The Cycle of Birth, Aging, Sickness, and Death

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Qingxiang, who lived approximately 1,400 years ago. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and assists in the work of deliverance. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on February 5, 2019.

Venerable Qingxiang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Qingxiang. For an entire month, the scent of lotus flowers has been drifting continuously from the lotus pond, permeating the entire village. It is a fragrance so pure and persistent that many Buddhist practitioners have been overcome with joy, exclaiming, 'The Buddha is here! The Buddha is here!' My mother, though she did not formally study the Buddha’s teachings, held the deepest reverence for the Buddha. She was not only respectful toward the images of the Buddha within the temple but also treated every single person she encountered in her daily life with profound respect. The first of the Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra, 'respect for all Buddhas,' was something she had overheard practitioners discussing in the streets. She took those words to heart and made them the guiding principle of her entire life.

A Mother's Devotion and the First Vow

Although my mother did not begin her formal practice of the Buddha’s teachings from childhood, she married into a family of practitioners at the age of fifteen. My father and mother were childhood sweethearts, having grown up as neighbours. My mother’s family was impoverished; my maternal grandparents could not afford to send her to school, nor did they provide her with the opportunity to learn the Dharma. Whenever my grandmother saw my mother reading the sutras with my father, she would immediately intervene. She did not want my mother to know too much. In my grandmother’s view, a woman’s sole responsibility was to manage the household; she believed that a woman with too much knowledge would not be desired by any man. To ensure my mother would be honoured by her future in-laws, my grandmother taught her only to work diligently and to remain ignorant of anything else.

My mother understood that my grandmother meant well, but for some reason, she felt a natural, irrepressible yearning to understand the Dharma. Her heart would spontaneously recite the Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo. This holy Buddha-name brought her such profound peace and joy. Perhaps because of this, her appearance was distinct from that of her sisters—her features were soft, her face full and radiant, and she was naturally endearing to everyone she met.

When the time came for my mother to marry into my father’s family, she was overjoyed. My father knew that her lifelong wish was to study the Dharma, and he promised her that once she was his wife, she would be free to practise every single day. After she joined our family, her wish was truly fulfilled. My grandparents adored her; she had been raised to be so obedient and gentle, and she was a daughter-in-law who was cherished by all. Because she was always sincere and respectful toward others, she naturally won the hearts of my grandparents. Knowing her love for the Dharma, they would often teach her and recite the contents of the sutras to her. My mother listened with such immense joy, and she felt a deep sense of gratitude toward them.

The Arrival of a New Life

My parents had not originally planned to have children, and my grandparents never pressured them. They allowed everything to unfold naturally. Yet, it seemed destined that my mother would bring a child into this world. Shortly after their marriage, she became pregnant with me, Qingxiang. The entire family was filled with boundless joy at the prospect of my arrival! On the day I was to be born, the household began chanting the sutras and the Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo from the early hours of the morning. They dedicated all the merit to me and my mother, hoping that I would suffer less and enter this world with ease. Not a single member of the family left the Buddha hall; they knelt before the Buddha, chanting without pause. When my mother felt the pains of labour, she would sit briefly on a chair to continue chanting, and when the pain subsided, she would return to her knees. Only when she felt the birth was imminent did she return to her room, where the midwife was already waiting.

When I was born, my grandmother was the first to hold me. She looked at me and said, 'Child, I hope that in this life, you will study the Dharma and save beings. May you never be entangled by karma or suffer in this world. I will keep you by my side and teach you well to chant and practise.' I let out a sound, as if I understood every word she said, and the whole family laughed with delight.

The Lessons of Impermanence

My mother taught me from a young age to 'respect for all Buddhas.' Consequently, I grew up with a sincere and egalitarian heart. I treated everyone with genuine kindness. Even when I encountered beggars on the roadside, I treated them with the utmost respect, firmly believing that every person is a Buddha in the making. To guide me, my grandparents would often take me into the streets to observe the elderly who were destitute and alone. Many of these elders lived in isolation. Their movements were so slow that even a few steps took a great deal of time, and their bodies emitted a heavy, pungent odour. Looking at them, I felt a deep sense of sorrow, realising that only a few years prior, they had been young and vibrant. Now, after a few decades, they had become so frail, their bodies completely beyond their control. Even if they still harboured grand dreams, they no longer had the strength to pursue them. They could only live one day at a time, waiting for the arrival of death.

Beyond this, my grandparents often took me to visit relatives and friends who were suffering from severe illnesses. They had so much they wanted to say to me, yet they were speechless. Seeing them struggle to speak, unable to eat, and enduring pain that made life feel worse than death, my heart was filled with profound grief. I lamented that when the demon of sickness comes to call, no one can escape this period of agonising torment.

The Reality of the Human Condition

In China, people generally try to avoid letting children attend funerals, fearing they might be affected by negative energy. But my grandparents did not share this view. Whenever someone in the village passed away, they would take me to observe. It was not to watch a spectacle, but to let me see the reality of death. Many of the elders I had known since childhood passed away when I was around ten years old, and my grandparents took me to see them. Their once-tall frames had suddenly become so small; their faces were pale and expressionless. Some looked terrifying, their features contorted. I realised then that regardless of whether one was wealthy or poor in life, everyone must eventually walk the path of death. After death, one’s appearance does not change based on status; all are buried in the earth to be consumed by insects, eventually becoming nothing more than a pile of white bones to be worshipped.

Under the guidance of my grandparents, I witnessed the entire cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death from a very young age. I understood deeply that this human body is not worth clinging to. No matter how beautiful one may be, without the practice of the Dharma, one will inevitably reach the stages of aging, sickness, and death. Yet, even though people know that they must undergo the cycle of birth, old age, sickness, and death, they still waste their time day after day, squandering the precious few decades of their lives.

A Vow to Save Beings

I began to encounter the Buddha’s teachings early on, and I understood the preciousness of this human body. My entire family encouraged me to renounce the world to save beings, and I was more than willing. Seeing so many people suffer for the sake of their bodies, only to reach the end of their lives and be ravaged by illness, was heart-breaking. Even the family members they loved so dearly would, after their death, have forgotten them cleanly. I made a vow to renounce the world, to lecture on the Dharma, and to help people let go of their attachment to this body, to seek Wisdom, and to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

At the age of thirteen, I bade farewell to my family and carried my Ultimate Vow to the temple to practise. A few years later, I began to lecture on the sutras, helping those lost in delusion to find a path of light. I am so grateful that in this lifetime, I was born into a family of practitioners, which allowed me to encounter the Buddha’s teachings from childhood, to nurture a heart of compassion, and to see through the illusions of this world. I left the human world in my seventies and was reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Deliverance Across the Universe

Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body is currently performing Chao Du throughout the universe. I follow her to deliver sentient beings with karmic affinity. I have seen that the universe is filled with countless fragments of rock, and within a single fragment, there exist immeasurable beings; a single fragment contains many layers of space. When I observe how many countless fragments and stars there are in this universe, I can see that the number of beings is truly immeasurable and boundless.

I perform Chao Du in the universe every single day. No matter how many beings I save, I always exert my greatest strength to help them. I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su for giving me this precious opportunity. I will cherish and grasp it firmly. Namo Amituofo."

This interview was recorded by the Buddhist disciple Shi Fajing.