The Poison of Emotional Attachment

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Puhaton, 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 observations of the universe and the dangers of emotional attachment. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable Shi Fajing, on July 1, 2018.

Venerable Shi Fajing: I respectfully invite the Venerable to compassionately accept this interview.

Venerable Puhaton (539th in rank) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Thirty trillion years ago, I arrived in this world, existing within a high-level space. This realm was quite similar to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss; it was a world where one's thoughts manifested into reality. Whatever one thought or contemplated would instantly come to pass. Every practitioner in that space was actively engaged in practice, striving to elevate their own spirit.

I followed the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su as she performed Chao Du, and together we were travelling through the universe, witnessing the myriad phenomena of existence once more. What I see today is vastly different from what I observed thirty trillion years ago. The so-called 'seven emotions and five desires' have actually permeated certain planets throughout the universe. Thirty trillion years ago, this was not apparent, but today, it has become a flood. It turns out that this is not just the case for Earth; it is true for a vast number of planets in the universe. These are the beings we call 'sentient beings' who are trapped by their emotions."

The Universal Spread of Emotional Entanglements

"Some extraterrestrial beings, whose space is close to that of Earth, might be visible to the human physical eye. These beings are remarkably similar to humans. The terror of emotional attachment lies in its deeply rooted, stubborn nature. The lingering attachment to emotions remains branded in one's memory for thousands of millennia. Even when one understands that emotional attachment causes immense harm to the spirit, one will still fall back into it time and time again because of this deep-seated obsession.

The Gubahe planet is one such small asteroid in the universe. There are many species living there, and it is a planet where emotions run rampant. Every extraterrestrial being there possesses intense emotional entanglements, and thus they live together on this planet. The physical forms of these beings are drastically different from those on other planets. They have lost their eyes and their ability to stand upright; therefore, they can only move by crawling. On this planet, one can clearly see pairs of these beings constantly mating."

The Degenerate Planet of Gubahe

"This is a degenerate planet. Precisely because their emotional entanglements are so profound, these beings, who were once upright and noble, have devolved into creatures that crawl upon the ground. What is even more lamentable is that these beings were once practitioners themselves. Because of a moment of ignorance and greed, they traded their entire lifetime of practice merit for the sake of romantic love. They were capable of reaching the cosmic realm, yet because of their obsession with love, they have degenerated into low-energy species within the universe. Even now, they remain fixated on the space of romantic love, refusing to leave.

Today, the Buddha-light shines upon them. Some of the spirits on the Gubahe planet saw this familiar golden light and recalled their past memories of practice. They wept bitterly before the Buddha, regretting their past choices. However, other spirits remain attached to this space, still enjoying the 'taste' of love. Even though the Buddha-light shines upon them and the sound of the Buddha-name chanting resonates throughout the entire Gubahe planet, they remain immersed in their own little worlds, sealing themselves off. Even when the Buddha arrives, if the sentient beings have no vow to leave, it is impossible to save those who are so deeply burdened by the karmic retribution of the cycle of rebirth."

The Tragedy of Lost Potential

"My sharing today is intended to counsel the people of Earth—whether you are a practitioner or an ordinary person—that you must realise that the word 'emotion' is something you must not touch, must not deeply love, and must not be attached to. Otherwise, the potential to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss will be completely destroyed by this single word: 'emotion.' If you remain attached to it throughout your many lives, you will only end up as a low-energy species. Furthermore, if your personality is deeply stubborn and you refuse to wake up, even if the Buddha waits for thousands or ten thousand years, He will be unable to save you. Your spirit, ravaged by the cycle of rebirth, is already on the brink of death. The original vow to return to the Western Pure Land has long since been extinguished. This is truly lamentable, a great pity, and a tragedy."

A Warning to Humanity

"Practitioner Su's Dharma Body performs Chao Du, and these real events of the cycle of rebirth are revealed time and time again. People of the world must not treat these as illusions. I share this today because I see that emotional entanglements among humans on Earth are becoming increasingly rampant and severe. The scope of this emotional infection is no longer limited to adults. Now, even children as young as seven or eight years old are exhibiting romantic behaviours. This is a result of the proliferation of technology on Earth, and it is also the bitter fruit that we all must bear together as the cycle of karmic retribution continues to turn.

People of the world believe this is a sign of progress and an open-minded society, a normal evolutionary phenomenon. In reality, this is not the case at all. Behind the advancement of technology, one must pay a tremendous price. These unpayable karmic debts are all being carried on the souls of humanity. Where will your future destination be? The people of the world should be vigilant. In order to stop suffering in the cycle of rebirth, all humans and beings who are addicted to romantic love should wake up. Namo Amituofo!"