The Deliverance of Xue Minhuang: From Drought-Stricken Clouds to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Xue Minhuang, a spirit who became part of the cloud formations over Taiwan during a period of severe drought. She sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her life in Taiwan. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on April 25, 2021.

Xue Minhuang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Xue Minhuang. Seeing the severe drought in Taiwan, our hearts were filled with anxiety. You see, our group of cloud spirits are all originally from Taiwan. We desperately wanted to do our part to help our homeland, but we were blocked by an invisible force that prevented us from drifting over the island.

We had been waiting in the space surrounding Taiwan for many days, hoping for a miracle that would allow us to enter. A few days ago, when we witnessed the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su beginning to save Taiwan from the drought, we were all so overjoyed that we were jumping for joy! Seeing Practitioner Su, we knew immediately: 'Taiwan is saved!'"

The Renowned Compassion of Practitioner Su

"Practitioner Su's reputation is known throughout the nine realms of existence. Everyone knows that Practitioner Su's Dharma Body has the power to save all spirits and guide them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Whether it is beings from the hells, the demon realms, the heavenly realms, or the Four Sacred Realms, all can receive deliverance through Practitioner Su. Not to mention us, these beings dwelling within the clouds—Practitioner Su delivers immeasurable and boundless beings every single day. We are eternally grateful.

We all knew that if Practitioner Su had not intervened, this drought would have been a massive catastrophe for the people of Taiwan. Think about it—the suffering caused by a lack of water makes people panic, disrupts daily life, causes crops to fail, and leaves the earth cracked and barren. The ripple effects are truly beyond words. Due to the Causal Conditions, Taiwan was destined to face this karmic retribution. It was truly unbearable. Fortunately, Practitioner Su used the compassion of his Dharma Body to deliver Taiwan and pray for rain, finally resolving this conflict."

A Mission from the Sky

"I am the representative of this vast mass of dark clouds, and my name is Xue Minhuang. This time, we gathered densely in the sky above Taipei, preparing to bring heavy rain to the city. However, there was still resistance blocking us. Even before the raindrops in the clouds could fully descend, we were forced to leave the sky over Taipei, ending our rain-making mission prematurely.

Although we did not manage to bring down a heavy downpour, the light drizzle we provided at least brought a glimmer of hope to the people of Taiwan. More importantly, I want to tell Practitioner Su: 'We are almost there!' We believe that under Practitioner Su's deliverance, the frequency of rainfall will increase, the intensity will grow, and the drought situations will be alleviated as a result."

A Childhood Defined by Rain and Poverty

"Before I became a part of this cloud formation, I was a Taiwanese woman. Our family lived near the mountains where it rained very often, so I was not unfamiliar with rain; in fact, I felt a special closeness to it. I remember when I was a child, I would often wear a raincoat and ride my bicycle through the heavy rain. Sometimes the rain was so intense that the raincoat could not block anything, and I would return home soaked to the bone.

I did not choose to be out in the rain on purpose, but it was common in the mountains, and I had to go to a nearby garment factory to work every day. I was essentially a child labourer. I had to earn that money because my mother suddenly fell ill when I was eight years old and was bedridden ever since. My father was an old farmer, more than twenty years older than my mother. When I was born, he was already nearly sixty. My mother had been the one taking care of me, so after she fell ill, the burden fell entirely on my father.

My father had a plot of land by the mountain where he grew many vegetables, using the money from selling them to support our family. A farmer's work depends entirely on the heavens. Too much or too little rain, weather that was too cold or too hot—all of it affected the crops. Therefore, the most important thing for my father every day was to check the weather conditions. I naturally learned to watch the weather just like him, and I could tell at a glance what the day would be like."

The Breaking Point of a Family

"Initially, we could barely scrape by on the money my father earned from selling vegetables. But fate is cruel. When I was eleven, my father was in a car accident. He broke an arm and his legs were severely injured. Fortunately, after rehabilitation, his leg injury gradually recovered, but he was no longer as agile as before. Combined with his age, walking became even more difficult for him.

When our relatives and friends learned of our situation, they wanted to give us money to help, but my father refused. He was a man with a lot of pride; he would rather live in poverty than lower his head to accept help from others. I did not know this at first. My aunt stuffed a bag of money into my hands, saying it was for our living expenses. I did not want to take it, but she insisted, so I had no choice but to accept it. When my father came home that day, I immediately took the money out to give to him. As soon as he saw the bag, he flew into a rage, roaring at me: 'Why do you have this money? Where did it come from?' I was completely terrified by his reaction. He asked again: 'I am asking you, can't you answer? Who gave you this money?' I quickly replied: 'It... it was my aunt. She said it was for our living expenses.' Upon hearing this, my father became even more furious. He threw the bag of money onto the floor with great force and shouted: 'Does Xue Shunyang need to be a beggar asking people for money? I would rather starve to death than take a single cent from anyone!'

My father's voice was so loud, so angry, that I burst into tears. Just then, the sound of breaking glass came from the room. I ran to the room, crying, and saw that my mother had dropped a glass. She asked me nervously: 'Why is your father shouting so loudly? What happened?' I told her what had happened, and she hugged and comforted me: 'Since your father does not like it, just return the money to your aunt. It is okay, it is okay.' After that incident, I refused any money anyone tried to give me."

A Life of Sorrow and the Final Breath

"I can never forget the look on my father's face that day. I had never seen him so fierce. But after that day, his temper became increasingly volatile. He would get angry over the smallest things. I felt like I did not know my father anymore, and our home felt less and less like a home.

After my father changed, his vegetables became harder and harder to sell. Perhaps it was because he always wore a fierce expression, and customers were afraid to buy from him. This made him lose hope, and he began to drink every day to drown his sorrows. There was no rice left in our rice jar, but I did not dare ask my father for money. An auntie told me that the garment factory was short-handed and that if I was willing to help, I could be paid by the piece. I could not hesitate any longer because we really needed the money. I agreed, and soon I was working at the factory.

Less than a month later, before I had even received my first paycheque, I received devastating news at the factory. Villagers told me that my father had died in a car accident! I immediately stopped my work and ran to the nearest hospital. When I saw him, he had already passed away. I collapsed beside him, crying uncontrollably. I did not know how to tell my mother; I was worried her body would not be able to handle such a massive blow.

After my father's body was brought home, my mother had already received the news and was crying her heart out at home, waiting for him to be returned. We hugged and wept, unable to bear the thought that he was gone, but he was never coming back."

From Darkness to the Light of the Western Pure Land

"After my father passed, the house became even colder. My mother asked my uncle to help sell our land to use the money for living expenses. Although we were not short of money for a while, I continued to do odd jobs at the garment factory. I did not go every day like before, only when the workload was too much for the others. The rest of the time, I stayed home to keep my mother company, fearing she would be lonely and start overthinking.

My mother's health grew weaker year by year, and her cough became more severe until, eventually, she was coughing up blood. She told me: 'My time is running out. You must take good care of yourself.' I did not want to face it. I told her: 'You will definitely get better!' When I said those words, my voice was weak, because even I knew she could not recover. I ran out of her room and crouched in a corner to cry, not wanting her to see me so sad. But in truth, she knew, and she was heartbroken too.

At seventeen, my mother passed away. I was left all alone. I told myself: 'Be strong.' At night, thinking of my parents, I would still soak my pillow with tears. During the day, I would wipe away my tears and do what I had to do. I found a formal job as a small employee in a factory. The pay was better than the garment factory, but the hours were very long. I did not care how long I worked, because when I returned home, I was still alone. I was willing to spend my time working, at least it allowed me to temporarily forget the longing for my parents.

I was not unattractive, and soon men at the factory began to pursue me. My lonely heart needed someone to care for and accompany me, so I soon had a boyfriend and even moved in with him. I did not want to be tied down by marriage. I was afraid of forming a family because I feared the pain of eventually parting with loved ones. I was so afraid that I insisted on cohabitation. This way, my heart felt less burdened, but it was just a way to deceive myself.

I lived with my boyfriend for ten years. In those ten years, I tasted all the bitterness and sweetness of the world of love. I felt as if I had stepped into a quagmire, sinking deeper and deeper. When he found a new lover, the blow was enough to make me want to end it all, but I chose to keep living.

I moved on to another man, more than twenty years my senior. Although my love for him was not as deep as the previous one, at least there was someone by my side, and my lonely heart felt a bit better. We spent over twenty years together. In those twenty-plus years, I paid a very high price for love: my face aged, my heart became sorrowful, and my body fell ill. When I was diagnosed, it was already terminal lung cancer. My life was coming to an end.

At fifty-four, I was hospitalised and began a series of treatments. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. After I was hospitalised, my man's attitude toward me was completely different from before. When I needed help the most, he was often not by my side. I faced the illness alone, but I had no energy left. Whether I lived or died no longer mattered to me.

Looking at the thick clouds outside the window, I knew it would rain soon. Remembering how I used to ride my bicycle in the rain as a child brought back memories of my youth. Looking back on my life, from childhood to adulthood, I lived in sorrow. Just like the dark clouds outside the window, there was not a glimmer of light. My heart was always heavy, dull, and painful.

When I could not take that last breath, it was time to leave. In my final glance, I was still looking out the window. After my spirit left my body, I entered the clouds. Whether it was my mood or my experiences, they were no different from the dark clouds. This was my life—a life of sorrow.

After becoming a cloud, I felt as if I were living in space, drifting with the wind every day. To say it was bitter—before I met the Buddha, it was truly bitter. But after meeting the true Buddha, it is no longer bitter.

I had long been waiting for Practitioner Su's Dharma Body to come to Taiwan for deliverance. Besides wanting to do my part for Taiwan, I also wanted to be liberated and leave suffering behind. Practitioner Su is compassionate; he gave us cloud spirits a chance, allowing us to have a way out even after becoming clouds. This must be the blessings we cultivated in the past, to have the opportunity to be saved by the Buddha after becoming clouds.

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body has been performing deliverance in Taiwan, from north to south, from south to north, meticulously, not wanting to miss a single detail, fearing that even one Buddha might be left behind. Many spirits lingering in the sky over Taiwan finally had the chance to be liberated after Practitioner Su began the deliverance. They had originally covered the entire island in layers, and only now do they have the chance to leave this space.

At this very moment, for the first time in all the years I have been a cloud, I see the light. I am grateful to Practitioner Su for saving Taiwan, grateful to Practitioner Su for saving me. Thank you! Namo Amituofo."