The Bittersweet Lessons of Life

This is a record of an interview with Yancheng, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,200 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on September 23, 2018.

Venerable Yancheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Yancheng. Looking back at that life, I remember how I would carry the heavy burden of firewood up the mountain, my muscles aching with every step. Once the work was done, I would take my fifth younger sister out for a walk. Her legs were not fully developed, and she could not walk on her own. Every day, I had to support her as we moved around the courtyard, just to let her soak in the sun and keep her limbs from stiffening.

Ever since our mother left, I had shouldered the responsibility of caring for my sisters. As the eldest son, I felt it was my duty. My five sisters were still so young and helpless; they did not know how to look after themselves, and I, as their big brother, had to be their protector and provider."

A Mother's Betrayal and a Father's Heartbreak

"My mother possessed a striking, ethereal beauty—the kind of allure that captivated every man who laid eyes upon her. My father was no exception; he was deeply, hopelessly drawn to her, blinded by her charm. Yet, she was unfaithful. Even after they were married, she continued to carry on with other men.

One day, while my father was away at work, my mother brought a man into our home. By a cruel twist of fate, my father had stopped work early and returned home to rest. The three of them collided in that fateful moment. My father was consumed by a white-hot fury, his heart shattered by the weight of her betrayal. My mother was terrified, frozen in her tracks. The man, attempting to protect her, stood between them to prevent any harm. My father could not bear the sight; he ran out of the house in agony, unable to look at the 'filthy' scene his home had become.

By the time evening descended, my father returned home, his spirit drowned in alcohol and his heart utterly broken. My mother had already left with that man. She had taken everything—every piece of clothing from the wardrobe, every valuable item in the house—leaving nothing behind but me and my five sisters. I was merely twelve years old that year, yet the weight of the world had already descended upon my young shoulders."

The Weight of Poverty and Despair

"From the day she left, my father became a shell of a man. He was like a walking corpse, lost in a fog of despair, unable to see any hope for the future. He had no strength left to care for us six children; he only managed to tell me to look after my sisters. Seeing him in that state, I knew my mother would never return. My sisters were so young, and I had no choice but to take on the role of both father and mother. I cared for my sisters, I cared for my father, and I kept the house running.

I had to wake up at the crack of dawn to climb the mountain for firewood. Then, I would start the fire, cook the rice, prepare the vegetables, and get breakfast ready. Our family's finances relied entirely on my father, but he was often too sick to work. We lived in extreme poverty.

I would pack a portion of our breakfast into my father's lunchbox for his midday meal, then wake the others. After he left, I would take my sisters out to scavenge for scrap metal, hoping to trade it for a few coins. It was never enough, but we were just children—this was all we could do. I can truly say I had no childhood. Every day was a struggle for survival, and I felt that the human world was a miserable place. I longed for the day my sisters would grow up so I could leave this world behind and find liberation. Every day, I prepared for my own departure, ensuring the family could survive even without me."

A Chance Encounter with Wisdom

"One day, there was absolutely no food in the house, and my father had not yet returned. I had to take a bowl and go out to beg on the streets. While I was wandering, I saw a small girl carrying her mother on her back, standing in a corner of the street. In that moment, the resentment I had carried for years finally began to fade. I realised I was not the only one suffering like this. The girl was even younger than me, yet she had to carry her mother everywhere to beg. I was twelve; compared to this six or seven-year-old child, I was far better off. I shared some of the food I had received with her.

The girl looked at me and said, 'You think I am suffering, but I see that you are suffering even more.' I did not understand what she meant. She continued, 'Life is an illusion, yet you treat it as if it were real, living in constant sorrow. My mother and I are poor, but our hearts are not attached to this world. We seek the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss of Namo Amituofo. My mother cannot walk, so I carry her every day to the temple on the mountain to listen to the sutras. Only through the sutras can one truly realise the emptiness of life and learn to let go completely.'

She added, 'No matter how hard life is, if you chant Namo Amituofo, it is not bitter. If you let go, it is not bitter. If you do not cling, it is not bitter. You, too, can find true happiness.' That day, it was as if I had awakened from a long, dark dream. Though she was only a child, she possessed more wisdom than I ever had. I gathered myself, set aside the sorrow of the past, and stopped living in misery."

The Path to Liberation

"From that day on, I continued to care for my family, but I was no longer weighed down by negative emotions. I stopped obsessing over the tiny amount of money we made from scavenging. Instead, I used our time to take my sisters to the temple to listen to the Dharma. Whenever there was a lecture, we were there. Our lives began to transform. I finally understood that the feeling of letting go is one of immense ease and freedom.

We shared our joy with our father, hoping he would join us in learning the Buddha’s teachings. Every day, we took turns reading sutras and telling stories to him. My father was deeply moved; he was grateful that the Buddha had finally awakened him. He realised that the attachment he had clung to for so long had wasted years of his life, and now, he finally saw hope again.

For the rest of his life, my father led us in practising the Buddha’s teachings, all of us seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land. The human world is not worth staying in for even a moment; the single word 'emotion' is enough to cause endless suffering. We shared our story with others, especially those who were trapped in sorrow, hoping they would see the illusion of life and cherish every day they had left to chant Namo Amituofo and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

The Eternal Work of Deliverance

"My siblings and I eventually saw through the attachments of the world. We stopped talking about worldly emotions and spoke only of the Dharma and the work of saving beings. When my father passed away, he saw the Buddha come to lead him to the Western Pure Land. After he left, we all moved into the temple to focus on our practice. Though I was young, I was quick-witted, and having been tempered by hardship, I found the work of the temple came naturally to me.

My Master guided me, helping me see through the truth of life. I thought I had let go of everything, but my Master showed me that even the subtlest thoughts were still attachments. Like peeling a cocoon, he helped me extract and purify the habits and attachments I still held. This allowed me to learn the state of pure, thoughtless clarity, to keep my body as clear as glass, and to rediscover the Dharma vessel within me. I now use this body to deliver sentient beings, helping immeasurable and boundless beings reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body is not limited by space or distance; in an instant, it reaches across the universe. The universe is boundless, and one can never imagine what kind of spirit one might encounter next. No matter how their forms change, they are all children of the Buddha. They have been reincarnated in the cycle of samsara for millions, even billions of years, and have long forgotten their original nature.

Every day, Practitioner Su compassionately performs Chao Du for these spirits. Some are helped to shed their outer shells and return to their original appearance; others are healed of their wounds, restoring their original, pure, and radiant selves. When the Buddha-light shines down, all spirits see it and follow it. They regain hope and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. In that moment, they are filled with gratitude for the Buddha’s compassion—that after wandering for so long, the Buddha is still willing to lead them back to their Western home. They kneel in gratitude, thanking Namo Amituofo and thanking Practitioner Su."

Namo Amituofo.