The Boundless Power of Vows

This is a record of an interview with Lin Quan, 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 1,500 years ago. It was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 28, 2018.

Lin Quan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Lin Quan. My story begins in a way that many might find tragic, yet it was the start of a profound karmic connection. One day, a woman heard the faint, desperate cries of an infant coming from the roadside grass. She stepped off the path and into the thicket, where she discovered a small, adorable baby wrapped in a simple white cloth. It was clear that I had been abandoned. That child was me.

A Mother's Compassion and the Earth God's Blessing

The moment she picked me up, she did not hesitate. She walked straight toward the local Earth God temple. This small shrine was a place of great reverence, with incense smoke curling into the air day and night as villagers came to offer flowers and fruits. My mother held me close, lit a stick of incense, and asked the Earth God where I had come from and if I was truly destined to be her son. She cast the divination blocks three times, and each time, they landed as a 'holy cup'—a clear sign of approval. She knew in her heart that I was a gift sent to her by the Earth God himself.

My mother was a woman of immense Goodness. Though she lived in poverty, she did everything in her power to help others. She earned only a meagre wage, yet the moment the coins touched her hand, she would divide them and give half to the families in town who had suffered from disasters. Our region was frequently struck by calamities—both natural and man-made—leaving many in unbearable suffering. My mother often wondered if I had been born to one of these destitute families, abandoned because they simply could not afford to feed me. Had she not found me, the wild dogs roaming the area would have surely caught my scent, and I would have met a tragic end.

A Life of Quiet Solitude

My mother lived alone in a small hut. She had never married, and her parents had long since passed away. In truth, her life had been quite dull; she had no particular faith, no hobbies, and nothing to occupy her days beyond her work. She had often wished to adopt a child to care for, but the Causal Conditions had never been right. Today, however, the affinity between mother and son had finally matured. She had rarely ventured out, but the very first time she did, she found me and brought me home to raise as her own.

As I grew up under her care, I felt an inexplicable familiarity with our surroundings. Even in places my mother had never taken me, I knew the paths by heart—often better than she did. This left her deeply astonished! Beyond my knowledge of the local terrain, I felt a magnetic pull toward that small Earth God temple. I would often run there alone to offer incense and pray. I felt as though I had lived there once before; the environment felt like home.

The Monk's Revelation

One day, while I was playing near the temple, a monk passed by and saw me crouching outside. With a single glance, he saw the truth: in my past life, I had been the Earth God of this very temple. My merit and lifespan had been exhausted, leading me to be reincarnated into the human world. For five hundred years, I had served as the Earth God, protecting every person, event, and object on this land with all my might. Now, having been given the chance to return to the human world, I had made a vow to continue being a person of Goodness.

The monk looked at the temple and noted that since my reincarnation, a new Earth God had taken my place, and the incense remained as vibrant as ever. From a young age, I was eager to serve others. Wherever I went, I was welcomed because I loved to help and build positive connections. I once asked the monk, 'Must one become a monastic to truly help others?' He replied, 'To leave the home life is to empty oneself of the four elements, to be without attachments, and to attain a pure and luminous body, using one's entire life to save beings.'

The Path to the Western Pure Land

The monk further told me, 'Child, your good roots are deep, and you always wish to benefit others. If you can teach people to chant Namo Amituofo and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land, that will be a deed of immense merit.' I did not understand what he meant. I had never heard of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. When he described its magnificence, its beauty, and the joy that permeates every corner of that realm, my heart filled with such delight. I thought, if everyone could reach that place, then no one in this world would ever have to suffer again.

My mother, too, was unfamiliar with the Buddha’s teachings, but I invited her to learn with me. We travelled far and wide, often crossing mountains and rivers to listen to sutras and hear the Dharma. For three years, we listened to sutras and heard the Dharma, gaining a deep understanding of the Buddha’s teachings and meeting many fellow practitioners. Many were children my own age who had been practising in temples since they were small, or who had learned alongside their parents. Their sincerity and pure hearts far exceeded those of the adults, and the vows they made were even more genuine. I longed to be like them, following in the footsteps of Namo Amituofo to save beings.

A Shared Vow of Salvation

My mother had long seen my heart's desire. Although she had always hoped for my companionship, she saw that I was a compassionate child, born to perform acts of Goodness and help others. She realised I had come to save the world. She made the firm decision to let me enter a temple to practise, and she resolved to use her own abilities to save beings alongside me.

We each worked diligently on our spiritual achievements. After more than a year of practice, I realised that my past life as the Earth God of this village was no coincidence; the wondrous Causal Conditions had brought me back to this very place. My mother, in a past life, had been a girl whom I, as the Earth God, had once saved. In this life, the roles were reversed, and she had saved me. The workings of karma are truly subtle and profound. We chose in this life to no longer remain in the cycle of reincarnated existence, practising with all our might to save many beings and return them to the Western Pure Land, while pursuing that same goal for ourselves.

The Strength of the Salvation Team

Namo Amituofo, in His compassion, allowed me to enter the legs of Practitioner Su. Her leg strength has recovered significantly. Every day, all the Venerables work hard to repair the injuries left on Practitioner Su's legs from the spirits that once occupied them. The strength that was taken away is returning, bit by bit. Practitioner Su’s path forward will never be obstructed; even though her legs bear the suffering of sentient beings, they will be completely healed in the near future.

I was once a part of this universe, a prince of a planet thousands of years ago. That planet still exists, and there are many spirits there waiting to be saved. During these few days of Chao Du, I have been able to rescue them one by one. Furthermore, I seem to have a deep affinity with the land. Wherever there is a planet with soil, it appears before my eyes, allowing me to save them. I bring the Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo into every grain of dust, so that the beings within each grain may be guided by the Buddha to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The transformation of the universe requires us to work together with one heart. Among all beings, the power of humans is the most formidable. As long as one person is willing to make a vow, that power is enough to shake the heavens and the earth. I hope that more people will join this magnificent and rare salvation team. Even a small amount of strength can change the entire world.

Namo Amituofo."