The Rain-Seeking Miracle of Goombungee

This is a record of an interview with the spirits known as Wood Chips and Little Flower, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. They now reside in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon the rain-seeking Dharma assembly held on October 19, 2020. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Hailiang, on October 19, 2020.

Wood Chips and Little Flower speak:

"Namo Amituofo. We are Wood Chips—the Indigenous spirit Cook—and Little Flower—Zi Lan. If you look at us closely, you can still see that we are a little bit damp! And we carry so many different spirits with us. The spirits connected by karmic affinity brought here by the Wind God last night have already gone to the Western Pure Land in great numbers. Those who did not make it up there have stayed behind. From the very first day of the Dharma assembly, Practitioner Su began to seek rain, and we followed along, swaying our bodies and chanting Namo Amituofo. We are so lucky to have been chosen for this interview—we have another chance! Yesterday, there were just too many who wanted to go, and we were pushed aside, unable to ascend. But now, we have this opportunity!"

A Damp Blessing from the Dharma Assembly

"We are Indigenous spirits. We had originally intended to wait for the next Dharma assembly, but Practitioner Su’s compassion has granted us this chance to be interviewed. To be honest, we listened very carefully to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talk this morning, and that is how we earned this opportunity. Practitioner Su’s compassion is known to everyone—every realm of the Dharma knows of it. This place is truly not an ordinary place. This is a Buddha-land! It is a Buddha-land that can lead people to rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and it can lead all kinds of creatures to rebirth as well. Why? Because the abbot is Namo Amituofo, the one acting on behalf of the Buddha to save the world is Practitioner Su, and the householders are Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva."

How Practitioner Su Calls for Rain

"Let us tell you how Practitioner Su seeks rain. We will tell you exactly what we saw. Every morning during the Dharma-Body Visualisation Deliverance, Practitioner Su visualises the residents of Goombungee and Toowoomba, the flowers, the trees, the land, every single grain of sand and dust, and even the animal spirits—the cows, horses, sheep, kangaroos, and birds. We are awakened by Practitioner Su’s chanting of the Buddha-name. Practitioner Su asks us to chant along, and the Buddha-light shines upon us. We chant so happily! Some follow the light and depart, while others stay behind, continuing to chant but not leaving, because they are the guardians of this land."

The Power of Collective Devotion

"During the last rain-seeking Dharma assembly, the Wind God and the Rain God gathered, and in the dead of night, a heavy rain fell. It satisfied the little town of Goombungee, though Toowoomba did not receive any rain at all. But this time, Practitioner Su was even more compassionate. He visualised the highest peak in Toowoomba, visualising from the summit all the way down, including every blade of grass, every tree, every grain of sand, and every speck of dust in Goombungee. Practitioner Su used his Dharma Body to lead them all in kneeling and chanting Namo Amituofo to seek rain. He even visualised the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, offering incense on our behalf to seek rain. We followed along and chanted, because Practitioner Su held our hands—he held our hands while we chanted! Every one of us got to shake hands with Practitioner Su. We swayed our bodies and chanted for rain with such joy. How rare is this? We were so moved we were almost in tears, because no one knew how thirsty we were. Think about it—it had been so long since we had a drink of water, and being scorched by the sun is so painful!"

A Heartfelt Transformation

"The Thrice Yearning Ceremonies reached its third session, and a wild wind arose. The Wind God arrived first—what a strong, powerful wind it was! The Dharma assembly concluded at 9:30 AM, and an hour later, a light rain began to fall. Half an hour after that, it turned into a heavy downpour. All of this rain was the result of Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body inviting the patriarchs and venerable masters, the fourfold assembly of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the residents of Goombungee and Toowoomba, and the spirits of the grass, trees, flowers, animals, and even the sand and dust to seek rain. The rain-seeking was a success! None of this came without cause. It was all accumulated merit from Practitioner Su’s daily deliverance work; his virtue is sufficient to call for such things. We are so grateful to this Master for choosing us, for giving us the chance to be interviewed. We were originally elsewhere, but because of the new garden being built, we had the chance to enter this Buddha-land. Thank you, thank you to everyone, and thank you, Practitioner Su. We carry many spirits with us—tiny bits of debris from other places, microorganisms invisible to the physical eye—and we all want to go to the Western Pure Land together."

"We came to this Buddha-land and saw that the people here are so kind. The flowers, trees, land, sand, and dust that live here are all so peaceful. As soon as we entered, we felt that this place was different. There is always the sound of chanting, and Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks. We began to feel so happy, and we want to learn Practitioner Su’s compassion. So, this is what it means to be kind—to give rise to all roots of goodness and achieve the fruit of Bodhi—it all starts from the heart. Even though we are spirits, we have spiritual awareness. We are so grateful for Practitioner Su’s teachings. We want to follow all the spirits of the grass, trees, flowers, sand, and dust to chant Namo Amituofo. We are grateful to the Buddha, and we are grateful to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."