The Joyful Mediator: A Life of Service and Deliverance

This is a record of an interview with Feng Meihua, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her life and her journey through the realms of rebirth. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on July 13, 2024.

Feng Meihua speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Right now, every one of our faces is written with the words 'filled with Dharma joy.' I am truly grateful and filled with such happiness. At this very moment, we are in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss—we have truly arrived! It is simply inconceivable! I am so grateful to the Greatly Compassionate Namo Amituofo for establishing this Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, allowing us to come here to find liberation and leave suffering behind. I am also deeply grateful to the compassionate Practitioner Su for guiding us to the West. Without this Causal Condition, I do not know how many tens of thousands of kalpas of reincarnation I would have had to endure before encountering such an opportunity.

A Giant Among Women

My name is Feng Meihua. Although I am a woman, my physical stature far exceeded that of many men; they simply could not compare to me. From the moment I was born, I was a 'giant baby.' I weighed more than any other infant, and I looked as if I were already several months old, even though I had just emerged from my mother's womb. My grandfather told me that the moment he saw my size, he knew I would grow up looking like a man.

It is strange to say, but my two older sisters were both very delicate, with graceful figures and beautiful faces, having inherited my mother's fine features. When it came to me, I was just this way—as if I were a mutation or a sudden change, leaving everyone baffled. Even my mother found it strange that her youngest daughter would turn out like this. Was looking like a man good or bad? Many people used me as a joke. Especially the children of my age on the street; they would always laugh at me and call me a 'tomboy.'

Someone once asked me if I felt angry when they teased me like that. I replied, 'I don't feel angry at all. It was my grandmother who was furious, because she feared that if I got used to being called that, I would truly become a tomboy, and no man would want to marry me in the future.' But whether I married or not seemed unimportant to me. I was so sturdy that many men actually needed my help, as if I were the man and they were the women. Furthermore, whenever I was with men, I would instantly become one of the 'bros,' and they treated me like a brother. If I were asked to marry those brothers, I would feel quite awkward; it felt strange, and there wasn't a trace of feminine grace in me. I once tried to imitate my sisters' elegant movements and voices, which only made my whole family collapse in laughter. It seems that really didn't suit me; my rugged appearance was more like my true self. So, I always thought it was best if no man fell in love with me, as that would only cause me trouble.

The Power of a Positive Heart

Although my appearance was rugged, I possessed a cheerful and optimistic heart. It seemed there was nothing unhappy in my life. Even if there were, after my brain automatically processed it, it would turn into something positive. In short, any negative words, expressions, looks, actions, or scenes that entered my mind would be transformed into something positive after my automatic processing. Therefore, no negative energy could ever linger in my body.

Perhaps because my whole body was filled with Right Mindfulness, I was extremely healthy and strong, full of vitality, and my skin was incredibly smooth. My two sisters were always puzzled, as I never used any skincare products, while they spent a fortune on them, yet their skin was still not as good as mine. I think the key reason was my good mood, my positive state, and my positive thinking. Everything was good, everything went smoothly, and naturally, my skin became smooth and supple.

I was very popular, and both men and women loved to talk to me. I got along with everyone and had something to say to anyone. Even those who were usually silent or shy could talk to me for a long time, as if we had endless things to discuss.

A Calling to Mediate

These strengths of mine led me to decide to do a good deed. It was a good deed that no one else wanted to do, because it would make one feel caught in the middle, and it was quite difficult. If not done well, it was easy to become an enemy to both sides, harboring resentment in their hearts. The thing I wanted to do was to help people mediate their conflicts for free, especially marital disputes. The reason I wanted to do this was that even before I realized I could do it, many people had already come to me. They poured out their grievances and told me what had happened. Throughout the process, I was able to give them the greatest support and even positive responses. In the end, everything was resolved perfectly with a very good outcome.

After having such positive experiences time and again, I became more and more confident in myself. I thought that if I could play this role well, I could make the world a little more peaceful, with fewer disputes and more harmony and love. If it were a conflict between a husband and wife, with my help, the world could have more happy families and fewer broken marriages. I did this work completely free of charge. However, if it involved lawsuits, I could only counsel them to reconcile. If both parties insisted on going to court, that was beyond my control. But usually, after my counseling, they would abandon the idea of a lawsuit. Once they reconciled, the matter was resolved, which not only saved money but also saved time for both parties.

The Art of Reconciliation

When I first set my heart on helping, people immediately came to my door. I will always remember the first ones: my aunt and uncle. They lived quite far away and had been married for many years without children. They were always arguing about not having children, making their home a miserable place. When they heard that I had started helping people mediate and resolve conflicts for free, they travelled thousands of miles to find me. My aunt cried to me, and my uncle complained to me. I sat in the middle. Many people thought it would be difficult for me to mediate, but they were wrong; it was quite easy for me. I felt that there was nothing in life that was truly a big deal; it was all due to everyone's own attachments that conflicts arose. My greatest skill was using my optimistic and cheerful nature to transform everyone around me. So, when I counseled them and changed their perspectives, they were naturally influenced by my positive energy and would quickly compromise and reach a consensus.

I think this was, to some extent, a natural charm that made people willing to listen to what I said, and they enjoyed listening to it. They even saw my happy demeanor and believed that if they listened to me, they could live a little happier. I would not ignore them after a successful mediation; I would continue to care for them until their relationship stabilized. Because I knew that people's thinking is easily influenced and changed by their environment, I had to check on them regularly.

A Life of Simple Joy

Many people admired my courage in being willing to do such things. Many initially thought I would give up soon, but not only did I keep going, I became more and more enthusiastic, and more and more people came to me for help. In this life, I hoped to share my happiness with everyone. Besides mediating, I also served others everywhere, especially the elderly and children. As for my own work, I did not have a stable job; I only did temporary work when I needed money, and after saving enough, I continued to serve others. To me, this kind of life was the only way to be happy—living a simple life, not being bound by money or work, and being able to do many good deeds to help others.

Although I never married, I adopted several children. However, I didn't have enough money to raise them, so I found friends to help. I took care of these children, accompanied them, and gave them a happy childhood, while the living expenses were covered by this group of friends. These friends were just like me—they loved helping others and were all very willing to do this.

The Transition to the Hells

I lived my whole life feeling fulfilled and happy. On the day I was to leave the human world, many people came to see me off. I told them to smile and not to cry, as I was leaving happily and they didn't need to shed tears for me. Everyone at the scene listened to my words and started to laugh. Although I could see that their smiles were forced and they were crying while laughing, at least they all smiled. The year I left the human world, I was eighty-five years old. I was already an old woman, but the impression I gave people was still that of my younger self; it had never changed. It was just that this body had reached its end and had to be discarded; otherwise, I would have liked to live in the world for a few more decades.

After I stopped breathing, my spirit entered a space filled with noisy sounds. At first, I was puzzled about where I was, but later I discovered I was in a space of sound. I liked liveliness when I was alive, and this sound was a collection of many complex noises, so it was very lively—exactly the kind of space I liked, which is why I entered it. However, because I had helped so many people during my life and accumulated many blessings, within five years of entering that space of sound, I suddenly walked out of it, and the surroundings instantly returned to peace.

Service in the Hells

Two officials from the hells came to pick me up. They brought me before King Yama. King Yama did not want to punish me; instead, he gave me the position of a prison guard, allowing me to serve beings in the hells. I saw that the beings in the hells were suffering greatly, and I wanted to bring them happiness, but it was so difficult. Because they were all suffering from extremely severe torture, unlike in the human world where I could change them by saying a few words.

Later, I began to hear Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks in the hells. It was only later that I realized it was Practitioner Su. The Dharma sounds spoken by Practitioner Su moved me deeply. Having never heard the Buddha’s teachings before, I was full of admiration. At that time, I thought to myself: if I had understood the Buddha’s teachings while I was alive, I would not have just counseled people to reconcile; I would have introduced them to the Buddha’s teachings so that they could all have the opportunity to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, Causal Conditions are just like that; one cannot force them. I am fortunate that I could still hear Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks in the hells and recognise the true Great Dharma.

I also joined in propagating the Buddha’s teachings. Besides the sounds of Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks, I would also share the Buddha’s teachings with everyone at other times. Whatever I could do, I would do with all my might, because I know that the Buddha’s teachings are extremely precious, and only by chanting the Buddha’s name can one attain liberation. The moment I learned that I had been placed on the list of those to be guided to the West by Practitioner Su, I was so happy I couldn't speak. Now, I am truly in the West. It is inconceivable.

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo, grateful to Practitioner Su for giving me such an opportunity, and grateful to everyone who helped me.

Namo Amituofo.

Feng Meihua bows in reverence."