The Burden of the Sacred Path

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Chong Kuai, who lived approximately 650 years ago. He sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Pure Land. This account details his arduous journey and the profound significance of the object he protected. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on December 7, 2019.

Venerable Chong Kuai speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Chong Kuai. The path I walked was long, filled with shadows and the constant threat of those who would see me fail. Let me take you back to that time, six hundred and fifty years ago, when every step was a gamble with my own life.

A Narrow Escape in the Wilderness

The sharp, rhythmic sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distance, growing louder with every passing second. I dove into the tall, dense grass, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. Whoosh! A projectile whistled through the air, embedding itself deep into the mud right beside my foot. I froze, my breath hitching in my throat, convinced my presence had been betrayed. But then, a wild rabbit bolted from the brush, and the rider continued on, clearly hunting the creature. I had not been spotted. I remained motionless, waiting until the thunderous sound of the horses faded into the silence of the wilderness. Only then did I slowly rise, scanning the horizon for any sign of danger before continuing my trek.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the stillness. 'Stop right there!' I froze, my feet rooted to the earth. A figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking my path. It was a woman dressed in men's clothing. Despite her attempt at a rugged, masculine air, her features and the sharpness of her eyes betrayed her true identity. I said nothing, choosing to keep my observations to myself. She demanded, 'What are you clutching in your hands?' I replied simply, 'It is a private matter. I have no need to answer you.' She reached out, her hand moving with aggressive intent to snatch the bundle from my grip. 'What do you think you are doing?' I demanded. She sneered, 'I suspect that what you are holding is the treasure stolen from Master Wang’s estate! Why else would you clutch it so tightly? Why is it wrapped in layers of cloth? Hand it over at once!'

The Burden of a Secret

I couldn't help but laugh at her accusation. 'I have absolutely no interest in worldly treasures. Even if Master Wang were to pile all the gold and silver in the world before me, my heart would not stir.' She hesitated, her brow furrowing, but her suspicion remained. I had no choice but to reveal the contents. When she saw it, she scoffed, 'It’s just a stone!' With a sudden, agile leap, she vanished from my sight, leaving me alone once more.

I continued to run, my legs burning with exhaustion. Along the way, every sound—the rustle of leaves, the snap of a twig—sent me diving back into the tall grass. I was terrified, constantly looking over my shoulder, fearing that someone was hunting me. When night fell, I huddled beside a massive boulder, sitting upright to snatch a few moments of sleep. I dared not lie down, for I needed to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Even in my dreams, my consciousness remained seven-tenths awake, a state of hyper-vigilance that allowed me to react instantly to any threat.

The Hidden Trap

One day, the sky turned a bruised purple, and thunder rumbled across the horizon. I ran faster, desperate to find shelter from the impending storm. I spotted a house in the distance, but as I approached, the ground beneath me gave way. I had fallen into a trap—a deep, hidden pit covered by layers of brush. The walls were steep and slick; no matter how hard I scrambled, I only slid back down into the darkness. I tried every method I could think of, but nothing worked. I collapsed at the bottom, my hands brushing against something hard and cold in the pitch black. As I felt around, my blood ran cold—it was a pile of bones. Someone had died here before me. Would I be next? I refused to accept such a fate. I used every ounce of my remaining strength to scream for help, clinging to a sliver of hope that a kind soul might pass by. Even in that desperate state, I never let go of the object I was protecting."

Water was boiling on the stove; it turned out he had just been preparing to brew some tea. The righteous man said, "What a coincidence! It is rare to have company while drinking tea here. Do join me for a few cups!" I ventured to ask for the names of the righteous man and the kind stranger. The righteous man was named Liu Fang, and the kind stranger was named Luo Jia. My name is Chong Kuai. It was quite a coincidence that all three of our names consisted of only a single character. I asked Liu Fang out of curiosity, "Does this white robe you are wearing have any special significance?" He replied, "The chaotic world does not disturb my heart; the flying dust does not stain my purity; the murky filth does not cling to my clarity. I have abandoned the world, seeking only the joy of helping others. Wherever I am needed, I drift there like the wind." This man was truly fascinating! I marvelled at how he maintained a heart of true Goodness in such a chaotic world; he was indeed a good man. I then curiously asked Luo Jia, "How did you come to be in this place today? It is fortunate that you helped me, otherwise I fear I would have perished in that pit by now." Luo Jia said, "This is a path I travel every day. I have long known of the trap there. I have marked it several times, hoping to warn passersby not to fall into it, but for some reason, someone always removes my markers and covers the pit opening with withered grass, clearly intending for people to fall in. I truly do not know who could be so malicious. In the end, I simply placed a thick rope nearby. Every time I pass this spot, I call out to see if anyone is in the pit. If someone has fallen in, I can use this rope to save them. I never imagined I would actually save you today!" I was deeply grateful to Luo Jia for saving my life. He was a kind person, straightforward and unpretentious; being with him felt as natural as being with an old friend I had not seen for years. After we finished talking, Luo Jia asked me curiously, "Why were you in this place?" Liu Fang also asked, "What is that object in your hand? From the moment we met until now, you have not dared to let go of it for even a second. Even while drinking tea, you held it tightly with one hand. What could possibly be so important?" I hesitated for a moment, but seeing that neither of them held any evil intent, I revealed the secret I was carrying.

The Sacred Image and the Vow of Deliverance

I untied the knot in the cloth, revealing a stone inside. Luo Jia and Liu Fang both exclaimed in surprise, "A stone?" I nodded and turned the stone over. Their expressions shifted to one of wonder: "This is...?" I told them, "This is a statue of Amitabha Buddha carved into stone. Look at the six characters carved at the bottom: 'Namo Amituofo'. As long as one chants these six characters, it can help the people of this world attain liberation! But in this chaotic world, people are not permitted to form groups or hold gatherings, nor are they allowed to have shared activities or beliefs. Therefore, I have been protecting this Buddha statue with the utmost care. The person who carved this statue was a great being who wished only to save the world. I call him a 'great being' out of respect. He disregarded his own life to save others everywhere. Even in this chaotic world, he actively introduced this six-character name to people, hoping that all sentient beings could chant this simple Buddha-name and attain liberation. His heart was incredibly sincere and earnest. He travelled everywhere, day after day, just to propagate this six-character name. When I met him, he was fleeing with this half-carved Buddha statue in his arms because his actions had been discovered by officials who were searching everywhere to arrest him. Just as he reached me, I saw that he had been struck by an arrow in his back. He was clinging to his final breath while fleeing! When he saw me, he immediately handed the object to me and urged me to ensure it was passed down to the world, so that more people would know to chant this Buddha-name for liberation! He asked me to chant along with him: 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' I followed him and chanted, 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' He smiled and nodded, 'It is this Buddha-name and this Buddha statue; this is the only way to save people. I entrust you to fulfil my wish of helping others!' After the great being finished speaking, he continued to chant with his weak voice. Suddenly, everything before my eyes became bright, and seven-coloured light appeared in the sky—it was an auspicious sign! Surely, this great being went to a wonderful place! Seeing that the pursuers were about to catch up, I covered his body with a simple pile of grass and quickly took the Buddha statue and left that place. I fled from place to place until I met you today." After I finished speaking, I noticed that both of them were looking at me with expressions of astonishment. I asked in confusion, "What happened?" Liu Fang said, "This is exactly what I have been searching for, but I have been unable to find it. I did not dare to speak of it easily, fearing that this precious, world-saving sacred name would be destroyed by others." Luo Jia added:

A Shared Mission in a Defiled World

"I am the same. I had long heard that some people were gathering to chant the Buddha's name, and that many had already attained liberation through this practice. I was searching for this very method! But I also did not dare to speak of it, fearing that this rare ray of hope would be destroyed by others! To think that the three of us share the same aspiration, all travelling about in search of this precious sacred name of Namo Amituofo! Truly, this is a joy! A great joy!" We three talked happily and together made a vow before the Buddha to propagate the Dharma, preparing to carry this Buddha-name everywhere. For every additional person who learns of this Buddha-name, one more person is saved.

After the heavy rain, the grass was lush and green, and the fragrance of the earth was refreshing. In this chaotic world, this place was a rare sanctuary. The three of us gathered to chant Namo Amituofo, vowing that for the rest of our lives, our own aspiration would be to save others. Even if the environment were difficult, this heart to save others would never fade! I enshrined the Buddha statue in this wooden hut, and it became our place for gathering and chanting. We each brought those with karmic affinity to chant here. Gradually, scriptures began to circulate to this place, and we studied the Buddha’s teachings together. Although these were secret gatherings, we had no fear. In our hearts, there was only the word 'purity'. Regardless of life or death, we sought only to attain rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and achieve liberation in this lifetime.

My only remaining leg was maliciously injured when I was forty-eight years old. The intent was to take my life, but through my single-minded focus on chanting Namo Amituofo, I only suffered the loss of my leg. Having already lost one leg, I now had the other injured. Although I lost both legs, I did not abandon my resolve to save others. I was determined to fulfil the vow the three of us—Liu Fang, Luo Jia, and I—had made: "Even if the environment is difficult, the heart to save others shall never fade!"

The Purity of the Heart Amidst Physical Decay

In my later years, I lived alone in a thatched hut in the mountains. Though the hut was humble, it was a wonderful place for pure-hearted chanting. One day, a young man came to the hut to find me. I was not there at the time, but when he saw me returning from gathering wild herbs in the mountains, he looked shocked. This was because when he saw me, the herbs were not in my hands, but held in my mouth. At that moment, my hands were not used for carrying things; they were serving as my feet, helping me crawl along the ground. The young man saw me covered in filth, my body caked in mud, my worn-out clothes still on my back, and my abraded skin still rubbing against the earth. He could not bear to see me in such a wretched state and immediately ran over to help me. I gestured for him to stop, spat out the herbs, and said to him, "If I wanted help, I would not be living in seclusion here."

I crawled slowly into the hut, and the young man followed. Once inside, I told him, "Sit wherever you like." The young man looked around, and I smiled, "I have no tables or chairs here. If I had a table, I would have no use for it; if I had a chair, I could not climb onto it. As long as there is a place to shelter from the wind and rain, I need nothing else."

I put the wild herbs into the pot on the ground. The young man asked, "Why is this pot so charred and black?" I replied, "To get water, one must walk a long way to reach the spring. Even if I reached the spring, I could not carry the water back. So, I have placed many basins outside to collect rainwater from nature. This rainwater is precious; I do not waste it easily, and I certainly do not use it to clean my body. No matter how dirty this body becomes, I do not care, for it is my body that is dirty, but my heart that is pure. It is my legs that cannot walk, but my soul that roams freely."

The young man asked again, "Why does this hut only have half a roof?" I answered, "During a storm, half the roof was blown away. I could not climb up to fix it, so I let it remain as it was. When the heavy rain comes, the hut gets soaked, and I wear a straw raincoat and chant Namo Amituofo with a pure heart. When the rain clears and the sun comes out, I sit in the sun and chant with a pure heart, letting my wet clothes dry naturally. When the heavy snow falls, I sit in the snow and chant. Even in the middle of the night, my frozen body does not succumb to sleep, which helps me chant continuously and without interruption. No matter what situation I am in, I naturally follow along without attachment." I told the young man, "I have nothing to teach you, only the simple practice of chanting 'Namo Amituofo' to the end. You may stay here." The young man asked in confusion, "Will you teach me while you are here?" I smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the day of my rebirth. I will follow the Buddha back to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The true heart that sprouts from within must be found by yourself. Only by relying on yourself to practice honestly and truly can you attain true liberation."

The young man stayed in the hut. That day, I sat and chanted until dawn. At the very last moment when my body was exhausted, I chanted the Buddha's name once and attained rebirth in the Western Land. I am grateful for the compassion of the Buddha.

Can the world see what Practitioner Su does? With a heart of no-self, one is naturally at ease within one's own nature. The body is a false body; all practitioners know this, but how many can truly let go of the body? When sentient beings seek deliverance, causing Practitioner Su's body to suffer intense pain, what he holds in his heart is not the suffering of his own body, but the suffering of sentient beings who have been reincarnated through countless kalpas, believing this suffering to be far greater than his own. Such great compassion and the mind-capacity of no-self are things the world should clearly see and learn from.

Namo Amituofo.

What difference is there between sentient beings and us? In truth, there is no difference between sentient beings, myself, and the Buddha; it is truly one heart, with no sense of 'other.' Practitioner Su’s mind-capacity encompasses the vast void and extends to the ends of the Ganges sands. The breadth of his mind-capacity determines the breadth of the sentient beings he can save. Nowadays, he engages in diligent practice every single day, never for a moment ceasing his efforts, all to exert even greater power to save the endless suffering spirits.

The Fifty Trillion Lotus Flowers

What are the fifty trillion cells of a human being? Are they merely fifty trillion sentient beings? Or are they fifty trillion lotus flowers for saving the world? Practitioner Su has truly attained no-self; in his eyes, there are no sentient beings, only fifty trillion pure lotus flowers for saving the world. Whenever the Buddha-name for Chao Du rings out, his Dharma Body instantly permeates every space, sending us—all one thousand one hundred and sixty-two of us—into various realms to save the sentient beings connected to us by karmic affinity. Then, he begins his daily compassionate Chao Du, to save all suffering beings.

A Magnificent Opportunity

Today, this magnificent Chao Du event continues every day. The scope of this deliverance is becoming ever wider, and as he continuously breaks through different spaces, more and more sentient beings are saved. I truly hope that those who are now following Practitioner Su to learn the Dharma will all make a vow to work together to save the world. This is a magnificent opportunity, and one must surely seize it.

I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su for his compassionate efforts to save the world.

Namo Amituofo.

This interview record was written by the chief writer, Buddhist disciple Shi Fajing.