The Buddha-Name Within: A Life of Constant Devotion

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Liang Zongming, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as a practitioner and monastic. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on June 21, 2018.

Venerable Liang Zongming speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Venerable Liang Zongming, known in my monastic life as Shi Yuancan, and I am the five hundred and ninety-fifth spirit to be delivered here.

My mother was a woman of profound, quiet suffering. From her earliest childhood, she suffered from a severe head injury that left her brain development incomplete. This condition affected her speech and hindered many of her physical movements. My grandmother, desperate to help her, sought out numerous physicians, but they were all helpless against her condition. Despite this, my mother was remarkably beautiful—a true beauty in every sense. Though her mind was hindered, her heart was pure and kind. She always thought of others before herself, and whenever she had even the smallest possession, she would share it with the poor who were in need.

A Meeting of Two Broken Souls

My father, born into extreme poverty, was forced to leave home at the age of ten to seek work in distant lands. During his travels, he suffered a tragic workplace accident that cost him an arm. From that day forward, finding employment became an insurmountable struggle, and his spirit grew heavy with despair. One day, while he was sitting alone by the riverbank, trying to soothe his troubled heart, my mother happened to be there washing clothes. They met by chance, and it was love at first sight. My mother did not care that my father was physically disabled, and my father did not care that my mother had a brain injury. They understood each other, cherished one another, and decided to join their lives together to build a new home.

Shortly after they were married, a tall, elderly monk came to their home to beg for alms. Even though our family was destitute, my mother gave the monk the very last bowl of rice we had. The old monk looked at her and said, 'Chant Namo Amituofo diligently, and the Buddha will help you.' My mother was deeply grateful for his words.

As it turned out, my mother had been a monastic in a past life and had once helped this very monk. At that time, he was just a young boy. He had listened to my mother's guidance, eventually became a monk himself, practised diligently, and attained rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. It was because of this deep karmic connection that they were destined to meet again in this lifetime.

The Healing Power of the Buddha-Name

My mother was illiterate, but from that moment on, she embraced the Buddha's teachings. She knew only how to chant 'Namo Amituofo.' Every day, the moment she opened her eyes, she would begin to chant, and she would continue until she fell asleep at night. She did not engage in complex thinking; she simply chanted 'Namo Amituofo' with a sincere heart. In less than three months, the damage to her brain began to heal rapidly. My father was overjoyed, and together they knelt before the Buddha to express their gratitude, beginning their diligent practice of the Buddha's teachings.

One day, while my parents were kneeling together before the Buddha, holding their prayer beads and chanting, a brilliant golden light shone into my mother's womb. Within a few days, she discovered she was pregnant. My parents were filled with immense joy.

My mother told me that when I was born, I was holding a lotus petal in my mouth, which left my parents in absolute awe. For several days after my birth, the entire room was filled with a delicate, heavenly fragrance. When I began to learn to speak, the first words my mother taught me were 'Namo Amituofo.' She told me, 'Namo Amituofo is our true Father in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, so the first thing you must learn is to call out to your Father.'

A Childhood of Meditative Concentration

I followed my mother in chanting every single day. Compared to other children my age, I was noticeably more intelligent, which shocked our neighbours. They found it hard to believe that a mother with a brain injury could give birth to such a bright child. I believe my mother was the one with true Wisdom. She understood that her purpose in this life was to return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, to be by the side of our compassionate Father, Namo Amituofo. Therefore, she chanted diligently every day and travelled everywhere to teach others to chant and seek rebirth in the West.

When I was five years old, my mother brought me to a temple to begin my practice, and I was ordained as a little novice with the Dharma name Yuancan.

My master was an eminent monk named Shi Benyuan. He saw into my heart and realised that I was constantly dwelling within the Buddha-name. Even at the tender age of five, he recognised the meditative concentration I had cultivated from a young age. He observed me closely; I spoke very little. Whether I was writing calligraphy, working in the fields, eating my meals, or sitting in meditation, I was always, at every moment, dwelling within the Buddha-name. 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' Every move I made, every word I spoke, was contained within the Buddha-name. My very blood seemed to flow in rhythm with the chanting, and I maintained a constant, profound stillness in my heart.

A Vow to Save the World

During a morning service one day, I clearly saw Namo Amituofo descend into the main hall, radiating brilliant light. I made a vow before the Buddha that in this life, I would surely propagate the Buddha's teachings so that all people in the world could chant this name, 'Namo Amituofo,' and vow to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

When I was twenty, I bid farewell to my master and left the temple to travel and spread the Dharma. I never cared for this physical body. Even when the cold winds cracked my skin or my feet bled from the long journey, I continued to walk forward, chanting the Buddha-name with every step. Whenever I went to beg for alms, I would teach the people to chant and seek rebirth in the West. Whether they offered me food or not, I felt deep gratitude for the karmic condition that allowed me to share this Buddha-name with them. I hoped that everyone I met would hear this name, understand its preciousness, and chant to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

No matter how the external environment changed, my state of mind remained unmoved. This pure, meditative concentration allowed me to connect with the spirits throughout the space around me. With every step I took, the spirits on the ground could hear the Buddha-name I was chanting in my heart. Some followed the chanting and were saved from their realms, and for those who were not yet ready to leave, I planted the Vajra Seed of the Buddha's teachings within them. I spent my life actively spreading the Dharma, solely to save all people in the world, successfully guiding many to chant the Buddha-name. At the age of sixty-five, I rode a golden lotus to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Cosmic Reach of Namo Amituofo

I have watched Practitioner Su performing Chao Du throughout the universe, and the speed of her deliverance is millions of times faster than my own travels. In the past, although I knew that other dimensions existed, I could not open them all. Now, when Practitioner Su's Dharma Body surges into the universe, all dimensions become accessible. She rapidly brings the Buddha-name into every planet, and the entire universe is now permeated with Goodness and compassion.

Even now, new planets are constantly forming. As soon as these young planets take shape, they are infused with positive energy, and this energy is used to nurture them. Many extraterrestrial beings from older, decaying planets have begun to relocate to these new worlds.

The sacred name of 'Namo Amituofo' has been translated into various extraterrestrial languages and has begun to flourish throughout the universe. Now, when all these beings meet, their first greeting to one another is 'Namo Amituofo.' This familiar Buddha-name has turned the entire universe into one big family. In the future, everyone will chant this name together and be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo."