The Duty of a Soul: A Police Officer's Final Choice

This is a record of an interview with Ikawa Takatomi, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his experience during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Hui, on May 24, 2026.

Ikawa Takatomi speaks:

"The Western Land of Dharma Nature is truly a world of such magnificent light. Here, I am finally free from the agony of the past and that suffocating sensation of being unable to breathe. I take deep, full breaths of the lotus-scented air, and amidst the constant, rhythmic chanting of the Buddha’s name, I feel as though I have arrived in paradise. If this were not paradise, how could there be such an endless, brilliant golden light everywhere I look?"

"I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for saving me. Without them, I would still be trapped in that dark, watery space, unable to breathe, my lungs filled with water, suffering in agony and waiting for a salvation that seemed impossible. Now, I am finally saved, rescued by the great compassion of the Buddha."

A Vision of Boundless Compassion

"I had heard of the Buddha before, but I never truly understood how great He was. Now, here in the Dharma-Nature Land, I can witness the Dharma assembly currently being held at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. It is an absolutely incredible sight! From my lotus seat, I can clearly see my benefactor, Practitioner Su. His soul can leave his body and manifest into countless emanations; these emanations are present all over the world, bringing the brilliant light of Namo Amituofo to every corner."

"Wherever this Buddha-light reaches, sentient beings have the chance to be saved. I do not know if these words can truly capture the shock and the inconceivable nature of what I am seeing. In short, it is a feeling of being moved beyond words, because I see so many spirits, under the illumination of the Buddha-light, joyfully entering the light. I know they have all been saved, just as I, Ikawa Takatomi, have been saved, and no longer have to endure suffering."

The Values We Die For

"In a person's life, there are always things that matter more than life itself—values worth sacrificing everything for. For everyone, this something is different. Some believe it is wealth, others believe it is status or power, and many more believe it is the love of family. As for me, Ikawa Takatomi, I am someone who chose to sacrifice my life for my family. My family held a place of supreme importance in my life. Why did I work so hard every day, enduring all the trials of life, gritting my teeth to push through? It was all for them—my wife and my two children."

"They were the most important part of my existence. If they were gone, I felt that life would lose all its flavour. So, if I had to choose between my life and my family, there was no doubt: I would choose my family. My life only had brilliance because of their companionship, and it would have become dim and colourless without them. If that had happened, would there even have been any meaning in living? To me, the answer was clear: no."

The Duty of a Police Officer

"I was a police officer. As a police officer, my duty was to serve the people. When the massive earthquake suddenly struck Japan, the government immediately issued a tsunami warning. Many people, upon hearing the sirens, began to flee in a panic."

"As a police officer, I could not simply leave the scene. I had to fulfil my duty, directing the fleeing crowds and guiding them toward the correct evacuation routes. My heart was actually filled with anxiety, because my wife and children were still at home, and I lived in a coastal area. I was terrified that they would be caught in the tsunami."

"At that moment, I could only call them and urge them to escape quickly. Beyond that, there was nothing I could do, because I could not betray my duty as an officer. While guiding the people to safety, I could only pray silently in my heart, hoping that my wife would be able to take the children and reach a safe place in time."

The Final Moments in the Tsunami

"The entire process was chaotic, and the faces of so many people were etched with terror. The tsunami moved with terrifying speed, reaching my location in a matter of moments. My heart was filled with grief, because I knew that if the area where I was standing was being hit, then my wife and children had likely already perished."

"I felt as though life was no longer worth living. Facing a tsunami over ten metres high, I was powerless to resist and was quickly submerged by the massive waves. Gallons of water flooded my lungs, making it impossible to breathe, and I endured the agony of suffocation. That is how I died in the seawater. Before I died, my thoughts were entirely on my wife and children, still clinging to a desperate,奢望 hope that they might have escaped death."

"Looking back now, the inner turmoil, the anxiety, and the helplessness of not knowing what to do—it was truly a torture beyond description."

The Choice Between Duty and Love

"Between my duty and my family, how was I supposed to choose? I was torn. I longed to rush to my family's side, to escape with them and protect them, but I could not abandon the sacred duty of a police officer. Even now, I do not have a definitive answer as to whether the decision I made was right or wrong."

"I only know that in that moment, seeing so many helpless people suffering, I had only one thought: I had to step forward. In deciding to do so, I had already accepted the worst-case scenario—that my family and I would perish together in this massive tsunami. If I had survived alone while my wife and children had not, I think I might have chosen to end my own life to mourn them."

"Perhaps to many, this is unimaginable, but to me, it was a very straightforward choice. After all, as a human being, aside from work, the largest part of my life was my family. My relationship with my wife was wonderful, and my two children were gifts from heaven. I poured so much of my spirit and time into them; aside from work, everything I thought about was related to my family. They were my life's anchor."

"I have often wondered, if I had lived my life alone, what would it have been like? It would have been incredibly boring, meaningless, and devoid of motivation. After all, one person's expenses are limited. Even if I earned a lot of money or achieved great success in society, what would be the point? If these achievements and wealth cannot be shared with one's loved ones and children, they appear dim and lifeless."

"So, before I died, while suffering the agony of suffocation in the seawater, my thoughts were still entirely on my family. After I died, I entered a dark, watery space. There, I kept repeating the agony of drowning, and throughout the process, my soul was still searching for my family, unable to let go of my attachment to them."

"Even in that dark, watery space, I did not realise that I had already died. I thought I was still alive, stuck in that moment of being submerged by the tsunami, not knowing that my soul had long since left my body, becoming a lonely, wandering spirit, suffering retribution in that space."

"This is something I only clearly understood after arriving in the Western Dharma-Nature Land and reflecting on my past."

"Back in that watery space, a massive golden light suddenly pierced through the darkness. Amidst the sound of a great chime, I was brought to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. I am so grateful to Practitioner Su for his compassion in saving my suffering soul. If not for his help, I would still be in that space, enduring that endless cycle of suffering."

"When I first arrived at the Dharma-Nature Land, my soul was not very clear. Having suffered retribution in that space for such a long time, my spirit had become increasingly clouded."

"However, here in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, under the blessing of the compassionate power of this world of light, my spirit has become clearer with every passing moment under the illumination of the Buddha-light. When I died, influenced by the helplessness and the confusion of not knowing how to make a decision, my soul had a strong longing: I wanted to find an answer. I wanted to know how to face the difficulties in life and how to overcome this suffering."

"These questions were answered after I arrived in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. I am so grateful to have been able to hear the Sutras taught by Practitioner Su. During the Dharma assembly, the Namo Amituofo chanted by Practitioner Su, along with the teachings of Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, were like clear mountain spring water, washing away the filth within my soul."

"The doubts in my heart naturally dissolved after listening to the teachings of the Buddha and the Teacher. It turns out that the essence of life is suffering, and the root of this suffering is this body. This body is false. If one can understand the truth that 'the body is false' and use this human body to practise and be diligent on the Buddha's path, one can reverse the fate of birth, aging, sickness, and death."

"I feel such Dharma-joy to have heard such a great Dharma. No one had ever told me that there were things in life more important than family and work. Now I know that the spirit is far more worthy of my care than this body. It is not my body that I should truly be caring for—it is not this false body—but the immortal soul. This is the most important thing I have learned."

"To be honest, I still find it hard to let go of my attachment to my family, but I am already in a much better state than when I first arrived at the Dharma-Nature Land. In such a short time, my spirit has undergone such a transformation; it is truly an inconceivable miracle. I believe this is due to the blessings of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, which allowed the goodness in my heart to grow and my wisdom to manifest so quickly."

"Namo Amituofo."

"Indeed, in my past life, I never realised that being so deeply attached to my wife and children—being so 'emotional'—was actually a form of foolishness. To many people in the world, this might seem like an unacceptable statement. After all, humans are often considered the most intelligent of all beings precisely because we possess such rich emotions and high levels of wisdom. But that was merely my limited understanding from the past.

The True Potential of Humanity

However, I understand now. The reason humans are called the 'most intelligent of all beings' is, most importantly, our ability to awaken our awareness—an awareness that animals do not possess. We have the potential to become enlightened beings. This capacity does not lie in how much knowledge, skill, or emotion we possess. The key lies in the immense potential humans have for spiritual sensitivity. We have the potential to become enlightened, and an enlightened being is, in fact, a Buddha—someone like Namo Amituofo or Practitioner Su, who has reclaimed their true self and attained Buddhahood.

It turns out that the uniqueness and preciousness of humanity lie in our ability to attain Buddhahood. Once one becomes a Buddha, one has the power to save immeasurable and boundless suffering beings. This is exactly what I see now, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature: I witness the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su and his countless manifestations travelling to every corner of the world to perform Chao Du, saving countless suffering beings."

The Purity of the Dharma-Nature Land

"The Western Land of Dharma Nature is a truly extraordinary place. Here, it is natural for no negative thoughts to arise; one spends their time in a state of pure goodness. It can be said that once a spirit arrives in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, they only become increasingly pure, never more tainted.

With this understanding, I can clearly feel that my former attachment to my wife and children was a grave pollution to my soul. If I had not come to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, where my soul is naturally and continuously undergoing purification, I would never have been able to recognise this truth so directly.

Come to think of it, how many people in the world are just like me, Ikawa Taketomi, holding onto such rich emotions and attachments to their loved ones and children? I suspect it is not a small number; in fact, it is likely a vast majority. To realise that every single thread of attachment, every lingering strand of emotion, is a serious form of pollution—this is truly a shocking revelation."

The Burden of Human Emotion

"In the world, many people constantly sing the praises of love and engage in endless discussions about relationships, believing that emotion is an essential and indispensable part of human life. But now, after listening to the teachings and undergoing purification here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I must admit that those who are deeply emotional, who celebrate romance, and who take pleasure in talking about love, have souls that are already severely tainted. These pollutions impose a tremendous burden on one's body and mind.

Just as Practitioner Su recently taught during the Dharma assembly, he counsels people not to get caught up in emotional entanglements, not to marry, and not to have children. Indeed, when a person has a partner, or falls in love, and eventually builds a family and has offspring, a multitude of afflictions arise. These afflictions are nothing more than constant mental notes, worries, and anxieties.

However, if I were still in the human world and heard someone tell me this, I think I would have still insisted on continuing down my original path. After all, if I were told to abandon all emotion, what would I have left to do in the world? Letting go of emotion would have made me feel as though I had no goal in life. Such a decision was not something I would have considered at the time.

But if someone had told me that by letting go of emotion, I could gain spiritual elevation, and even become free from aging, free from illness, and ensure my spirit never dies—well, that would have been an entirely different situation."

A Fragile Life and the Path to Deliverance

"If you don't believe it, that is your choice; but if you can believe, I think there is no reason not to step onto this path of practice. After all, if one succeeds in their practice, they can not only save their own soul but also save immeasurable and boundless other souls. If one could have the ability, like Practitioner Su, to perform Chao Du for countless beings, then such a life would truly be of immense value.

Life is indeed very fragile and subject to impermanence. For me, this was a truth I learned through death.

Based on my experience at the time, only a very short time passed between the intense earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. How many people died in that tsunami? I can say now, from my perspective in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, that the number is beyond counting.

So many, many people perished under the merciless flooding of the tsunami. Because the tsunami struck without any warning, the day had been as ordinary as any other, but after the earthquake, the world turned upside down. Within a few short hours, countless lives were ended in that disaster. The number of victims and those affected by the entire catastrophe was staggering.

This time, thanks to the compassion of Practitioner Su, who performed Chao Du for the spirits of the victims of the Japanese nuclear disaster and the floods, many, many spirits who were harmed by the earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear disaster have all been led to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. We have all been saved, and we are now beginning our new lives upon the lotus seats in the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

Perhaps because I have only been here for a short time, I do not yet have a profound understanding of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the Western Land of Dharma Nature; but as it stands, I already know that Namo Amituofo is residing at this precious land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. I am deeply grateful that Namo Amituofo has come to this world to save the suffering human realm.

Now, as the Dharma assembly continues, I watch Practitioner Su perform Chao Du across the world, and I continue to experience the magnificence of this Buddha-land. I clearly see that when Practitioner Su performs Chao Du, he uses nothing else but this name: 'Namo Amituofo'.

This Buddha-name is not unfamiliar to me, for here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, one can hear the music of 'Namo Amituofo' echoing from the sky at every moment. Now I know the importance of this Buddha-name, and I am chanting 'Namo Amituofo' loudly and continuously, without interruption. My heart is filled with immense Dharma joy.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su!

Namo Amituofo.

Ikawa Taketomi"