The Path of Rebirth with Karma

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Hong Guangzhu, also known as Bai Yang, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,810 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on September 28, 2018.

Venerable Hong Guangzhu speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Hong Guangzhu, known in my past life as Bai Yang. It is truly inconceivable how compassionate Namo Amituofo is. No matter how many sins a sentient being has committed, if they can sincerely repent and chant the Buddha's name, they can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, even while carrying the weight of their past karma.

The Screams of the Innocent

I remember it so clearly—the piercing, shrill cry of 'Screech!'—it was my father slaughtering another cow. To support our family of ten, my father raised many cattle on the vast grasslands outside our home. His beef was renowned for being succulent and tender, and our business was incredibly prosperous. We made a vast fortune from that trade, but my heart was never at peace from the moment I was born.

Whenever I knew my father was about to slaughter another animal, I would flee as far as I could, terrified of hearing those agonising cries. Each cow was a life, a sentient being. I pleaded with my father to stop, but he ignored me and instead expanded his herd, adding fuel to the fire of our family's karmic debt.

The Vengeance of the Spirits

When my father reached the age of fifty, he suddenly lost his mind. He began to scream and run wildly, acting just like a maddened bull. None of us children could restrain him. The spirits of all those slaughtered cows had entered his body; they were seeking their revenge. The pain of every knife cut they had endured was now being returned to him in full. It was not just my father—my mother, my older brothers, and my sisters were all affected. We had all consumed the meat of the animals we sold, and now we all had to pay the price. Those cow spirits were determined to destroy our family.

I knelt before the Buddha, weeping and repenting for the heavy killing karma the Bai family had created. The cows were filled with such hatred that they refused to forgive us. I was the only one in the house who remained clear-headed, and I desperately wanted to save my family. I made a vow before the Buddha: I was willing to be a beast of burden in future lives to repay the debts of the Bai family, if only the spirits would forgive us and stop the chaos. The moment I made that vow, the house fell into a profound silence. Everything calmed down. However, I paid a terrible price. I died a miserable death, and for the next eight hundred years, I was reborn as a cow, life after life.

A Path Through the Darkness

When I finally regained a human body, the cow spirits still would not let me go. I suffered several bouts of madness and insanity, eventually creating more karma that led me to the hells. While suffering there, I repented with my whole heart. In my final moments, I remembered the name of the Buddha. I became a wooden fish in a temple, struck daily by monks as they recited the Sutras, allowing me to slowly repay my sins.

In this lifetime, I was born as Hong Guangzhu, once again into a family that raised cattle. But this time, I left home at a very young age. The monks at the local temple guided me, telling me that only by studying the Buddha's teachings could I help my family change their fate. My family tried to stop me, wanting me to inherit the business, but I knew in my heart that only the Dharma could turn our karma around. Despite their opposition, I walked the path of practice. I cultivated diligently and delivered sentient beings. Ten years later, my family finally stopped raising cattle. I continued to progress on the Buddha's path, never stopping my efforts to deliver others. I even returned to my hometown to spread the Dharma and guide my parents, urging them to repent and hold fast to the name of Namo Amituofo.

The Miracle of Rebirth

Then, I received the news: my parents had been reborn in the Western Pure Land! How could this be? After I left, they had contracted a strange illness that no doctor could cure. In their deepest despair, they remembered the name 'Namo Amituofo.' They locked their doors and chanted day and night, knowing that only Namo Amituofo could save them from their deep spiritual obstacles. For seven days, they ate nothing, chanting only that name. They chanted until their bodies felt hot and they saw golden light. They repented to all sentient beings and dedicated their merit to them. On the seventh day, the Buddha came to lead my father, who stepped onto a lotus and followed Him to the West. My mother's lifespan had not yet ended, so the Buddha did not take her then. She wished to dedicate her remaining years to me, so that I might have more time to deliver those suffering in this world. On the tenth day, she chanted the Buddha's name one last time and returned to the West.

This was truly inconceivable. The entire town could not believe that my parents had achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land. Namo Amituofo is truly so compassionate; chanting His name once can eliminate the heavy sins of eighty billion kalpas of birth and death. I performed Chao Du for those suffering cow spirits and continued to work diligently on the Buddha's path. In this life, I too achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss at the end of my days.

Universal Deliverance

This is my first time returning to the human world since arriving in the West. I hope to assist Practitioner Su in delivering more sentient beings. Practitioner Su's compassion has allowed me to follow her as we perform Chao Du for spirits throughout the universe. Those tiny, dark particles floating in space are beings with whom I have karmic affinities. They created karma and are now suffering the consequences, existing as these small particles in the universe. I once vowed to save these beings with heavy spiritual obstacles. I preached the Dharma to them and planted the Vajra Seed of the Buddha within them. Although the seeds did not bloom then, they left an impression of the Buddha in their hearts.

Today, those seeds have finally blossomed. I have brought the name of Namo Amituofo back into the universe. The number of these particles is now millions of times greater than it was a thousand years ago. I lament that more and more people in this worldly realm are creating karma, and suffering beings can be seen everywhere. I am scattering the name of Namo Amituofo throughout space, so that every particle may hear this name and be illuminated by the Buddha's light. They are sincerely repenting for their past sins, chanting Namo Amituofo, breaking free from the constraints of space, and following the Buddha's light to liberation.

Namo Amituofo."