The Burden of Past Enmities and the Path to Liberation

This is a record of an interview with Yao Guang, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,200 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 16, 2018.

Yao Guang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Yao Guang. When my eyes first opened to the truth of my past lives, I was struck by a devastating realisation: the father I looked upon was not truly my father, and the mother who held me was not truly my mother. They were, in fact, my enemies from many lifetimes ago. I faced this truth in agony. For the first ten years of my life, I did not speak a single word to anyone. I did not know how to face my own existence, nor how to continue living, until I finally met my noble person."

A Birth of Unintended Consequences

"During the ten months my mother carried me, she did not have a single day of comfort. She felt constant physical distress and aching in her bones. Even when the time came for me to be born, everything went wrong; it took a great deal of time and effort for me to enter this world. In truth, my parents never wanted a child. I was an accidental result of their union. It was only through the persistent counselling of my grandmother that my mother decided to go through with the birth. Otherwise, I would never have been born into this world at all.

My parents were obsessed with the luxurious enjoyments of the world, drowning themselves in desire every single day. The blessings accumulated by the Yao family in the past provided them with endless wealth. They did not need to work; they spent their days in endless play and indulgence. When I was born, my mother felt like a happy bird suddenly locked in a cage. Because she had to care for me, her life felt restricted. This was the primary reason she did not want a child—she simply did not enjoy the responsibility of motherhood."

The Awakening of Memory

"My mother bought me many toys and kept me locked in my room, leaving me to play alone. She thought this was a foolproof arrangement, so she would freely go out to the streets to shop. When she returned home and opened the door, she discovered a disaster. A cat had jumped into the room through the window. I found it amusing and chased after it, but in my haste, I struck my head violently against the leg of a table. My tender skull was split open, and blood flowed everywhere. I lay on the floor, motionless. In that moment, as I teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, countless images flooded my mind. I saw clear visions of myself harming my parents in the past. Although I was still a child, those memories were deeply buried within my heart.

As soon as I collapsed, my mother opened the door. Terrified, she quickly summoned a doctor to examine me. She breathed a sigh of relief when she learned I was not in critical danger. She hurriedly shoved money into the doctor's hand, urging him to leave through the back door and begging him not to let my grandmother see him. If my grandmother had found out, my mother would certainly have faced a severe scolding. I lay quietly on the bed, staring at the ceiling, as memories continued to surface. Despite my small body and young age, I possessed a mind and memory that far exceeded my years. That blow to the head had awakened so many memories of my past and present; this body had become a very complex vessel."

The Burden of Seeing the Truth

"I could see not only my own past lives but also the past lives of everyone I encountered. This seemed to be a skill I had cultivated in previous lives. I continued to act like a child, playing, eating, and sleeping like a machine. I did not understand the meaning of life, nor why fate had arranged for me to see the truth of so many facts at such a young age. Even that wild cat that led me to hit the table was an enemy with whom I had formed a grudge in the past. The turmoil within my heart could not be calmed, and I remained silent, refusing to speak to anyone. Everyone assumed I was mute, and my parents grew to dislike me even more because of it. They lamented that they had given birth to a mute child, convinced that they must have committed some terrible negative karma in a past life to be so unlucky in this one!

I endured the abuse my parents inflicted upon me. My body was covered in scars; no sooner would an old wound begin to scab over than a new one would appear. Every day was filled with scolding and beatings. I endured this for ten years, until my life finally took a different turn."

A Sanctuary and a New Perspective

"When I was ten, my uncle married a beautiful bride who joined the Yao household. From the moment she saw me, my aunt felt a deep affection for me. Her sensitivity was such that, within ten days of joining the family, she clearly understood the life I was living every day. Her heart ached for me, and she would often bring me into her room to help apply medicine to my wounds. She asked me, 'Do you hate your parents?' I shook my head and told her, 'I owe them this from my past.' My aunt sighed deeply, unable to understand why the Causal Conditions of the past had to manifest in such a way in this lifetime.

Every day, my aunt sought ways to liberate me from my suffering. With the consent of my grandmother, my parents, and my uncle, she adopted me as her godson. This made my parents very happy, and they immediately handed me over to her care. I finally had a sanctuary in the house. Sometimes, my aunt would take me out, and for the first time in my life, I stepped outside our home. I was stunned by the world outside! I could not believe what I was seeing. With just one glance, the past lives of everyone I saw appeared clearly before my eyes. I realised that every single person had been coming and going in this cycle of rebirth for countless lifetimes! When my aunt was out buying cosmetics, a thief snatched her money. She cried out, and nearby citizens helped catch the thief and retrieve her money. I saw the past of this thief; he had suffered in the hells and, after much pleading, had finally regained a human body in this life. He had vowed to live a good life, but once born, he had forgotten his promise. Before he was arrested, I told him what I had seen, hoping he might turn over a new leaf."

The Path of the Dharma

"That outing was a real eye-opener. I realised that humans are such complex beings and that life is a constant cycle of rebirth. I understood that I had come into this life to repay debts and to save my parents, as well as all people in the world.

My aunt introduced me to the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha, in His compassion, washed away the memories of the grudges I held against my parents, allowing me to use the Dharma to save them. At first, my parents did not believe in the existence of the Buddha, nor did they think that believing in Buddhism could bring any benefit. They treated my interest in Buddhism as a joke. I was not surprised by their attitude, as no one in their lives had ever practised the Buddha’s teachings, and their life of luxury made it difficult for them to learn. I continued to practise diligently at the temple with my aunt, returning home only for special festivals—perhaps once or twice a year. Each time I returned, I used the opportunity to share the Dharma with my parents. One, two, three years passed. By the fourth year, they began to believe, because my father fell ill. He could no longer walk, and his body grew increasingly frail. My mother was deeply worried about his condition, and to save him, she began to try chanting Namo Amituofo and exploring the Dharma. She went to various places to listen to sutra lectures, trying to understand what the Buddha’s teachings were truly about.

My mother went from suspicion and testing to gradually opening her heart to the Dharma. She then introduced the teachings to my father. Ever since my mother began to learn Buddhism with a sincere heart, she changed completely. Seeing this transformation, my father was deeply influenced and began to chant Namo Amituofo earnestly from his bed. Two years passed, and my father’s health gradually improved. They became convinced that this was all due to the blessing of the Buddha’s power. My mother became a great Dharma protector of the temple, donating large sums of merit money every year to support the Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Teachings, and the Sangha Community. After my father recovered, I left the home life to become a monk."

A Mission Across Space and Time

"My ability to see the past lives of every devotee became a great aid in my work of saving sentient beings. I could identify the root cause of their problems, use the Dharma to resolve their issues, and teach them to change their lives—to truly believe in the Buddha, learn the Dharma, and chant Namo Amituofo throughout their lives to seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I have only been back in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss for a short time, yet the entire worldly realm has already changed into what it is today. We have all witnessed the Chao Du work that Practitioner Su performs in the world every day; it is truly an unprecedented spectacle. When Practitioner Su injured his leg, we immediately entered his leg to assist him. Today, having the Causal Conditions to perform Chao Du in the universe, my heart is filled with immense gratitude.

Today, I met my master from a past life in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. To my surprise, he had not reached the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss; he was still meditating in the space of the universe. That was what he loved most in the past—whenever he had free time, he would go into the universe to meditate and enjoy the tranquility of space. Unexpectedly, at the very last moment of his life, while he was chanting Namo Amituofo, he recalled his time meditating in the universe. He drifted away from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and entered the space of the universe to continue his meditation. Today, I reunited with my master. When he saw me, he felt very ashamed, but seeing my current state, he felt happy for me. He followed all the sentient beings to chant Namo Amituofo and returned to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss together. I am grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su, and I am grateful for the compassion of the Buddha."

"Namo Amituofo."