Letting Go of the Pain

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Yongning, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Venerable Yongning now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon the spiritual atmosphere of a Dharma assembly held on December 12, 2019. Recorded by the disciple Shi Faxin.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Before the Dharma assembly even began, a boundless sea of sentient beings surged in. They arrived with the clouds, they arrived on the wind, and they manifested from the very fabric of space itself. As time and space converged and overlapped, the fifty trillion cells within the body of every person present in the assembly were also poised, waiting for the moment of transformation. After listening to the Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su, many of these spirits awakened far earlier than the fourfold assembly of disciples. They were here to seek a single trace of light—a path out of the darkness they had inhabited for so long.

For many, this darkness was found within the physical body, within the hidden corners of space, and most deeply, within the long, cold wait of resentment. Some had come to seek revenge with the explicit approval of the King of Hell, while others had been tethered to their karmic creditors for countless lifetimes. Because of a single mistake made in the past, those who were once human, and are now spirits, have all been trapped in a cycle of profound suffering. While the physical body in the cycle of reincarnated life long ago forgot the past, these beings never could. The essence of those past events remained etched into the very marrow of their bones—the habits, the glint in the eye, the expressions, and the tone of voice. These are the things that make it impossible for beings to let go, the things that keep their hearts burning with indignation."

A Lifetime of Unrequited Devotion

"During the assembly, I witnessed a spirit who was pushing forward with incredible intensity. She was a woman, her hair dishevelled, still bearing the marks of the suffering she endured in her final moments. Driven by the vows of love and the desperate need for a sense of security, she had once offered her entire heart to a man. She had decided that if she had to die for him, it would be a worthy sacrifice. She believed that this man was the only thing that mattered in her existence. But in the end, her dreams were shattered, and her heart and soul plummeted into the deepest abyss. Filled with resentment and hatred, she finally ended her own life by striking her head against the wall of her home. Since that day, she had followed her beloved through every subsequent life.

Yet, the man she followed has now made a Great Vow to become a monastic. That tiny spark of sincerity in his heart was finally felt by her. She began to realise what romantic emotion truly is—in the end, it is all empty, a mere illusion, devoid of any lasting reality. She had spent lifetimes staring into his eyes, hoping he would look back at her just once more. She had even fought for his affection within his very blood, competing against the other women he had been with throughout his many lives. She was foolish when she was alive, and even more foolish in death. She spent her existence fighting other spirits for the right to be the one he chose, never stopping to consider how much pain and what a heavy price she had to pay just to 'win' him. Now, looking back, she realises that everyone involved was just as foolish. The man she followed does not remember any of them. Life after life, she followed him through different entanglements of passion, only to find herself forever relegated to the position of a nameless shadow."

Choosing Liberation

"It was precisely because of this realisation that when he finally made his Great Vow, she chose to let go. She chose to leave that cycle of attachment behind. Now that she has spoken these words, she hopes that all the other spirits who are still clinging to him—and indeed, all those who are still clinging to anyone—will also choose to let go. I have now arrived in a world of incomparable light. In this world, there is no pain of romantic emotion, only the profound peace of the heart. Throughout your many lives, I believe everyone has been like me, having gone so long without ever knowing true inner peace. I hope that everyone can achieve liberation for themselves, and in doing so, also achieve liberation for the people they once cared for the most. Simply chant one 'Namo Amituofo,' return to the infinite life, and reclaim your true soul.

Namo Amituofo."