The Path of Compassion and Charity: Venerable Guan Tianfeng

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Guan Tianfeng, who sought Chao Du 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 in a past era. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on July 18, 2018.

Venerable Guan Tianfeng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My maternal grandfather adored my mother beyond measure. Whatever she requested, he would fulfil without hesitation, for she was his only precious daughter. My grandfather was a man of many romantic entanglements, yet after marrying my grandmother, he spent only their wedding night with her. It was precisely on that night that my mother was conceived, destined to be born as the beloved daughter of the Guan family.

My mother was a vegetarian her entire life. She never harmed a single living being. Even when a tiny ant crawled past her feet, she would compassionately move it aside to ensure no one would step on it. She would chant the Buddha-name for the creature, hoping that this single utterance of the sacred name of Namo Amituofo would liberate it from the cycle of reincarnated existence. She learned this practice from my grandmother, who never complained about my grandfather’s wandering heart. Instead, she felt grateful for his neglect, as it gave her the time to study the Buddha’s teachings and chant, using the Dharma to nurture my mother’s heart of kindness and goodness.

A Child Found in the Rubbish

My mother was exceptionally beautiful, and many men sought her hand in marriage, but she remained unmoved. From a young age, she decided she would never marry, wishing only to follow my grandmother in her practice of the Buddha’s teachings. As for me, I was an orphan she discovered one day while out in the town. I was about three years old, sitting alone amidst a pile of rotting vegetable leaves, hungry and gnawing on the decay. When my mother saw my pitiful state, she walked straight to me and lifted me from the heap. She asked whose child I was, but I could not speak. I simply looked at her with my round eyes and offered a brilliant, innocent smile. The moment she saw that smile, her heart was captured.

My mother carried me from house to house, asking every family in the town if they knew who I was, but no one had ever seen me before. Unable to bear the thought of me wandering the streets at such a tender age, she decided to bring me home to raise as her own. Upon returning to the Guan estate, she introduced me to my grandparents, who were overjoyed and welcomed me into the family. From that day forward, my mother cared for me as if I were her own son, and my grandparents loved me as their own grandson.

The Miracle of Tian Nan Village

Less than a month after I arrived at the Guan estate, a strange phenomenon began to unfold in our village. The villagers had always been self-sufficient, living peaceful lives by farming their own crops. Yet, within weeks of my arrival, their crops began to wither and rot. No matter what methods they tried, nothing could save the harvest. To survive, they were forced to spend their life savings on food from elsewhere. The villagers were thrown into a state of panic, kneeling on the ground and praying to the heavens for their fields to be restored.

My grandfather was a merchant and did not farm, so the Guan family remained largely unaffected by this disaster. Seeing the suffering of the villagers, my mother felt deep compassion. She began to distribute large sums of money, along with rice, dry goods, and fresh vegetables. This continued for three full years. Finally, the disaster passed, and the villagers rejoiced as their corn, melons, and radishes began to grow once more. They were filled with gratitude for my mother’s generosity. Seeing her holding my hand, they all came to the same conclusion: it must be this child who brought us good fortune! They believed I was a celestial deity sent to save Tian Nan Village. The entire village gathered in celebration, returning to their life of self-sufficiency.

The Power of a Single Utterance

I followed my mother in learning the Buddha’s teachings, and I never placed any value on wealth. Instead, I learned to practise charity just as she did. I dressed in simple, humble clothing. Even when my garments were torn, I could not bear to discard them; I would have a servant mend them so I could continue to wear them. To those who did not know me, I appeared to be nothing more than a child from a poor family.

One day, I saw an elderly woman looking sorrowfully at the handmade buns she had prepared, not a single one sold. She desperately needed the income to pay for the medical treatment of her grandson, who was gravely ill. Because she lacked the strength to knead the dough properly, her buns were misshapen and unappealing. I walked up to her and said, 'I am so hungry, could you please spare me a bun?' Seeing my tattered clothes, she assumed I was a poor child and, without hesitation, gave me three buns. After eating, I praised her cooking and told her, 'Grandmother, do not be sorrowful. You are a kind woman, and Namo Amituofo will surely help you. If you chant Namo Amituofo with sincerity every day, I guarantee you will sell three hundred buns tomorrow.' She was overjoyed, and a rare smile appeared on her face.

The next day, she prepared three hundred buns. She had not slept all night, working tirelessly. As soon as she brought them out, a crowd swarmed to buy them, and in no time, they were all gone. She knelt on the ground, weeping with gratitude to Namo Amituofo. I stood to the side, satisfied, and quietly gave money to the passersby, thanking them for their help in assisting the grandmother. From then on, she chanted with sincerity, and her grandson joined her. His condition improved, and they no longer needed so much medicine, which only deepened her faith in the great compassion of the Buddha.

A Lesson in True Charity

On another occasion, I saw an old man with white hair kneeling on the ground, begging for money to bury his son. Passersby ignored him, and when I asked a woman nearby why, she said, 'That old man was stingy and miserly in the past; now that he is in trouble, no one wants to help him.' I walked up to him, and the crowd watched, curious to see what I would do. I pretended to be a beggar and asked him, 'Could you spare me some money for a meal?' The onlookers laughed, saying, 'The old man has nothing for himself, how could he give to a child?' The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a bundle of sour rice wrapped in rotten leaves. He said, 'This is my dinner for tonight, but I have only this one portion left to give you.' I immediately ate the rice and thanked him for his generosity.

My servant quickly arrived from the house and handed me a stack of papers. I gave them to the old man and said, 'If you are willing to distribute these one hundred sheets to one hundred households, you will have enough money to bury your son.' The papers were inscribed with 'Namo Amituofo'. I told him, 'This is the great compassion of Namo Amituofo.' The old man knelt and thanked the Buddha. After he distributed the papers, he felt the presence of the Buddha in his heart and began to introduce everyone he met to the practice of chanting. When he returned home, people were already waiting at his door with the money for his son’s funeral. He was moved beyond words.

The Cosmic Reach of the Buddha-Name

I learned the compassion of the Buddha and practised charity wherever I went. Whenever I saw someone suffering, I would smile and tell them that chanting 'Namo Amituofo' would bring peace to all things. I used every method I could to spread this sacred name, hoping that everyone would come to know its benefits. At the age of twenty, I followed my mother into a temple to practise. A few years later, we both became monastics, dedicating our lives to diligent practice and the salvation of all beings.

This name, 'Namo Amituofo', truly possesses immense energy. I never imagined that the energy of this Buddha-name could even 'recharge' the planets in the universe. Every day, when Practitioner Su performs the Dharma Body Chao Du, the entire universe becomes incredibly vibrant. Sentient beings from across the cosmos compete to seek deliverance. The magnificence of the name 'Namo Amituofo' is now known to more and more extraterrestrial beings. They chant the Buddha-name diligently, waiting for Practitioner Su to arrive so they may follow the Buddha-light she brings and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

There are also many guardians in the universe—angels who protect cosmic peace and perform good deeds in silence. They had never heard of the Buddha’s teachings or the Western Pure Land. However, after observing these events, they have come to understand the benefits of seeking the Western Pure Land. Amidst the sound of the Buddha-name, they follow the Buddha-light, leaving the space of the universe to journey toward a brighter and more beautiful destination. Namo Amituofo."