The Puppet of Samsara: A Journey to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Tang Wenhua, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life and his transition to the Western Pure Land. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on April 12, 2024.

Lay Practitioner Tang Wenhua speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My entire life, my whole existence, has just come to an end like this. I walked through my life in a state of total confusion, and even when the moment of my final breath arrived, I was still lost, unclear, and bewildered. It is only now, as I kneel before the Buddha in prostration, that I can finally see the great compassion of Namo Amituofo. My heart is filled with infinite gratitude.

My wife, my children, and all the friends and relatives I once knew—do you even realise that I am Tang Wenhua? I ask this now because when Practitioner Su first rescued my spirit and brought me to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I actually found myself asking, 'Who is Tang Wenhua?'

A Life of Confusion and Control

I am not asking this because I have grown old, senile, or forgetful. I am asking because I truly did not understand what I was doing with my life. I saw how I had struggled so hard to obtain this 'human skin' to be reborn into this world, born into the Tang family and given the name Tang Wenhua. But what happened after that? My spirit was constantly being dragged around by my physical body. Whatever the body craved, I had to obey. But who was it that was actually pulling the strings of my body and manipulating my thoughts? It was countless spirits. They were all able to interfere with me, making it impossible for this body to truly believe in the Buddha, to chant Buddha's name, or to help myself attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. That was the weight of my spiritual obstacles.

My spirit lost its way completely. Whoever pulled me to the east, I went east; whoever pulled me to the west, I went west. When negative thoughts arose in my mind, my spirit seemed unable to exert much influence over the body. So, as Practitioner Su said, I was truly a puppet. I remember sitting on my lotus seat, listening to the Dharma, and when Practitioner Su used the word 'puppet,' it was as if I had suddenly woken up. Only then did I realise that I had truly been a puppet all along, and that my time in the human world had been wasted.

The Difficulty of Liberation

I am so fortunate to have been rescued by Practitioner Su. This is something that is very hard for people to believe, but I have truly been saved. I am now in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I no longer care whether others believe it or not, because I have seen too clearly how helpless every one of our spirits is. Without the Buddha, we are all suffering immensely, with no opportunity to attain liberation.

At Practitioner Su's place, I see a vast number of spirits every day, and only then did I understand that reaching the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is truly not easy. Many spirits know how to chant Buddha's name, but they cannot go. Especially after becoming a spirit, once you no longer have a physical body, you lose the ability to be the master of your own fate. No matter what you want to do, you have no strength to act. The body is plagued by so many karmic creditors causing interference. Even if my wife chanted Buddha's name to help me, I was already beyond reach. My spirit was too clouded; I didn't even really know what everyone was doing. So, no matter how much my wife chanted, I still followed the path where I was destined to go. The most important thing is that I needed to be the master of my own spirit, but I was unable to do so.

A Debt of Gratitude

Fortunately, I still had the blessings to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am so grateful—truly, deeply grateful. I hope my wife can express my gratitude on my behalf to Practitioner Su and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. I have truly been saved, and I am doing very well now.

Tang Wenhua bows in prostration. Namo Amituofo."