The Fall of a Dharma Successor: A Confession from the Afterlife

Venerable Chuanwen, the former abbot of Miaotong Temple in Liugui, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, sought deliverance after his passing. This interview was recorded on August 17, 2017, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, where he now resides under the guidance of the Buddha. Disciple Haize, the chief writer, conducted this session to document the lessons learned from his life and his subsequent spiritual journey.

Venerable Chuanwen speaks:

"Namo Amituofo! Yesterday, I saw my teacher, the Venerable Master Guangqin, come forward to speak and accept an interview. Oh, Master! I must offer my deepest repentance to you. We of the 'Chuan' generation not only failed to keep your teachings in our hearts, but we also committed such grave errors. I am deeply sorry to the sentient beings who trusted us. I fell into the laws of karma and cause and effect, and I fell into the hells. Although it is incredibly difficult for me to speak of my past actions, I must do so. After all, many of the lay Dharma protectors and even fellow monastics who supported us left Miaotong Temple in the chaos that followed my passing. They sought other places to practise, as a true bodhimanda is hard to find, and the situation there is still not ideal. I must take responsibility for all of this and introduce everyone to a true bodhimanda—the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. It is a genuine Pure Land practice centre, a place where Namo Amituofo personally resides and leads the way directly to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss."

The Weight of Responsibility

"After I passed away, I went straight down to the hells to suffer retribution. It was the compassion of my teacher, Master Guangqin, who resides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, that led him to invite the compassionate Practitioner Su—known as Su Fo—to save me from the suffering of the hells. During a Thrice Yearning Ceremony, she guided me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. When I served as an attendant to Master Guangqin, I followed him and cared for his daily life. In every movement, every action, and every moment of rest, the Master taught me through his own conduct. I took his teachings into my heart, and later, I was able to inherit Miaotong Temple, taking on the heavy responsibility of carrying forward the Buddha’s teachings. The Master’s original vision was to lead everyone in diligent prostrations, chanting Namo Amituofo, maintaining the purity of the six roots, and seeking rebirth in the Pure Land. I was terrified to take on the responsibility of the Dharma lineage, so I worked even harder every day to prostrate and chant, striving to purify myself so that I could elevate my abilities to help the sentient beings who needed it."

The Trap of Greed and Delusion

"In the beginning, when performing Dharma assemblies for Chao Du, I simply followed the needs of the people, helping the deceased seek rebirth in the Buddha’s land. Who would have expected that by merely following the needs of the people, the Dharma assemblies would become more and more frequent? Because there were so many monastics in the temple, the daily expenses were high, and the income from these Dharma assemblies just happened to cover the offerings for the monastics and the temple's costs. I stopped questioning it. When the numbers in the bank account added several more zeros, greed, anger, delusion, and arrogance came to test me. I had to see if my practice was real or fake, and that is where my failure began. One afternoon, I was sitting in my chair, taking my usual nap. In a hazy state, I saw the temple courtyard filled with endless tables of offerings. There were countless sentient beings enjoying the food from the Dharma assembly. My immediate thought was: 'This Chao Du assembly can bring a significant amount of money to the temple, and several major Dharma protectors are even supporting us with longevity offerings.' The moment that thought arose, one of my three hun souls and two of my po souls were seized, because my intention was no longer pure."

The Illusion of Grandeur

"Looking back now, I realise that the spirits at those Dharma assemblies were never truly saved or guided to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. They either returned to their original states or hovered and lingered in the temple. This is why, from the time I became abbot until my passing, there was constant turmoil and the hearts of the people were never at peace. I failed to guide the masses to find the Pure Land within their own hearts; I was unworthy of the Pure Land Dharma Gate. In a dream, two more of my hun souls and one of my po souls were seized. I bore an even greater karmic debt when I abandoned Namo Amituofo and claimed to be the reincarnation of Vairocana Buddha living in the world. I encouraged followers and the monastics within the temple to build a 'Vairocana Hall.' I know now that the 'Chuanwen' of that time was no longer myself; my body had long been occupied and controlled by demon crowds. I encouraged followers to participate in disaster-averting and longevity-extending Dharma assemblies, to become major donors, and I allowed the fourfold assembly to engage in high-interest borrowing to cover the costs of their donations. For the major Dharma-protecting followers, I even broke the universal principle, predicting when they would avoid the calamities of karmic creditors to make them trust and follow me even more. At that time, my true spirit was already suffering retribution in the hells. For the actions of my false body, I had to bear the karmic consequences. One step wrong led to every step being wrong. The numbers in the bank account grew larger, and the undercurrents became more violent. The moment I passed away, everything was exposed—the fighting for power and profit, the very essence of a practitioner had vanished. It is hateful, yet pitiful. Only now, looking back, do I understand everything. What is hateful is that the spirits of the Dharma assemblies still had no place to rest; what is pitiful is that because of one impure thought, when my three hun souls and seven po souls were attacked, if not for meeting Practitioner Su, who possesses such immense power, I might still be suffering retribution in the Avici Hell today. It is absolutely terrifying!"

A Call to the Fourfold Assembly

"To be a monk is to be a person of tremendous blessings, but if one does not truly practise and truly act, if one does not understand the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings—which is to save the vast number of sentient beings in the Dharma realm of emptiness and to guide the beings of this worldly realm to know the Buddha’s teachings and chant to seek rebirth in the Pure Land—but instead sinks into the Five Desires and the Six Dusts, then, speaking from the experience of someone who has already walked this path, the gates of hell will be waiting for you. To repay the Buddha’s kindness, I am willing to speak with the Dharma-protecting lay practitioners or the monastics who were my peers at the temple. Come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. I am willing to reveal all the past scandals one by one, hoping to provide suggestions on how to adjust the approach to saving beings at Miaotong Temple. Our teacher, Master Guangqin, is also here. He earnestly hopes that the disciples of the 'Chuan' generation will come here to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to learn about the True Teachings of the Buddha and understand how the Dharma lineage should be carried forward, because Namo Amituofo personally resides here. If you do not come, the loss will be too great. Both I and my teacher are here, waiting for you."

Written by Chuanwen