The First Patriarch’s Testimony: Deliverance Across Time and Space

The Vow of the First Patriarch

I, Huiyuan, have been fortunate to receive the grace of the Buddha, which allowed me to enter the vast ocean of the Tathagata’s Ultimate Vow. During my life in that era, I was blessed with a human body and the opportunity to hear the Infinite Life Sutra. Upon hearing it, I was struck with awe by the majesty of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and the boundless compassion of Namo Amituofo, who vows to save the countless beings suffering in the cycle of rebirth. I was one of those suffering beings, and thus, I made a solemn vow. My vow was to align myself with the Ultimate Vow of Namo Amituofo, to do everything within my power to follow Him, and to save myself and all other beings so that we might all journey together to the Western Pure Land.

Once this vow was made, I immediately received the blessings of the Buddha’s power. Together with one hundred and twenty-three monastic disciples at Huxi, we established the Lotus Society. We dedicated ourselves to chanting the name of Namo Amituofo, sharing the same aspiration for rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Over many years, we faced the obstacles of aging, sickness, and death. Through our collective effort and shared resolve, we supported one another, and one by one, we attained rebirth. I, too, fulfilled my wish and was reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. That was sixteen hundred years ago.

The Compassionate Descent of Practitioner Su

I am deeply grateful to the later students of the Pure Land school for honouring me with the title of the First Patriarch. In the Western Pure Land, I remain vigilant and diligent, never tiring of listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma before the Buddha. My only hope is that all beings with whom I have a karmic affinity—whether in this world or in other realms—will one day be saved and enter the Western Pure Land. This vow is one with the compassionate vow of the Buddha. For sixteen hundred years, I have never forgotten this commitment. From the Western Pure Land, I have witnessed the suffering of the world, and I have seen how, in this Dharma-ending age, beings are drowning in the sea of the Five Poisons, finding it difficult to hear the voice of Namo Amituofo or even His sacred name. My heart aches with compassion for them.

It is a great fortune—a truly great fortune—that Practitioner Su has descended into this world. Practitioner Su has manifested the ability to break through layers of obstacles and tests, achieving the Dharma Body through the realisation of one's true nature. The Buddha-body has appeared in this world, yet the people of the world do not know it, or if they do, they find it difficult to believe. To speak the honest truth, the one hundred and twenty-three disciples at Huxi did not all enter the Western Pure Land at that time. The spirits of some of those monastics remained in the space of that era. The world was unaware of this, but after Practitioner Su opened up the space, he entered that dimension and performed the Chao Du of those disciples who had not yet reached the Western Pure Land. For this, I offer my infinite respect and gratitude.

The Sacred Deliverance of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, where Namo Amituofo truly abides, Practitioner Su has opened the infinite dimensions of the Dharma Realm. I, along with the thirteen generations of Pure Land patriarchs and many other venerable masters, stand with Practitioner Su in the Western Pure Land. Through the daily morning Dharma Body Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su, and by opening up these spaces, we have been able to help those beings with whom we have karmic affinities to depart from those dimensions and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Today, during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su opened the spaces in mainland China that are connected to the patriarchs and venerable masters. We entered these spaces one by one, bringing with us the Buddha-light and the sacred name of Namo Amituofo. I saw many monastics, lay followers, Dharma protectors, and even family members who had karmic affinities with me, many of whom were still trapped in those spaces, unable to leave. Some were reciting sutras, prostrating to the Buddha, or chanting; others were walking in meditation or sitting in silence; some did not even know they had passed away until they saw me appear. I immediately led them in chanting the name of Namo Amituofo. As they followed me in chanting, and under the blessings of the Buddha’s power, I led them out of those spaces. They beheld the Buddha-light, and I guided them into that light, enabling them to enter the Western Pure Land.

Healing the Wounds of the World

Upon entering these spaces, I witnessed a number of disembodied spirits that exceeded anything anyone could imagine. Since we have encountered them now, it is because of our karmic affinity. Regardless of whether we knew each other in life, I urged them all to chant the name of Namo Amituofo so that they could be embraced by the Buddha-light and led by Namo Amituofo to the Western Pure Land. This is the great grace and virtue of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su toward the spirits in these infinite spaces, and this work continues to this day. Every patriarch has countless beings with whom they have karmic affinities across infinite kalpas, infinite lifetimes, and infinite spaces. Through the repeated opening of these spaces and the repeated Chao Du by Practitioner Su, countless spirits connected to me have already been reborn in the Western Pure Land. Even now, during this ceremony, we are performing the Chao Du of those spirits in these spaces who have karmic affinities with me. The number of sentient beings is boundless, and the work of saving them has no end. That Practitioner Su manifests in this way is a true display of the great heart, the great vow, and the great power of Namo Amituofo. I am fortunate to have encountered this and to participate in it.

At this time, the world is suffering from a widespread pandemic. Many creatures have been harmed, suffering in body before passing away. All of this is the result of causes created in the past, the evil consequences manifesting from our collective karma. These experiences still exist within the spaces of that time. Now, because Practitioner Su can open these spaces, and because these spaces have karmic affinities with us and with Practitioner Su, we can enter them. By sending these spirits connected to the pandemic out of those spaces, we are effectively resolving the causes of the collective karma that were created. This helps to address the evil consequences of the pandemic that have not yet manifested, thereby stopping the pandemic from continuing to develop. How wondrous! How truly wondrous! If the Buddha had not manifested in this world to show the Dharma Body, this would be difficult to achieve. Without Prajna wisdom and the ability to utilise the great power of the Buddha, it would be difficult to even conceive of this method, which allows us to resolve the pandemic at the very root where the negative causes were first created. This is a great blessing for all sentient beings. We offer our praise! We offer our praise! As the sutras say: Wherever the Buddha goes, the cities and villages are all transformed by His influence. The world becomes harmonious, the sun and moon shine clearly, the wind and rain come in their proper seasons, disasters and epidemics do not arise, the country is prosperous, the people are at peace, and weapons of war are not needed. This is exactly what that means.

A Final Call to the Students of Hsiang Kuang

Students of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the words I have spoken through this text do not even capture one ten-thousandth of what is in my heart. The boundless compassion and grace of the Buddha toward all beings can be seen through the actions of Practitioner Su. Practitioner Su is a manifestation of Namo Amituofo. Since you have encountered this karmic affinity, you must follow him closely and firmly! To save yourselves and to save the wisdom-life of all beings, under the guidance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, you must seek to rediscover your true self and manifest the Dharma Body, aligning yourselves with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, so that you may repay even a fraction of the Buddha’s compassionate grace.

Namo Amituofo.

This interview was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.