The Elder and the Child: A Shared Soul

This is a record of an interview with the 518th Venerable, Midun Dao, 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 life in ancient India, beginning approximately 2,811 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on July 6, 2018.

Disciple Haize:

"May I ask, among the 507th to 530th Venerables who reside as protectors by Practitioner Su's left leg in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, is there anyone who would like to share their story?"

Venerable Midun Dao speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am the 518th Venerable, Midun Dao. I was born in India in 793 BC, which is 2,811 years ago from today. My family was incredibly poor. From a very young age, I watched my father toil from dawn until dusk, and my mother—her hair was always a tangled mess. She could not even afford a simple hair clip; in fact, she did not have the money for one, so she would just use a piece of rope to tie her hair back. We never even dreamed of wearing nice, warm clothes. There were five children in our family—four girls and one boy. I was the youngest, the only son, which finally allowed my mother to breathe a sigh of relief; she did not have to endure the physical toll of another pregnancy. In those days, bearing a son was considered a woman's most important duty. If a woman did not give birth to a son, she would be looked down upon by everyone in the village.

A Near-Death Beginning

Shortly after I was born, my entire body turned yellow. The elders in the village said that jaundice at birth was nothing to worry about and would pass in time, so my mother did not pay much attention to it. But my body was burning with fever, I was turning yellow, and my cries were weak and listless. Sometimes, I could barely drink a few mouthfuls of milk all day. It was only when my mother tried to pat me and call out to me, and I did not wake up, that she realised the situation was dire! My stomach felt bloated and hard to the touch. She rushed me to the village doctor, who examined me, shook his head, and sighed, 'Why did you bring him so late? His liver is already swollen! A child this small cannot hold on for much longer.' I remained in a coma for several days. My mother truly believed I would not survive. Then, one night, she dreamt of a brilliant, radiant light filling the sky, and a Buddha or Bodhisattva pouring sacred Dharma-water over my entire body. Shortly after, I woke from my coma, my cries suddenly strong and full of life. My mother knew I had been given a second chance. Truly, those who survive a great catastrophe are destined for great blessings!

The Mysterious Sleep

After that, every so often, I would fall into a deep, unresponsive sleep for four or five days, sometimes even longer. My family grew accustomed to it; they would just let me sleep, knowing I would wake up on my own. And every time I woke up, I felt more energetic than before, as if I had grown a little bit more. This continued until I was about twelve years old, by which time I had grown tall and strong, appearing much older than my years. We never understood the reason for this, but for my family, it was a blessing—I needed less food, slept more, and grew quickly.

When I was twelve, in a hazy, dreamlike state, I felt my soul separate from my body. A golden light guided me into the depths of a mountain, where an elderly man was sitting in meditation. I entered his body. The old man opened his eyes, took a deep breath, stretched his limbs, turned his head, and rubbed his palms together, patting his face as if to wake his body from a long slumber. He ate a few pieces of fruit, his eyes now piercing and bright. He began to chant, and then he walked down the mountain. Everywhere he went, people followed him, eventually arriving at a spacious, clean house. The old man sat down with practiced ease. In the front of the hall, a statue of Namo Amituofo was enshrined. A long line of people waited, each one telling him about their physical ailments. The old man would listen, scan them from head to toe with his sharp gaze, and tell them exactly what was wrong, why it happened, and how to make vows and practise. It was miraculous—without taking any medicine, their pain would simply vanish. They would then go before the Buddha, offer ten prostrations, and leave. A servant guided everyone in an orderly fashion. This old man was a practitioner who helped people heal without medicine or fees. His only condition was that they must be willing to chant and prostrate to the Buddha. There was a donation box at the door, and whatever was collected was given entirely to the village head to help those in need.

The Shared Soul

When the old man was awake, I, Midun Dao, was in a deep, unshakeable sleep; when I was awake, the old man was in meditation. In other words, my soul and his soul were one and the same, though we inhabited different bodies with different identities, ages, and roles. The old man was a descendant of a noble family who had spent his life travelling and healing, promoting the practice of chanting. For those who were critically ill or dying, he would urge them to chant Namo Amituofo and make a vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. He was seventy-eight years old when, twelve years ago, while treating a patient, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and collapsed. As someone who had attained the Buddha-Recitation Samadhi, he was always mindful of the Buddha. Even in that moment, he remained alert, the Buddha-name never leaving his heart. Knowing something was happening, he immediately allowed his soul to leave his body, refusing to let his consciousness be dragged down by the physical agony, and entered a state of deep meditation to observe why his body had undergone such a change.

In that state, he saw a couple. The wife was due to give birth in two days, but the fetus was a 'hollow' one—there was no soul present, and the parents did not know. The body had grown initially, causing the abdomen to swell, but growth had stopped, and there was no consciousness. The wife would have given birth to a stillborn and died from massive blood loss. The old man realised that his body's reaction was a sign from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that he needed to address this. In a past life, this couple had saved his life, and the wife, in particular, had died from blood loss while saving him. Now, it was time to repay that kindness. Without hesitation, the old man decided to enter the womb, becoming the fetus himself, ensuring the mother would safely deliver a healthy baby boy. His liver had some developmental defects due to the time spent as a hollow fetus, which caused the jaundice I suffered as an infant. However, because of the old man's merit in travelling and healing others, his soul was able to guide the body through the crisis safely. When people in this world encounter good causal conditions—especially through repaying kindness or meeting Buddhas and Bodhisattvas—they have the chance to eliminate disasters, change their fate, and transform negative karma. This is the preciousness of forming good affinities and encountering the presence of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the world.

Meanwhile, the old man's body was carried to a bed when he collapsed. His attendant, also a practitioner, knew his master was facing a trial and guarded his body with the utmost care, ensuring no harm came to it. In the past, the master could remain in meditation for three to five months without returning to his body; though his breathing was faint, he would always return. During this time, the attendant remained by his side as his Dharma protector. The old man's lifespan had not yet reached its end, so he could remain in the world, his soul moving between the two bodies. My life, Midun Dao, and the life of my mother were preserved through the good causal conditions of the past and the immeasurable merit accumulated by the old man in this life.

I have always been exceptionally clever, able to grasp complex ideas quickly, and my appearance is dignified—clearly different from the other children in the village. In truth, the old man's soul was not affected by inhabiting my young body, but for the sake of spreading the Buddha-name and the Pure Land teachings, he patiently expressed himself through the behaviours and language appropriate for my age. On the other hand, the old man's original body would eventually reach its end. It was time for me, Midun Dao, to continue his vows and strength, so that the Buddha-name could spread further and benefit more suffering beings, leading them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The old man never woke up again. Following his instructions, the attendant waited for six months. When the master did not return, he laid the body to rest. He then travelled twenty miles east of the village to find a twelve-year-old boy named Midun Dao—a boy of dignified appearance and sharp wit. Most importantly, the moment the boy saw the attendant, he chanted, 'Namo Amituofo.' That was the old man, returned! He asked the attendant to help me break free from the constraints of poverty and my family's status, so I could continue the old man's work: chanting, healing, promoting the Buddha-name and the Pure Land, and urging all to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

The attendant followed the instructions, and sure enough, he found me. The moment we met, he heard me chant, 'Namo Amituofo.' He understood the old man's heart to save the world. The attendant, also of noble birth and the old man's younger brother, easily convinced my parents to let him take me under his wing to be trained in healing and chanting. He let me stay at home at first, inviting the sick from the village to come. We would hang up a Buddha image, and I would teach each patient to sincerely chant the Buddha-name ten times. Then, I would look at them, instantly knowing their symptoms and the root of their problems. I would speak to the karmic creditors attached to them, my wise gaze and gentle tone often softening their hearts, and finally, I would offer them ten chants of the Buddha-name. In truth, while offering the chants, I was transmitting the supreme merit of the Buddha-name to them, visualising the Buddha-light shining everywhere, transforming and leading those karmic creditors to rebirth in the Western Pure Land. They were healed instantly without medicine. Word spread like wildfire. In those days, the village was filled with poor people who could not afford medical care, often suffering for years. Now, a local boy who had grown up among them possessed such ability, and he did not charge a single coin!"

Naturally, the queue of villagers seeking healing grew until it was overflowing. Seeing this, Nathan Island led everyone outside. After they all pressed their palms together and respectfully chanted the name of Namo Amituofo ten times, he began to speak to those gathered about the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and the cycle of the six realms of rebirth. Many in the crowd—men and women, the elderly and the young—felt these words resonate deeply within their own hearts, and they knelt to repent. They finally understood that the poverty and the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death they endured in this lifetime were not because Heaven was unfair, but were the result of their own karma from past lives. They felt deep shame and regret for their previous self-pity, resentment, and the wrongdoings they had committed in the past.

The Miracle of the Buddha-Name

Nathan Island then introduced the compassionate and expedient Dharma-door of Namo Amituofo and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss that He had established. Everyone made a vow together and respectfully chanted the name of Namo Amituofo, aspiring for rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. They then pressed their palms together, chanted the name ten more times, and bowed to the Buddha ten times. Miraculously, everyone present immediately felt their ailments begin to heal, recover, or significantly improve. Because of this, the villagers began to chant Namo Amituofo and made a collective vow: 'Being human is far too painful! We all wish to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.' From then on, almost every person who came for healing would spontaneously chant Namo Amituofo.

Some patients were cured after their first visit, yet they still returned—some because they wanted to hear Nathan Island’s teachings, and others to bring their family members to hear the Dharma, chant the Buddha’s name, or seek healing. Gradually, the village became a place of chanting. Although they could not escape their impoverished circumstances, their hearts and faces were filled with a sense of security, peace, contentment, and gratitude. They firmly believed that Namo Amituofo was the Great Physician, capable of curing their illnesses and leading them out of a life of suffering.

A Life Dedicated to the Dharma

Later, Nathan Island travelled to other villages to heal the sick and propagate the name of Namo Amituofo and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. He never married, spending his entire life wandering, healing, and spreading the Dharma until he reached the age of sixty-eight. After one of his final Dharma talks, he manifested the act of chanting the Buddha’s name and attaining rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss right there on the spot. As the crowd chanted along, they all witnessed the Buddha-light illuminating everything and smelled the fragrance of lotus flowers, a scent they had never encountered before. Nathan Island was guided by Namo Amituofo to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The people were astonished and filled with praise, and from that day forward, they chanted Namo Amituofo with even greater devotion.

The Boundless Reach of Hsiang Kuang

Today, Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, with thirty years of experience in Pure Land practice, uses his self-nature Dharma Body to deliver sentient beings to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The beneficiaries of this Dharma are not only the karmic creditors, ancestral spirits, and family members of individuals, but also the sentient beings of the six realms of rebirth across the land, sea, and air of this Earth. Now, this reach has even expanded to planets outside our Milky Way. Many stories of beings from planets never before heard of seeking rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss have been revealed through the messages of the Venerable, leaving everyone in awe.

A Witness to the Extraordinary

Nathan Island was fortunate to participate in the action of the Western Venerable to protect Practitioner Su’s left leg, and he unexpectedly joined this deliverance team. Every day, he travels with Practitioner Su on a journey of deliverance across the galaxy, which has truly broadened his horizons. He never imagined that the deliverance of the Dharma Body in the human world could be so magnificent. Most extraordinary of all is the ability to send these spirits directly to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss! In truth, when one is with Practitioner Su, one knows that Namo Amituofo is right there beside you, right before your eyes. Practitioner Su is a jewel of the human world, continuously creating legendary Pure Land miracles that remain unknown to the public. Although he is slandered by those who do not know the truth, it does not diminish the light of this jewel in the slightest. He continues to exhaust his full potential, working day and night with the utmost caution to deliver sentient beings, studying the teachings, observing their capacities, and teaching beings throughout the six realms, the ten directions, and the galaxy. Practitioner Su spreads the Buddha-light and the name of Namo Amituofo wherever he goes. It is my sincere hope that more people in this Saha world will come to know Namo Amituofo, the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, Practitioner Su, and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, so that they may all receive the benefits of the Dharma, forever escape the suffering of the cycle of rebirth, attain the joy of ultimate liberation, and be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo.

This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing.