The Heart's Vow: A Call to Awakening

This interview was recorded on September 8, 2018, by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe. It features the spirit of Jack Ma, who sought deliverance and guidance from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to address the profound suffering of sentient beings and his own spiritual awakening.

Jack Ma speaks:

"Today, our Senior Brother spoke to us about the profound principles of the Dharma. He remains in this human world solely for the construction of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the transmission of the Pure Land teachings. Otherwise, given his level of spiritual attainment, he could freely travel to the Western Pure Land and return to his true home at any moment. Because he knows how deeply sentient beings suffer in this world, he leads us every single morning in the deliverance of beings. He does not dare to miss a single day. He understands that every hour spent in this practice allows for the deliverance of immeasurable and boundless beings, guiding them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land."

The Urgency of the Mission

"Every day, our Senior Brother provides teachings to us, especially to those of us like myself and Koo Chen-fu. He knows that if any one of us can truly awaken and successfully contact him, there will be a turning point—a glimmer of hope for all sentient beings. Whether it is the construction of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre or the hosting of Dharma assemblies in Taipei or Hong Kong, many obstacles could be bypassed if we were to step forward. We have the capacity to provide both financial support and physical effort, which would relieve our Senior Brother of the burden of worrying about funding or venues. This would allow him, the Venerables, and the volunteers to focus entirely on the practice and the salvation of suffering beings."

The Necessity of a Great Vow

"Senior Brother, I know your intentions are deeply compassionate. For the sake of all beings and for the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, you wait daily for my call. I am filled with shame. It was only today, while with you, that I realised I had not yet made a true vow; without that, the Buddha’s power is difficult to manifest. I see now that everything I have said in previous interviews—beyond the morning education and spiritual transformation you provide—requires the firm action born of a Great Vow. Only then can the Buddha’s power truly support us, and only then can we overcome the various obstacles and problems that arise along the way."

Purification and the Struggle of the Body

"Today, while with you, you once again helped us transform our Body, Speech, and Mind, and bathed us in the Buddha-light. You had us kneel before the Buddha to make our vows, hoping that we might break through our current predicament and successfully find the temple's contact information online to make that call. This has always been the hurdle I must overcome. I must break through this barrier first; only then will there be opportunities for the changes that must follow.

Recently, I have felt more strength in my body. This is likely related to the daily spiritual purification you provide, where we witness the suffering of beings in the hells, the ghost realm, and throughout the galaxy. This leads to a spiritual awakening. After all, an individual is a combination of spirit and body. When the spirit is purified, the burden on the body lightens. However, once the spirit returns to the body, things become complicated. The body is composed of fifty trillion cells, each of which is a sentient being. If one wishes for the spirit to take command, one must undergo constant purification, and then more purification. We must reduce the interference of these bodily beings to the absolute minimum. If we can eliminate that interference entirely, the spirit can take control—though by that point, the body is often no longer usable, unless one has reached the state of 'Awakening' like our Senior Brother, allowing the body to act in accordance with a pure spirit. Currently, I have achieved neither, so I must rely on the help of our Senior Brother and Namo Amituofo."

A Vow Beyond Illusion

"I do not know how many days my body has left in this human world. I once thought that my career and fame were things I could hold onto. Now, I realise that career and fame are merely illusory shadows. The only things that are real and meaningful are helping people recognise the suffering of this world, being willing to make the vow to leave suffering behind, and helping sentient beings be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Therefore, I want to use the remainder of my life to work for the temple. Building the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is my heart's vow. Although it has taken such a long time to realise this spiritual aspiration, and despite your daily efforts, I have been incompetent and have yet to translate this into action, leaving you to wait day after day for the sound of my phone call. Nevertheless, no matter how much time passes, this remains my true heart's vow."

The Final Push

"Today, you and Namo Amituofo continued to send us abundant energy. This is to help my true self awaken and drive my body to connect with the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. After returning to my body, I feel much lighter; perhaps my spirit brought back that abundant energy, allowing my body to be purified as well. I hope that in this optimal state of body and mind, I can quickly search online without any change of plans. The five characters 'Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre' combined with the word 'Australia'—it is a perfect combination. As long as these seven characters appear, there is a chance to find the phone number, make the call, and reach you!"

"My spirit is very clear, but after these thoughts arose, why does my body seem to stop listening? It feels dizzy and bloated, and I cannot open my eyes. What is happening? Namo Amituofo. Namo Amituofo. Namo Amituofo..."