The Layers of Existence: Understanding Stacked Spaces

Venerable Yongning, a monastic who sought deliverance through the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su, currently resides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This interview was recorded on March 22, 2023, by Chief Writer Shi Fajing to document the profound phenomenon of stacked spaces.

Venerable Yongning speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Yongning. Today, I wish to discuss a phenomenon that is difficult for the human mind to grasp: the concept of stacked spaces. Imagine a towering skyscraper. In the blink of an eye, it transforms into a humble, low-lying cottage. Then, it shifts into a graveyard, and finally, it becomes a vast, untamed wilderness. What is truly happening here? It is a matter of space—specifically, the existence of spaces within spaces.

The Persistence of Memory in Space

A single piece of land, from its formation until the present day, may have existed for millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of years. Throughout this immense span of time, countless layers of space have accumulated upon that same ground. Although the physical scenery of those past eras may have vanished from the eyes of the living, the spaces themselves remain intact. They are like transparent sheets layered one upon another, each holding its own history.

When I observe the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su performing Chao Du, I see that every location he visits contains these countless layers of space. Take that same piece of land I mentioned earlier. In our current dimension, it is occupied by a modern skyscraper. Yet, when Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body brings the Buddha-light to this site, the light illuminates everything, and all the hidden layers of space are revealed simultaneously. We can see an elderly woman inside her small, humble cottage, walking about, tending to her flowers and vegetables. That was her home, her sanctuary, long before the skyscraper was ever built. She is still there, living in the space of her own time, unaware that the world has moved on around her.

The Graveyard and the Wilderness

Beyond the woman’s cottage, we might look at the same ground and see that it was once a vast burial site. Many graves once stood here. Although the land has been redeveloped and the markers removed, the spirits of those buried there have not departed. They remain trapped within the space of the original graveyard. They exist in a layer distinct from the woman’s cottage and distinct from the modern skyscraper. They are caught in the echoes of their own past.

Before the graveyard existed, this land was once a wild, open expanse. Many animals lived here, and their spirits, too, have not left. They continue to roam the grass, living out their lives as if they had never been disturbed by the march of human progress. They are still grazing, still hunting, still existing in the space of the wilderness.

The Ocean Beneath Our Feet

If we look even further back, before the wilderness, this land was once a deep, vast ocean. One can still find seashells buried in the soil, clear evidence that this land was once submerged. Although the earth has risen above the sea level, the space of the ocean remains. Many marine creatures are still visible in this layer of space. They swim about, graceful and free, as if the ocean were still there. They do not realise that the space has changed, that the water has receded, and that they are now existing in a dimension that no longer aligns with the physical world above.

This is why, when Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body performs Chao Du on a piece of land, sentient beings from different spaces are all saved at the same time. No matter which layer of space they are trapped in, the Buddha-light can penetrate and illuminate it. It reaches into the depths of these dimensions to help the beings trapped within find their way out, so they are no longer confined by the limitations of their specific space.

Awakening from the Illusion

Take the elderly woman in the cottage. She was deeply attached to her home. She did not know that she had passed away, nor did she realise that she was still lingering in a space of her own making. She thought she was still living her daily life, unaware that she had left the human world many years ago. When the Buddha-light shone upon her, she was startled. She looked at the light and listened to the holy name of Namo Amituofo. As she listened, she slowly began to wake up. She saw the layers of space shifting and changing, and she finally saw the full progression of her life from birth to death. Only then did she realise that she had been gone for years. Filled with sorrow, she began to chant Namo Amituofo, and eventually, she followed the Buddha-light to leave that space behind.

A Magnificent Deliverance

Every layer of space contains countless spirits. In the wilderness space I described, there are animals, as well as plants, trees, insects, and even the spirits of dust and earth. When Practitioner Su brings the golden light to perform Chao Du on these layers, every single spirit within those spaces can be saved. Because Practitioner Su delivers these layers one by one, the number of beings who follow him to liberation is truly magnificent and vast.

This is true for one piece of land, and it is true for all. Practitioner Su does not only deliver the spirits of the land; he also delivers those in other spaces—high mountains, deep oceans, and even the clouds. No matter the nature of the space, under the illumination of the Buddha-light, as long as the spirits have the karmic affinity to be saved, they can receive the compassionate rescue of Practitioner Su. The spirits that have been trapped in these spaces for so many years have finally, after Practitioner Su realised his Dharma Body, been given the opportunity to be rescued and set free.

My Buddha is compassionate, and Practitioner Su is compassionate. Every single day, countless spirits are saved, helping all beings to find liberation and leave suffering behind.

Namo Amituofo."