Laughing at the World: The Carefree Practice of Venerable Shi Jianda

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Shi Jianda, who lived approximately seven hundred and ninety years ago. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on August 19, 2018.

Venerable Shi Jianda speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Shi Jianda. My life was one of laughter and carefree practice. Even now, looking back from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I see that the path to liberation is not found in rigid formality, but in the sincerity of the heart.

The Incident of the Prayer Beads

I remember one day, four or five hundred monastics were sitting in the main hall, quietly chanting the Buddha's name. I was sitting there with them, holding a string of prayer beads. Being a bit mischievous, I opened my eyes just a crack. To my absolute shock, I saw that every single bead on my string had the head of a monk on it, and they were all smiling directly at me! I let out a startled cry, threw the beads forward with all my might, and they landed right at the feet of our Master.

The Master remained in a deep meditative state, completely undisturbed by the commotion. However, the entire assembly of monastics opened their eyes. Some were looking left and right, whispering to themselves, wondering what on earth had just happened. I quickly pretended that nothing had occurred and squeezed my eyes shut again. Seeing that the Master was still in a deep meditative state, everyone else hurried to resume their chanting.

The Master's Lesson on Sincerity

An hour passed before the Master lightly struck the hand-bell, signalling that we could open our eyes. Every time a meditation session ended, the Master would offer us a few words of teachings, and today was no different. The Master said, 'Jianda, come to the front.' I was puzzled, thinking, 'The Master did not open his eyes just now, how did he know it was me who made the noise?' The Master asked, 'Where are your prayer beads?' I stammered as I looked at the beads lying by his feet, 'They are... they are by your feet, Master.' The entire hall erupted in laughter. The Master then scolded us loudly, 'Silence! Every one of you is the same; you have no attainment in practice at all. Chanting the Buddha's name requires the heart. If you chant with such a scattered mind, you will never achieve anything.' After the scolding, I returned to my seat, and after we paid our respects to the Buddha, everyone returned to their quarters to continue their practice.

A Heart of Compassion

My temperament has always been cheerful and unconstrained. People around me enjoyed my company because I could always make them burst into laughter. I was brought to the temple as an infant and raised by the volunteers there. Although I was an orphan, I never felt inferior. Every day, I played with the volunteers and the other children in the temple, living a very happy life.

While I appeared humorous and perhaps not entirely serious, I held a heart of deep compassion within. This was the Bodhi heart I had cultivated in past lives. I used my witty and playful ways to help everyone around me, allowing them to receive assistance without feeling any pressure, all while keeping them in high spirits.

The Secret of the Foot Grime

I possessed a mysterious power—a great energy I was born with. My Master said it was something I had cultivated during my time as a monastic in previous lives. This energy allowed me to easily heal others, and the results were remarkable. One day, a fellow practitioner caught a cold and was resting in his room. During the break, I went to his room, took off my monk's sock, and began picking at the grime on my own feet. The pungent, foul odour was truly unbearable. The sick practitioner was gasping for air, nearly suffocating from the smell. Seeing him in such a state, I told him, 'This foot grime of mine has magical healing properties. Eat it, and you will recover very quickly.' He looked at me in disbelief. While he was still hesitating, I rolled a large piece of grime and popped it into his mouth. He swallowed it with a pained expression, while I simply lay back on my bed to rest.

In just a short time, that piece of grime generated a surge of heat. The practitioner's body began to warm up, and he broke into a heavy sweat. After a hot shower, he recovered rapidly. He rushed over to me, telling me his cold was gone, and I happily congratulated him on his restored health.

The Art of Being 'No-Self'

My frame was stout, yet my movements were incredibly agile. Whenever I saw a need in the temple, I would be the first to attend to it with the utmost speed. My eyes could quickly perceive the inner state of every person. When I saw someone sorrowful, I would use humour to bring them joy. When I saw someone angry or sulking, I could stand before them and perform funny gestures with a completely natural, unattached mind. Everyone who saw my round face, my rotund body, and the compassionate heart within felt joy. Even if they had been shrouded in gloom, it would instantly vanish, replaced by hearty laughter.

In my days of practice at the temple, my guiding principle was 'compassion.' As long as I did not depart from a compassionate heart, I could freely accommodate anyone. In my practice, there was no 'self.' I was like a piece of clay—I could be moulded into a circle, a square, or any shape required. This was the freedom of my practice: having no self. I never had secrets; I shared everything openly with others. If I had something good, I would offer it to those around me until I was left with nothing. This is great freedom, great joy.

My eyes did not look for the faults of others; I only looked for their goodness. I never kept trivial matters in my mind, so my head was always empty, my body and mind pure, crystal clear, and transparent.

The Jealousy of Others

However, even in practice, some were jealous of me. They saw that I did not seem 'serious' in my cultivation, spending my days idling and laughing, yet my attainment in practice progressed faster than theirs, and I could even heal others. This led some to write to the Master, claiming I was not practising diligently and should be punished. The Master not only refused to punish me but taught the assembly: 'Practice lies in cultivating the heart. Cultivate a direct heart, a deep heart, and a heart of great compassion to achieve the Bodhi heart. Only by truly changing from within can practice be effective. If one only pursues the appearance of formality, one will never achieve Awakening.' My practice was never wasted; I kept my heart cool, transparent, and forever fixed upon the Buddha-name. Because I could clearly see the suffering of sentient beings, I understood that only by maintaining a pure and compassionate heart could I gain the energy to help them leave suffering behind.

A Life Dedicated to Namo Amituofo

After twenty years of diligent practice, I recovered the true self within my heart. My Wisdom blossomed, and I was able to use the Buddha’s teachings to resolve the doubts of those who came for help. Life in this world is simple: if you let go of the heart, you can learn the Buddha’s teachings happily and chant the Buddha-name to seek liberation. The Buddha’s teachings help people find peace amidst suffering. You can live freely, enjoy life, and even have the capacity to help others. Just open your mind, and those around you will be saved because of you. I lived my life this way—free, happy, serving beings, and cultivating purity to seek the ultimate liberation of being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Life cannot be without the Buddha, and rebirth cannot be without Namo Amituofo. Everything in life is false and illusory, but chanting the Buddha-name to attain rebirth is real and true. You may not need to ask for anything in life, but you must have a sincere heart that seeks to leave suffering behind. Life is not complicated; it is just one phrase: 'Namo Amituofo,' and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Deliverance Through the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su

Practitioner Su manifests in countless manifestations throughout the universe every day, saving an uncountable number of sentient beings. The vastness of her mind-capacity can be seen in the sheer number of beings she delivers.

Today, I followed the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su to a dark, desolate place in the universe. On the planets in this grey zone, there is no light, only gloom, and the inhabitants live lives of sorrow and suffering. They do not know the Buddha’s teachings, nor do they know to chant the Buddha-name to seek light. Because they once committed evil acts, causing others to live in anxiety, fear, and pain, they are now suffering the karmic retribution of living in darkness for hundreds of years.

Today, I brought the Buddha-name to this place. The Buddha-light illuminated this dark zone, transforming the gloom into brilliance. The sentient beings were all moved beyond words; they grasped tightly onto this sacred name of Namo Amituofo and followed the Buddha-light to leave that dark space. Our Buddha is of great compassion; he does not count the sins beings have committed in the past. As long as beings truly repent, the Buddha is always willing to reach out and save them.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo for his compassion.

Gratitude to Practitioner Su for her compassion.

Namo Amituofo."