The Prince of the Ruby Planet and the Light of Dharma

Aratis, a prince from the Ruby Planet who lived approximately ten thousand years ago, 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 was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on December 3, 2018.

Aratis speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Aratis. Using the energy within my being, I circled the Earth again and again, hovering above it, observing whether I should enter this planet. I marvelled at the beauty of the Earth. Its environment was vastly different from my home, the Ruby Planet. It possessed many unique landscapes, but more importantly, it was home to Namo Amituofo.

A World of Endless Wealth and Attachment

I was a prince of the Ruby Planet. On our world, every citizen lived in extreme luxury because our planet held an inexhaustible supply of gemstones. These gems generated energy, providing the entire planet with abundant power. The citizens did not need to work; they simply enjoyed a high quality of life. Because of this, the people of the Ruby Planet were deeply attached to their world. Even after death, they would linger in the space of the planet, unable to let go, trapped by their own comfort and the material abundance that defined their existence.

I was the thirty-first prince born to the Queen. Each prince was raised in the same manner, with the sole goal of creating even more extravagant luxuries. The King divided the territory of the Ruby Planet into thirty-one parts, with each prince governing his own land and people. Of course, the supreme leader remained the King, and the ultimate authority rested in his hands.

The Prince of the Ordinary Stone

Although we were all citizens of the Ruby Planet, there were thirty-one completely different manifestations of our existence. The most distinct of these was the territory I led. Let me start from my birth. The night before the Queen gave birth to each prince, a gemstone would naturally appear before her bed—rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and so on. Each prince was associated with a different gem, and every stone radiated a dazzling light. However, when it came to me, the thirty-first prince, the night before my birth, no gemstone appeared. Instead, there was only an ordinary, unremarkable stone. This shocked the King and Queen, who feared it was an inauspicious omen.

The entire Ruby Planet relied on these gemstones for survival. Each year, the prince born with a specific gem would see that type of stone flourish throughout the empire, bringing immense energy to the realm. For example, the year the Ruby Prince was born, the empire saw a massive production of rubies. Why, then, did the thirty-first prince arrive with only a small, pitch-black stone? It had no light and was twisted and misshapen.

A Humble Beginning and Virtuous People

The King and Queen were deeply worried. On the day of my birth, the royal palace was not decorated with lights and festivities as it had been in the past. My parents did not want the citizens to know, especially those who were to be under my rule. Even before I was born, they had been eagerly anticipating their future leader, hoping I would bring them a wealth of gemstone assets. Although the King and Queen made no public announcement, the people I was to govern already knew. Strange, misshapen stones had suddenly appeared on their land, and they knew in their hearts that the thirty-first prince had arrived.

The people in my territory were filled with sorrow. In the territories of the other princes, there were all kinds of dazzling gems, but in mine, there were only piles of odd-shaped stones. As I grew, I began to govern my territory. Although I was an unremarkable prince, I was the kindest of the thirty-one brothers. Because my people did not have a luxurious environment, they learned to cherish what they had. They developed the virtues of non-greed and contentment, becoming the happiest and most satisfied citizens in the entire empire.

The Call of the Golden Light

In a dream one day, I saw the Earth—this unique planet. Upon waking, I decided to visit it myself. I prepared an abundance of energy and set off alone. It took a full month of Earth time to travel from the Ruby Planet to the outskirts of Earth. As I hovered there, observing the planet, I could not stop marvelling. The Earth was constantly emitting a golden light—a light I had never seen on the Ruby Planet.

I descended toward the brightest point of that golden light. It was so bright! It turned out to be a woman who was chanting the Buddha's name. I transformed into the appearance of a human and appeared before her. She already knew of my arrival. In this pure and undefiled world, all those who chant Namo Amituofo possess supernatural powers and can perceive many things. She clearly saw that I was from another planet, that I was a being of goodness, and that I had an interest in the Buddha's teachings—a person endowed with both goodness and blessings.

The Path of the Dharma

This woman was my first guide in learning the Buddha's teachings. She introduced me to the Dharma, explained why one should study it, and described the magnificence and dignity of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In my twelfth year on Earth, I met an elderly monk. At first glance, he recognised my potential for practicing the Dharma and accepted me as one of his disciples. I followed him, practicing the spirit of the Buddha's teachings in my daily life. Eventually, he passed his robe and bowl to me, entrusting me with the transmission of the Dharma lineage.

For over thirty years, I propagated the Buddha's teachings on Earth. After passing the lineage to my successor, I left Earth to return to the Ruby Planet. This time, I did not need a month; I returned in an instant. This was the power gained through my practice.

Transformation of the Ruby Planet

I brought the Dharma back to the Ruby Planet. At first, the other princes could not accept it, and their territories remained as they were. Only my people welcomed me back with joy. They accepted my teachings and began to chant the six-character name, Namo Amituofo. Every day, I gave lectures to my people, instilling the spirit of the Dharma in their hearts, teaching them to emulate the Buddha's compassion and to follow the teachings in their daily lives.

The once-unremarkable stones began to change after the Dharma was introduced. The Buddha-light illuminated the heart-fields of every citizen, and day by day, they nourished their pure and compassionate hearts. When I led all my people to make vows before the Buddha—vowing to propagate the Dharma throughout the empire and to save all its citizens—the black, misshapen stones on our land transformed into brilliant diamonds, radiating a dazzling light.

A Legacy of Deliverance

The miracles born from practicing the Dharma caused it to spread rapidly throughout the empire. Everyone began to believe. I became the first ancestor of the Dharma on the Ruby Planet, leading all my people to take refuge in the Buddha's gate. We established a monastic community, and those who aspired to save the world became monastics, working together to deliver sentient beings. Those who sincerely chanted Namo Amituofo were all compassionately led by Namo Amituofo to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Unexpectedly, tens of thousands of years later, I met Practitioner Su again. She was the elderly monk who had been my master in that past life. Her eyes had possessed immense power in the past, and in this lifetime, she has cultivated the Buddha-eye. I saw that my master has come to this world in every lifetime to save sentient beings. With her power, she need not suffer in this world, but her compassion is boundless. She pities the suffering of beings and comes to this worldly realm again and again to deliver them.

Gratitude for the Master's Sacrifice

Now, to take on the suffering of beings, my master's legs are plagued by the karmic creditors of others, making it impossible for her to walk as lightly as she once did. I watch her endure the pain, moving forward with effort, never stopping her steps to save beings because of the agony. She knows clearly that beings are suffering every second; only by enduring the pain and moving forward can she help them leave suffering behind. I admire her spirit of deliverance. I have entered her legs to support her, grateful for her sacrifice for all beings. This journey has taught me another precious lesson.

Now, I have received my master's compassion to perform Chao Du for sentient beings throughout the universe. The Ruby Planet is one of the worlds I have helped. Many of my people were still lingering in their original space, and some even existed as various gemstones throughout the universe. Through this karmic affinity, they have been saved, leaving their original spaces to chant Namo Amituofo and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo, and I am grateful for the compassion of my master. Namo Amituofo."