The Light of the Pure Land: An Interview with Master Zhangjia

The Radiance of a True Practitioner

Practitioner Su, you are truly the radiance of the Pure Land. Your heart and your actions are one, perfectly merged within the stillness of meditative concentration. Through your diligent practice of compassion, you have purified your body of all dust and grime. You have let go of the illusory affairs of this world, and your heart is entirely devoted to purity and the emptiness of the true nature. You have utilised this physical body to its fullest potential, skillfully employing the Dharma Body to save a vast multitude of beings. You are a ray of hope in this universe, capable of rescuing immeasurable spirits throughout the void. I offer my deepest praise to you, for you are truly a filial child of Namo Amituofo and a beacon of the Buddha’s teachings.

The dignity of your presence brings joy to all who behold you. Your countenance is truly like that of Namo Amituofo—solemn, graceful, and filled with the clarity of the five eyes. Your great wisdom is beyond the reach of ordinary people. You practise with absolute sincerity, maintaining the Precepts with such rigour that you do not allow even the slightest negligence. Within your chanting, there is no trace of selfishness; every thought is dedicated to the well-being of all beings. Because of this, you have earned the profound respect of celestial beings, spirits, and all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The Vastness of the Dharma Body

Watching you employ your Dharma Body to perform the work of Chao Du is truly awe-inspiring. You possess such immense boldness! Without a mind-capacity as vast as yours, it would be impossible to perform such extensive deliverance. This breadth of heart is the true mind-capacity of a Buddha. In the past, the wandering monks who practised Buddha-recitation could only save those beings with whom they had a direct karmic connection—often only those creatures they stepped upon during their travels. However, the beings saved by your Dharma Body are immeasurable and boundless, spanning the great tectonic plates of the Earth. Layer upon layer, in the span of a single second, they all receive salvation. Such a feat is truly vast and incomparable.

All the great Bodhisattvas, the ancestral masters, the noble ones of the Western Pure Land, the new Buddha-disciples, the Dharma protectors, and the Bodhisattvas of the universe are each fulfilling their own responsibilities. They work in harmony with your Dharma Body to perform Chao Du for those connected by karmic affinity across all spaces. I, Zhangjia, am also honoured to participate in this work, as it allows me to save the spirits from my own past who still share a connection with me.

Reflections on the Past

I was born in Qinghai, a land where spirits are densely gathered among the Tibetan people. Many of those who followed the Tibetan traditions remain trapped within these spaces, unable to find a way out. In the past, when I was spreading the Dharma in Mongolia and Tibet, many of my followers remained lost, clinging to the false name of Zhangjia. They worshipped me within these spaces, not knowing how to chant Namo Amituofo to seek liberation. Now, I follow the path of Chao Du, going into the Mongolian and Tibetan regions to chant and perform deliverance. I see spirits emerging from every corner of these spaces. Across the lush green fields and even deep into the vast deserts, the entire land is filled with spirits. Many of them are people who once practised Buddha-recitation, yet they remain trapped in the spaces of the earth.

The mantras and sutras they recited in the past still circulate in these spaces, and within every single mantra, there are immeasurable and boundless beings. Today, with the six-character name of Namo Amituofo, I am able to rescue them one by one.

The Burden of Compassion

Practitioner Su, you have worked so hard! The number of spirits is so great that your physical body must endure immense suffering. The pain that your body bears is truly beyond what words can describe. I see that you use a heart of great compassion to shoulder all this physical suffering, and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas understand this. When I was saving beings in the past, I did not possess the same level of skill as you, nor did I know how to invite the spirits out. Whenever a follower came to me for healing, the spirits within their bodies would enter my own body as I recited mantras. By the time I was nearly sixty, my physical strength was already insufficient. I had to rely on a heart of firm endurance to support my heavy legs and body so that I could continue to spread the Dharma and benefit living beings.

As long as I had a physical body, spirits continued to enter it incessantly. By the time my illness was diagnosed, the spirits had already invaded the depths of my body, causing it to deteriorate. I knew clearly that these were suffering spirits within me. I continued to chant Namo Amituofo to calm their hearts, wishing to use this six-character name to lead these helpless and resentful beings to the Western Pure Land. Although I have now reached the West, the beings have not yet been fully saved. I am deeply grateful to you, Practitioner Su, for giving me this opportunity to continue saving those beings with whom I still have a karmic connection.

A Future of Magnificent Transformation

Practitioner Su, your compassion is admired even by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Today, the Buddha’s teachings must be adjusted once more. Beings are suffering intensely, with no path to liberation. This great Dharma is vital, and the lineage must be passed on. When the time is right, everything will be fulfilled. The magnificence of that time is something the people of this world cannot yet imagine. The end of the Dharma age will turn into the Right Path, and the sound of the Dharma will be heard everywhere. It will be truly magnificent!

Namo Amituofo.

Zhangjia

The content of this interview was recorded by the Buddhist disciple Shi Fajing.