The Heart Transforms the Environment

This is a record of an interview with the 989th Venerable, Luo Cheng, who lived approximately 751 years ago. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 22, 2018.

Luo Cheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Luo Cheng. Every day, the marketplace was filled with a deafening, relentless clamour. Whether they were buying vegetables or selling them, everyone had something to say, and the air was thick with the sounds of commerce and chatter. It was an environment that never knew a moment of true silence, a place where the mind was constantly pulled in a thousand different directions by the needs and desires of the crowd.

The Sanctuary of a Dilapidated Hut

Yet, the heart transforms the environment. Despite the surrounding noise, I remained anchored in the Buddha-name, slowly practising my calligraphy, stroke by stroke. My home was a dilapidated little wooden shack right next to the market. It was cramped, barely holding a wooden table, two benches, and a bed. At the back, I had built a small space to house a stove for cooking. Though it was a crumbling old structure, it became the greatest contributor to my spiritual achievement, for it was there that I learned to turn my focus inward.

Before dawn each day, the sounds of the market would seep into my ears. My grandmother would rise early to cook and tend to the vegetables she grew, preparing to sell them at the market next door. All the vendors would begin their work, waiting for customers. At four years old, I would lie in bed, eyes heavy with sleep, unable to rest because of the noise. Eventually, I would just go out to the market to help my grandmother at her stall. My parents had left me in her care and travelled to a distant place. Grandmother rarely spoke of them; I only remember seeing them once when I was three, and never again.

A Hidden Mentor

Grandmother was a traditional woman, much like any other elderly person. Her life was a cycle of planting vegetables, washing clothes in the ditch behind our house, cooking over a wood fire, and napping when exhausted. Her routine was unchanging. As I grew older, she knew I needed to learn to write, but she was illiterate. Instead, she found me a wonderful teacher: the old man next door. He was a solitary elderly person, yet a man of immense talent. He had lived alone his entire life, never marrying or having children. His only wish was to chant Namo Amituofo and attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

In truth, he was a wealthy man, having inherited a vast fortune from his ancestors. Yet, he never indulged in that wealth. Every year, he donated large sums of merit-money to the temples. Most people would find it impossible to believe that such a man lived in a shack by the market. You cannot judge a person by their appearance. Though he was aged, he possessed profound wisdom. Every day, I went to his home to learn calligraphy. His brushwork was breathtaking. He wrote 'Namo Amituofo' on a scroll and gave it to me; I immediately hung it in my home, gazing upon it every single day.

The Honest Fool

He had been practising Buddhism for over seventy years. Having been educated from a young age, he was highly literate, yet he chose not to read too many books. He did not want his knowledge to become a burden; he preferred to be a 'fool' who only knew how to chant the Buddha-name. But this was no ordinary fool—he was an 'honest fool.' He chanted honestly, lived honestly, and did not concern himself with complex sutras. He simply engaged in the diligent practice of this one name: Namo Amituofo.

I often complained to him that the market was too noisy and that I could not find stillness for my writing. He taught me that the environment follows the heart. No matter how the environment moves, the heart must remain unmoved. I thought to myself, 'What a high level of attainment!' He immediately corrected me, saying, 'There is no level to speak of. There is only one word: Purity. Let go of everything, and let there be only the Buddha-name, Namo Amituofo.' I tried many times, but my heart was easily agitated. As soon as I sat down, my mind would begin to wander. He told me, 'Then stand up!' Standing truly steadied my heart; there was no comfortable posture to allow my mind to drift. I had to focus even more intently on every stroke of the brush, leaving no time for delusions.

Listening Beyond the Noise

He taught me that every brushstroke must contain the Buddha-name, with each chant entering my Six Roots, flowing continuously and densely. He used various methods to help me quiet my heart. He even had me cover my eyes and listen only to the sounds entering my ears. 'It is just the noise of the market,' I said. He asked, 'What else?' I was confused. 'The market noise already drowns out everything else! How can you ask what else is there?' He told me to settle my heart and listen again. I practised this for a long time. By the third year, one day, as I chanted, I heard not only the market noise but also the distant sound of a temple bell. It was crystal clear, as if the sound had travelled through the market directly to my ears. Beyond that, I could hear the flowing of a stream. Whenever I thought of a place, I could hear its sounds. He told me, 'Your heart has become even more purified.'

During those three years, I tried many methods to focus on the Buddha-name. I once wrote the character 'Buddha' on my hand so I would see it while doing anything, but eventually, I forgot, and delusions returned. I tried different prayer beads, hoping to find a string that would keep my chanting uninterrupted, but I still wandered. I even locked myself in a dark, empty room, but my heart could not settle, and I soon fled. I travelled to different places, seeking an environment that would allow me to chant perfectly, only to realise that no matter how quiet the place, my mind still produced delusions.

Compassion in Action

In the second year, he took me to volunteer in a poor, impoverished area. The people there were sick and elderly, unable to care for themselves. Though he was over eighty, his practice of chanting kept him full of energy; he looked like a man of sixty. No one ever guessed his true age. He matched volunteers with those in need. I had never seen such filth or such dilapidated housing. Their faces were etched with sorrow; some were in such agony that their daily existence felt like suffering in the hells. Even with help, they could not be happy because they had no hope. They were simply waiting for their bodies to die.

I asked him, 'Can we teach them to chant?' He said, 'Of course!' I was overjoyed. From that day on, I went to them, teaching them to chant happily. I described the dignity of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, giving them a dream for the future. I told them that as long as they chanted Namo Amituofo with a focused heart and sought rebirth in the Western Pure Land, the Buddha would come to lead them. Their dark lives finally gained colour; their hollow, desperate eyes finally held hope. I used various methods to introduce the Buddha’s teachings, and their dull lives became filled with laughter and joy.

The Unconscious Flow

Over those two years, without realising it, I had integrated the Buddha-name into my heart. I had not noticed it myself until he pointed it out. Every chant flowed naturally with my blood; it existed so naturally that I had not even perceived it. In that moment, I understood: only by learning to be compassionate and forgetting oneself can one truly chant the Buddha-name into the heart. Only by understanding the suffering of sentient beings can one keep this name in the heart forever.

At eleven, I entered the Buddha’s gate. My skills in chanting had surpassed many of my peers, yet I still looked to them as examples, diligently practising together. After becoming a monk, I spent every day helping sentient beings. The Buddha’s teachings can relieve all worries. I used the Buddha-name to help others, explaining the magnificence of the Dharma and showing them that the power of chanting is truly inconceivable!

Reunion in the West

Since returning to the Western Pure Land, I listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma before the Buddha every day. The Dharma sound flows at every moment. Every day, countless sentient beings return to the West for a reunion. I watch the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su, which is filled with ultimate compassion, as he travels back and forth to bring beings to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Every being is filled with gratitude toward Practitioner Su. They never imagined they would have the chance to come to the West, as many had never chanted before. Yet, after just one time, they received the Chao Du of Practitioner Su and were brought home.

I traverse the universe, shifting through space rapidly. Infinitely layered spaces await deliverance, and I dare not slacken. In many spaces, deliverance happens simultaneously, and immeasurable numbers of sentient beings follow the Buddha-light to the West. Every day, the Western Pure Land is bustling, with a vast number of members returning to reunite. For all of this, we must be grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

This interview message was recorded by the Buddhist disciple, Shi Fajing.