The Child Who Brought Prosperity and Wisdom

This is a record of an interview with Mingjue, a Venerable who lived approximately 2,100 years ago. He sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This testimony was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on January 28, 2019.

Mingjue speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Before I entered the womb, I saw my mother from the Western Pure Land. I decided then and there to enter her womb and be born into that impoverished family. My mother never expected to be pregnant with a third child! My two older brothers had already placed immense pressure on my parents; there was never enough food to feed them, and my mother would watch them with a heart full of sorrow, unable to bear seeing them suffer alongside her. Now, with a third child on the way, she looked at my father, who had limited mobility, and then at her own belly. After much thought, she decided she had to terminate the pregnancy."

The Child Who Could Not Be Removed

"My mother secretly bought abortion medicine and took it when my father was away. But strangely, even after the medicine was digested and passed through her system, she felt no pain at all. I remained firmly seated within her womb, completely unaffected by the medicine! At that moment, my mother realised that I was destined to be her son.

My mother had always been physically weak and often needed to lie in bed to rest. But ever since I was conceived, she became full of energy. She could often work in the fields, producing so many vegetables that we had more than enough to eat, and she even had surplus to give to other households. All the neighbours were happy for her, saying, 'This child is definitely here to repay a kindness! No wonder you couldn't get rid of him even if you wanted to!'"

A Noble Appearance in a Poor Home

"On the day of my birth, my mother summoned all her strength and brought me into the world. I was a fair, plump baby boy, looking nothing like my two thin, frail older brothers. My parents and all the neighbours found it hard to believe that I was born into this family. Looking at me, they would say, 'This child has the face of someone from a wealthy, noble family! How could he be born in our poor village? Could there be some mistake?' It was true; I had a round, perfect face. If you ignored the ragged clothes I wore, you would truly think I was a child of a prestigious household.

The entire town knew that my mother had given birth to a child with a dignified appearance, and that I had brought wealth to the family. Since my birth, the crops my parents planted had begun to yield massive harvests. My father, who originally sat on a piece of cloth on the ground selling vegetables at the market, eventually opened his own stall. Later, he even rented more land and hired farmers to cultivate it, becoming a major wholesaler in the market, supplying fresh vegetables to all the other vendors."

The Mystery of the Unspendable Wealth

"Such a massive transformation within three years was unbelievable to everyone. Even my parents felt as if they were dreaming, often pinching each other's faces, unable to believe that our family had suddenly become wealthy overnight. But a strange thing happened. Whenever my father took the money to buy a large house for our family of five, the vegetables in the fields would immediately wither and turn yellow, causing a huge financial loss. The money intended for the house had to be used to cover the deficit. When my father saved enough to buy five horses for transport, a torrential rain would fall for a week, drowning many of the seedlings. The money for the horses had to be used to cover the losses again. When my mother saved money to renovate our stove, a fire would break out in the house, though fortunately, it was extinguished quickly, saving us from major repair costs. These repeated incidents made my parents very confused. They wondered, 'Why is it that we simply cannot spend this money on ourselves?'

I was three years old at the time, and I told my parents, 'This money is not for us to use; it is for us to earn so that we can give it to society.' My parents looked at me in astonishment, not knowing how a three-year-old could say such things! As it was a three-year-old speaking, they naturally dismissed it as childish talk. My parents thought to themselves, 'Since we cannot spend this money, let us just save it all! We will wait until a day comes when we can use it, and then we won't suffer any losses!' My parents thought they had a clever plan and were quite pleased with themselves."

The Kidnapping and the Lesson

"The next day, my father had just returned from outside. Before he even stepped into the house, he heard my mother screaming. My father limped quickly into the house, and my mother said nervously, 'Mingjue is gone! Mingjue is gone! He was just playing here a moment ago; how could he have vanished in the blink of an eye?' My parents searched everywhere in a panic, but they could not find me.

I had been taken by a man in black because word had spread through the town: 'This family has a child who generates money! He turned a family that couldn't afford to eat into the wealthy overnight!' People who wanted to get rich were fighting to hold me, hoping to catch some of my good fortune and bring wealth to themselves. My parents had been worried that I might be stolen, and today, it had actually happened! I was truly gone.

I was taken to a house filled with gamblers who were drinking, shouting, and fiercely competing in their games. When the man in black shouted, 'I've brought back the child who brings wealth!', all the gamblers scrambled to hold me, hoping I would bring them good luck so they could win at least ten rounds! Although they were grabbing at me violently, I remained completely unmoved. One old man said, 'This child truly has Meditation (Concentration). To be grabbed so fiercely and not only not cry, but to remain so steady—remarkable! Truly remarkable! Hahaha!'

Finally, I was held in the arms of a large, burly man who used me to gamble, demanding that I win all his battles. Some gamblers got to hold me, while others did not. By the end of the day, the one who lost the most was the burly man, followed by those who had held me. Conversely, those who had not held me became the big winners of the day. All the gamblers turned against me, saying I was a jinx and not a child who brought wealth at all! Just as I was about to be discarded, someone had a crooked idea and said, 'Why don't we use this child to swindle a large sum of money from his parents, and we will all split it?' All the gamblers agreed in unison, 'Good idea!'

And so, the news of my kidnapping reached my parents' ears. To save me, my parents gave all the money they had saved to these gamblers.

After this incident, my parents finally believed that this money was absolutely not meant for them to keep. They listened to what I had said and used the remaining money to give to those in society who truly needed help. Many people were unable to work and had to beg. Some had encountered disasters and were suddenly plunged into poverty with no way out. There were also many households that had accidentally had too many children and could not support them. Looking closely at the entire town, there were so many families in need of relief. My parents gave this money to those who truly needed it, allowing their lives to stabilise.

Once my parents started giving, our family's work returned to normal. Every year, we only kept what was needed for basic necessities, and everything else was given to other towns. Thus, even though my parents earned a lot of money, we still lived in the old house, wore simple clothes, ate the vegetables we grew ourselves, and lived a simple life."

The Path of the Dharma

"When I was ten, I asked my mother, 'Mother, why don't you learn the Buddha’s teachings?' My mother looked at me in confusion and asked, 'You know the Buddha?' I nodded and said to her, 'Not only do I know the Buddha, but I know the benefits of learning the Buddha’s teachings. One day, outside the temple, I met a compassionate master who introduced the Dharma to me. I was filled with Dharma joy and decided to start practicing!' I knew that my whole family did not know the Dharma, so I specifically introduced this precious teaching to them.

Ever since I began practicing, my family followed suit. They all knew that although I was the youngest in the family, I was the wisest, and they believed my choices were absolutely correct! Indeed, after the whole family started practicing, our home changed even more. My parents, who used to argue with each other, now lived in harmony. The sound of chanting Namo Amituofo could be heard everywhere, and the energy in our home became better and better.

My birth drove the transformation of our entire family. My parents' narrow mind-capacity expanded as they learned the practice of Generosity. From not believing in the Buddha, they began to have deep faith in the Dharma, chanted continuously, and even introduced the Dharma to the people in our town. Before I entered the temple to practice, I told my mother, 'Mother, you were my master in a past life.' My mother was surprised; she was just an ordinary woman in this life, yet she had been my master in a past life! I told her, 'A monk told me this when I was three years old. The monk also told me that in this life, I must lead my mother and the whole family to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss! There are also immeasurable and boundless beings waiting for me and my mother to save them.' My mother felt deeply ashamed—ashamed that she had reincarnated for many lifetimes because of emotions. If I had not been born to save her in this life, she would surely have continued on the path of samsara.

When my mother realised she had been an eminent monk in the past, she resolutely went to the temple to become a nun. Although my father was reluctant to part with her, he hoped she would achieve success in this life, so he supported her decision to practice in the temple. Although my father did not want to become a monk, he was diligent on the Buddha’s path, giving and saving beings everywhere. After my mother became a nun, I went to another temple to practice, fulfilling the vow I made when I was born to save beings widely and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

In this life, I was not polluted by the Five Turbidities and Evil World. It was the Meditation (Concentration) I practiced in the past that allowed me to find concentration amidst chaos and remain unaffected by the environment. Only then could I save my whole family and even become a monk to save spirits. After being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I made a vow to return to the human world again. This time, I entered Practitioner Su's leg to help her recover from her leg injury.

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body moves freely and rapidly throughout the universe. Because beings appear endlessly and the number of planets in the Milky Way is countless, Practitioner Su uses the fastest speed to deliver these spirits in the universe, helping them leave their space and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Practitioner Su drives the transformation of the universe, gradually making the originally chaotic space pure and filled with good thoughts, allowing the universe to begin to regain its balance. I also follow in Practitioner Su's footsteps, delivering the beings with whom I have karmic affinity. I am grateful to Practitioner Su for giving me this opportunity. Even without being reincarnated, I can exert my power to save beings. I am grateful for Practitioner Su's compassion. Namo Amituofo."

This interview message was recorded by the disciple Shi Fa Jing.