The Path to Spiritual Elevation: A Message from Venerable Master Chin Kung

Venerable Master Chin Kung, the esteemed teacher of the Pure Land school, sought deliverance through the compassionate guidance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. He now resides in the Dharma-Nature Land, where he continues his spiritual journey under the constant illumination of Buddha-light. This interview was recorded on April 22, 2024, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where he shares his profound insights with Lay Practitioners Wang Zexi and Zhao Dandan, who have travelled from Switzerland to seek the truth of the Dharma.

Venerable Master Chin Kung speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I would like to begin by offering my sincere congratulations to these two lay practitioners from Switzerland, Wang Zexi and Zhao Dandan. The very fact that you have been able to step through the gates of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre signifies that you have already broken through the conventional ways of thinking and acting in this world. Here, you have the opportunity to learn about true spiritual elevation, to observe practitioners who are unlike those you have encountered before, and to hear teachings that differ from the traditional lectures you have listened to in the past.

Sixty Years of Teaching and the Truth of the Dharma

I spent sixty years lecturing on the sutras and teaching the Dharma. I myself could not even begin to count how many Dharma Jewels have been circulated through my efforts. During those sixty years—a period that is by no means short—I must admit that I studied extensively within the Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma. I was able to grasp the core essence of these teachings quite rapidly and share them with the faithful who came to listen. Everyone was very tolerant and accepting of what I said, regarding it as the guidance of a Venerable. It is true; I learned a great deal, I read extensively, and I achieved a comprehensive understanding of the Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma. These are the lifeblood of the ancestral masters and venerable masters of the Buddha’s teachings throughout history. I immersed myself in them, and I was filled with Dharma joy.

However, if one were to say that spiritual elevation depends solely on how many Buddhist scriptures one has read, that would be a great pity! Why? Because Shakyamuni Buddha stated that in his forty-nine years of teaching the Dharma, he did not actually teach a single thing. All the problems belong to the beings themselves. The Buddha merely perceived the problems of sentient beings and spoke in response to them. In reality, the true self-nature inherent in all beings is without any problems at all. The reason problems arise is entirely due to the various external delusion, discrimination, and attachment that have covered up the true self-nature. These are all external issues; they are not problems of the self-nature, nor are they problems that one originally possessed.

The True Meaning of Spiritual Elevation

True spiritual elevation lies in how much you understand about your own spirit. To put it plainly, this spirit should originally be the true self-nature—it is flawless! It is only because of these external pollutions that the spirit has developed various obstacles, which is why there is a need for the quality of the spirit to be elevated. The spirit is originally a vast treasury of light. Here, you can find this light. It is not something given to you from the outside; it is something you have possessed all along.

The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is able to assist you by helping you, step by step, to recognise the freedom of the spirit that you were always meant to have. Therefore, you will hear many things that you have never heard before in your previous studies of the sutras, and you will be able to see interviews—content that you have never encountered or been exposed to. In truth, these things have always existed. It is simply that the development of the human body has not reached this level, or perhaps there has been no opportunity to be guided in conducting such interviews. Thus, the truth of these matters has never been revealed, but that does not mean they do not exist.

Life in the Dharma-Nature Land

At this moment, I am speaking to you both as a spirit, sharing my current perspective on the spirit, because I no longer have a physical body. I am no longer a person of this world; I am Chin Kung, whose body is no longer in this world. My soul is the name of Chin Kung—I am the soul of Chin Kung.

On the Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, my soul is bathed in Buddha-light every single day, undergoing purification, and then more purification. The spirit I possess now is different from the spirit of Chin Kung when I was first rescued from the hells by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su and sent to the Dharma-Nature Land. Through constant purification, I have gradually rediscovered the purity of the spirit that I was originally meant to have. Therefore, the things I am saying now are things I could not have expressed when I was lecturing on the sutras in the past, because I lacked this experience. Yet, I was able to lecture for sixty years—what was I talking about then? I was able to do so because I had the ability to integrate and master the Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma.

The Precious Teachings of Namo Amituofo

Now, I live a spiritual life—a life without a physical body. Every day, I listen to the teachings of Practitioner Su—whom everyone now respectfully addresses as Buddha Su. The Dharma he teaches is not the traditional lecturing of the past. Instead, it is the precious teachings of the Teaching Master of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, the great Namo Amituofo, who now abides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, along with the precious Dharma words of Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju. He explains these two sets of teachings to the public. Think about it: in the past, when I taught the Dharma, I relied on the treatises passed down by the ancestral masters, and of course, the sutras spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha were also the focus of my teachings.

But today, what is heard here are the direct teachings of Namo Amituofo, which are exceptionally precious. People hear much, yet they do not take it to heart, and some even slander it. Let me tell you all: the one who suffers the loss is yourself! Whether or not you can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss does not depend on Namo Amituofo, nor does it depend on the one teaching the Dharma; it depends on you. Whether you accept it, whether you can listen to it, and whether you can be reborn in the Western Pure Land—it all rests with you. Belief, too, is up to you. If you decide to accept it and continue your studies only after seeing the many interviews posted by the temple online, or after coming here in person to see and hear for yourself, then I congratulate you! You have already taken the first step toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

The Obstacles of the Spirit

It is the spirit that is reborn in the Western Pure Land, not the body! In the past, everyone overlooked the fact that the obstacles to rebirth in the Western Pure Land—the karmic creditors, attached spirits, and demon crowds—are all obstacles of the body. Because people did not have enough understanding of these, and they all belong to the spiritual realms. But it is the spirit that is reborn in the Western Pure Land! Among spirits, the obstacles created between spirit and spirit are the greatest problem regarding whether one can be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Yet, this is a part that very few practitioners have the opportunity to encounter or investigate. The compassionate Namo Amituofo, having descended to the world for the first time to abide at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, knows this problem. Through the practice experience of Practitioner Su, which is in perfect accord with Namo Amituofo—possessing the Buddha-heart, Buddha-vow, and Buddha-actions—this major problem has been uncovered, allowing everyone to understand and providing the methods of inviting spirits and Chao Du for their deliverance.

Here, on the Dharma-Nature Land, I can see everything that Practitioner Su does, and Namo Amituofo is always by his side, accompanying him. Therefore, everyone can know: can spirits be invited here? Is the invitation of spirits here truly in accordance with the principles and the Dharma? Can it be of help for rebirth in the Western Pure Land? The answer is affirmative—absolutely affirmative! Because Namo Amituofo is right here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Well, those who believe are blessed; how much you hear is how much you will benefit.

In closing, I wish for you both to be able to step onto the path of rebirth in the Western Pure Land. As for whether you can continue to move forward, that depends on your hearts and your Dharma affinity.

Namo Amituofo.

Chin Kung speaks."