The Life and Lessons of Venerable Tanxu

A Late-Blooming Path to Awakening

Namo Amituofo. I am Venerable Tanxu. It is a great honour to be here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to share my reflections. Many of my fellow practitioners in the later years of my life addressed me as 'Old Tan,' a title that brings me great warmth and familiarity. While I refer to myself as 'Old Tan' here, it may seem a little informal, so perhaps it is more appropriate to simply call me Tanxu.

My life was not a simple, linear path. Before I became a monastic, I lived a life filled with twists and turns. I worked as an apprentice, I married and had children, I studied medicine on my own, and I sought out the teachings of the sutras before I finally made the firm decision to leave the household life. I was not a little novice who grew up within the temple walls. By the time I officially became a novice, I was already forty-three years old. My memory and physical strength were perhaps not as sharp as those of the younger monks, but because I had endured so many life experiences and trials, I was able to cherish the opportunity to enter the Buddha's gate. I learned to be content with my position, to listen, and to work diligently.

After some time, I was able to enter the temple of the Venerable Master Dixian, where I received the full precepts and became a formal Bhikshu. Under the guidance of my teacher, I applied myself with great intensity to the study of the scriptures. Even though I lived during a period of constant war and national turmoil, I was still guided by karmic affinity to spread the Dharma in Northeast China and across the country. I had the opportunity to build temples and serve as an abbot, which allowed me to connect with many Dharma protectors and faithful followers, adding many supportive conditions to my life's work of spreading the Buddha's teachings.

The Trials of Spreading the Dharma

I never dared to waste a single minute or second. I felt that human life is fleeting, and having already spent the better part of my years in confusion, I knew I had to find the true meaning of life within the Buddha's teachings. My goal was to save myself and others, to spread the Dharma, and to benefit all sentient beings. I worked with total sincerity, and whenever I gained an insight, I would set aside my own limitations and pick up my pen to write the Shadow-Dust Memoirs. In that book, I recorded every detail of my life before and after becoming a monk, as well as the process of my practice. It serves as a record of my journey through this human world.

For a monastic, if one wishes to propagate the True Teachings, one should ideally settle in one place for a long time to cultivate the field of the Dharma. When disciples and followers have doubts, they can find answers, which leads to genuine transformation and strengthens their resolve and practice. However, because I lived during the early years of the Republic of China, a time of war and chaos, the Buddha's teachings were rare in the world. There were few who could spread the Dharma, and even fewer who were willing to listen. Because the conditions for the Dharma were scattered or interrupted, I had to seize every opportunity to lecture on the sutras. At that time, those who were truly 'vessels of the Dharma'—those willing to let go of their worldly lives and dedicate themselves to the Buddha's path—were rare and precious. If I could find even one, two, three, or four people who could continue the transmission of the Dharma, then all my efforts and the risks I took to travel from place to place were worth it. Relying on this strength, even when I was ill or faced with obstacles, I was protected by the power of the Buddha and passed through those times safely.

A Lesson Learned in the Heavens

I knew the deep expectations my teacher, the Venerable Master Dixian, had for me. He entrusted the transmission of the Tiantai school to me, and so in every moment, I walked with caution and trembling, never daring to commit a transgression. I feared that when I was lecturing on the sutras, I might have a wandering thought or speak a false word. Therefore, before every lecture, I would join my palms and request the Buddha's blessings. I prayed that I could explain the profound and infinite meanings of the sutras truthfully, according to the principles and the Dharma, so that those who listened could understand the essence of the text. Whenever I saw students who gained insight, whose speech and intentions were purified, and who began to live with the openness and brightness of a true disciple of the Buddha, that was my greatest comfort.

Because of this, although I chanted the name of Namo Amituofo and encouraged others to do the same, and although I knew of the supreme beauty of the Western Pure Land and made the vow to be reborn there, I made a grave mistake. At the age of eighty-nine, although I appeared to chant the Buddha's name and pass away with auspicious signs, I did not actually reach the Western Pure Land. I did not see Namo Amituofo come to receive me. I saw a golden light and followed it, but I ended up in the twenty-eighth heaven of the desire realm. It is shameful to admit, but I thought my meditative concentration was strong, when in reality, it was not. I was careless, and I lost the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land in that lifetime. While the heavenly realms are pleasant, they are not the ultimate destination. Fortunately, Practitioner Su—who is now known as Practitioner Su—called my name from the human world. This gave me the chance to be guided by the golden light into the Fragrant Light Chamber. There, amidst the chanting of Practitioner Su and the other lay practitioners, I was finally able to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I express my deepest gratitude to Practitioner Su for this kindness.

The Sacred Mission of Amituofo Village

I share this from the pain of my own experience: those who study the Buddha's teachings, regardless of their school, must not be careless in this Dharma-ending age. The ultimate goal must be rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. You must practise sincerely while you are alive so that you have certainty in your rebirth. You must keep the Buddha's name in your heart—unmoving, unshifting, and uninterrupted—so that at the time of your passing, you can see Namo Amituofo and the lotus pedestal come to receive you.

In this life, to know the truth of the universe, to play in the human world without being attached to the illusions of reality, to possess that kind of free and easy spirit—this is the style of a true practitioner. To move freely between the human world and the Western Pure Land, to realise the Dharma Body, and to have a heart that is earnest in performing Chao Du to help all spirits leave suffering behind—this is the life of Practitioner Su. It is truly worthy of admiration. No matter where one is, one must never forget the suffering of all beings and must always work to help them be reborn in the Western Pure Land.

Today, on this land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, because of the blessings of Namo Amituofo, we are building the 'Amituofo Village.' This project is designed to lead more people who have a karmic affinity with the Pure Land into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. For all who reside here, at the end of their lives, they will be guided by Practitioner Su into the Western Pure Land. This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity; you must seize it! In this land and space, there are already immeasurable and boundless spirits who have been joyfully chanting the Buddha's name and have been saved through Chao Du to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. I believe that you, who possess tremendous blessings, are also one of them. Namo Amituofo is truly present here. I hope those who have the affinity will come and see for themselves.

Namo Amituofo.