The Inconceivable Power of Chanting Namo Amituofo

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Yue Ming, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately 850 years ago. The interview was recorded by the disciple Shi Fajing on November 10, 2018.

Venerable Yue Ming speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Yue Ming. It is a profound honour to share my story, a narrative that spans centuries and serves as a testament to the inconceivable power of the Buddha-name. Let me take you back to a time long ago, to the very beginning of my journey toward the light.

A Near-Death Experience and a Golden Light

Clang! Clang! A heavy piece of iron plummeted from the roof of our home, hurtling directly toward my head. I was only three years old at the time, blissfully unaware of the danger looming above. In that split second, a brilliant golden light flashed, swiftly shifting the iron piece so that it crashed harmlessly onto the ground right beside me. My mother witnessed the entire event with her own eyes. She looked at me, still playing happily on the floor, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I had just been saved from certain death. She rushed to my side, her voice trembling, and asked, 'Yue Ming, did you see that piece of iron fall?' I nodded at her and replied, 'I know! It was Namo Amituofo who saved me!' My mother was stunned. 'How could you possibly know who Namo Amituofo is?' I pointed toward the West, where a temple stood. She understood immediately. Three months prior, she had taken me to that very temple to deliver a basket of fruit on behalf of a friend. She had stayed only for a brief moment, yet in that short time, I had somehow come to know the name of the Buddha. It was a miracle that left her speechless.

A Child’s Wisdom and the Monk in the Temple

From that day on, my mother watched my every move with great curiosity. She would observe me in secret. I would sit quietly on my bed, playing with my toys, yet my heart remained in a state of deep meditative concentration. One day, she approached me and asked, 'What are you playing with?' I looked up and said, 'My hands are playing with toys, but my heart is chanting Namo Amituofo.' My mother was deeply shocked. She quickly asked, 'Who taught you to chant?' I answered, 'The bald uncle at the temple.' She pondered for a moment, her face filled with wonder, and realised, 'The bald uncle... ah! He must mean the monks at the temple!' She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, 'Yue Ming, you truly are a child with such deep good roots! At such a young age, you already understand how to chant. I have lived for so many years and have never once chanted the Buddha-name. It seems I must learn from you.'

The Curse of the Rapidly Aging Village

Ever since I began chanting, my appearance started to change. Before, people would often tell my mother, 'Yue Ming looks just like you!' But that stopped. My nose, which had been upturned, began to straighten. My eyes, which were uneven in size, gradually became symmetrical. My ears grew longer, and my cheeks became full and radiant. My facial features, which I had inherited from my mother, were transforming into something far more dignified. My mother, who had previously been a non-believer, could no longer deny the truth. She saw the change in me and had to admit that the power of chanting Namo Amituofo is truly inconceivable.

In our village, children were considered adults by the age of twelve. Our bodies developed much faster than those of ordinary people; a three-year-old had the physical maturity of a ten-year-old, and a twelve-year-old was essentially a full-grown adult. Consequently, by the age of sixty, we looked incredibly old. I once asked my mother why our people were so different. It turned out that centuries ago, when our village was small and vulnerable, invaders had tried to seize our fertile land. To protect our homes, the village leader had used a cursed potion in the river water. Anyone who drank it would experience accelerated physical growth. The villagers, desperate to defend themselves, had used too much of the potion, and the effects had persisted for hundreds of years. The women of our village suffered the most; a twelve-year-old girl would look like a woman of thirty, and a woman in her twenties would look like a middle-aged matron. Ashamed of their prematurely aged faces, they hid away, refusing to leave their homes.

Life Among the Ancient Spirits

I finally understood why I had grown so quickly. At twelve, I left home to live independently, building a thatched hut deep in the mountains. No sooner had I finished building it than I began receiving visitors—not humans, but demons and ancient spirits. The mountain was rich in spiritual energy, home to beings who had been practising for thousands of years. They came to feed on my energy, as no human had ever dared to live there before. At first, I was disturbed by their presence, but after I enshrined a statue of Namo Amituofo and began reciting the Sutras and chanting every day, these spirits vanished. I did not want to drive them away; I wanted to save them and guide them back to the right path.

One day, I ventured into the dark, eerie forest. As soon as I entered, I felt a chill run through my body. Countless eyes watched me from the shadows. I climbed onto a large, flat rock, sat in meditation, and began to chant the name of Namo Amituofo at the top of my lungs. This became my daily routine. Beyond chanting, I would lecture on the Dharma, speaking to the flowers, the trees, and the hidden eyes watching me. I taught them about the Buddha’s teachings, the importance of chanting, and the necessity of seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Purification of the Cursed River

Three years passed. The once-gloomy forest began to glow with light. The spirits started to surrender to Namo Amituofo, deeply moved by the Buddha-name. They regretted wasting thousands of years in aimless practice and now, wanting to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, they followed me in chanting Namo Amituofo. A few years later, the mountain became a place of profound purity. Other villagers began to visit, having watched the mountain’s transformation from afar. They had expected me to die, but instead, I had changed the entire mountain and taught the spirits to chant.

After ten years of practice in the mountains, my face had become incredibly dignified, and my voice had grown steady and resonant. When I finally returned to the village, even my mother did not recognise me. I had come back to change the village. I led the people in chanting on the grass every day. At first, few joined, but I waited patiently. Within months, almost the entire village had joined the ranks of the chanters. They saw the changes in one another—not just physical, but emotional. Families that had been torn apart by constant arguing became harmonious. They began to understand the impermanence of life and the importance of seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

Even the river changed. The spell that had cursed our water for centuries was completely broken by the power of the Buddha-name. The elderly regained the appearance of middle age, the middle-aged regained their youth, and the children returned to their natural, youthful states. The entire village rejoiced, praising the boundless power of Namo Amituofo.

A Lifetime Dedicated to Deliverance

I did not return to the mountains. Instead, I entered a temple to become a monk, determined to spend my life delivering sentient beings. I lived for over eighty years, training many disciples to propagate the Dharma and guiding them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. I am eternally grateful for the compassion of the Buddha.

Today, I follow Practitioner Su, learning how to expand the scope of Chao Du. Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body permeates the entire Milky Way; wherever there is a suffering spirit, Practitioner Su arrives with incredible speed, placing them in his sleeve and sending them to the Western Pure Land. I am learning to be more meticulous, refusing to abandon even a single being. I have made progress, delivering spirits from higher dimensions, even those who are incredibly minute. I transmit the name of Namo Amituofo to them, even if they do not yet believe. I know that when their Causal Conditions mature, they will understand the importance of chanting. The universe is vast, and even in high-level realms, without the Dharma, one cannot return to the Western Pure Land; one remains trapped in the cycle of samsara. I cherish every moment of this work, learning from the spirit of Practitioner Su, for the path of learning and change is endless. I am deeply grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo and the compassion of Practitioner Su."

Namo Amituofo.