilities to create karma, and there would not be the existence of the copper pillar hell and the iron bed hell.

There are too many things in this world that indulge in emotion and desire; the small spark I emitted was enough to ignite the entire forest; it really should not have been done! We poets or writers all thought that expressing emotions, making everyone resonate, and obtaining comfort was a good thing, but that is from the perspective of worldly people; if viewed from the perspective of the supramundane, emotion will hinder people's practice and hinder the opportunity to liberate from birth and death; this is a very regrettable thing.

That is why I fell into the "brain-gouging hell," because what this brain thought of was not the Right Way, and being punished is a natural consequence. I do not have many complaints about this, because I now understand that the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way in the Buddha's teachings run through the past and present and are not limited by time and space.

To be honest, if my works are still circulating in the human world, I really wish I could take them all back and just pretend that I never wrote or said anything. Now I do not know how to repay this karma, but I will say a few words here, perhaps it can give the listener some inspiration, one passes it to ten, ten to a hundred, and it can produce some positive influence.

I truly think so, and I sincerely hope that everything I said in the past will pass away, not remain in the present, and not remain in people's hearts. Under the purification of the Buddha-light, I wish everyone can remove all these polluting factors.

I do not just represent myself, but as a representative of poets. I see people in the world, no matter what industry they are in, have an excessive obsession with technology, songs, dance, or various types of entertainment; these are all things that hinder the growth of the Body-Mind-Spirit and the spirit. If these obsessions cannot be stopped, the consequences will be very terrifying.

It is very fortunate that there is a place in the human world called the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Here there is Namo Amituofo, there is Practitioner Su, bringing everyone true Buddhist education. In every weekly Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, one can also receive messages from the Buddha through the chief writer and write them down for the world to refer to, learning how to be diligent on the Buddha's path; this is truly wonderful. These are the most precious assets that should truly be preserved for the world. Compared to my poems, they are worlds apart!

Everyone can search for "Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia" online, and you can easily see these teachings and interview transcripts from the Buddha.

My children, they are all grown up now; I hope they can turn over a new leaf early and not follow my old path. I hope they can get different inspiration from Buddhist education to change the last part of their human life. I believe that with their wisdom, they will definitely be able to do it! Accept all this education they have never heard of with the most open mind.

Dad has also witnessed the true skills of the Buddha here; Practitioner Su can lead immeasurable and boundless spirits to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and under the illumination of the Buddha-light, everyone can have a very good appearance. This truly illustrates the greatness and compassion of the Buddha; I hope everyone can let down their guard and learn all this with a sincere heart.

Namo Amituofo

Cheng Chou-yu