The Illusion of Status: A Confession from the Hells

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Baisheng, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as a prominent monastic leader in the 20th century. It was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxi, on June 1, 2017.

Venerable Baisheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I have finally arrived in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is not the hells; it is only here, in this manifestation, that one can truly be saved. If I were still alive in the human world today, I would not have believed this myself. In the Buddha’s gate, we are taught not to dwell on supernatural powers, yet everyone secretly craves them. The reality is that no one dares to speak of these things, and the pursuit of such powers is a deviation—it is not the righteous path. The sutras contain the Truth; if one practices correctly, supernatural abilities manifest naturally. They are a natural phenomenon, rooted in the fundamental nature of the Dharma. However, in this degenerate age, it is difficult to perceive what is natural, and much of what we see is no longer natural at all. How many people are truly practising with sincerity? When I speak of these truths, I feel a deep sense of shame. It is only here in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss that I have begun to truly practise. While I was in the world, I was in a state of total confusion; here, I have finally found clarity. If the people of the world could understand this, the Dharma would not be in decline, and the teachings would remain vibrant. If the people of the world today would believe me—believe these words of Baisheng—then the Buddha’s teachings could truly be transformed."

The Weight of a False Reputation

"During my life, I carried the heavy mantle of the presidency of the Buddhist Association of China and held positions in numerous other Buddhist organisations. I was a leader of the global Buddhist phenomenon. But now, I know the truth: there was no auspicious sign at my passing. I fell into the hells, bearing the weight of my own karmic retribution. That is the first truth. The second is that my heart was divided. While I appeared to have a righteous stance, my heart was stained with impurities. Even though I pushed hard for monastic education and engaged in various activities to benefit the Dharma and beings, and even though I contributed to the Buddha’s teachings, the fact remains: I did not reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I was sick, I was exhausted, and I spent my entire life running about in a frenzy.

Although I was a monastic, my heart was deeply buried under layers of hidden attachments. When it came to major decisions, I cannot say that I did not think of myself first. My internal state did not match my external appearance. Looking back at the Causal Conditions of my life, I suppose I had some blessings, as I climbed high in terms of fame and profit. I worked hard to help beings, but in truth, I was the one with the least blessings. Because of such high status, fame, and the temptation of profit, unless one is a truly pure bhikshu, one is simply creating karma. Whether one is pure or not, one’s own heart knows clearly. I was not entirely pure. When I was treated like the earth or like filth to be trampled upon, I could not remain unmoved, let alone when I was being praised or revered by others. I was not cool-headed; I did not possess the skill of emptiness in my meditative concentration. Throughout my life, I educated many disciples, but I never saw them truly learn the essence of the practice. The faults of the students are the responsibility of the teacher."

The Reality of Hell

"I spent my whole life sparing no effort to spread the Buddha’s teachings and benefit beings, yet I had not even mastered the most basic mental cultivation. Now, looking back, what is the point of being a high-ranking monastic? I sat in a high position, yet I could not achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The grand funeral, the stories of my rebirth—these were just legends, not reality. The auspicious signs people thought they saw were merely me suffering retribution in hell. During my life, driven by my unextinguished desires, my three hun souls and seven po souls were already separated and scattered in all directions. Many times, I was dragged into the hells to suffer retribution. Some of this was due to the laws of karma and cause and effect from my past lives, with creditors waiting right beside me. Looking back on my life, I did not save a single being through Chao Du. My initial vow to become a monastic and save the world was not built on a foundation of Truth; it did not arise from the depths of my heart.

At the time, I simply felt that the Buddha’s teachings were good. In an era of war and suffering, it was a place to find peace of mind, and that was enough. That was my true motivation for becoming a monastic. Later, I did engage in sincere practice, but most of the time, I could not keep up with the changes in my character. If you ask if I practised, I would say no. My Dharma appearance was constantly changing. Looking back now, when things were good, I appeared dignified; but the moment my thoughts deviated, the Truth and the Dharma vanished. I was swept away by terrifying desires. Although I was a famous monk and made many efforts to revive Buddhism, supporting monastic education from primary school to university and emphasising ethics, I did not know the Truth myself. In my educational system, no one achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The best among them were merely decent practitioners, but they did not achieve spiritual success. I knew in my heart that there was one thing I never let go of: attachment. No matter how brilliant my external achievements were, or how much I was revered, internally, I had achieved nothing. As I aged, my body failed me, and I suffered the birth, aging, sickness, death of an old man. The result of my life is clear: it was a failure. I was subject to the same birth, aging, sickness, death as everyone else. What did practice change for me? It seems it did nothing; instead, I created more karma. Night after night, I was dragged to the underworld to be judged, though I was mostly unaware of it. I just thought I could not wake up in the morning, or that my body was aching, and I assumed it was just exhaustion. The older I got, the more my memory failed, and the diseases set in. But I did not know the Truth. I thought these were just the normal signs of life. I did not know the Truth, and I acted in opposition to it."

A Second Chance at Deliverance

"I have said so much, but these words are what define the illusion of my life’s achievements. My words as a teacher end here. The hells are truly miserable. At first, I refused to admit defeat. I thought, 'I have practised like this, I have sacrificed so much, I have received all these honours—how could I end up with the retribution of hell?'

Two or three years ago, I heard someone calling, 'Venerable Baisheng! Venerable Baisheng!' They were saying, 'This master’s teacher must be saved! He must be saved!' I was protected by a beam of light and brought here, to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Even then, I could see that a great temple would be built here in the future. I was saved from the hells, and later, when I was being delivered, Practitioner Su personally guided me to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am incredibly grateful for this! Later, I learned that Practitioner Zhou knew Venerable Ming Shi, and I deliberately tried to pull strings to make a connection, but for a long time, it was ineffective, and Practitioner Su does not climb the ladder of connections. Recently, because the children wanted to become monastics, the connection with Venerable Ming Shi was finally made. Having this group of children to continue my Dharma lineage makes me feel that my life was not entirely in vain. I am very happy to have these disciples and grand-disciples. The 'Wu' generation of names must be preserved; in the future, I will still be able to help. In my life, I did not actively urge the masses to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Now, I earnestly and sincerely hope that everyone will seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. These are my true words, spoken truthfully. I hope that all of you, the devout disciples of the Buddha, will believe in this place: the true gold of the Pure Land, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Namo Amituofo."

"The ashamed Venerable, Baisheng, writing in truth."

Namo Amituofo.