Return Home, O Wanderers

The Vow Made in the Western Pure Land

My children, there was a time when you stood before me in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. With palms pressed together in deep reverence, you spoke to me with a sincere heart: Namo Amituofo, my Buddha of infinite compassion, I see the suffering of the world and the endless pain of all beings. I cannot bear to see them sink further into this cycle of misery. I wish to descend into the human world to save these beings and help those with karmic affinity to enter the Western Pure Land. Once this task is complete, I shall return to your side to continue my practice toward Buddhahood, or perhaps I shall attain the Buddha's path while in the human world before returning to the Western Pure Land.

Upon hearing your words, I praised your noble intention. I told you that your heart is precious and your vow is worthy of completion. I gave you my blessing, hoping that you would soon fulfil your wish and return to the Western Pure Land. Consequently, you descended into the human world, following the threads of past Dharma affinity to begin your journey of saving the world and liberating all beings.

Lost in the Sea of Karma

Though you once shone with the brilliance of the Buddha's path, it is difficult to withstand the many temptations of the world. You have been particularly vulnerable to the following traps:

• Emotional entanglements: The deep, often painful bonds we form with others that keep us tethered to the cycle of rebirth.
• Sensual desires: The pursuit of fleeting pleasures that cloud the mind and obscure our original nature.
• Worldly confusion: The myriad distractions that cause us to forget our true purpose and sink into the vast sea of karma.

Some of you have awakened, returned to the Buddha's path, and practised with fierce diligence, eventually finding your way back to the Western Pure Land. However, others remain lost, trapped in the cycle of rebirth and unable to wake up. Some have descended and returned to the Western Pure Land multiple times, yet in this current life, they have not yet returned and are drifting aimlessly in the sea of karma.

The Compassionate Mission of Practitioner Su

Practitioner Su, witnessing this state of affairs from the Western Pure Land, requested my permission to descend into the human world to help these beings leave suffering behind. This mission is vast and profound. The scope of those to be saved includes all beings throughout the Dharma Realm, all beings within the emptiness of space, all beings across the Milky Way, and all beings within the three thousand great thousand worlds.

Practitioner Su is now taking steps forward to fulfil this original vow. The students of Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are among those who are being saved. Furthermore, I have descended into the human world to work alongside Practitioner Su in this great endeavour of saving the world and liberating beings. This event is unprecedented; the Dharma Realm is aware of it, though the human world has yet to fully realise its significance because the students are still in the process of preparation.

Resolving the Debts Within

Practitioner Su is now fully prepared to move forward with great strides. He is leading people into Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to meet me and to make the necessary preparations for their rebirth in the Western Pure Land. The karmic creditors, spiritual attachments, and beings from the Demon Realm residing within your bodies are the very beings you once saw in the Western Pure Land—the ones you vowed to save.

Therefore, you must raise your vow, renew your commitment to the path with a firm and unwavering heart, and practise with diligence. Engage in your daily lessons with fierce effort and cultivate compassion to transform and liberate the beings within your own body. You must either resolve their grievances through Chao Du so they may enter the Western Pure Land, or you must transform your own mind from confusion to awakening, from wrong paths to the right path, and from impurity to purity. By doing so, you will also help the beings within you to transform their minds. Do not let these beings suffer in the spaces within your body, for they will eventually seek revenge and repay grievances. It is truly a painful existence for both you and them.

The Path to Awakening

If the beings within your body are willing to accept the resolution offered by me and Practitioner Su, they may leave your body to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Alternatively, if they remain within you, they may transform their thoughts and cultivate goodness, no longer obstructing your practice. This also elevates the spiritual quality of these beings. You must reach a point where these beings are willing to be resolved or are transformed within you; only then will you have the possibility of achieving the state of an awakened being. This is precisely why I and Practitioner Su are so actively helping the fourfold assembly (monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen) to invite these spirits for resolution and Chao Du.

Only after you have achieved the state of an awakened being can you truly be free to return to the Western Pure Land. You will then be able to walk the great path of saving the world without fear or resentment, and you will be able to lead and liberate the beings with whom you have karmic affinity. There are still many wanderers from the Western Pure Land who have not yet returned. They are waiting to enter Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to find the path back home. I only hope that in this life, you will hear my sincere call: Return home, O wanderers. Remember your original vow, and may you be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Namo Amituofo.