Reborn in the Western Pure Land: The Testimony of Lay Practitioner Liu Yinmei

This is a record of an interview with Liu Yinmei, the wife of the director of Shanguolin, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her transition and the truth of spiritual deliverance. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on December 16, 2024.

Lay Practitioner Liu Yinmei speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am filled with endless gratitude, and I truly do not know where to begin. In the simple act of greeting everyone with the name of Namo Amituofo, I express the boundless joy that fills my heart.

I am Liu Yinmei, the wife of Liu Yixiong, the director of Shanguolin in Taiwan. Last Friday, during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, both my husband and I were led by Practitioner Su into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. For the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, this was a natural part of their ongoing Dharma work during the ceremony. But for those of us who were spirits wandering in the cycle of rebirth, this was the culmination of our deepest wishes across countless lifetimes!

The Splendour of the Western Pure Land

The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is so beautiful, so incredibly beautiful! From the depths of my heart, I offer endless praise to Namo Amituofo for His compassion. He has created such a magnificent, subtle, and joyful world for us beings who have suffered so long in samsara. I saw Namo Amituofo—I truly saw Him. He is the same Buddha who resides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and He looked upon us with a gentle smile. I do not know how long I knelt before the Buddha, but I felt no fatigue at all. I only felt that the Buddha was right before my eyes, constantly watching over me, while His Buddha-light shone upon me, infusing my entire being with boundless energy. One might think this sounds like a myth, but it is the absolute truth.

The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is a place where all the superior beings gather. I could feel many beings of the Western Land surrounding us, smiling and pressing their palms together in respect. They were there with Namo Amituofo to welcome our arrival. There is not a single negative image in this world; everywhere is filled with brightness and purity. Beyond the presence of these superior beings, I felt as though I could hear the very sound of Namo Amituofo teaching the Dharma. I have always loved listening to the teachings, and I wished to hear the Buddha speak. To my surprise, the moment I had that thought, I was already before the Buddha. Oh, so the superior beings I sensed were gathered here! Everyone was listening with such devotion, and the sound of Namo Amituofo’s Dharma voice filled my ears. It was truly inconceivable!

The Reality of Spiritual Deliverance

I remained seated before the Buddha, listening to the sutras, completely absorbed in the joy of the Dharma. Time passed quickly until I suddenly heard Practitioner Su’s voice saying, 'I have already led the director of Shanguolin and his wife into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss; we shall now interview them.' I nodded and replied, 'No problem at all.'

Shanguolin has always held the greatest hope that every person who chants the Buddha's name can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Our chanting group has always held this intention, praying that those who pass away may achieve this wish. However, we lacked the ability to know where their spirits truly went. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, however, has the ability to ask Namo Amituofo about the destination of the deceased. The idea that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su can lead spirits into the Western Dharma-Nature Land sounds inconceivable to many. How could such an ability exist? Yet, Yixiong and I were led into that Western Dharma-Nature Land exactly in this way. We were fortunate to be in the heavenly realm at the time.

The Path to True Awakening

While Practitioner Su performed seven sessions of Chao Du for our ancestors and karmic creditors during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, I was in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. I could see Practitioner Su leading spirits into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss during every single ceremony. I waited with full anticipation, knowing that after the seven sessions were complete, it would be my turn to enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Every one of those spirits was led into the Western Dharma-Nature Land after Practitioner Su asked Namo Amituofo where they were currently residing.

I must report to everyone that after I passed away, I first went to the side of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to finish copying the sutras I had vowed to complete but had not finished in life. After that, I entered the tenth heaven, and only later was I led by Practitioner Su to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, which allowed me to finally enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This process was truly not easy. Without Practitioner Su’s guidance, I would have remained in the heavenly realm, still trapped in the cycle of rebirth, unable to enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. So many inconceivable things happen naturally at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre; it is no exaggeration to call this a Buddha-land.

A Call to Re-evaluate

I sincerely hope that everyone can let go of the past and come to a new understanding of Practitioner Su. This is the result of his thirty years of diligent practice and his attainment of Awakening; he has saved countless spirits. He often says that the spiritual realms are easier to save than the human realm, and from what I have seen, this is true. In the human realm, people have physical bodies and often believe they are right, but their views diverge from the truth. My personal experience is quite different from what some have said about Practitioner Su. He has been silently performing deliverance, saving countless spirits and demon crowds by leading them into the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This is truly worthy of praise!

Practitioner Su truly has the ability to lead beings into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and can travel back and forth freely. This is certainly not the work of a medium or someone playing with psychic powers; it is the genuine power of his true nature. With Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, reaching the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is an achievable goal. It really is that simple. The misunderstandings people had about him—thinking he was merely using psychic powers—should be corrected. It is only because people did not know the truth or investigate it clearly that such misunderstandings arose. I share my own experience to tell you the truth, and I hope you will believe me. In short, Practitioner Su is the hope for everyone to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I also hope that every fellow practitioner and Venerable at Shanguolin will have the opportunity to visit the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to see the temple of Namo Amituofo. You will surely have a different experience, and it will become your own hope for rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I now understand the results of our chanting: through the sincere chanting of everyone and the power of the Buddha’s name, we can send spirits to the heavenly realms, but there is still a distance between that and reaching the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is why, in this age of the Dharma’s decline, there are many who chant, but few who are reborn in the West.

While in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I listened to Practitioner Su’s lectures, where he explained the unique teachings of Namo Amituofo and Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju available at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. He strongly emphasizes that practitioners must change their personality traits, reducing them to zero. Only through diligent chanting can one transform their karma and prevent it from manifesting, which gives the practitioner a chance at Awakening. I want to urge everyone to truly change your personality; only then will your chanting be effective. This is something that everyone has been neglecting.

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

Namo Amituofo.

Liu Yinmei"