Rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss — Chen Jiaying (Grandfather of Sun Fengge)

Interview by Chief Writer: Fa Ning

June 26, 2026

Lay Practitioner Chen Jiaying:

I have finally arrived at a pure and bright place; this is a Buddha-land called the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I was previously in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and I never expected to have such a wonderful opportunity to arrive at an even better place—the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—within a month. This step-by-step elevation is truly inconceivable.

I am someone who has come up from the hells. I know the suffering of the hells, and I know the extremely intense pain within them. Moreover, I spent nearly fifty years in the hells; it was truly too long and too painful, something ordinary people cannot imagine. One day in the hells is already very painful, and I spent nearly fifty years there. Oh my, why am I speaking of these past events again!

Now, in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, at such a wonderful moment, I am filled with gratitude and emotion. I am very grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving us the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I bow to the Buddha here, feeling very joyful and very grateful.

I had heard of Practitioner Su and the Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo while in the hells, but because I was in such great suffering and pain, I could never bring myself to recite the Buddha-name. I would intermittently recite a few words of "Amituo...", and then it would stop. Truly reciting a complete Buddha-name is really not an easy task. This is the true reality of beings in the hells!

Now that I have truly been reborn, I realise that it was because I did not uphold the moral foundations expected of a human being while I was alive that I ended up with such an outcome. Many people are just like me: selfish, having their own ideas, temperaments, and attachments. With a strong personality and many thoughts, if one thinks only for oneself, then falling into the hells is a very natural consequence.

I thought that only those who committed heinous crimes, such as murder or arson, would go to the hells, but that is not the case. People with strong personalities will also suffer retribution in the hells, because we have harmed too many beings throughout our many lives. When they are awakened by karma within our bodies, they are still in great pain, so we must repay this debt.

I am very grateful for the Buddha's compassion, and I am also very grateful to my grandson, Sun Fengge. He has performed Chao Du for so many elders in our family to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss; he is truly a good child who practises Buddhism. Being able to know the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia is a tremendous blessing in the human world! I do not know if he realises that this is a rare and tremendous blessing, but from my perspective now, it is truly an immeasurable blessing.

Because there is only one such temple in the human world that is truly engaged in the work of saving people, and he had the opportunity to register everyone for Chao Du, allowing us suffering elders to leave suffering behind and gain happiness. Honestly, without such an opportunity, being reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is truly not an easy task. Relying on one's own ability to practise in this Five Turbidities and Evil World is truly difficult upon difficult. Given my previous personality, it would have been extremely difficult to rely on my own practice to be reborn.

This is also why I had to experience birth, aging, sickness, and death throughout my life, and why I left the human world in such pain. Previously, I was already under great mental pressure, and in my later years, I suffered from cancer; it can be said that I endured tremendous torture in both body and mind before finally leaving the human world.

This can be considered a lesson for everyone. I advise people in the world and my family members to be upright and kind, to think for others, and not to think for oneself. If you think for yourself by one part, you will suffer by one part; if you think for yourself by ten parts, you will suffer by ten parts. You think you have gained everything, but in fact, you have lost everything. This is the standard, the Truth, and the righteous path of the universe; it cannot deceive anyone.

Those of us who have been reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss come from different places, and many of us are beings who have suffered in the hells, so everyone has a very profound realisation of the suffering of the world and the evil paths. Moreover, having arrived at this place, we can also look upon everything in the human world, and we have an even deeper feeling for the hardships of the human world. However, because my own abilities are currently insufficient and I have only recently arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is still some time before I can attain Buddhahood, so I dare not say when I will return to the human world to save beings. This is likely something that can only be done after a very long time, right? I deeply believe this to be the case. I also know that I certainly have many debts that have not been repaid, and being able to return to the world to continue repaying debts is something I would wish for, but one must have true "attainment" to do so.

Well, having said all this, I believe everyone understands my life story. The beauty of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is truly impossible to comprehend without arriving here. I, who have been dead for so long and have suffered for so long, have finally attained liberation. I also hope that everyone will not follow my old path. Return to the Western Land early, attain liberation early, and help beings early.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su, and gratitude to everyone!

Namo Amituofo

Words of Chen Jiaying