The Enlightened Fool

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Chang Yung-fa, the founder of the Evergreen Group. Having sought deliverance through Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, he now resides in the spiritual realm. This testimony was recorded on September 6, 2018.

Chang Yung-fa speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Chang Yung-fa. People often ask what it truly means to be human and what one can actually achieve in this life. You should always believe in the Goodness that others speak of. Do not enter society and make suspicion your greatest flaw; if you do, where is there any room left for trust? Taking a step back is actually moving forward, while suspicion only keeps you running in place. What is the point of suffering a loss for the sake of pride? When people go back and forth in an argument, they are only speaking from their own narrow perspectives, and no one is listening to anyone else. If that is the case, it is better not to speak at all.

The Business of Life and the Trap of Suspicion

"A person must be clear-minded. If you allow yourself to be led around by others, the consequence of your greed will be that you end up with nothing—it will all be for nothing. The principles of conducting oneself in life and the principles of running a business are exactly the same. I must apologise—as the boss of many successful enterprises, my arrogance was inevitable. It was part of the territory. In the cycle of rebirth, it is quite possible that I could have become a very domineering eagle, trying to control everything myself. But the soul is eternal; it does not perish. Death is simply a transition, and one must inevitably be reborn. Whether you end up in a place of Goodness or a place of suffering depends entirely on your own choices. Do not let your heart become corrupted, for a corrupted heart will surely lead you to a place of suffering. If you keep your heart straight and true until the end, you will find that the path ahead is also straight and true.

From Corporate Titan to the Cycle of Rebirth

"Life is short. When I see the space where Practitioner Su performs Chao Du, I sometimes find myself shedding tears uncontrollably, because these spirits have truly been suffering for such a long time. What is my own status or reputation worth? It is far better to contribute what I can. Now, I can only rely on offering my own spirit, day after day, earnestly and sincerely, as if I were giving a lecture, to counsel everyone. Do not be a 'clever fool' who thinks they know everything while losing their soul; instead, strive to be an 'enlightened fool.' Only then will your life be truly happy. An unhappy life is a life wasted.

The Wisdom of the Enlightened Fool

"If I could choose my life again, I would choose to be a simple person who spends his days chanting Namo Amituofo. Perhaps I would even choose to become a monastic. The vastness of the Buddha’s teachings is not limited to what is written in the sutras. The purity of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is something that cannot be imagined; those who truly attain it will know how incredibly free and at ease one can be. I, Chang Yung-fa, did not spend enough time accompanying my son as he grew up. In the end, my only hope is that he can learn the Buddha’s teachings, chant Namo Amituofo, and eventually become a Buddha. Supporting the spread of the Buddha’s teachings is a matter far more important than the business empire of Evergreen.

A Father's Final Wish

"To those who see this message: if you are willing to believe in the Buddha’s teachings, you are welcome to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to see for yourselves. The cooling, refreshing peace of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss can be found here. Everything you have sought your entire life can also be found here. It is a Western paradise, a peach-blossom spring in the human world—once you understand this, everything will become clear. Namo Amituofo."