The Boundless Reach of Compassion

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Yongning, who reflects on the profound nature of Chao Du and the karmic connections that bind sentient beings across the ten Dharma realms. This interview was recorded on April 30, 2019, and transcribed by the disciple Shi Faxin.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The process of Chao Du is truly boundless. It is a continuous flow that knows no waiting, no pauses, and certainly no stagnation. When the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su shines before the eyes of these suffering spirits, it appears like a brilliant light of salvation, pulling them up from the depths of their despair. Imagine a vast, endless grassland; beneath the surface, the soil is layered upon layers, containing countless particles, and within that earth, the tiny, crawling, and flying beings are infinitely layered. From ancient times until now, we have spoken of the sentient and the insentient. Yet, who could have truly known that the beings in need of salvation are so incredibly close to us? They are present in every single scene and moment of our daily lives.

The Weight of Karmic Connections

When performing Chao Du, I am filled with a thousand emotions. I can see those who have had karmic affinity with me in the past. I have seen a person I once loved who was reborn as a pig; I have seen a mouse I encountered by chance, who later took on a human body only to create karma and fall into the hells. I have seen my past sister who became an insect, my mother who resides in the heavenly realm, my son who became a donkey, my aunt who became an ant, and my former private tutor who became a lustful insect. I have even seen the master from a past life trapped in a deep trench, and my fellow practitioners lost in the stillness of deep meditation. So many profound connections, yet in the end, everyone has drifted away toward their own laws of karma and cause and effect.

What kind of relationship is this? All relationships are merely cycles of reincarnation within the ten Dharma realms, and it is rare to see those who have truly attained the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. When I meet these beings with whom I have a connection, some may recognise me, while others do not. Many are so overwhelmed by their own suffering that they weep bitterly. Who can truly endure the suffering of the cycle of reincarnation? It is the heart bound by obstacles that traps one's karma, making it so difficult to break free. At the moment when the manifestation of karma occurs, one must face it and engage in repenting. In the past, we were often ignorant. In our ignorance, we created negative causes and left behind evil consequences, all of which can now be seen clearly upon our own physical bodies.

The Task of the Human Body

The suffering of the physical body and the sins we bear cannot be repaid throughout your many lives. The only way is through true practice—helping the beings within our bodies to find liberation. This is the true mission of obtaining a human body. All other matters that we deem important in our daily lives are simply not worth clinging to. To be awakened and not deluded, to be pure and not defiled—it is our own responsibility to wash clean the cloth that has been stained. In this life, I see only this path: to uphold my initial aspiration, to lead the community forward, to rest in the space of purity, and to allow my true self to manifest. By concluding these many karmic connections, this life will be without regrets.

The space around us is constantly changing, full of impermanence. To perform Chao Du amidst such change requires the manifestation of Wisdom (Prajna). Chao Du is not an easy task; it requires the power of great compassion to open up the void, and only then can one see the results. Namo Amituofo."