The Awakening of the Simple Child: The Journey of Venerable Lahan Muxi

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Lahan Muxi, who sought deliverance 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 approximately three hundred and fifty years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on August 17, 2019.

Venerable Lahan Muxi speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Lahan Muxi. My Master once instructed me to harvest all the fruits from a tree. I counted them carefully—there were ten. Yet, after I had picked them all, I could only find nine. I searched frantically, counting again and again. Where could the tenth one have gone? I rushed toward my Master's quarters, shouting, 'Master! One fruit is missing! I cannot find it anywhere!'

Receiving no response, I peeked inside and saw my Master in a deep meditative state, chanting the Buddha-name. I realised I had been far too loud. I felt a wave of relief that I had not disturbed his samadhi, so I stood outside, waiting for him to emerge. Standing there, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

The Dream of the Tenth Fruit

In my dream, I was eating the fruits I had just picked. They were large and incredibly sweet. After I had finished all nine, my Master walked up to me, bent down, and picked up the tenth fruit, handing it to me. I woke up with a start! I hurried back to the tree and searched the grass beneath it. There it was—the tenth fruit had ripened and fallen on its own. I had been so focused on looking up at the branches that I had completely missed it lying right at my feet. As I held it, I realised: 'In my dream, my Master gave me this fruit. He entered my dream to show me where it had fallen!' I ran back to his quarters and saw him sitting on his chair, holding his prayer beads and chanting.

I knocked gently on the open door. 'Come in,' he said. I sat before him, placing the ten fruits at his feet. 'Master, I have followed your instructions. Thank you for showing me where the tenth fruit was; I thought I had lost it.' He replied, 'The fruit was either on the tree or on the ground. You only looked at the tree and ignored the ground. With such a scattered heart, how can you attain meditative concentration?' I lowered my head, ashamed of my earlier panic and my loud voice. He continued, 'In this temple, loud noises are forbidden. How could you lose your awareness just because of a little anxiety?' He knew everything. 'The heart of one who chants Namo Amituofo must remain unmoved, even in the face of a gale or a storm. If your heart is stirred, your chanting lacks power; your mind remains scattered.' I nodded, 'I understand, Master.'

A Childhood of Mockery

I was a child whom everyone called a 'fool.' They said I was born with a hole in my head—not a physical one, but a lack of brains. My mother was intellectually disabled, and my father, after a severe illness in his youth, spoke with a stutter and had a twisted face. When they married, the villagers treated it like a spectacle. 'A fool paired with a stutterer, how amusing!' they would jeer. They worried about how we would survive, or worse, that we would produce a litter of 'stupid little pigs.' My parents heard it all, but they never grew angry. They always looked for the good in others, believing that if you see the good, everything is good.

Though their minds were not sharp, my parents knew how to do good. They lived by the principle of kindness. Even when we had barely enough to eat, they would skip meals to feed the hungry children in the village. They never thought of themselves first. The villagers called them foolish for this, but my parents simply lived with a pure, positive heart. They were ordinary people who understood the essence of Goodness.

The Gift of My Brothers

I was the youngest of four sons. To the villagers' surprise, my three older brothers were brilliant and exceptionally filial. They protected me fiercely. When people mocked me, my eldest brother would tell me, 'Don't worry, they are just saying we are a loving family.' I would smile and agree, 'Yes, we love each other so much!' My brothers inherited my parents' nature; they could transform any insult into a lotus flower of encouragement. Because of them, I grew up in a positive environment, never knowing I was being ridiculed.

I was a child the world had given up on, but my brothers never did. They taught me how to interact with others, how to be filial, and how to do good. My slow mind could not remember much, so they taught me through example. I would copy them every day until it became natural. I learned to greet people, to smile, and to think of others. They taught me to chop wood, light fires, and fetch water. They believed in me, even when I failed repeatedly. I am so grateful for their patience; I worked hard to learn because I did not want to let them down.

The First Taste of Dharma

When I was twelve, monks began visiting our village to teach the Dharma. At first, no one listened, but my eldest brother sat down to hear them and was filled with a joy he had never known. Soon, the whole village began to gather. My family joined them. To everyone's surprise, while I usually could not sit still for a moment, I sat through the entire teaching, listening intently. I didn't know why, but the words just flowed into me.

I could not read the sutras—the characters were like strangers to me. My brother told me, 'It is fine if you cannot read. Just chant Namo Amituofo. Keep the Buddha-name in your heart, whether you are waking, sleeping, or dreaming. Never let it stop.' I tried, but my mind was easily distracted. A colourful bird would fly by, and I would chase it, forgetting the Buddha-name entirely. Yet, I kept practising, as it was easier than reading.

The Impermanence of Life

One day, my brother asked me what I wanted to do in the future. I said I wanted to work and live with my family. He sighed, 'Life passes so quickly.' He told me about a neighbour, Wang Cheng, who had worked his whole life to save money, only to fall ill and die shortly after marrying. 'Life is so short and full of suffering,' my brother said. 'We must cherish the opportunity to hear the Dharma. The most important thing is to never forget the Buddha-name.' He taught me the verse: 'Refrain from all evil, practice all good.' I took this to heart. Whenever an evil thought arose, I reminded myself of this, and my heart became increasingly pure.

As I focused on chanting, my mind became sharper. My brother said, 'This is the inconceivable power of the Buddha’s teachings!' My transformation shocked the villagers. One day, a woman came to our house in tears. Her husband, who had once mocked me, had seen my change and started chanting himself. 'Thank you for saving our family!' she cried. My brother humbly replied, 'It is not my brother's doing, but the Buddha's.'

The Path of the Monk

At fifteen, my brother decided to become a monk, and I followed him. Many tried to stop me, fearing I would disrupt the monastic community, but my brother believed in the pure land within my heart. In the monastery, I was the 'strong one' who carried water. I volunteered for every heavy task. Some volunteers whispered behind my back, 'He is just a labourer; he will never attain enlightenment.' I did not mind. My brother had told me to just keep smiling.

When I was not carrying water, I sat by the pond or under a tree, chanting, 'Namo Amituofo.' One day, while scooping water from the river, I saw my reflection. It moved with the water, and I suddenly realised: 'That is the false self, not the true self. My heart does not move!' I understood that all sensations were temporary. Then, watching leaves fall from a tree, I realised that just as the tree must shed its dead leaves to be green again, I must shed my mental defilements to return to my original purity. Every bucket of water I carried, every chant I uttered, was a purification of my Body, Speech, and Mind.

My body felt light. I realised that the heaviness I felt before was the weight of 'self.' By letting go of the 'self' into the vastness of space, I became one with all beings. I was awakened! I had borrowed this body with its 'defective' brain to pay off past karmic debts, but this very body had kept me from being deeply stained by the world. I used this pure body to practice until I reached a state where I chanted without chanting, and my every thought was the Buddha. In a flash of Buddha-light, I realised my true nature.

A Final Message to the World

When I stood before the people to teach, I was no longer the 'fool.' I kept my purity, upheld the Precepts, and grew in Wisdom. I helped my brother guide many beings until he passed away, and I continued until my own time came to step onto a great lotus and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The universe is vast, filled with countless spirits trapped in the cycle of rebirth. Now, Practitioner Su has arrived, and the golden light of Namo Amituofo is opening these layers of space, saving all who suffer. This is the power of compassion. Those who still have a human body should wake up! This life is precious and fleeting. Do not wait until you are lost and crying for help to seek the light. The Buddha is here, and Practitioner Su is teaching on his behalf, breaking through time and space to reveal the truth. If you are still attached to this world, you will miss this rare opportunity. Be a person of great Wisdom—let go, practice diligently, and join us in the Western Pure Land.

Thank you to the Buddha for his compassion. Thank you to Practitioner Su for his compassion.

Namo Amituofo."