The Alchemist’s Flight to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable White Crane, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as an ancient alchemist and his subsequent existence as a crane. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on June 14, 2018.

Venerable White Crane speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am the six hundred and fiftieth Venerable, known as 'White Crane'. In the distant past, I was an alchemist who dedicated my life to the practice of refining elixirs. The pills I created were intended to grant 'immortality'—a secret formula passed down through my ancestors. It took one hundred years to refine a single pill, and that one pill was said to extend one's lifespan by over three hundred years. That was the power of my alchemical craft.

The Obsession with Eternal Life

The ingredients for these elixirs were incredibly difficult to obtain. First, I had to collect the very first drop of dew that fell from the heavens, absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon. Then, I had to find a specific spiritual herb growing at the highest point of the mountains. This herb was the key to immortality. A spiritual herb that had grown for a hundred years was a rare treasure; it possessed immense spiritual energy and would appear only for a fleeting moment, much like the blooming of an epiphyllum. To find this herb, one needed the perfect alignment of heaven, earth, and human conditions.

Furthermore, the refining process required the integration of the five elements of heaven and earth: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. I had to observe the most auspicious directions and times, waiting for the moment when the Earth’s rotation placed it in the optimal position to absorb the strongest solar energy. Only then was it the right time to refine the elixir. It was a process that required waiting for over a century just to produce one single pill.

A Life Consumed by the Crucible

At that time, I was completely obsessed with refining these elixirs. Beyond studying the changes in the heavens and observing the rotation of the Earth at every moment, I spent my days wandering everywhere in search of rare ingredients. Finally, when I had only one breath left in my life, I succeeded in refining that pill of immortality. The moment I took it out of the refining crucible, the room was filled with a brilliant red light. The pill was perfectly round and only the size of a grain of rice, yet when placed in my palm, it radiated an incredibly powerful energy.

I was already an old man of over a hundred years, and I was on the verge of death. At the very last moment of my life, I had finally succeeded. I was ecstatic. I sat before the crucible, clutching the pill tightly, waiting for the perfect moment to swallow it. As I waited, my consciousness began to blur. In that instant, I saw a white crane flying down from the sky. I thought to myself, 'What a beautiful white crane!' Its feathers were snow-white and translucent, radiating a soft white light. Its slow, elegant movements captivated me completely, and I stared at it without blinking.

The Transformation and the Endless Search

Suddenly, I realised that the optimal time to consume the elixir was passing. I quickly put the pill into my mouth and swallowed it, but it was too late. My true self departed from my body and simultaneously entered the body of the white crane. The transition was precise. In an instant, I had become a white crane that would live forever.

After becoming a crane, I still retained the memories of my past life as an alchemist, and even my ability to refine elixirs, but my form was now that of a bird. I began to research another type of elixir that could turn a crane back into a human. I tried thousands of different ingredients, but I could never succeed in creating such a pill.

The Sound of Deliverance

I refused to give up and continued to search for new ingredients. One day, while flying over towering mountains, I descended into a deep valley to rest. I clearly heard the sound of beautiful, melodious music echoing from above. In all my hundreds of years, I had never heard such heart-stirring music. I flew upwards with all my might and quietly landed on a large rock between a cliff and the deep valley. I saw a tall, elderly monk standing on the cliff, deeply immersed in every note he sang. His voice moved the heavens and the earth. I listened quietly, and as I followed the melody, I began to recall my past—my endless cycles of reincarnation throughout many lives. It was then that I realised I had become a crane out of a greedy desire for immortality, and I was still clinging to the desire to return to a human form.

Throughout my many lives, scene after scene appeared clearly before my eyes as the music played. Tears streamed down from my eyes. Only then did I hear the music clearly: it was the chanting of 'Namo Amituofo'. Every sound seemed to be calling the white crane to return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Returning to the Western Pure Land

I saw that I had once been a Sage in the Western Pure Land, but after leaving that realm, I had never returned. At that moment, as a white crane, I felt a profound sense of sorrow. Following the chanting of the Buddha-name, the sadness in my heart gradually subsided. I repented for my ignorance throughout my many lives. Finally, I let go of the shackles of reincarnation. I quietly followed the sound of the Buddha-name, and as I slowly stopped breathing, my spirit departed from the crane's body. This time, I returned to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, carried by the Buddha-music. I am so grateful for the compassion of the Buddha.

The White Crane and other Venerables followed Practitioner Su into the universe. Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body is incredibly flexible, capable of changing size and form. He can leap and flip through the universe, crossing countless planets with ease, moving as swiftly as light. Without such agility, it would be impossible to keep up. The sound of the Buddha-name vibrated throughout the entire Milky Way, and the planets within the galaxy danced joyfully to the rhythm of the Buddha-name. Many sentient beings, who had been scattered throughout the vastness of the universe, followed the music of 'Namo Amituofo' and finally left the spaces they had inhabited for so long.

The Compassion of Practitioner Su

The massive golden halo surrounding Practitioner Su illuminated the entire universe. This halo is the result of Practitioner Su following Namo Amituofo, step by step, following the teachings for over seventy years of life in this world, traversing distances in space and time that are beyond calculation. The number of sentient beings he has saved is already as vast as several universes. Such mind-capacity and compassion have earned him the deep respect and reverence of all beings in the spiritual realms, who honour him with the title 'Practitioner Su'.

I, the White Crane, was blessed with this opportunity to save the beings of the planets connected to me by Causal Conditions. The Duwa Planet and I share a very deep connection, and today we met within the galaxy. On the Duwa Planet, there are no alien forms; instead, there are only cranes—colourful, immortal cranes, the likes of which have never been seen in the human world. Their bodies are transparent and luminous, and each crane radiates an elegance and grace that can only be found in a celestial realm. It is a planet space where a 'family of cranes' exists.

The Deliverance of the Duwa Planet

The Duwa Planet in the universe has existed for millions of years, and its level of existence is not something that can be seen with the physical eyes. Today, thanks to the deliverance led by Practitioner Su, the Duwa Planet has had the fortune to be illuminated by the Buddha-light. Every white crane on that planet was once a highly spiritual practitioner. Although they were once respected and virtuous, they pursued the worldly goal of immortality, unaware that the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss—the realm of Namo Amituofo—is the only true 'Infinite Life, Infinite Light'. Therefore, these practitioners became the inhabitants of the Duwa Planet, continuing their practice there. Today, they have all been saved by Practitioner Su’s salvation team and have followed the Buddha-light to be reborn in the Buddha-land.

I am deeply grateful for the deliverance provided by Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body, which allowed all these beings to depart from the planets they inhabited. All the beings are filled with great joy, loudly chanting 'Namo Amituofo'! Namo Amituofo."