The Old Man Under the Tree

This is a record of an interview with the 645th Venerable, Xinguang, 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 approximately 1,745 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on December 27, 2018.

Xinguang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Xinguang. In the village where I grew up, there appeared one day an old man whose face was almost entirely hidden behind a thick, wild, and matted beard. His hair was just as tangled and filthy, a sight that kept everyone at a distance. He emitted a pungent, nauseating odour that would drift on the breeze, causing passersby to cover their noses in disgust and hurry away. He became a local pariah, and parents warned their children to stay far away from the great tree where he sat, fearing he was some sort of dangerous vagrant. The air around him seemed heavy, as if the very atmosphere was burdened by his presence, and the villagers, in their ignorance, could not perceive the profound stillness that lay beneath his dishevelled exterior.

The Boy Who Stayed

Before he arrived, the great tree had been the heart of our play. It provided shelter from the rain and cool shade during the scorching heat. I was seven years old then, and I loved that tree more than anywhere else. While the other children listened to their parents and abandoned our playground, I remained. I was drawn to him, though I did not know why. There was a magnetic pull, a resonance in my heart that whispered of a connection far deeper than the simple curiosity of a child. I would sit in the branches above, watching him until the sun dipped below the horizon and I had to return home.

I would ask him, 'Sir, where did you come from? Why do you sit here?' He never answered. I thought perhaps he was deaf, so I would shout my questions, but he remained as still as a wooden statue. Day after day, he sat in the exact same posture, never moving, never speaking. It was as if he had transcended the very concept of time, existing in a state of meditative concentration that I could not yet comprehend. I would sit in the branches above, watching him until the sun dipped below the horizon and I had to return home.

A Discovery of Life

One day, I finally gathered the courage to touch him, needing to know if he was even alive. His body was soft and warm to the touch, yet he did not react to my presence. To test if he ever moved, I spent days hauling sand to create a perimeter around him, thinking his footprints would surely mark the ground. After a week, the sand remained undisturbed. I was astonished. I began to bring him food and a blanket to keep him warm at night, but the food remained untouched. It was as if he were sustained by something other than the physical nourishment of this world.

Then, one afternoon, I fell from the tree while dozing. I landed right on top of him, crying out in pain. To my shock, he groaned, 'You hit me so hard, my bones feel like they are falling apart!' I was terrified, but also overjoyed—he was alive! The sound of his voice was like a bell ringing in the silence of my soul, a sudden awakening that shattered the monotony of my daily observations.

The Return of a Master

He looked at me with kindness and said, 'You are a special child. While everyone else shunned me, you stayed by my side, concerned for my hunger and my warmth. You are a truly kind soul. My decision to wait under this tree was not in vain; I was waiting for you. You have likely forgotten our past lives together, for you have been reborn as a boy once more. You were my senior Dharma brother, and I, your junior. My time in this world is reaching its limit, and soon I shall return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Before I go, I wish to pass on my skills to you, so that you may continue to save sentient beings in this world.'

I did not understand his words, but I obeyed. From the next dawn, I met him daily. He taught me the Dharma and, through his spiritual power, allowed my soul to witness the immense suffering of beings in both the human and spirit realms. Seeing their agony broke my heart; I had no idea how much pain existed in this world. He taught me that to know the suffering of beings is to cultivate the compassion necessary to save them. Every lesson was a step toward understanding the vastness of the universe and the interconnectedness of all life.

A Life of Ascetic Practice

My family was poor, often struggling for a single meal, yet I was grateful for the chance to live. When I told my mother I was leaving to study under the old man, she was relieved, as she could no longer afford to feed all her children. I followed him, embracing a life of ascetic practice to temper my character. My body grew thin, but my compassion grew immeasurable. For fifteen years, I followed him, eventually recovering my own Dharma Body and learning to save spirits across different spaces. I learned that the physical body is merely a vessel, and that true practice lies in the refinement of the heart and the expansion of one's mind-capacity.

When I finally attained my Dharma Body, the old man returned to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, leaving me to continue the work alone. I took on my own disciples, teaching them to use the Buddha’s teachings to deliver others. My encounter with that old man was the result of Causal Conditions from our past lives and the good roots I had cultivated. I vowed to spend my entire life helping others, and it was this unwavering commitment that allowed me to return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss upon my passing.

Witnessing the Compassion of Practitioner Su

From the Western Land, I have watched Practitioner Su using his Dharma Body to save spirits every single day, just as my master and I once did—though Practitioner Su’s skills are far superior. In this age of the Dharma’s decline, beings are harder to save than ever before. It requires immense mind-capacity and compassion to tolerate their stubborn habits. It is only through Practitioner Su’s Great Vow and compassion that he has attained such profound mastery. His ability to navigate the complexities of the universe and reach out to those in the deepest states of suffering is truly awe-inspiring.

I am deeply moved to see him using his Dharma Body to perform Chao Du throughout the universe. I am grateful that Practitioner Su has opened these spaces, allowing me to encounter beings with whom I have karmic affinities. The number of beings appearing before me grows daily, like a rising tide, all waiting for deliverance. I seize every moment to save them, learning this diligence from Practitioner Su. His compassion is a model for all humanity. If people would only vow to save one another, the world would become a better place. I am eternally grateful to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."