The Guardian of the Taiwan Strait: A Spirit's Testimony

This is a record of an interview with Wu Guansan, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately three to four hundred years ago, during the late Ming Dynasty. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on April 17, 2021.

Wu Guansan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am truly overjoyed to have this opportunity to share what I know about the Taiwan Strait and about Taiwan itself. I am deeply grateful for this chance to be interviewed. In recent years, we have all come to know of Practitioner Su. Practitioner Su is quite famous in many places, and I have often seen Practitioner Su lead large groups of people across the Taiwan Strait. Each time, Practitioner Su is able to save a vast number of beings, as well as schools of fish and other creatures. I have always been deeply grateful for this, and today, I am finally able to express my thanks to Practitioner Su in person. I am also grateful to Practitioner Su for allowing me to attain liberation. I thank the Buddha’s grace, and I thank Practitioner Su."

A Tragic End in the Late Ming Dynasty

"I am Wu Guansan. I have been here for three or four hundred years, dating back to the end of the Ming Dynasty. I was aboard a ship, preparing to cross the sea from the mainland to Taiwan, but I met with misfortune and perished in that shipwreck. In those days, many people crossing the sea would often encounter rogue waves, which would cause ships to capsize. Many sailors who fell into the sea had no hope of survival.

Since I was a child, my father told me many things about the sea, including the danger of these rogue waves. My father once told me that this seemingly calm sea often hides mysterious dangers. Especially when a ship inadvertently encounters an undercurrent, even the best preventive measures are no match for the power of nature. In the face of nature, humans are always so insignificant. When a ship encounters a rogue wave, it is completely powerless to resist. In an instant, the entire ship is engulfed by the height of the wave, and then it is swept away. This was a frequent occurrence in these waters, and at that time, countless people lost their lives to it. Consequently, there are many lonely spirits in this sea."

The Dream of a New Life

"In that era, many people wanted to cross the sea to Taiwan. Many were living in poor conditions and hoped to come to Taiwan to settle down and start a new life. However, the process of crossing the sea was fraught with danger, and there were also pirates who drifted on the sea for years. This greatly affected the number of people who successfully made it to Taiwan. Countless lives were lost to this sea; how many people's fates remain unknown to this day! I am grateful to Practitioner Su for bringing us hope and for performing Chao Du for this sea area. Those who perished have been trapped in the cold, dark deep sea, unable to leave. Thank you, Practitioner Su, for leading everyone to liberation.

Although this strait is very dangerous, many people still have to rely on it for their livelihood. My family was one of them. My parents had to go out to sea to fish frequently to take care of us ten siblings. I was the third child, Guan San. The eldest was Guan Yuan, the second was Guan Er, followed by Guan Ci, Guan Wu, and Guan Liu. The girls were Zhaodi, Yingdi, Fuzu, and Haiping. That was the ten of us. When our parents went out to sea, we would look after each other. Sometimes, our parents would choose to take one of us along. According to our uncle, who was on the same boat, they would perform divination every day before setting sail. Sometimes the divination would indicate which child should accompany them to ensure a bountiful catch and a smooth voyage. All the sailors believed in this prophecy, and my parents were no exception; they believed that following the divination would bring good luck and safety to the voyage."

The Call of the Unknown Island

"I accompanied the ship many times because the divination often pointed to 'three,' meaning that 'Guan San' had to be brought along to bring good luck to the voyage. Through many experiences at sea, I learned that the ocean is not a peaceful place. Beyond having good technical skills and experience, it often depends on luck. That is why I could understand why my parents placed such importance on pre-voyage divination—they were simply trying to secure a little more good fortune for themselves.

After my parents passed away, they left the family boat to me. I began to go out to sea to fish to support the family, and I also taught my younger siblings how to live this life at sea. Years passed quickly, and my siblings grew up and started their own families. I did not object when they wanted to leave home; everyone has their own life to lead. As for me, I chose to head toward that unknown island—Taiwan.

At that time, there was a beautiful legend about that unknown island. It was said that there was abundant food, fertile farmland to cultivate, and kind-hearted women. Everyone said that if you could just reach that island, you could enjoy a peaceful life in your later years, have a virtuous wife, and live without worry. I think this is what everyone pursues in life, and at the time, I also wanted to go to this mysterious island."

A Journey of Resilience

"I prepared simple luggage and immediately began the voyage. The journey was not smooth; I encountered many accidents where the ship capsized, but I persevered through each one. The first time the ship capsized, I thought to myself: 'Is this the end of my life?' The cold seawater kept pouring into my body, and I was swept up by the waves. I quickly lost consciousness. In my unconscious state, I grabbed a piece of driftwood. When I regained consciousness, I had been washed up on a small island. I did not know where I was, but before the voyage, I had seen a navigation map, and I guessed that this was a small island in the sea, not yet Taiwan.

After resting simply on the island for a few days, I gathered my spirits and used the materials available on the island to rebuild a new boat, hoping that the next voyage would go smoothly. During the time I spent building the boat, I also got a clear look at the island. It was a beautiful island with a spiritual aura. I saw many strange plants and creatures there, which made me even more confident that Taiwan would be an amazing island nation.

So, I spent several months rebuilding the new boat, and I reinforced the protection against many problems that are easily encountered during navigation. Once the boat was completed, I did a simple test sail in the near waters. This brand-new boat was indeed much more stable than the one that had capsized, and I believed that this time I would be able to reach Taiwan."

The Final Voyage

"For the departure date, I also performed divination, and I saw a very good omen. I believed that this trip would go smoothly. On the second voyage, the condition of the boat was good, but the sea was not calm. The sea often had turbulent currents and giant waves. Several times the boat almost got hit by waves, but luckily I escaped. However, after the boat was affected by the giant waves many times, I worried that the stability of the boat had been compromised. I decided to find a nearby island to dock and let the boat be repaired before continuing. With the experience from before, I knew that I could not force my way through this voyage; I had to make wise decisions to ensure everything went smoothly.

I began to look for a nearby island where I could dock. On this vast, endless sea, one cannot help but sigh at the infinite power and ability of nature. Humans appear so small in the midst of it; it is truly inconceivable. After drifting for several days, I finally found a small island where I could dock. This island was different from the one I had stopped at before; there were people on this one, and it was much larger. I chose a more discreet way to board the island, hoping to repair the boat quickly without disturbing the lives of the islanders.

While repairing the boat, I discovered that there were indeed several problems. If I hadn't repaired them, the boat would have soon taken on water and sunk into the sea. Fortunately, I had landed on the island in advance to carry out the repairs. I did not stay on the island for long, working day and night to finish the repairs, hoping to set sail as quickly as possible.

When the day to set sail again arrived, I did not have time to consider too much. I sailed the boat into the middle of the sea overnight, not knowing that this would be my final journey. This leg of the voyage was the closest to Taiwan. After leaving that island, I could vaguely see the island nation of Taiwan that I had been pursuing.

The sea conditions for this leg of the journey were the calmest, with almost no obstacles, but this was also where the most accidents occurred—all man-made. On this stretch of sea, I encountered pirate attacks many times and saw many ships that could not withstand the attacks sink into the sea. Most of the crew members were seriously injured and fell into the sea, or died on the spot. It was a chaotic situation. Even with Taiwan right before my eyes, it was difficult to land. In the end, I died during this chaotic voyage. I was targeted by pirates while trying to save crew members from another ship that had fallen into the sea. There was heavy shelling and rocket fire, and my boat was quickly engulfed in flames. I had to jump into the sea to escape. When I fell into the water, the heavy shelling continued. During that period, far fewer people successfully landed in Taiwan than before. Some who did not want to die would surrender and join the pirate organizations, which is why the power of the pirates became increasingly large and rampant at that time.

Before I died, while drifting on the sea, I saw the beautiful island of Taiwan with my own eyes. I was so happy, but my life was about to end. My body slowly sank into the sea, and that was the end of my life."

A Guardian of the Tides

"After I died, I remained in this sea area. I see people losing their lives here every day, which makes me feel very sad. Why can't people live in peace? And the dangers at sea continue to cause those who want to venture here to lose their lives. I began to want to protect this sea area. I would help those I could to find a way to survive. Over the centuries, I have helped many people in the Taiwan Strait and have seen many changes at sea.

I still love the island of Taiwan very much, and I am very grateful to Practitioner Su for giving me the opportunity to tell my story today. Although I have passed away, my spirit is still very clear. I watch the changes in this sea area and the changes on the island of Taiwan. Because of human factors, all the environments and magnetic fields are changing rapidly, including the currents in the sea, which have also undergone drastic changes. These are extremely bad changes for the ecology, for humans, and for nature as a whole.

The creatures in the sea have been greatly affected, and some are even on the verge of extinction due to massive human hunting. There is also human land reclamation, the large number of ships entering the sea, and environmental pollution; these have caused great damage to the environment. The changes in the ocean currents also affect the weather and climate. Now, the water temperature of the Taiwan Strait is higher than it used to be, which is a huge shock to the entire environment. I hope everyone can realize the importance of environmental issues. This world belongs to everyone, and everyone should cherish it together; otherwise, when the collective karmic retribution manifests, it will be something everyone must bear together.

The environment on the island of Taiwan has also undergone many changes in recent years, mostly due to human activities. The Taiwan of today is different from the past; it is covered by a thick layer of smog. We all know that this is a change in the magnetic field caused by human collective karma. I hope everyone can have the awareness to realize this, and I hope everyone can actively change. I do not want to see my beloved Taiwan in danger.

Now, there is a water shortage in central and southern Taiwan. The danger I see is also covering this area, surrounded by a group of beings. These are all related to the collective karma of everyone's daily lives. For example, the slaughter of many cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and seafood—many of these come from these regions. The pesticides sprayed in agriculture also come from these regions, as do the sewage and waste gases discharged by industries. Therefore, these interconnected influences are the collective karma problems that exist today. They are problems that everyone must face and break through together. If we do not respond, the problems will only become more and more difficult to solve.

Practitioner Su is compassionate and actively performs Chao Du for these areas. Every time, I see a large number of beings being led by Practitioner Su, including the changes in the currents of the Taiwan Strait. Countless beings are also emerging from the Taiwan Strait. Practitioner Su's great power is truly admirable! Now, I also stay in the sea and cooperate with Practitioner Su to help improve the changes in the seawater and currents. I am also doing my part, hoping that everything will turn for the better, just as Practitioner Su says: 'Do your own small part.'

I am grateful to Practitioner Su, and I am grateful for everything. Namo Amituofo."

Wu Guansan

Memorial Tablet: Countless sentient beings with karmic affinity in the Taiwan Strait, seeking deliverance, represented by: Wu Guansan (Buddha helps with purification, restoration, and peace of heart)