The Rain God's Journey: From Water Droplet to Deliverance

This interview features the spirit of the Rain God, Chou Chuan-fu, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Recorded on March 8, 2021, this testimony chronicles his long journey from a simple water droplet to his eventual liberation through the power of Namo Amituofo.

Chou Chuan-fu speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Before I became the Rain God, I was just a tiny water droplet. Every day, I existed in different places—sometimes high in the sky, sometimes soaking into the earth or resting upon a leaf. Occasionally, I would be swallowed by a bird, travel through its body, and be expelled as waste. To be honest, the scent inside those bodies was not pleasant. I never had a choice in where I went; only after my spirit re-entered a new water droplet would I realise where I had arrived this time!

An Ancient Existence in Ice

Eons ago, my life was frozen solid—that was hundreds of millions of years ago. Back then, everything I saw was a vast expanse of white. Although I could not move, I loved to sing, and my voice echoed throughout that frozen world. I never questioned why I was immobile, nor did I ever think of leaving. It seemed like an eternity passed before a great change occurred in the glacier region. Due to shifts in the climate, many ice pillars began to melt. For the first time, I saw land beyond the ice—the earth was much darker in colour than the ice pillars. Everything was so novel to me, and I watched the changes around me with fascination. The glacial area shrank every day until, eventually, the pillar I inhabited melted. I transformed from a solid to a liquid and flowed into the ocean. That was the first time I witnessed the boundless sea.

The Salt of the Ocean

The ocean tasted so salty! In an instant, my entire being became saturated with salt. I coughed, stuck out my tongue, and thought to myself, 'How incredibly salty!' But I have a great capacity for adaptation, and within a few days, I grew accustomed to the salty sensation. In the sea, I kept my eyes wide open every day. Most of the time, the scenery remained the same, though occasionally, massive ships would appear. I had never seen a ship before and was filled with curiosity. I followed the waves to get closer, but I was overwhelmed by a foul, suffocating stench and quickly retreated with the tide. From then on, I knew not to get too close to large ships, as they emitted foul odours and oily waste. The ocean must rely on constant waves to perform purification of the pollution left behind by these vessels. Living in the sea, I played with fish and dolphins every day. When I was swallowed by a whale, I would sometimes be sprayed high into the air before falling back into the water. Life in the ocean was far more varied than life in the ice, and even when there was no one to play with, I could amuse myself endlessly.

A Tragic Encounter at Sea

The end of those happy days came one day when a large ship was sailing across the sea. The sky grew heavy with dark clouds, and a torrential downpour was imminent. Whenever strong winds and heavy rain hit the ocean, I felt especially joyful. The waves would grow massive, like a giant slide—rising and falling—and as I was swept up by the swells, I would let out excited cries. When the rain fell, many new friends would land on the surface, and I could not wait to greet them. That day, as the storm approached, I waited with my usual excitement, but besides the vast ocean, there was this ship.

The ship was sailing in the middle of the sea when the waves began to swell. I started playing in the surf, but soon the ship became unstable, rocking violently. I saw people on board clutching the masts, shouting, 'The giant waves are coming! A storm is upon us! Everyone, pull up the sails and keep the ship balanced!' I saw the expressions of the humans on board; they were terrified as they struggled to unfurl the sails. The ship seemed to stabilise for a moment, but then an even larger wave approached from the distance. They screamed, 'Another giant wave is coming! Hold on! Everyone, hold on!' The wave crashed over them, and the ship tilted dangerously. The people shouted again, 'The hull is breached! Put on your life jackets! Prepare the lifeboats!' In a matter of moments, the ship tilted completely, broke apart, and began to sink. The people had no time to reach the lifeboats; they were forced to jump into the sea, bobbing up and down in their life jackets. When they fell into the water, I was right beside them. I saw them begging for help, and I tried to see if anyone could assist them. The storm raged on, and the two hundred people who had fallen into the sea were scattered by wave after wave. They called out each other's names, but they drifted further and further apart until they could no longer see one another. The dozens of people closest to me lost their lives one by one as the days turned from night to day and back again.

My heart was heavy, and I even wept for them. After they died, they became wandering spirits in the sea, still crying out for help. I felt such heartache, but I was powerless to assist them. From that shipwreck, I learned that life holds such profound sorrow. Seeing their suffering spirits, I truly wanted to help, but I could not. From that day on, my happy life was clouded by the helplessness of not being able to save others. In my heart, I began to yearn for the day when I could fulfil the wish to help people.

A Human Life and the Path of Compassion

After hundreds of years in the ocean, a force guided me to be reborn. Entering the womb, I remembered nothing. I was born in a fishing village and named Chou Chuan-fu. My family was not wealthy; my father was a fisherman, but we could only afford to eat fish once a year during the Lunar New Year. On other days, the catch had to be sold to support the family. When I was six, I went on the boat to help my father. Seeing the fish being hauled up in the nets, alive and jumping, my heart ached. As my father pulled them up, the fish struggled violently because they lacked water. I shouted at my father, 'They have no water! They are dying! Please, give them water!' My father looked at me with a bewildered expression, then slowly tossed the net into a large bucket of water he had prepared. Only when the fish touched the water did they finally stop struggling.

This scene pained me; I believed that life should not be treated this way. I began to counsel my father, asking if he could stop fishing. My father replied, 'If I don't fish, what will our family eat?' I said, 'We could do something else!' He retorted, 'I only know how to fish. If you know how to do something else, then you go and do it.' My father would not listen to a word I said. I had no choice but to continue going on the boat with him. When he wasn't looking, I would secretly release the fish back into the ocean. After I put them into the water, I saw them circle the boat as if to say thank you. I whispered, 'Go! Swim away quickly!' They seemed to understand, circling the boat once before swimming off. Seeing them escape successfully made me very happy. My father would turn around and ask, 'Who are you talking to?' I would quickly reply, 'No one, no one.' After this happened for several days, my father finally discovered that the catch was decreasing every day. On the way home, he asked, 'Are you the one making the catch smaller every day?' I nodded gently. My father's face turned red with anger. For several days, he wouldn't speak to me or take me out; he told my mother to watch me and keep me at home to reflect on my actions.

A few weeks later, because he was overwhelmed with work, my father took me on the boat again. He admonished me not to release the fish. I said nothing. We caught a boatload of fish. I knew these fish were facing death, and as we neared the shore, I could not bear to let them die. While my father was focused on steering, I tipped over the bucket. With a loud 'bang,' my father turned around, saw me releasing the fish, and shouted, 'Stop!' Startled by his roar, I lost my balance and fell into the sea. My father ran to the side of the boat closest to me, reaching out to pull me up, but I did not know how to swim and drowned quickly. My father was heartbroken; he had people recover my body and held a funeral for me. Realising that I had used my life to protect the fish from harm, he decided to stop fishing so that my sacrifice would not be in vain.

The Rain God's Redemption

After falling into the sea, my spirit was illuminated by a light. I rose higher and higher until I became the newly appointed Rain God. A Rain God has a jurisdiction, often an area that matches one's personality or a place with which one has a karmic affinity. When I first took office, I was assigned to a small town in China. The rainfall there was scarce because the hearts of the people were filled with greed; everyone was driven by personal gain, using all sorts of methods to make money. As the human heart shifted, the area was marked as a long-term drought zone. At first, people could still use river water, but gradually, the rivers dried up, and even a single drop of water became precious. Many people in the town knelt and prayed to the heavens. In a moment of compassion, without the permission of the Jade Emperor, I brought down some rain to relieve the suffering of the land and the people. Soon, I had violated the heavenly laws and was arrested, taken to the Jade Emperor's palace, and imprisoned in the heavenly realm.

I repented deeply, praying constantly for a chance to atone for my past sins. The Jade Emperor, knowing my heart was compassionate, gave me a special mission. I followed my orders and arrived at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. I saw the golden light shining, and the creatures in this area were sincerely chanting 'Namo Amituofo' to pray for rain. I waited on the sidelines, waiting for the merits and blessings of this area to be sufficient before bringing down a heavy rain. After the rain fell, I heard the creatures in the entire region cheering. The air was filled with moisture, and I could not help but smile, feeling great joy in my heart.

While waiting for the rain to fall, I listened to the sutras and heard the Dharma in the sky above this place. I watched the Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su and saw her powerfully leading boundless Dharma protectors to circle the Earth. Wherever they went, the magnetic field changed bit by bit, and positive energy gathered continuously. The vows made by Practitioner Su, the power she exerted, and the merits she accumulated are boundless. The success of the rain prayer in Australia was achieved because the Wind God, the Rain God, the Thunder God, the Lightning God, and the dark clouds all gathered together to bring down the rain, fulfilling this merit.

I am also grateful that after the rain fell, Practitioner Su was willing to save us and guide us to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I brought the large and small raindrops with me to seek Spiritual Deliverance. I am truly grateful to Practitioner Su."

The message of this interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa-xin.

Memorial Tablet: The Rain God leading the large and small raindrops, the dark clouds, white clouds, and the boundless cloud-dwelling spirits who helped bring the rain, representing: Chou Chuan-fu.