The Day the Buddha Arrived

This is a record of an interview with He Yaozhi, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately seven hundred years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on July 24, 2018.

He Yaozhi speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am He Yaozhi. Looking back across the centuries, my heart remains filled with the profound grace of the Dharma. My family was one of deep, unwavering faith. Years ago, my grandmother commissioned a magnificent, dignified wooden statue of Namo Amituofo. Once we respectfully invited it into our home shrine, it became a sanctuary for the entire village. Villagers would come to our home to make prostrations and chant the Buddha’s name, finding peace in that sacred space.

Ever since we welcomed the compassionate Namo Amituofo into our home, our lives were transformed. My mother, who had previously struggled with infertility, soon found herself pregnant. Our entire family was convinced that this was entirely due to the Buddha’s blessings. Following this, my grandmother would frequently and respectfully invite Venerable monastics from the local temple to our village to deliver Dharma talks. She wanted to ensure that all the villagers could understand the Buddha’s teachings. She would also make generous, irregular donations to the temple, driven by the singular desire to ensure that the Buddha’s teachings would remain in this world forever.

A Household of Devotion

The walls of our home were adorned everywhere with the sacred name of 'Namo Amituofo.' Even at three years old, before I could read or write, I was already under my grandmother’s gentle guidance. Whenever I saw those characters on the wall, I would open my mouth and chant, 'Buddha… Buddha… Buddha…' My grandmother would listen with such immense joy, her face lighting up with a radiance that I can still recall today.

One day, our servant burst in, shouting at the top of his lungs: 'The Buddha has come! The Buddha has come!' The whole house was in a flurry of activity. I was just a child, unaware of the gravity of the moment, but seeing the radiant joy on everyone’s faces, I couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness myself. I began to giggle, my laughter echoing through the halls as I shared in the collective excitement of the household.

The Arrival of a Blessed Soul

It turned out that my younger brother had just been born. The entire family was overjoyed to welcome him into this world, and my grandmother was smiling so broadly she could hardly contain her delight. As soon as she held my brother in her arms, she knelt before the Buddha, chanting, 'Gratitude to Namo Amituofo for bestowing this child upon the He family. Gratitude to Namo Amituofo.'

Family members took turns holding him. Because his features were so full and well-defined, and because he possessed large, auspicious ears—a sign of immense blessings—everyone whispered that he must be an eminent monk from a past life who had come to be reborn among us. My grandmother was so ecstatic that she hosted a banquet for three days, inviting the entire village to share in our family’s great joy.

From the moment he was born, my brother would tightly grasp my mother’s prayer beads. Whenever he cried, my mother only needed to produce a string of beads, and he would immediately calm down. Such a miraculous phenomenon only deepened our family’s conviction that he was indeed a high monk reincarnated.

Growing Up in the Light of the Dharma

As soon as my brother learned to speak, he could clearly chant the six-character name, 'Namo Amituofo.' His temperament was remarkably stable and serene; he was rarely prone to the outbursts or fussiness of other children. He was truly different from the start.

Although he was younger than I, his capacity for learning quickly surpassed my own. Our greatest joy was chanting the Buddha’s name together. We would often run to the hills behind our home, singing the sacred name of 'Namo Amituofo' at the top of our lungs. We sang from the very depths of our hearts, with absolute sincerity and earnestness. The melody we used had been taught to my grandmother by a master; it was slow, rhythmic, and deeply captivating. It allowed us to immerse ourselves completely in the Buddha’s name, as if the Buddha were standing right before us. It was a truly moving experience.

A Legacy of Faith and Rebirth

Our family’s greatest hope for us was that we would both eventually become monks. To them, this was the most glorious and magnificent path one could take. We felt so incredibly fortunate to be able to contribute even a small part to the preservation of the Buddha’s teachings. My grandmother even hoped that my mother would have more children, all of whom could be sent to the temple to become monks, forming a powerful monastic community. She would say this with such conviction that the whole family would burst into laughter.

My brother and I were nurtured by the Dharma even while in the womb. After we were born, my mother read us stories from the sutras every day. Whether she was explaining the laws of karma and cause and effect or recounting the lives of other practitioners, my brother and I listened with such Dharma joy. We both longed for the day when we would be like the masters in those stories, possessing the ability to save beings from their suffering.

When I was twelve, we both entered the temple. Every day spent there was filled with the joy of the Dharma. We were deeply convinced that if we could spread such magnificent teachings far and wide, we would certainly be able to help countless beings leave suffering behind. We marched toward our goal of 'saving beings' every single day. We never wasted a moment, keeping our hearts fixed on the Buddha’s name at all times, allowing our bodies and minds to reach a state of profound stillness.

In that lifetime, my brother and I did not disappoint our family’s expectations. After our practice matured, we returned to our hometown to deliver lectures, fulfilling our grandmother’s long-held wish. She watched us with a heart full of joy. My grandmother lived to be a hundred years old. She knew the time of her departure in advance, and on her final day, she dressed herself with great dignity, sat quietly in the home shrine, and chanted the Buddha’s name until she achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. My brother and I also fulfilled our vow to save beings in that lifetime, and we each achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Universal Deliverance

Today, I look back from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I see Practitioner Su, whose Dharma Body performs the great work of Chao Du. She is awakening spirits across the vast reaches of the universe, guiding them to hear the sacred name of 'Namo Amituofo' and follow the light to rebirth. Over these past few months, the results of this deliverance have been clearly visible throughout the universe. The unfriendly energy that once permeated space has been gradually purified, and many beings on other planets are now actively chanting the Buddha’s name.

A group of extraterrestrial beings, who possess a foundation in practice, were once taught the Buddha’s teachings tens of thousands of years ago. Now, seeing the Buddha-light once again, they respectfully welcome the Buddha into the universe. They are filled with gratitude for the Buddha’s compassion, which extends to all suffering beings, and for the deliverance of the entire universe. Namo Amituofo."