The Knight of the Moon

This is a record of an interview with Yiteng Yue, 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 as a legendary knight-errant. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on November 19, 2022.

Yiteng Yue speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Since arriving in the Western Land, we have come to understand the compassion of the Buddha even more deeply. Namo Amituofo is truly filled with great compassion, having created the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to save beings like us who have been trapped in the cycle of reincarnated suffering for countless lifetimes. I, Yiteng Yue, along with fifty-nine prison guards, kneel here together to express our gratitude to Namo Amituofo for His compassion, and to Practitioner Su for guiding us to the Western Land.

The moon is my mark. It is a symbol passed down through our ancestors, and wherever I have travelled, I have left a moon mark behind. It lets those who see it know that I, Yiteng Yue, have been there.

A Lineage of Orphans

In the past, many people were curious about my background, but no one ever truly knew who I was. My movements were always shrouded in mystery. Furthermore, the unique light-body martial arts passed down by our ancestors were simply unmatched. Even if someone tried to follow me in secret, it was impossible; I would shake them off in an instant, leaving them unable to catch even a glimpse of my shadow.

I always dressed in black, covering my head and face with a black cloth, leaving only my eyes visible. Because no one ever saw my true face, I was able to use disguises. I could walk down the street in ordinary clothes, and no one would recognise me as Yiteng Yue. They only recognised the moon mark, not my face.

This character 'Yue' is an important symbol passed down through our generations; it is the representative mark of the Yiteng family. Our family is quite unique. We have no blood relations, and every generation consists of orphans. This means that we save one another, generation after generation. I was an orphan abandoned on the roadside at birth, and I was saved by my father. My father was also an orphan, saved by my grandfather, who in turn was saved by my great-grandfather. We trace this back to an ancestor whose name contained the characters 'Yiteng', though we no longer know which generation that was. Later generations adopted 'Yiteng' as our family name, and my father named me Yiteng Yue.

The Art of the Knight-Errant

I do not know which ancestor began the tradition of learning light-body martial arts, but our family's skills are distinct from those of others. Whether it is speed, the height of our leaps, or even our rapid invisibility techniques, others simply cannot replicate them. We do not possess these abilities to show off; we use them to save people. It is a tradition passed down through the generations, and one must begin training from childhood, working diligently and steadily to master such skills.

No matter which era we lived in, there were always wicked people in society. Bullies would inevitably appear, preying on innocent civilians and even tormenting weak women. Whenever we encountered such villains, we would step forward to stop them and deal with them. We would not take their lives, but we would teach them a lesson, ensuring they understood that such evil behaviour was unacceptable.

To save those being bullied, we were constantly patrolling. If someone called for help within a three-kilometre radius, we could sense it immediately. Using our light-body skills, we could arrive at the scene in less than five minutes—a speed that was truly extraordinary. Once the matter was resolved, we would leave a moon mark on a nearby tree trunk, stone, wall, or road. Those who saw the mark knew who we were and called us the 'Knight of the Moon'. Every generation of our ancestors was called by this name, yet no one ever saw our true faces.

The Dual Life of a Hero

As I mentioned earlier, I would also walk the streets in 'plain clothes' because I had other ways of saving people. For instance, I would conduct business, and the money I earned would be used to provide relief to the poor, helping them live normal lives. Under my care, their children did not have to wander the streets and suffer.

The Yiteng family places the greatest importance on children. I even established an orphanage in the region. I did not do this in my capacity as a knight-errant; instead, I used a different name and identity while in plain clothes to plan and build the orphanage. I sought out kind-hearted people with the ability to educate children and invited them to join me in the orphanage to help these little ones.

At this point, some might be curious as to why our family used two identities to save people. In truth, no one ever asked us this question because no one knew our identity as knight-errants, and we ourselves had never thought about why. If I were to answer now, I would simply say: 'It is for the convenience of saving people.'

When acting as a knight-errant, we hid our true faces. Others could not see us, nor could they catch us, so we could deal with villains at will without taking their lives. Our method was to use our ancestral martial arts to strike a few times in front of them with great speed. Without even touching their bodies, we could cause multiple wounds to appear on them, and they would quickly feel the pain and cry out. After we appeared in a region a few times, the wicked would not dare to show their faces easily, for they knew we could appear at any moment to uphold justice.

Passing the Torch to Xinshan

To ensure the kindness, good deeds, and martial arts of the Yiteng family continued, I adopted an orphan as my son to carry on the legacy.

I saved this child in the depths of a mountain. In truth, I saved many children, but the moment I saw him, I knew he was a member of our family. I knew that when he grew up, he would have the ability to master all our skills, and his heart would be incredibly kind. This is an innate ability we possess; we can easily see through the human heart, even in newborn children, and we can easily foresee their future.

I named this child 'Yiteng Xinshan', for he would believe in the word 'Goodness' his entire life.

I began training Xinshan when he was just one year old. The first thing I trained him in was how to perceive the differences in his environment. This child had a wonderful temperament; he would not cry or fuss easily. Even when he was hungry or physically uncomfortable, he remained calm. This was his innate meditative concentration—he was destined to be a ninja and a knight-errant. I had high hopes for him.

Under my careful guidance, Xinshan mastered the martial arts perfectly and possessed a kind heart. From a young age, he knew how to help others, and as he grew older, he learned my methods of helping people. He even devised more intelligent ways to assist others, teaching everyone to perform good deeds. This allowed everyone to help and benefit one another, which was a much more powerful and faster way to help than us doing it alone.

Xinshan was very filial to me. He understood the succession model of the Yiteng family and said that he, too, would adopt a child in the future and work hard to teach him, so that he could continue to pass on our family's martial arts and continue to help others.

From the Hells to the Western Land

I lived a very long life, not leaving the human world until I was over eighty. Before I passed away, Xinshan had already adopted an orphan as his son, who, according to our seniority, called me grandfather. I had a strong karmic connection with this child; perhaps that is why we became a family. Seeing this future seedling, I was very pleased with his potential and his kind heart. I praised Xinshan for his ability to see the character of others.

No matter how many generations the Yiteng family continues, as long as there is an opportunity, we will continue to pass it on.

After I passed away, my spirit served as a prison guard in the hells. From birth to death, I never had the chance to encounter the Buddha's teachings. I never expected to encounter them in hell. It was Practitioner Su's Dharma Body, carrying golden light and the six-character name 'Namo Amituofo', who entered the hells to perform Chao Du. Only then did I have the chance to hear this Buddha-name and begin listening to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks.

When I first heard Practitioner Su's Dharma talks, I was astonished and deeply moved. How could someone speak such profound Dharma? Every sentence was the essence of truth. Most importantly, he taught us to chant the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I introduced the Buddha's teachings to the beings in hell, hoping they would all benefit and chant the Buddha's name to seek liberation."

Namo Amituofo.