The Journey of Poet Jia Dao: From Toad to Awakening

The Truth Behind the Human World

Having traversed the path from the human realm, falling into the body of a toad, and then becoming a lonely wandering spirit, only to finally find rebirth in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I, Jia Dao, have finally seen the truth of this human world. I have realised that there is not a single person, event, or object in this world worth clinging to. One should not harbour any attachment or grasping towards the human world. If such conditions exist, it becomes the perfect opportunity for karmic creditors or demon crowds to strike.

Interview conducted by: The Buddha's disciple, Shi Haiyuan

Date: 19 April 2026

A Poet’s Journey Through Karma

Jia Dao reflects on his past:

I once entered the Buddha’s gate without a true refuge, a monk in name but not in heart. I did not understand the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings, losing myself instead in the lines of my poetry. I agonised over which word to choose, until a noble person suggested the word knock, which changed my path. My talent overflowed, yet my arrogance grew with it; who would appreciate such a straightforward heart? For ten years I failed the examinations, yet I did not change my ways, continuing to refine my bitter verses. Little did I know that all of this was merely a calculation of my karmic creditors; my entire life was inseparable from karma and fate. Upon my death from illness, I fell directly into the body of a toad. Do not be fooled by the wish to pluck the laurel in the toad palace; for eight hundred years, I forgot my past. After that, I spent three hundred and eighty years in the ghost realm. Fortunately, I met Practitioner Su, who saved me with the power of Amitabha, and now I have returned to the Buddha’s gate, seated upon a lotus in the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

At this moment, I am sitting upon a lotus seat in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, listening to the Dharma. I am hearing the supreme teachings that I never encountered while I was alive—teachings on the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. In this Land of Dharma Nature, there are immeasurable and boundless lotus seats, as vast and limitless as the mind-capacity of Practitioner Su. Throughout the twenty-four hours of the day, the Buddha-light shines upon my soul, making my spirit clearer with each passing day. Slowly, I have begun to recall my life as the famous Tang Dynasty poet, Jia Dao.

The Boundless Compassion of Practitioner Su

I am filled with immeasurable gratitude to have arrived in this bright and magnificent world. Hearing that this world was established through the vow of Practitioner Su, I am filled with immense admiration. I never imagined that a single person could have the ability to establish an entire world. This is something I had never heard of or even conceived of while I was alive, yet now it is happening right before my eyes. I am filled with curiosity: what must one do to be able to establish the Western Land of Dharma Nature like Practitioner Su, and to have the capacity to save immeasurable and boundless sentient beings? What is the secret? I have decided to observe Practitioner Su closely, hoping to find the key to this achievement.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I observe that the daily life of Practitioner Su is extremely simple. It can be summarised in four words: living for all beings. He does not act for himself in the slightest; everything he does and says is entirely for the sake of saving more sentient beings.

I have seen Practitioner Su, in order to save the people on the land of China, constantly using his Divine Foot to travel above the country. He manifests immeasurable, boundless, and endless golden spiritual bodies of himself. These manifestations all emit a brilliant light, carrying the great radiance of Namo Amituofo. The power of the Buddha-light and the Buddha-name opens up the infinite dimensions of space. One can see the sentient beings within these spaces, many of whom were originally in great misery. Upon seeing the brilliant golden light, they all reveal expressions of joy, and one could say they rush madly into the light to seek Spiritual Deliverance.

The Rising Tide of Demon Interference

This is a truly shocking scene! Such scenarios are happening in every corner of China—whether in the sky, in the water, on the earth, in the cities, within the clouds, or even in the spaces beneath the ground. One can see the manifestations of Practitioner Su saving sentient beings. So many beings have been saved through this process and brought to the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. To me, this is an incomparable achievement; he has saved so many beings. Yet, to Practitioner Su, it is merely something done with a wave of his hand.

In the Buddha’s teachings, this is called acting without acting, and without acting, everything is accomplished. This is because Practitioner Su truly has no past and no future; he only dwells in the present moment, chanting Namo Amituofo all the way. In every present moment, his heart is anchored to this Buddha-name. From this, one can see the supreme merit and power of the Buddha-name; it is truly inconceivable. Only a person who possesses the Buddha-heart and the Buddha-vow, like Practitioner Su, can chant this Buddha-name and truly manifest such endless power.

What struck me most was the process by which Practitioner Su saves the demon crowds throughout China. These so-called demon crowds are, in fact, spirits with intense personalities, stubbornness, and firm attachments. These spirits who have entered the Demon Realm are not essentially different from me, but because they have stepped into the Demon Realm, their demon nature has grown stronger day by day. They are unable to control themselves, carrying a body full of demonic power, harming themselves and harming countless other beings.

Reflections on the Tang Dynasty and Modern Times

I see that the people living in China today are surrounded by countless demon crowds. Many of these demon crowds interfere with and control people, even entering human bodies and occupying them. This is something that shocks and saddens me. I never imagined that the people on the divine land of China would fall to such a state, living almost entirely under the control of demon crowds.

However, were there no demon crowds controlling people during the Tang Dynasty, when I lived? At this thought, the scene before me in the Land of Dharma Nature immediately shifted, and I was transported back to the era in which I lived, as if I were experiencing it in person. Through the blessings of the Buddha in the Land of Dharma Nature, and because I am no longer bound by a physical body, I am able to do this.

When I reviewed the conditions of the Tang Dynasty, I discovered that there were indeed many demon crowds in the daily lives of the people, and many were indeed controlled by them. However, upon closer inspection, I must admit that compared to China today, the density of demon crowds back then was significantly lower. If I were to use numbers to describe it, I believe the current situation of the Chinese people being controlled by demon crowds, and the overall density of demon crowds in China, is at least five times greater than it was during my time in the Tang Dynasty.

This is an astonishing figure. Why has such a difference occurred? This is something I do not yet fully understand. However, by observing the differences between the people of my era and the people of modern China, I can identify several specific factors, primarily in the areas of education, character cultivation, and moral foundations.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Buddha’s teachings were very flourishing. The social atmosphere was focused on Chan meditation and the cultivation of meditative concentration. In terms of the Dharma-age, it was in the period known as the Semblance Dharma. Many people still understood the laws of karma and cause and effect because they were diligent in their practice, or they had planted seeds of Goodness from a young age, understanding the principle of avoiding all evil and practising all Goodness. Furthermore, in the Tang Dynasty, if one wished to achieve success in an official career through the imperial examinations, the Confucian classics were the most fundamental lessons.

At that time, many people in the Tang Dynasty understood, to varying degrees, the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith advocated by Confucianism. In terms of moral foundations and character cultivation, the social atmosphere was indeed far superior to what I see in modern people. Perhaps because of this, the situation of people being interfered with and controlled by demon crowds was not as severe as it is for modern people, and the number of demon crowds was relatively smaller.

Furthermore, in the Land of Dharma Nature, I can see more clearly that in the Tang Dynasty, there were still eminent monks of true practice and virtue appearing in the world. In modern China, I can clearly observe that the Buddha’s teachings have completely declined; it could be said to be the end of the Dharma-ending age. In such a situation, it is impossible to find even one eminent monk of true virtue.

From the perspective of the spiritual realms, one can observe that true practitioners of virtue play an extremely important role in stabilising a region, soothing people's hearts, and maintaining the order of the spiritual realms. This can be understood from the fact that Practitioner Su, who has realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood in this human body at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, is able to save immeasurable and boundless sentient beings and purify the magnetic field of the entire country of China. One can see how much real help a successful practitioner provides to the world.

My name is Jia Dao, and I was a poet of the Tang Dynasty. In the eyes of later generations, I might be considered somewhat famous; the world knows of the well-known encounter I had with Master Han Yu. At that time, I was agonising over two lines of poetry: "The bird rests in the tree by the pond, the monk knocks on the gate under the moon." I could not decide whether to use the word push or knock, and I was completely lost in thought. I repeatedly weighed the difference between the two words and the feeling of the two lines, to the point that I accidentally bumped into Master Han Yu’s carriage procession. Fortunately, Master Han Yu had the magnanimity not to hold it against me; instead, he gave me advice, telling me that the word knock was more appropriate. Master Han Yu appreciated my poetic talent, and at that time, I was actually a monk.

Although I was a monk, I must admit that I was not a very sincere one. Compared to the fourfold assembly at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre today, who practise diligently day and night to attain Buddhahood and save sentient beings, my vow was indeed far too lacking. My living environment from a young age was very poor, and my decision to become a monk was indeed partly to ensure I had enough to eat. However, I cannot deny that I was filled with reverence for the Buddha’s teachings. I understood that it was a great and supreme existence, but at that time, my understanding of the philosophy of the Dharma was quite shallow. The atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty was focused on Chan meditation, and Chan language was very popular; many people enjoyed conversing with Chan masters, leaving behind stories for later generations to discuss. In such an environment, although I had left home to become a monk, I did not have a deep understanding or a clear recognition of how the Buddha’s teachings could save sentient beings, how they could benefit sentient beings, or where the true power of the Buddha’s teachings lay. This may also be because, at that time, I had not met a true spiritual friend whom I could completely admire and be willing to follow.

If I had been able to encounter an eminent monk and virtuous teacher like the Great Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty, I believe I would have developed a vow for Bodhi on the Buddha's path, thereby embarking on a different life journey. However, this is all hindsight, and I, Jia Dao, shall say no more of it. The point is that at the time, I had not come into contact with the magnificent Dharma of the Pure Land, nor did I understand that by practising the Pure Land Dharma Gate, one could, like Practitioner Su, manifest countless manifestations after realising one's true nature and attaining the Dharma Body. Practice is not merely about being a person who seeks only their own liberation; it is about being able to bear the suffering on behalf of all beings.

The Power of the Buddha's Name

The supreme power of the name of Namo Amituofo can truly help those in the human world and the spiritual realms attain liberation. This power of the Buddha's teachings is distinct from the Zen practices that were prevalent during the Tang Dynasty. It allows one to truly understand that learning the Buddha's teachings is about saving the world. It makes one realise that the Buddha's teachings are a method for saving all beings. Such a simple and direct truth was, however, difficult for many monastics and practitioners of that time to comprehend.

Of course, the Tang Dynasty was not without true practitioners who possessed both practice and virtue, but they were ultimately too few in the overall social climate. Furthermore, in terms of the Dharma Gate, there was none as easy to popularise or as magnificent as the Pure Land Dharma Gate. After all, the Pure Land Dharma Gate is a dual-power gate: it relies on one's own efforts, supplemented by the Buddha's blessings. And the Buddha's power is boundless! It can be said that for every bit of effort one exerts, the Buddha provides an equal measure of blessing. Whether there was anyone practising this magnificent gate at that time, I, Jia Dao, did not know, but at the very least, I had no opportunity to encounter it during my lifetime. This remains a small regret for me.

The Preciousness of Human Life

Listening to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks today, I have come to understand that without a human body, one cannot practise the Buddha's teachings. I missed the opportunity to practise the great Dharma back then. If one is in the state of a spirit, wanting to practise, elevate one's spirituality, or even attain Buddhahood, it is absolutely impossible.

If not for the magnificent Causal Conditions of today—meeting Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, who saves all spirits and has created the Dharma-Nature Land, a bright and beautiful world—the beings on this land would not have the opportunity to chant the Buddha's name, be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and after attaining Buddhahood there, return to save all beings. Without these various magnificent Causal Conditions, I, having lost my human body, would only be drifting in the cycle of rebirth, without the chance to practise, merely a suffering spirit. Therefore, the great compassion of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su is all the more evident.

Reflections on a Past Life

To return to my story, I was fortunate enough to be appreciated by the official Han Yu. Seeing that I was a monk who could compose wonderful poetry, he felt a sense of cherishing talent and advised me to return to secular life to participate in the imperial examinations. Thus, after many twists and turns, I was never able to pass the examinations as I had wished.

I took the exams for many years, yet I never made it onto the list. The imperial examinations of the Tang Dynasty focused primarily on poetry. While I would not dare to say my talent was superior, it was recognised by many. However, failing repeatedly in the examinations was something I found difficult to accept.

Yet, after years of taking these exams, I gradually realised that part of it was due to my personality. I was very upright, and I harboured a strong sense of arrogance. Compared to others, I was naturally not very tactful in my dealings with people. Sometimes, because I spoke my mind too directly, I would inadvertently offend others.

With such a personality, it was even more impossible for me to engage in sycophancy. Furthermore, my style of poetry differed from the style generally favoured by the imperial examination system of the time. Simply put, my poetic style was not well-regarded by the examination halls.

Influenced by these various factors, I failed the examinations for many years. Perhaps this can be considered a curious event in my life.

The Trap of Attachment

Although failing the examinations left me feeling dissatisfied, it did not diminish my passion and devotion to creating poetry. I, Jia Dao, have always been extremely persistent and serious about composing poems. One can see this from how I would lose myself in thought just to deliberate over a single word. Such situations occurred repeatedly throughout my life and were quite common.

I believed that the choice of words in a poem required a certain amount of time to be carefully weighed to present the best form. This was my devotion to the poems I created. Perhaps because of this sincere attitude, I accumulated a good reputation in the literary world. But to me, these were not the main points; I simply loved, enjoyed, and was even obsessed with the act of creating poetry. Every year on New Year's Eve, I would take out all the poems I had written over the year, place them on the table, and offer incense and prostrations. Afterwards, I would sprinkle wine on the ground, offering myself encouragement and blessings, saying: Alas, this is my painstaking effort for the entire year!

Haha, now on the Dharma-Nature Land, seeing these things I did in the past, I cannot help but laugh out loud. Indeed, there was too much attachment and delusion involved. In the past, I did not understand what harm such behaviour would cause me; instead, I found joy in this lifestyle. One could say I poured my emotions into it, using it as a temporary stable reliance for my heart so that I would not be defeated by the distress of poverty and various misfortunes.

This is perhaps the norm for people facing the many hardships and trials of life. At that time, I, Jia Dao, poured my emotions into the creation of poetry and treated it as the most important thing in my life.

Awakening to the Truth

Now, I, Jia Dao, hope to return to the Buddha's gate on the Dharma-Nature Land. The Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su have made me understand that all these deeds that later generations have praised were actually just my personal habits and ego. Especially my attachment and passion for creating poetry, and even the special ritual I held every New Year's Eve to console myself—all of this was filled with too much discrimination, attachment, and delusions. These were the deep-seated personal habits of the Jia Dao of that time. Now I know that these personal habits attract countless karmic creditors, and even demon crowds, to seek revenge within one's body.

On the Dharma-Nature Land, I saw that when I was a monk who was obsessed with creating poetry, my karmic creditors had already manifested. This included the arrogance and pride in my personality, my sense of injustice regarding my life's encounters, and my persistent and repetitive selection of words for my poems—all of this was actually fuelled by my karmic creditors. I even saw that in certain events, there were demon crowds interfering, causing me to commit acts that offended or harmed others, thereby leading me to suffer the bitter fruits.

In that life, because I did not practise and had no way to turn my karma around, I walked the path of my destined fate. What is called fate is, in reality, being swept away by the flow of karma and being under the control of karmic creditors. Looking at it this way, it is indeed true. From the manifestation of karmic creditors in my youth to the series of encounters in my later life, I was completely controlled by karma—that is, by my karmic creditors. This is truly a sad and shocking thing for me to realise.

If not for the fact that I am now on the Dharma-Nature Land, seeing all changes from this perspective, I would not have been able to truly wake up. It turns out that life is entirely illusory. What one truly should do is leave the suffering world and transcend the shackles of reincarnation. All of this must rely on the Buddha's blessings—the great Dharma taught by Namo Amituofo: the Pure Land Dharma Gate.

The Path to True Liberation

Of course, in the age of the Dharma's decline, practice is fraught with difficulties, and beings have heavy spiritual obstacles. In such an era, without a true spiritual friend who has realised their true nature and attained Buddhahood, like Practitioner Su, to guide us, it would be impossible to purify our body, speech, and mind, or to adjust our personality to zero and realise our true nature in this complex, technologically advanced modern environment.

Today, we are fortunate to have Practitioner Su, a true Buddha in the world, who is a true spiritual friend that all aspiring practitioners should treasure. This compassionate elder is right here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

In short, I ended up serving only as a low-level official and died at my post. It was an extremely ordinary life, but I have no complaints about it. To me, I truly felt that as long as there was poetry, it was enough. After I died, I actually became a toad.

I spent eight hundred years as a toad before I was finally released from that space. During the time I was a toad, I truly forgot that I had once been the famous Tang Dynasty poet Jia Dao, completely believing that I was a toad. I mistook this toad body for myself, living the life of a toad every day, and so it went for eight hundred years.

Until one day, when I departed from the toad's body, my spirit was still in a very dim and confused state, and my memories of the past had not yet recovered. As a ghost without a body, I drifted across the land of China for three hundred and eighty years.

Later, thanks to Practitioner Su's great Chao Du in China, who compassionately shone the Buddha's light upon my soul, I joyfully arrived at the Western Dharma-Nature Land, welcoming a brand-new spiritual life for Jia Dao.

Having gone through this experience of falling from the human world into a toad, then becoming a lonely wandering spirit, and finally being reborn on the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I have seen the truth of this human world. It turns out that not a single person, event, or object in this world is worth clinging to. One should not have any attachment or grasping towards the human world; if such a situation arises, it is a perfect opportunity for karmic creditors or demon crowds to strike.

Therefore, the truly good method is to receive the education of the Buddha's teachings from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre from a young age and to understand that one's life should be used to find the eternal truth and to save the world. In such a situation, I believe karmic creditors and demon crowds will have no opportunity to interfere. As long as one follows the teachings, one day one will be able to attain the Dharma Body like Practitioner Su and truly achieve the magnificent Dharma meaning of being free from aging, free from illness, and your spirit never dies.

The Vow of Return

Now, I, Jia Dao, reside within the Dharma-Nature Land. I have sincerely vowed to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Having shed my human body, I have come to realise that the only path forward is to seek rebirth in the Western Land. Only there can I continue my practice and truly elevate my spirit to higher levels of wisdom and compassion.

A Promise to All Beings

I understand that my journey does not end with my own liberation. Once I attain Buddhahood, I will return to this world to deliver sentient beings who are still suffering in the cycle of rebirth. It is my deepest prayer that when I return, it will not be too late to help those who are still lost.

I offer my deepest gratitude to Namo Amituofo for His infinite compassion, and to Practitioner Su for his guidance on this sacred path.

Namo Amituofo

Jia Dao