This interview was recorded on June 29, 2018, at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre. It features Venerable Hayani, the 428th Venerable, who recounts his arduous journey from a life of extreme poverty and banditry in India to his eventual deliverance and practice on a remote mountain peak.
Venerable Hayani speaks:
". My name is Hayani. I was born in a deeply impoverished village in India. In my family, children were sent out to work as soon as they were barely ten years old. In such a destitute and backward environment, if you did not work, you did not eat. You had to rely entirely on yourself to survive.
My parents had over a dozen children. As soon as a child could speak and walk, they were forced to leave home to work alone. My parents simply lacked the means to support so many mouths. They would say that being born was a matter of destiny, but one's subsequent fate was entirely in one's own hands—they would take no responsibility for us.
A Childhood of Abandonment
My older brothers left home when they were very young. I have no memory of them; even if we had met, we would have been like strangers, connected only by the same blood. When I reached the age of seven, I too was cast out by my parents. My mother told me, 'We have only been able to raise you until seven. Whether you can continue to survive in this world from now on depends on your own ability to work. To stay alive, I believe there is nothing you cannot do.'
Our home was so destitute that I had nothing to take with me when I left. I did not even have a pair of shoes. The clothes I wore were hand-me-downs from my older brothers. Even the only piece of clothing that was still intact, my mother insisted I take off so it could be passed down to my younger siblings. I had to leave home wearing the most tattered rags imaginable.
The weather outside was harsh, often feeling as if it were controlled by some dark sorcery, with extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night. During the day, the heat was so intense I felt as if I were being baked alive; at night, the cold was so biting that my lips would turn purple and I would tremble uncontrollably. Every night was a struggle for survival. The rags I wore were practically the same as being naked. Often, I would be so cold at night that I could barely breathe, and many times I thought I was on the verge of death, yet somehow, I always survived.
The Meaning of Suffering
Although I was only seven, this environment made me realise that coming into this world was for the purpose of suffering. I never knew if I would see the next moment, or if I would be able to take another breath. Such days could only be described by one word: 'suffering.' My mother had told me that if I could stay alive, I must not seek death. Life is hard-won, and one must actively grasp it. If I could find my eternal home, then this life would not have been in vain.
I would gaze at the sky, watching the clouds drift by. I was just like those clouds, drifting without a destination, without a goal. Why did I come to this world? I truly did not know. In the vast sea of humanity, where was I to go? I had no idea. I walked forward on bare feet, my stomach growling incessantly, feeling as if my body were about to collapse, devoid of all strength. Looking around, there was no food to be found. I would grab a handful of dirt from the ground and stuff it into my mouth. Though the dirt was difficult to swallow, it served to fill my stomach. I would sit on the ground and look at my feet, which were worn and covered in blood, but I no longer felt the pain. I would grab another handful of dirt and smear it over the bleeding wounds, thinking that perhaps this would stop the bleeding.
The Forest and the Beast
I stood up and continued walking until I reached a forest, where the stench of rotting flesh hit me. Following the scent, I found a wild beast that had died, its body already beginning to decay. I stood beside it and bowed three times, saying to the beast, 'I no longer know how to go on living. Please, help me. Give your body to me.' After saying this, I picked up some stones, spent time sharpening them, and used them to cut open the beast's body. I dug out piece after piece of flesh, plucked some large leaves to wrap the meat in, and finally skinned the beast to drape the hide over my own body.
I carried this rotting flesh with me, eating it whenever hunger struck. That night, I was able to endure the cold a little better. The animal hide was quite warm, and although it smelled terrible, it did not matter; I was already very satisfied. Within a few days, the hide rotted away and had to be returned to the earth, and the meat was all gone, forcing me to start searching for the next place to survive.
After walking for over ten days, I was nearly unable to move. My strength was completely exhausted, and I collapsed to the ground, my eyes blurring as they slowly closed. Just then, I saw a massive animal approaching. It sniffed my body with its nose. I thought to myself, 'Eat! Eat! I do not want to live anymore anyway. At least before I die, I can help you have a full meal.' I closed my eyes, no longer having the strength to keep them open.
The Bandit's Den
The sound of a knife being sharpened reached my ears, and I regained , opening my eyes. A group of people were sitting around me, saying, 'This little brat has woken up.' Looking at the crowd, I saw they were all half-naked, holding weapons, looking like fierce demons. I guessed they had saved me and brought me to their cave. One elder, who seemed to be the leader, walked toward me and said, 'Child, this will be your home from now on. Just follow us obediently!' I did not understand what was happening. From that day on, I had to learn how to wield a knife and how to rob people. It turned out they were a group of bandits. They had been raiding in the forest when they found me collapsed, brought me back, and seeing that I was young and could be trained, decided to raise me.
I had no desire to rob or steal, but at least in the bandit's den, I did not have to worry about food or shelter. To survive, I had to obey. These bandits taught me how to navigate, showing me where people were most likely to pass, and telling me to hide in the bushes to wait. Whether they were merchants or travellers, I was told to rob them, and it did not matter if they lived or died—I had to get the money. I could not bear to do such things. The first few times I was forced to participate, my legs went weak with fear. When merchants or travellers managed to escape without me getting the money, I would be hung up and beaten upon returning to the cave. They would not allow me to miss any opportunity to extort money; I had to succeed every time.
A Path to the Peak
I touched my conscience and said, 'This is not what Hayani should do. I should not use another person's life to trade for my own breath. I would rather starve or freeze to death than continue to do things that violate my conscience.' This time, I decided that once I went out, I would not return to the cave. I ran as fast as I could, trying to escape their sight. I ran and ran, for a very long distance. As I ran, I wept, praying to the Heavens to end this miserable life.
When I finally stopped to wipe away my tears, I saw many monastics on the opposite mountain, slowly climbing up along the rock face. They were walking on a narrow cliff path only as wide as a single foot; one wrong step would mean falling into the valley below. I watched as each of them carried a water jug, walking with great determination, step by step, returning to their cave with water.
I walked to the foot of that mountain and decided to follow them up. The path was indeed only as wide as a foot. At first, I could only crawl, but later I began to stand slowly, using my hands to steady myself against the rock wall as I climbed. It was such a high mountain; I walked for a long time without seeing the end. I admired these monastics—they walked so steadily, and not a single drop of water spilled from the jugs in their hands.
The Purity of the Summit
Finally, I reached the high peak. If one were to fall from this place, it would surely mean certain death. I followed the monastics into the cave. It was not large, and it was extremely cold at such a high altitude, yet many monastics were practicing here. Although life was difficult, it was the perfect test for the sincerity of one's heart in practicing and saving beings. The purity of this peak was indeed something rarely seen at the foot of the mountain.
The monastics, with their thin, hungry bodies, had their right shoulders bared. They did not speak to one another. Though they were as thin as skeletons, their countenances were incredibly dignified. Each had their own place, sitting upright with eyes slightly closed, silently and mindfully chanting a 'Sanskrit syllable' that emitted golden light.
The last monastic who had just returned with water walked in. I whispered to him, asking what the Sanskrit syllable meant. The monastic set down his water jug, pressed his palms together, and respectfully said, 'Namo Amituofo.' His eyes were slightly open, and his movements were unhurried. It was as if the phrase 'Namo Amituofo' flowed through his very blood; every pore of his body seemed to be 'Namo Amituofo.'
A monastic asked me why I had come. I told him, 'I understand the suffering of life, and I wish to follow you to practice and chant the Buddha's name. I beg you to let me stay here; I will surely practice diligently.' The monastic asked, 'Do you have the vow to save the world together with us?' I replied without hesitation, 'I am willing. I must save everyone who is suffering in this world.'
The Call to Save the World
From that day on, I lived in the cave and practiced. The monastics kindly arranged for my learning, teaching me to calm my heart and chant the Buddha's name. Every morning, the senior brother would give a talk, and the community would sit quietly in their places, listening attentively. The principles taught by the senior brother were nothing other than how to end the cycle of birth and death, and urging people to seek rebirth in the Pure Land.
Every two days, the monastics would collectively go down the mountain, dispersing to the villages at the foot to preach the Dharma and spread the name 'Namo Amituofo.' Many of the monastics were elderly practitioners, yet they still went down to teach, just so that in their remaining years, they could do their part to help the beings in the worldly realm—the teaching area of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Although I was still young, I already understood that life is short. To help beings just like my senior brothers, I practiced diligently every day. Because I took the initiative to carry water and dispose of waste for my brothers, I quickly became familiar with the path. In less than a month, I was able to walk the steep, narrow cliff path with the speed of a bird.
During my time there, several elderly brothers passed away one by one while chanting the Buddha's name, achieving rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The entire mountain was filled with the fragrance of lotus flowers. Every practitioner who achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land provided real proof of the existence of the West, constantly reminding us that we must continue to practice diligently to deliver sentient beings. The West is right before our eyes; in this very life, we must end the cycle of birth and death and return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
A Heart of
The path to saving the world requires a fearless heart. Even when living in the difficult environment of a steep cliff, one must maintain a compassionate heart to save others. No matter how much this physical body suffers, what one sees is only the suffering of sentient beings. As long as beings can attain liberation, any suffering I endure is worth it.
Practitioner Su's power to subdue demonic enemies is truly the Buddha-heart, Buddha-vow, and Buddha-actions; only with such virtue can one subdue so many demonic enemies. It was precisely because I saw Practitioner Su's great heart to save the world that I unhesitatingly entered Practitioner Su's injured leg to help repair it. There are still countless spirits waiting to be saved. Practitioner Su has a truly great heart and great vows. I must support Practitioner Su and help the True Teachings spread in the world forever.
Before Practitioner Su began the of the universe, many mutated planets existed. They were different from others; their orbits were deviated, and they crashed about, travelling through the universe and disrupting its constant laws. Before they were subdued by the True Teachings, they were so arrogant and bullied other spirits. Now that Practitioner Su has begun the Chao Du of the universe, these mutated planets have begun to surrender. What they need is to be treated with sincerity, non-discrimination, and equality, as well as compassionate tolerance; Practitioner Su's sincerity can fully achieve this. Coupled with the warm light emitted by Practitioner Su, these mutated planets have sincerely surrendered.
Now, the team to save the world is growing larger and larger, with new members joining every day. Saving the spirits of the Dharma-ending age awaits the resolve and great effort of all beings at this time. Every child of Amitabha, make the vow to return together to the West, to return to our home in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo!"
