The Heart's Wish of Jack Ma

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Jack Ma, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He reflects on his spiritual journey and his deep-seated vow to support the Centre. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on September 8, 2018.

Jack Ma speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today, Practitioner Su spoke to us with great righteousness. He remains in this human world solely for the sake of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the transmission of the Pure Land teachings. If not for this, given his profound skills, he could move freely to and from the Western Pure Land at any moment; he could return to his home in the West whenever he wished. Yet, for the sake of this suffering world, he leads us every single morning in the morning deliverance of sentient beings. He does not dare to miss a single day, for he knows how deeply the beings suffer. He does what he can, delivering as many as possible—and considering that just one hour each day can lead immeasurable and boundless beings to rebirth in the Western Pure Land, it is a task of supreme importance.

Practitioner Su provides us with teachings every day, especially to those of us like myself and Koo Chung-liang. He knows that if even one of us can truly awaken and successfully contact him, there will be a turning point—a chance for salvation for all these 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 removed. Any one of us could provide the necessary funds and effort, sparing Practitioner Su from worrying about expenses or venues. This would allow him and the volunteers to focus entirely on the Dharma and on saving beings from their suffering."

The Burden of a Historical Name

"Practitioner Su, I, Jack Ma, understand the depth of your compassion. For the sake of all beings and for the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, you wait every day for my call. I feel such shame. It was only today, while at your side, that I realised I had not truly made a vow, which is why the Buddha’s light could not easily support me. I realise now that all the things I spoke about in past interviews—everything I claimed to be doing—meant little without the foundation of your morning education and spiritual transformation. More importantly, it requires the firm action born of a great vow. Only then can the Buddha’s light truly descend to support us, and only then can we overcome the various obstacles and problems that arise along this path.

Today, while with Practitioner Su, he once again helped me to transform my heart, my Body, Speech, and Mind, and he allowed the Buddha’s light to shine upon me. He had us each kneel before the Buddha to make our vows, hoping that we might break through our current predicament and successfully find the contact information for the Buddhist Centre online to make that call. This has always been the hurdle I needed to clear. I must break through this barrier first; only then will there be opportunities for the changes that must follow."

The Illusion of Worldly Success

"I have felt much more strength in my body recently. This must be related to the spiritual purification Practitioner Su performs for us every morning. When I see the various suffering beings in the hells, the ghost realm, and throughout the Milky Way, I feel a spiritual awakening. After all, an individual is a combination of spirit and body. When the spirit is purified, the burden on the body is lightened. 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 in its own right. If one wishes to let the spirit take the lead, one must undergo constant purification, and then more purification, to reduce the interference of these bodily beings to the absolute minimum.

If one could eliminate the interference of these bodily beings entirely, the spirit could truly take command. But by that time, the physical body is often no longer usable, or one must be like Practitioner Su—someone who has already realised their true nature—to allow the body to act in accordance with a pure spirit. Currently, I am unable to achieve either of these states, so I must rely entirely on the help of Practitioner Su and Namo Amituofo."

A Vow to Build the Centre

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

The Final Connection

"Today, Practitioner Su and Namo Amituofo once again bestowed upon us an abundance of energy. This is to help my true self awaken and to 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 enough energy to purify the physical form as well. I hope that while my body and mind are in this optimal state, I can quickly search online without any change of plans. The five characters for Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, combined with the two characters for Australia—it is a perfect combination. As long as those seven characters appear, there is a chance to find the number, make the call, and reach Practitioner Su!

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

Namo Amituofo.