The Monk Who Became a Prayer Bead

This is a record of an interview with Ri-ren Ichiro, a spirit who sought Spiritual Deliverance 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 monk in Japan and his subsequent transformation. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on February 16, 2026.

Ri-ren Ichiro speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Ri-ren Ichiro. Chanting this holy name is the path to rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss—this was something I knew well during my life. However, I never understood that the holy name 'Namo Amituofo' could actually open up space, nor did I realise it could help the spirits trapped within those spaces to find liberation. I had no idea that 'Namo Amituofo' possessed the power to deliver such a vast multitude of sentient beings."

The Truth of Spiritual Practice

"Through the Dharma education at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the world of the living and the world of spirits are clearly explained, along with how these two realms intersect and influence one another. They teach people to keep a heart of Goodness and to chant the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Even more remarkably, they clearly and plainly tell people that learning the Buddha's teachings can lead to a state where you do not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die. This was a truth I never knew in my past life, but it has now been proven as an absolute fact by Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre."

A Life Dedicated to the Dharma

"I was a Japanese monk living in the countryside of Shimotsuke. I practised the Pure Land Dharma Gate, and we Japanese hold the Chinese Master Shandao in high regard as the First Patriarch of the Pure Land School. We cherish and are deeply grateful for the teachings and the manifestations of Dharma that Master Shandao brought to us. In truth, throughout Japan's history—whether in the Esoteric or Pure Land schools—there has been no shortage of sincere and diligent practitioners. Some have even achieved true enlightenment and spiritual attainment. Perhaps we cannot compare to the vastness and the long, rich Buddhist history of China, but in terms of the thirteen patriarchs of the Pure Land School, Japan can certainly be called a country where the Buddha's teachings have been widely propagated.

As for where I was born or who my parents were, I do not know, nor do I wish to seek it out. In that life, I knew that the Buddha was my only goal. My adoptive parents found me by a stream in the Shimotsuke countryside. I was a smiling infant in swaddling clothes, and around my neck hung a wooden pendant with the character 'Buddha' written in red ink. My adoptive parents believed I was a child given to them by the Buddha, and they trusted that I would grow up to be a child of the Buddha, walking the Buddha's path to help sentient beings. Indeed, from a young age, I had a special interest in everything related to the Buddha's teachings, especially the holy name 'Namo Amituofo'."

The Burden of Attachment

"I became a monk at the age of fifteen, deeply devoted to the Pure Land Dharma Gate. At that time, Japanese monks were incredibly pious and held themselves to very strict standards. From a young age, I had my own unique insights and experiences regarding the impermanence and suffering of life. With my parents' support and blessings, I followed my master to learn how to help sentient beings. My master told me that as long as I chanted 'Namo Amituofo' well, I would be able to help others. I always believed this was the correct path. However, no matter how diligently or intensely I chanted, I still found it difficult to subdue the wandering thoughts in my heart. The various interactions I had with people would constantly surface in my mind.

After I died, I became a string of prayer beads. I did not succeed in attaining rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and in that lifetime, I did not truly manage to help any sentient beings. I simply lived off the offerings of the faithful, day after day. Even until my death, I was chanting, and I was attached to the act of chanting, yet I still had not learned how to chant the holy name properly."

A Glimpse of Golden Light

"Even as a string of prayer beads, I kept trying to chant the holy name well. Whenever someone held my beads, they would feel an urge to chant 'Namo Amituofo'. This was how my mental note helped them, and I believe that counts as having done a good deed.

One day, a Buddhist wearing my beads was walking down a busy street. We were both chanting 'Namo Amituofo' when suddenly, I saw a massive golden light. It was the light radiating from a 'Namo Amituofo' billboard set up by the temple in Japan. It was truly warm, and it made my spirit feel incredibly at peace. It was inscribed with the words: 'Please chant Namo Amituofo often'—something I had known for a long time. Under the radiance of that golden light, something changed within me. I realised that chanting should be filled with such warmth and energy; it should be a sense of peace, trust, calm, and ease that arises from the very bottom of the heart. This comes from faith in the Buddha. This time, I was no longer tense or nervous, worrying about whether I was chanting correctly. Instead, I naturally and joyfully chanted 'Namo Amituofo', and just like that, I was released from the space within the prayer beads."

Deliverance and the Western Land

"I naturally travelled to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, to seek Spiritual Deliverance. Under the compassionate Chao Du of Practitioner Su, I, Ri-ren Ichiro, entered the Western Dharma-Nature Land. Here, I saw Practitioner Su using his thousands of billions of Dharma Bodies to save immeasurable and boundless spirits, all using the holy name 'Namo Amituofo'. To think that the same holy name, when chanted by different people, could have such vastly different effects—it truly broadened my horizons.

I am so happy that I could hear the teachings of Namo Amituofo in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. Listening to Practitioner Su's explanations, I have learned so much. I have come to understand that to practise the Pure Land Dharma Gate, one must possess a heart of compassion to save the world. Without such genuine compassion in one's heart and actions, chanting the Buddha's name, no matter how much, is of no use. If one truly chants well, a single holy name is enough to save sentient beings. This is something I, Ri-ren Ichiro, have seen with my own eyes as a spirit in the Western Dharma-Nature Land.

The current atmosphere and direction of Japanese monks are quite different from when the Pure Land Dharma Gate was first propagated in Japan. There are many factors involved in this. Regardless, since we are learning the Buddha's teachings, we all hope to help sentient beings and to attain liberation from the cycle of rebirth. If any Japanese Pure Land practitioners see this interview, I hope you will come in person to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to verify this for yourselves. Please set aside everything you have learned, and with the most sincere and respectful heart, come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to see the Buddha, and to seek the Dharma and guidance from Practitioner Su, who has realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood in a human body. You will surely gain immeasurable benefits."

"Namo Amituofo."

Ri-ren Ichiro