Synopsis: A famous male actor, martial arts choreographer, and action director in the Chinese-language film industry. He practised Wing Chun and Karate from a young age. In the 1970s, he entered the Hong Kong film and television industry, and with his powerful, sharp kicking techniques and extraordinary skills, he was known alongside Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Ti Lung as one of the "Four Little Dragons of Hong Kong."
Interview. Chief Writer: Venerable Fa Ning
Leung Siu-lung:
, I am Leung Siu-lung.
In this life, I took refuge in Tibetan Buddhism for many years and usually considered myself a devout believer in the Buddha’s teachings. However, after leaving the human world, my soul fell into the Hell of Amputation to suffer retribution. At that time, I understood in my heart that my practice was still far from sufficient and that the laws of and cause and effect are truly real. Since I fell into hell to suffer retribution, it meant that I must have committed the sins that lead to hell. I did not know the exact reason, only that while enduring the tortures of hell, I tried hard to generate a heart of repentance.
However, even in the Hell of Amputation, where my limbs were constantly being severed, amidst the intense pain, it was still very difficult for me to generate a sincere heart of repentance. I suspect that I must have been lacking something crucial, though at the time, I did not know what that was.
Later, I was rescued from the Hell of Amputation by Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia and brought to the of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. In the -Nature Land, I listened to the great Dharma of Namo Amituofo every day. After receiving Buddhist education, I slowly came to understand that what was hindering me from generating a heart of repentance was the so-called ""—because there was no true compassion in my heart, even with such intense pain and suffering, it was difficult to generate true repentance.
In hell, I wailed, wept, and begged for mercy incessantly, but none of this could stop the tortures of hell in the slightest. The heart that appeared to be admitting its mistakes actually contained too much selfishness.
After learning from Namo Amituofo, I understood that to generate a sincere heart of repentance, one must truly understand one's own suffering and the suffering of all beings. If one does not first generate the heart of renunciation to leave this world, one will naturally not generate a heart of sincere, compassionate repentance. True repentance means that this thought in one's heart turns towards goodness, shifting from the secular to the transcendental, and changing the direction of the soul from attachment to this world to the vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
After listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma, I understood that true, sincere repentance has no past and no future; one simply chants "Namo Amituofo" in the present moment until the end.
At the moment of hearing this, I was deeply stirred and moved. The Buddha is so compassionate that I could not help but kneel on the lotus seat in the Dharma-Nature Land and weep bitterly. I wept because I had forgotten that I was originally a Buddha who came to this world to help sentient beings, yet I was deluded by these various false appearances and committed various sins. I not only harmed myself but also harmed others, and even more so, I harmed the immeasurable and boundless sentient beings within my own body.
I, Leung Siu-lung, repent deeply before the Buddha, hoping for an opportunity to make amends for all of this.
The Western Dharma-Nature Land where I am now is a transit station for rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I now make a vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land in the future, to follow Namo Amituofo in practice there, and after elevating my spirit and attaining Buddhahood, to return to the world to save sentient beings with karmic affinity.
The path of life is truly difficult to walk. From the moment we are born, we already carry a massive debt. The karma created over immeasurable eons must be repaid by our own souls. A true person of integrity should, upon realising the truth of this fact, vigorously shoulder everything they must face.
Before studying the Buddha's teachings, many people believe that life is meant for suffering. Of course, many have long forgotten that they are merely finding pleasure in suffering, having become lost in the prosperity and various stimuli of the world.
However, everyone in this life must go through the process of ageing, sickness, and death, not to mention the various tests and hardships encountered during growth, education, and work. The path of life is truly very bitter; everyone who has truly walked it knows this. Whether the words in one's heart are spoken or not, the traces of weathering left on one's face have long since revealed the true thoughts in one's heart.
Now, after listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma in the Dharma-Nature Land, I, Leung Siu-lung, understand that life is indeed bitter. But if one studies the Buddha's teachings, life is no longer bitter.
For those who do not understand the Buddha's teachings, coming to this world is truly to suffer. But for those who study and understand the Buddha's teachings, they can understand the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and they will see clearly the facts of life and the universe. After understanding these truths, one's heart will be filled with Dharma , and one will be grateful for the chance to have come to the human world. Because we must have this human body to have the opportunity to pay off the sins and karmic debts created over immeasurable eons. Only by using this human body to "use this temporary body to find the eternal truth" can we have the opportunity to put an end to the unclear, indescribable, entangled relationships of debt-collecting and debt-repaying with our immeasurable and boundless .
Where are these karmic creditors? It turns out they are within the cellular space of each of our bodies.
When I saw these scenes with my own eyes in the Dharma-Nature Land, my heart was truly shocked. I never imagined that after practising martial arts for a lifetime, I did not know that I spent so much effort maintaining contained countless karmic creditors; and that the Chinese traditional martial arts skills I was so proud of, and even my various experiences, all had karmic creditors participating in them.
In all the actions of this life, whether in the lows or the highs, amidst the ups and downs, how much was truly decided by myself? This musical score of life, which I originally thought was composed by my own life, turned out to be a complex piece played together by myself and the countless karmic creditors and spirits within my body, and in this, I actually only accounted for a very, very small part.
Long ago, when I generated a selfish thought, a wrong mental note, or a selfish action, I had already violated the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and my soul was kicked out of my body by my karmic creditors. My true self slowly lost control of the body, trapped in the space of the body, living in darkness and misery, never knowing what had happened to me.
This body, reduced to being controlled by karmic creditors and demon crowds, became like a puppet, losing its original true meaning. I came to this world originally having the opportunity to make good use of this precious human body to take true responsibility for everything I had done in the past; but instead, I let this body become a tool controlled by karmic creditors and demon crowds, turning it into a source of evil that created various sins.
This is the truth of life. The problem is not with this body, but with this heart of ours. Because I did not follow the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, I could not make good use of this precious human body, and instead, it became a sharp weapon for creating sins.
Why did I fall into the Hell of Amputation to suffer retribution? It was actually because I did not understand what true compassion is and was attached to the various false appearances of the world.
Whether it was my attachment to traditional Chinese martial arts, my long years as a martial arts choreographer and action designer, or the many films I acted in, I treated these worldly false appearances as real. It is true that the character "Chen Zhen" had a certain flavour under my portrayal, but I did not know how much harm it actually caused me behind the success.
One must not be tainted by fame and wealth. Whether one can completely remove these things from one's heart is a true test of everyone's good roots, , and causal conditions accumulated over many lifetimes. The cultivation of mental skills is something everyone can have, but does one have the opportunity to embark on the path of practice and recognise the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way? When one is still an infant, does one have the blessings to choose the right direction from the start? This is a very critical point.
Childhood education is important because once the path of life is taken incorrectly, it is very difficult to return to the right track. If it were not for an awakened being like Practitioner Su, who possesses great merit and great divine power, being in the world, and with Namo Amituofo residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, how could one call back the scattered three hun souls and seven po souls?
When a part of the soul is kicked out of the body by karmic creditors or demon crowds, it is basically a death sentence for one's future, because this is an irreversible process. Where do the souls that leave the body go? In which space or hell are they suffering retribution? One never knows, and may not even be aware of one's own situation. Just like when I, Leung Siu-lung, was still alive, my true self was locked inside the body, and I was actually completely unaware of the various actions of the body; yet people in the world mistook the various things my body did as real, taking them as part of me.
The Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way are the supreme forces of the universe that cannot be violated. I saw clearly in the Western Dharma-Nature Land that when people violate the Truth, their own souls must suffer. It turns out that all the suffering in life is created by oneself. The Buddha's teachings say that "all phenomena arise from the mind," which is indeed the truth. If there is a problem with one's own heart, how can one keep life orderly and smooth?
Many people have heard of the principle of "letting go," but to truly achieve it is easier said than done. Having taken refuge in Tibetan Buddhism for many years, I had some understanding of the teachings, but now I realise that true Tibetan Buddhism is so magnificent, and the practice of the is the foundation of it.
The practice of Tibetan Buddhism is even stricter than that of Chinese Buddhism. In the process of studying the secret teachings, can one truly be spotless? Only if one can strictly uphold the Precepts and have true faith in the Buddha and in oneself can one possibly achieve success in one's practice. If one cannot purely uphold the Precepts, the magnificent secret teachings often become tools for going astray.
Why is the magnificence of the secret teachings slowly no longer mentioned in the Dharma-ending age? It is not that there is a problem with the secret teachings, but that the requirements for the practitioner's qualifications and environment are extremely high. Not only must one have a teacher who has truly attained to guide them, but one must also have a solid theoretical foundation and, even more, the determination to renounce worldly life to practise. These basic conditions were all too far away for me, Leung Siu-lung; I did not meet a single one. Therefore, even after taking refuge for many years, I did not truly understand what practice is.
Now that I have come into contact with the Buddhist education at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I know that practice is actually very simple: it lies only in taking good care of one's own heart and using this heart to lead the countless cells and spirits within the body to become pure and good together. This extremely pure and good energy of the Buddha-name "Namo Amituofo" is the key to saving oneself and the countless vengeful spirits within the body. Namo Amituofo is truly the Great Physician King, who has placed all his vows into this Buddha-name "Namo Amituofo." The inconceivable divine power is in this simple six-character name, but how many people truly understand the preciousness of this Buddha-name?
As it seems now, only Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre understands this. Because currently, only Practitioner Su has truly achieved chanting the Buddha's name, becoming a Buddha, realising one's true nature, and acting as a Buddha. This flesh-body Buddha who has attained Buddhahood in the human world has truly brought a ray of hope to the world. Because Practitioner Su is of the same heart, same vow, and same practice as the Buddha, he has attracted Namo Amituofo to reside at this magnificent precious land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia.
This is a ray of hope for the world, because this is the only place in the world that teaches the public what the Universal Principle is. The popularisation of the Truth is a trend that will inevitably happen in countries around the world in the future; only by truly understanding the Truth can everyone truly become the master of their own bodies.
The importance of "being the master" is something many people have yet to understand. Those who have not received Buddhist education do not know that they are originally Buddhas, possessing the same true self as the Buddha. If one truly understands the truth that one is originally a Buddha, one can understand that in our Buddha-nature, there has never been greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, or doubt, let alone wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep.
The satisfaction and stimulation of various worldly desires and , as well as the stirring of the body and mind, have never been in our true self. Because the true self is always pure, bright, perfect, and dignified.
Where does dignity come from? After seeing Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I understood: it turns out that the dignity and majesty of a practitioner are all natural phenomena, and everything is manifested by the heart. Practitioner Su's heart is so clear and bright, without the slightest impurity, completely pure and perfect. It turns out that purity is dignity.
Practitioner Su's heart is spotless, having truly let go of everything in the world, so every word and action of Practitioner Su is full of such majesty.
Every day during the morning service, I chant the Infinite Life Sutra (The Buddha Speaks the , Infinite Life, Adornment, Purity, Impartiality, and Enlightenment Sutra) together with the countless spirits from the spiritual realms and the fourfold assembly in the human world, and every day I gain a deeper realisation. This sutra is truly inconceivable and can bestow inconceivable merit upon those who recite it. All the profound meanings are contained within the text of the Infinite Life Sutra, no wonder Practitioner Su always says: one Infinite Life Sutra and one "Namo Amituofo" are enough to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood. This is truly without any falsehood.
As the saying goes, "Depart from desires and maintain deep right ; cultivate pure wisdom and practise the holy life." After comparing myself with Practitioner Su, I understood where Practitioner Su's majesty in every gesture, or more precisely, that power to transform people's hearts, comes from.
This is because Practitioner Su has no desires of the body; in his heart, there is only the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo". Regardless of the situation, the people he encounters, or the events that unfold, his heart remains clear, bright, and radiant. There is only this simple, direct, and clear Holy Name: "Namo Amituofo".
Words are cut off, and the path of mental activity is extinguished. With no thoughts, delusions, or messy thoughts in his heart, he has come to this world solely to rely on this "Namo Amituofo" to save sentient beings. It turns out that this is exactly how a true disciple of the Buddha should be.
When a person truly has no worldly desires in their heart, they will naturally no longer be pulled by any karma. Practitioner Su’s manifestation clearly tells me, Leung Siu-lung: if a person can truly want for nothing, then they can truly fear nothing. Only in this way can one truly possess a "heart without hypocrisy or deceit".
Otherwise, as long as this heart is still attached to any person, matter, or object in the world, it will cause one to lose the dignity and majesty one ought to possess. When we quietly and silently form a connection with everyone in the world in the depths of our hearts, calculating our relationships with one another—as long as there is even the slightest desire in our hearts, it will inevitably cause our hearts, which were originally radiant and advancing straightforwardly, to fall into the trap of hypocrisy and deceit.
Having received Buddhist education, I now know that the starting point of practice lies in every one of our thoughts; the strength of practice lies in whether we have the boldness to invoke this "Namo Amituofo" in every present moment. The magnificence of practice lies in the transformation of this heart, for when the heart is transformed, the body and spirit are naturally transformed as well. Everyone should emulate Practitioner Su: transform the mundane heart into the Buddha-heart, transform the mundane body into the Buddha-body, and elevate the spirit to realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood. Only such a life is truly valuable.
Seeing Practitioner Su use his countless manifestations to perform for immeasurable and boundless suffering beings around the world, I finally understand how powerful this heart truly is. It turns out that every thought produces corresponding vibrations and energy.
When I see that Practitioner Su’s heart is always on "Namo Amituofo", and that he constantly relies on this Buddha-name to open up immeasurable and boundless space, performing Chao Du for sentient beings to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I finally understand what is meant by ultimate speed.
In the past, I played the role of "Beast" and was fortunate to be loved by the public. "In all the martial arts of the world, only speed cannot be broken." This refers to worldly martial arts; however, having witnessed Practitioner Su’s Chao Du skills, I finally understand what "fast" truly means. When a person truly vows to save sentient beings, that compassion—saving others as if saving them from a fire—can reach true ultimate speed.
I clearly see Practitioner Su’s thoughts, continuously and unceasingly "Namo Amituofo". I see that Practitioner Su’s thoughts are so fast they defy description; every thought in his heart represents the place where Practitioner Su’s spiritual manifestation exists.
In an instant, he can be on Earth; in an instant, he can be in the Milky Way; in an instant, he can be in the vastness of the Dharma Realm. The continuous "Namo Amituofo" Buddha-name represents immeasurable and boundless golden light, and it represents infinite, pure, and good energy. I have heard this is called "the power of mindful wisdom"—ultimate compassion, ultimate speed, unstoppable and invincible. Compassion is true no-thought; there is not a single thought of oneself or the myriad things of the world. Therefore, nothing can obstruct oneself, because one has only ever been saving sentient beings, and has never been in sync with anything else in the world.
It turns out that true compassion is only this "Namo Amituofo". Now, Amitabha Buddha has come to this world to work with Practitioner Su to help the people of this world attain the true benefits of being ageless, free from illness, and having an immortal spirit.
Rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is no longer a dream. Even realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime can be achieved with the help of a virtuous teacher. All of this depends on how much faith everyone has in Amitabha Buddha, and how much faith you have in the fact that you are originally a Buddha who has come to this world to help sentient beings. It turns out that all suffering lies in forgetting that one is originally a Buddha.
At this moment, I, Leung Siu-lung, call upon everyone in the world from the Western Land of Dharma Nature: in every present moment, shout with Dharma joy, "I am a Buddha; I am a Buddha who has come to this world to help sentient beings." Then, all suffering and difficulties will naturally be resolved.
I am very fortunate that I will be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in the future, and I hope that everyone will also be able to meet me in the West.
Gratitude to Amitabha Buddha, gratitude to Practitioner Su.
