The Insight of a Spirit: From Human Sensitivity to the Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Chuang Cheng-shan, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life and his subsequent journey through the spirit realms. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on August 8, 2025.

Chuang Cheng-shan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I never imagined that the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss would be right before my eyes. My heart is filled with such immense joy and profound peace. This is the place I have been searching for—I searched for so long, drifting through the void for what felt like an eternity. Only now do I realise that one must be pure and truly possess Goodness to arrive at this sacred destination.

I look at Namo Amituofo before me. The Buddha is so magnificent, so incredibly radiant, with light shining in every direction. A deep sense of reverence for the Buddha arises naturally within me. I am so grateful that the Buddha created the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to save all sentient beings, providing a true and final home for our spirits."

A Life of Heightened Perception

"I am Chuang Cheng-shan. From the moment I was born, I was an exceptionally sensitive person. When my father and mother held me, I could naturally and clearly perceive their thoughts and emotions in that very moment.

My father would look at me, often pondering how he could earn more money to provide a better life for our family. When he held me, his heart was filled with a sense of deep satisfaction. He was a rough, hardworking man, but whenever he was with me, he became incredibly tender. Seeing this, my mother would often tease him, saying, 'So this is what a man's gentleness looks like.' Sometimes, my father would want to find a hole to hide in because he was a man who cared deeply about his reputation. In this world, only my mother dared to speak to him like that.

My mother was a gentle soul, though she had a somewhat impatient temperament. If she wasn't careful, she would speak too loudly, and it seemed as if the whole neighbourhood would know everything happening in our home. Yet, my father never blamed her. They had their own way of getting along that suited them perfectly. Sometimes, I felt as if my own presence was almost redundant. Everyone on our street knew this 'precious' couple."

The Burden of Seeing Too Much

"When I walked down the street, children would often look at me with envy, wishing they had a family like mine. By the time I was seven, I spent almost all my time outside looking for fun. Every expression and movement displayed by the people I encountered seemed perfectly clear to me. I did not understand why I possessed such an ability.

When I went to school, I would watch the teacher on the podium. I could see that the teacher held different levels of regard for each student. That kind of discrimination was like a house with many floors, and each floor contained the students as defined by the teacher's internal judgment. Seeing the teacher hold such biases, the students were inevitably affected. Some became arrogant, while others felt deeply inferior.

For me, it was as if I had my own internal standard. Whenever something exceeded that standard, I would become particularly sensitive, and I could read the thoughts of others with even greater clarity. Once, a distant relative of Uncle Cai, who lived next door, came to visit. This relative appeared to show great respect to Uncle Cai, and even my parents praised him. However, when I looked at this man, a feeling of unease arose in my heart. I knew he was secretly planning to swindle Uncle Cai out of his money. Uncle Cai had watched me grow up, so he always listened to what I had to say. I reminded him repeatedly to be careful of this relative. Although Uncle Cai didn't say much, he kept his guard up."

A Guardian of the Town

"One day, I knew Uncle Cai's relative was about to make his move. I warned Uncle Cai to be sure to lock his doors and windows that night and to ignore any sounds he might hear outside. Uncle Cai followed my advice. To our surprise, that night, there was a loud pounding on his door. Uncle Cai peeked through a crack and saw a group of unfriendly men who looked like they were there to rob him. After witnessing this, Uncle Cai quietly called the police. Before long, sirens wailed, and the group scattered as if nothing had happened. That time, Uncle Cai was incredibly grateful.

Some time later, Auntie Wang, who sold steamed buns in town, told me that the number of buns she had was often incorrect. It seemed someone was stealing them, but she couldn't find the culprit. She asked for my help, and I agreed. The next day, I went to her stall and pretended to help her sell buns while observing the people coming and going. Auntie Wang told me that most of her customers were regulars, so she couldn't understand why this was happening.

For me, this was not a difficult task. I could clearly read the thoughts of every person. After observing for a few days, I finally discovered a young man who often came to buy buns. Every time, he would tell Auntie Wang he wanted three, but whenever she turned around, he would open a pre-prepared bag and secretly slip two more inside. I didn't actually see the movement, but in his thoughts, he was rehearsing the action while carefully watching his surroundings. I told Auntie Wang what I had observed. That day, to catch him in the act, Auntie Wang asked her husband to stand at a distance and watch the young man's every move. Sure enough, the young man opened his bag and quietly placed the buns inside. Auntie Wang's husband immediately stepped forward and caught him red-handed.

The young man had no choice but to confess. He admitted that he had been stealing the buns because his family had fallen on hard times. He was too embarrassed to tell anyone, but his mother and younger siblings had nothing to eat, so he felt he had no other choice. Auntie Wang felt pity for his situation. She asked him to come to the stall to learn how to make buns as an apprentice and gave him several extra buns every day to take home. The young man was deeply grateful. By helping people time and again, I became somewhat well-known in town, but this also offended some people."

The Transition to Spirit

"One day, while walking down the street, I was suddenly covered by a sack by a group of people and thrown into a ditch. I struggled continuously, and although the water in the ditch was not deep, I lost my life. In the very moment my life ended, my spirit drifted out. I became a 'thought'—I became very small. Although I was tiny, I collided everywhere with other particles and elements. The entire environment felt incredibly crowded to me.

Becoming what I am now, although I felt fear, I still tried hard to remain positive. I kept telling myself that this was the only way to help myself. When I jumped out of that physical body, I was shocked to discover that the thoughts of human beings were even more complex than I had previously seen. The level of complexity was such that they were changing constantly, every second—or even faster than a second. I discovered that every person possesses both Goodness and evil. Because the proportion of these factors varies, different reactions occur.

As far as humans feel, they are often influenced by a single thought, which then affects their entire way of thinking. But from my perspective, thoughts belong to a long chain; a whole series of small thoughts constitutes the actions that affect the human body. I never thought that after becoming this state of being, I would see everything more and more clearly. I was very surprised by this point.

Since becoming a factor of thought, I have always maintained a stable state. Once, I wanted to try to go 'off track' and become something I had never been before. To my surprise, as soon as I started to think that way, a grey-black vortex swirled around me, and I was almost completely swept away. I was very nervous and quickly guided myself back to a positive state. From that moment on, I knew clearly how far a single thought could lead one astray. Therefore, I actively maintained my current state of mind.

I floated in space, helping many people maintain positive thoughts. Although my influence was not very great, once a human body possesses positive energy, a group of corresponding beings will come to act together. I joined group after group of positive-thought collectives, working hard for everyone in the space. As for where we thoughts will go in the future or what our destiny will be, we did not know, nor did we think about it much."

Deliverance and Gratitude

"In the blink of an eye, I had been a factor of thought for some time. Suddenly, one day, the Impermanence Spirits appeared before me and brought me to the King of Hell. Facing the King of Hell, there was still a bit of fear amidst my reverence. Seeing me arrive, the King of Hell did not say anything at first but showed me the scenes of my past lives—there were deeds of evil and deeds of Goodness. After the scenes finished playing, the King of Hell asked me, 'I know your heart is good; are you still willing to continue serving sentient beings?'

When the King of Hell asked this, I didn't even think about it; I agreed immediately. Before long, I put on the robes of a jailer and began serving in the hells. I saw countless scenes of beings receiving their karmic retribution, and my heart was deeply moved. I also made a vow, hoping that one day they could wake up from this and seek liberation. When I felt distressed and saddened by this, I unexpectedly heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, and every word of the scriptures entered my heart. It allowed me to know Namo Amituofo and learn about the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. From that moment on, I longed for it, and I never expected that today, I would finally wait for the Causal Conditions to be realised. My heart is filled with such joy and gratitude. I am grateful to the Buddha, and I am grateful to Practitioner Su."

Chuang Cheng-shan bows in gratitude.

Namo Amituofo.