The Prince Who Found Freedom in the Mountains

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Kuloga, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,600 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on June 6, 2018.

Venerable Kuloga speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Kuloga, and my Dharma name is Shi Xuandao. I am ranked as the four hundred and sixteenth Venerable. I was born during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At that time, I was a prince of the realm, yet by nature, I held no affection for luxury, nor did I crave fame, wealth, or power. When I was thirty-seven years old, I fled to a deep mountain far from the city to practise, living the life of a recluse.

A Prince's Renunciation

I left the imperial palace without a single coin to my name. Disguising myself as an old farmer, I walked on foot to the outskirts of the city and began a life of solitary practice. I learned to cultivate a heart of compassion and observed the Precepts, unable to bear the thought of killing. In the mountains, I drank from life-saving streams and ate wild herbs. The hut I lived in was one I had built myself; it could neither keep out the wind nor the rain. Whenever a storm raged, it would pour outside and drizzle inside, and the cold wind would seep through the gaps at any moment. Yet, no matter how the wind and rain howled, I remained unmoved. Wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, I would sit in meditation, keeping my body upright and my heart unattached, chanting only the name of Namo Amituofo. To chant while meditating, and to meditate while chanting—this was my method of practice.

I merged this physical body with nature; the heavens, the earth, and all things became one with me. I practised within nature, and my practice became a natural manifestation. The empty, illusory world was no longer worth cherishing. I could feed my blood to mosquitoes or offer my flesh to starving animals; I had no attachments. As long as it was within my power to give, I did so with joy. I viewed my body as the earth, my blood as the rivers, my breath as the air, and my hair as the tender grass—anyone could take from it as they pleased. Because I had merged with the universe, freedom, joy, purity, naturalness, compassion, Generosity, no-thought, and no-self became the core of my practice.

The Path to the Western Pure Land

When I was forty-three, I chanced upon an old monk in the forest. His virtue and spiritual power were profound, so I took him as my teacher. At forty-five, I received the Precepts and became a monk. In my spiritual achievements, I was rigorous in my Discipline, practised extensive Generosity, and widely spread the Buddha’s teachings, instructing the world in good deeds and good thoughts. At the age of seventy-three, I naturally vanished into the mountains. My body returned to the earth, and my spirit returned to the Western Land to meet Namo Amituofo, my Great Compassionate Teacher.

Today, I am fortunate to have returned from the Western Pure Land to the human world to assist my teacher, Practitioner Su, in his work. I reside within my teacher's legs, helping him walk. My teacher's Ultimate Vow to spread the Dharma and his vast, compassionate heart are things I deeply respect and emulate. In the past, my teacher possessed such virtue, and in this life, having descended to the world again, he continues to display that same character which I so admire. I bow in gratitude for my teacher's grace; it was only through his teachings that I was able to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

The Universal Deliverance

The world today is in a state of utter chaos. Following my teacher, I have witnessed his countless manifestations as he saves the myriad spirits of this world. Many of these spirits have been trapped in layers of space for aeons. Now, because the Causal Conditions have matured, they are finally able to be saved by my teacher, who opens up space for them, allowing them to follow the Buddha-name and seek the path of liberation. I see that my teacher's power is millions of times greater than what I possessed in my own time. A single recitation of the Buddha-name is enough to save the endless sentient beings throughout the entire universe—a realm that my own travels could never have reached. In this degenerate age, that my teacher possesses such skills is truly something I hold in deep reverence.

Time passes swiftly. My teacher has already completed the deliverance of this world, and simultaneously, he has delivered the entire universe and the space beyond it. Every speck of dust scattered throughout the universe contains sentient beings. After my teacher and the various Venerables ascended into the universe, they dispersed to save beings everywhere. The vibrational power of the name 'Namo Amituofo' is ten, a hundred, or even a thousand times stronger than the impact of colliding planets. This is but a crude analogy, intended only to tell the world that the energy contained within this Buddha-name is vast beyond measure. The vibration of the Buddha-name carries gentleness and compassion. No matter how far away a celestial body is, every recitation can penetrate it, infusing it with abundant energy. At the same time, the magnificence of this Buddha-name is proclaimed, allowing the extraterrestrials on each planet to understand the vastness of this name, which will become their future source of energy.

Healing the Galaxy

Among the planets, some are friendly, while others are not. The unfriendly planets can be seen moving irregularly along their orbits in the Milky Way, causing many smaller celestial bodies to be struck and shattered into dust. These unfriendly planets always have a distinct appearance; their colours are extreme, exaggerated, or fiery and explosive. Today, I looked closely at the spirits within these unfriendly planets. They were once eminent monks with high virtue in the world, but due to a single biased thought, they became part of the evil sects, the demon path, or the world of spirits, or they styled themselves as the 'Great Dark Kings' of the so-called dark worlds. Their actions are all destructive, evil, and contrary to the righteous path, and they run rampant among the stars. They have their own factions and hierarchies, scattered throughout the universe and beyond.

My teacher, in his countless manifestations, works alongside the Venerables to save the universe and the space beyond. Some planets actively send out distress signals, their worlds on the verge of being torn apart. In an instant, the Buddha-light shines upon them, and my teacher injects energy into these planets about to fracture. Different planets are inhabited by different extraterrestrials, and they express their gratitude to my teacher and their worship of Namo Amituofo in their own unique ways. Indeed, a vast number of extraterrestrials have already moved away from their original planets, following my teacher into the black holes to seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

The Resonance of the Buddha-Name

The word 'Buddha' is spread throughout the universe, transforming into various languages or images that they can understand. Some planets use the word 'Buddha' to represent infinite energy; others use images of great radiance to symbolise this magnificent 'Buddha'. On some planets, the inhabitants live in isolation, but when the word 'Buddha' is brought into their world, they begin to learn respect and mutual aid. The word 'Buddha' is invisible within their planets, yet it naturally brings them a magnetic field of friendliness, mutual aid, care, and compassion, allowing cold, lifeless planets to receive warmth and light.

The Buddha’s teachings are readjusting the entire universe, driving planets to learn good deeds and good methods, allowing many undisciplined, wayward planets or evil forces to return to the righteous path. Some have thus turned to Namo Amituofo, while others have changed their minds and turned toward Goodness. Every belt of the universe is being infused with the power of the Buddha, like parched, cracked earth suddenly receiving the nourishment of life-saving stream. A gentle current flows between the stars, and this charitable power is being opened up bit by bit. The holy name of Namo Amituofo is beginning to spread widely. All of this is due to my teacher’s vow. I hold him in reverence, and I hope that more people in the world will learn and emulate this, carrying on this magnificent Mahayana Buddhism."

This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing.