Resolving Grievances to Become a Buddha

This is an interview with the Venerable Bi Cheng, who lived approximately 1,100 years ago. He sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on November 7, 2018.

Venerable Bi Cheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Bi Cheng. My arrival into this world was heralded by a torrential downpour. My mother, heavily pregnant with me, was running desperately through the rain. She knew my birth was imminent. A midwife had been waiting at our home, but my mother, having initially laid down to prepare for the delivery, suddenly remembered something she had forgotten. Ignoring the sharp pains in her abdomen, she rushed back out into the storm. The sky had turned dark and ominous, and shortly after she left, the heavens opened up. She returned home drenched, gasping for air, and collapsed at the doorway. My father rushed to lift her, carrying her into the room to prepare for my birth.

A Mother's Devotion and a Sacred Vow

My father asked her, 'The child is about to be born, what could possibly be so urgent that you had to rush out into the storm?' My mother opened her hand, and my father saw a string of prayer beads. She had run to the temple to obtain them. She told him, 'I must place these beads on Bi Cheng the moment he is born. I want him to know Namo Amituofo from his very first breath. His life was saved by Namo Amituofo; without His great compassion, Bi Cheng would not be in my womb today.'

A Dream of Karmic Retribution

The night before my birth, my mother had a terrifying dream. In it, she was heavily pregnant when a monstrous beast appeared before her. The creature claimed it had come to seek revenge against me. Seeing the creature's ferocious intent, my mother sensed that I must have shared a deep, bitter grievance with it in a past life. Instead of defending me, my mother felt a profound empathy for the creature's suffering. She tried to understand what had caused such hatred, but the beast was consumed by a desire for vengeance and would not speak. It lunged at my mother, attempting to enter her womb to strike at me.

My mother immediately chanted 'Namo Amituofo' for the creature, praying for the Buddha's compassionate blessing. In an instant, the beast transformed back into a human form. My mother saw that he had once been a dignified monk. Though his expression was still fierce, my mother told him, 'You have regained your human form.' The monk looked at his own body, and as he realised he was once again a monk, his rage softened, and he began to weep bitterly. Through his tears, my mother understood our past. We had both been senior monks under the same master. We were meant to support each other's practice, but a misunderstanding turned us into bitter enemies. He had tried to frame me, but his schemes were thwarted, and he was expelled from the Buddha's gate. That hatred festered in his heart for centuries. He practised alone in the deep mountains, but without the right path, he entered the Demon Realm. He had become a powerful demon, using the form of a beast to terrorise others. Yet, deep down, a seed of Goodness remained because he had once been a monk on the verge of enlightenment. When Namo Amituofo helped him regain his human form, he saw clearly that our misunderstanding was based on nothing—it was the result of others' manipulation. He had carried that hatred in the Demon Realm for a thousand years. He wept for his ignorance and the evil he had committed. Suddenly, a brilliant golden light appeared, and my mother saw the magnificent form of Namo Amituofo. The monk knelt before the Buddha, repenting for his sins. With infinite compassion, Namo Amituofo reached out to lead him, and right there before my mother, the monk sat upon a lotus pedestal and was reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Path of Compassion

When my mother awoke, she felt that my birth was truly at hand. She held her belly, whispering for me to be patient, and then she made her way to the temple to secure those beads. She wanted me to know gratitude—to be grateful for the great compassion of Namo Amituofo, who had delivered my former fellow practitioner to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, thereby sparing me from a karmic catastrophe.

After I was born, I grew up immersed in the Buddha's teachings. My mother taught me to chant and helped me understand the preciousness of the name Namo Amituofo. She encouraged me to help others from a young age. Even a small act, like moving a stone from the road, was a way to nourish my compassion. Though our family was modest, whenever there was extra money, my mother taught me the practice of Generosity. The amount did not matter; what mattered was the heart behind the gift. She wanted me to expand my mind-capacity, to see all people as one with myself, without discriminations. If someone needed help, I was to assist them with a compassionate heart to the best of my ability.

Guided by the Buddha's teachings, I made a major decision at the age of thirteen: I resolved to leave the mundane world and become a monk. Even at that young age, I mastered the major sutras, all of which ultimately point toward the Western Land. I chanted with a focused heart, and over ten years, I polished away my ego, eventually attaining the Dharma Body to deliver sentient beings throughout the universe.

Now, I am fortunate to join Practitioner Su in the work of Chao Du, returning once more to the spaces of the universe. These are places where I once performed deliverance, but not all beings were ready to be saved at that time. Now, I return to these spaces to bring away the spirits who still linger. Once again, I use the holy name of Namo Amituofo to lead them away from these realms, guiding them toward the Buddha-light of Namo Amituofo, to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo."