The Burden of a Spear: A General's Redemption

This is a record of an interview with Wei Zhongliang, a former deputy general 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 880 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on February 28, 2026.

Wei Zhongliang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My name is Wei Zhongliang. I was a deputy general serving under the great General Yue Fei during the Song Dynasty. I was born in the Sishui region. My family were pork merchants; my father was a butcher. While I held no disdain for his profession, I never wished to follow in his footsteps and earn my living by slaughtering animals. Despite his trade, my father was a man who understood the principles of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame very clearly. My mother was a woman of great virtue and education. From a young age, they required me to memorise these moral teachings. They hoped that I would grow up to be a loyal and righteous man, which is why they named me 'Zhongliang,' meaning 'loyal and good.'

The Tragedy of the Twelve Golden Medals

General Yue Fei held me in high regard. He governed his army with extreme discipline, and because he appreciated my loyal nature, he promoted me through the ranks. I, in turn, gave my all to fulfil my duties. In those days, our Southern Song Dynasty was locked in a bitter struggle against the Jin Dynasty in the north. General Yue Fei held the noble aspiration of recovering the Central Plains and welcoming back the two captured emperors, constantly holding his ground against the Jurchen forces. We were on the verge of reaching Bianjing when the Emperor issued twelve golden medals, summoning us back. Just like that, ten years of hard work were destroyed in an instant. The enemy at the front was ultimately no match for the cold arrows shot from behind by our own people.

At the time, I pleaded with General Yue not to return. We, the soldiers of the Yue Army, were willing to follow him through life and death. We knew that if we returned, our lives would likely be forfeit—why should we subject ourselves to such a fate? Under the circumstances, the General ultimately decided he must return to the capital to see the situation for himself. Many of us, his closest confidants, felt it was a grave injustice. Those who understood the political climate of the court were filled with sorrow. We secretly resolved to protect the General at all costs, for we believed that without him, the Southern Song would never have a day of redemption.

The General's Unwavering Integrity

The General was a man of unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, yet he was also sharp-eyed. He saw the intentions of myself and the other officers. He scolded us, asking if we were to abandon the very foundation of loyalty and righteousness, where would we stand? He explicitly ordered that if the Yue Army were to commit any outrageous acts, it would no longer be the army he had led. His words shook us to our core. We returned to the capital, and as history records, the General was eventually condemned.

I could only watch as these events unfolded, powerless to intervene. My heart was heavy with grief. I could not help but harbour deep resentment toward the Emperor and the treacherous officials of that time. Within a few years, I died of illness at home. After my death, my spirit became trapped within a spear—the very weapon General Yue had gifted me, which I considered a family heirloom. My resentful spirit entered the space within that spear. From then on, anyone who held that weapon would find their rebellious intentions amplified. Any thought of insurrection or defiance against authority was strengthened by the influence of my resentful spirit. I remained in that space for a very, very long time—eight hundred and eighty years—until Practitioner Su recently conducted a massive Chao Du for China. Only then was I rescued from the spear and brought to the Western Dharma-Nature Land.

A Truth Revealed in the Light

In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, my soul is no longer burdened by hatred. Under the illumination of the Buddha-light, my heart is filled with gratitude and peace. I understand now that my single moment of misguided resentment was a mistake. But once I lost my physical body, that feeling of resentment seemed unstoppable; it was simply the way I existed. Fortunately, I encountered Practitioner Su, who opened that space for me, allowing me to finally depart. In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I have seen many, many spaces containing the wars between the Southern Song and the Jin. Inside, there are countless suffering souls—generals, soldiers, and even horses that participated in those conflicts. There are also civilians who were caught in the crossfire. I never knew they had been suffering in those war-torn spaces all this time. If that is the case, were my brothers-in-arms from the Yue Army also suffering in such spaces? It is a shocking and heartbreaking truth. Thankfully, Practitioner Su is so compassionate; he opened those war spaces, and when the souls inside saw the Buddha-light, they rushed toward the golden light as if they had found a saviour.

The Futility of Human Conflict

After listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma, I have come to realise that all things in the human world are illusory. The past has become empty. All the actions we took for the sake of these illusions—whether joy, sorrow, indignation, or resentment—were ultimately futile. Only by realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood, as Practitioner Su does, can one truly be the master of one's destiny. I now know that there are countless spirits within a human body, and it is not easy to be the master of oneself. After I died and lost my body, I became a ghost, and I could not be the master of myself either. I did not want to be resentful, but I had no choice. It was truly a life of suffering. Fortunately, Namo Amituofo is present in the world today, and Practitioner Su has established the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to help people and suffering souls attain liberation.

War is a foolish endeavour. Now that I have lost my physical body, I see that everyone is just a spirit. There is no longer a distinction between the Southern Song and the Jin, or between the Han people and the Jurchen. In truth, war was never truly necessary from the beginning. It seems that only by allowing everyone to receive the education of the Buddha’s teachings at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can we truly dissipate these antagonisms and bring genuine peace to the world. Of course, the most important thing is that this spirit can return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Therefore, I, Wei Zhongliang, am now diligently chanting 'Namo Amituofo,' hoping that one day I will be able to return to the Western Pure Land, and eventually, return to the human world to save sentient beings.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo. Gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Wei Zhongliang"