The Missionary Who Found the Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Huang Niko, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as a missionary and his time as a prison guard in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa-Jing, on March 18, 2023.

Huang Niko speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am dressed in a simple, pure white Tang-style robe, accompanying me as I return to the Western Land. Today is a momentous day for me and fifty-nine other prison guards as we return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. We come from various dynasties and different nations; even after death, many of us remained deeply attached to the appearances and habits of our past lives, still carrying the scent of our earthly existence.

Upon arriving in the Western Land, everyone’s eyes widened in awe. We were deeply captivated by the magnificent scenery before us. The Buddha-light never leaves us, and the energy we feel throughout our entire being is vastly different from what we experienced in the hells. It is as if we are entirely different spirits—it is truly miraculous. The Three Saints of the West stood right before our eyes, and we all knelt in reverence, expressing our deepest gratitude to the Buddha for His compassion, and to Practitioner Su for His boundless mercy."

A Journey from the West to the East

"I am Niko, an American, having lived in the United States since my childhood. My father was a Christian missionary, and our entire family held firm to the Christian faith. From my grandparents and great-grandparents to my aunts and uncles, almost everyone was a devout Christian. It was the very fabric of our family life; every child was baptised at birth.

We were three brothers, and I was the second. Our neighbours and relatives always saw us as well-behaved, polite children who loved reading the Bible and various religious texts. We developed these habits because of my father’s guidance. He would often read stories to us, sit with us as we recited sutras, or sing hymns. Our lives were never separate from our faith, which is why it became so central to who I was.

My father was not always at home; he would often leave for long periods to travel and preach. To him, every person who came to believe in Christ was one more soul saved. To help more people feel cared for and loved, he dedicated his entire life to missionary work. Among the three of us, I resembled my father the most. Many people said we were like two peas in a pod, sharing the same personality and interests. When my father was young, people even mistook us for brothers, which shows just how striking our resemblance was.

Perhaps because of this, my bond with my father was exceptionally deep. Compared to my older and younger brothers, I spent the most time with him. Because we both loved helping others and understood the power of faith to save, I actively learned from him, aspiring to become a missionary just like him when I grew up."

The Resonance of the Wooden Fish

"My vision reached further than my father’s. At the age of eleven, I told him, 'I do not want to preach only in our country; I want to go to China.' Transportation in those days was certainly not as convenient as it is today, but my faith was firm. Once I made this vow, I began to prepare diligently, ensuring I had the capability to travel abroad and spread the word.

When I was twenty-four, I left the United States for the first time. During the voyage, our ship nearly encountered disaster several times. Sudden changes in the weather created immense resistance, making it difficult for the ship to move forward and causing it to sway violently, leaving everyone on board feeling terribly ill. Every time we faced danger, I prayed incessantly, and we always managed to pass through safely. These experiences only strengthened my conviction that coming to China was the right path.

However, the moment I stepped onto Chinese soil, the money I carried was stolen. The bandits must have assumed that we foreigners were wealthy, so they had been lying in wait. As soon as we disembarked, while we were still disoriented, they rushed forward, snatched our money, and fled. It was my first experience with such a thing, and I was quite at a loss. Yet, I remained steadfast in my belief in our God, trusting that He would watch over me. Fortunately, a good friend who had arrived in China earlier knew I was coming and had been waiting for me every day. He appeared shortly after the robbery, telling me not to worry, and took me to his residence, promising to look after my needs during my stay.

We lived in Chang'an, which was a massive city at the time. Many foreign merchants and people from all walks of life gathered there to work or trade. As a religious person, I stood out, and the city was always bustling with crowds."

Bridging Faiths Through Goodness

"Through my friend’s arrangements, I had the opportunity to meet many high-ranking officials and noble people. Before I could even preach to them, they introduced me to the Buddha’s teachings. This was my first contact with Buddhism; in my past life, I had never known a single Buddhist.

Although I was a Christian, I did not reject other religions. When these people introduced Buddhism to me, I listened with sincere focus. I took the opportunity to learn, especially since Buddhism was flourishing in China during the Tang Dynasty, which only piqued my interest further. My friend, also an American, had been in China for several years. To my surprise, he had converted from Christianity to Buddhism, which is why he introduced me to these noble people who were also practicing the Dharma.

As we spent time together every day, I found myself increasingly drawn to the Dharma. Later, they took me to a temple. When I heard the sound of the wooden fish, an indescribable feeling arose within me. My heart kept trembling, as if I were hearing a sound I had known for a long time. My friend told me this was my affinity with the Buddha. I did not fully understand it then, but I could feel that my heart was completely open to everything in the temple. I even grew to love it; it gave me a sense of comfort and profound peace.

My philosophy on religion was dynamic, not rigid. When I discovered the beauty of Buddhism, I tried to integrate it with my Christian faith, blending the 'Purity' and 'Goodness' of the Dharma with Christianity. The core of it all was this 'Goodness.' In my later missionary work, what I was truly preaching was this very essence of Goodness.

I travelled back and forth between China and the United States for decades. I became very familiar with Buddhism and gradually shifted my faith more towards it, as my inner spirit naturally told me that my affinity with Buddhism was even stronger than with Christianity. Such a transition is difficult for many Christians to accept, but I did not cling to those concepts or ideas. Instead, I followed the guidance of my inner spirit, trusting that the intuition it gave me was absolutely correct.

My father eventually supported me. Although he remained a Christian, he respected every faith, and when he learned that I had found a path more suitable for me, he was happy for me. I never became a monk, but through my friend’s arrangements, I was able to live in the temple daily, listening to the masters give Dharma talks. Eventually, I was able to introduce the Dharma in my own way, especially to the foreign merchants who came to the area."

The Unexpected Turn: From Missionary to Prison Guard

"I actively propagated the Dharma and later brought it to my homeland, the United States. Although few people were receptive at the time, I believed that even if I reached just one person, it was worth it. Even if no one believed, the very act of spreading the Dharma allowed people to come into contact with it, and I trusted that when the Causal Conditions matured in the future, they would follow the path of the Buddha.

I lived a simple life, dedicating all my time to chanting Namo Amituofo and saving beings. In my later years, I spent more time in China. My family even came to visit me there. As for whether they were willing to believe in the Buddha, I let it be, following the flow of Causal Conditions to deliver sentient beings.

At the end of my life, I had assumed I could freely attain rebirth in the Western Land. To my surprise, my karma had not been completely transformed. When my karmic creditors appeared to interfere, the Western Land seemed to drift away from me, and I ended up in the hells, serving as a prison guard. In the hells, although I felt deep regret for not reaching the Western Land, I never forgot to chant Namo Amituofo, hoping that one day I would truly step onto the golden ground of the West.

I taught the beings in the hells to chant Namo Amituofo every day. Some chanted, while others did not. I also introduced the Dharma to them, but it seemed my strength was insufficient; the suffering they endured made it impossible for them to truly calm their hearts and chant properly."

Deliverance from the Depths of Hell

"When I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks and saw His Dharma Body bringing golden light into the hells to perform Chao Du, I hurriedly taught these beings: 'Repent and chant Namo Amituofo! There is a chance to be saved!' When they heard this—especially those who had already been listening to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks—they sincerely and openly repented. Under the deliverance of Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body, they loudly chanted the holy name 'Namo Amituofo' along with me. Very quickly, they were able to depart from the hells, finding liberation and leaving their suffering behind.

Today, I have been led by Practitioner Su to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. My heart is filled with immense gratitude; this day, which I have longed for, has finally arrived. I chant to the West, I chant to Namo Amituofo, and I kneel in gratitude to the Buddha for His compassion, and to Practitioner Su for His boundless mercy.

Namo Amituofo.

Huang Niko"