The Reality of Folk Deities and the Path to Liberation

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Chang Ren, a monastic residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. In this discussion, recorded on October 21, 2017, the Venerable reflects upon the nature of folk deities, the complexities of the spiritual realms, and the urgent necessity for monastics to guide sentient beings toward the true path of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Venerable Chang Ren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. How often do you truly stop to consider the nature of the deities you worship? Take the Wind God, for instance—a deity of the winds. How many people actually pay attention to the reality of such beings? Folk religion is incredibly vast and diverse, encompassing countless manifestations of spirits that people worship in hopes of receiving protection. They offer three types of livestock, wine, fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, and incense. People offer their most sincere respect and deepest reverence, praying for blessings, health, and peace. Yet, here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, we have seen that the Wind God is actually quite diligent in his own way, having unintentionally saved many suffering spirits who were wailing in agony. Today, I hope to help you see that these so-called deities are, in reality, just sentient beings from the spiritual realms.

The Hidden Reality of Folk Deities

The deities you worship are often merely spirits or ghosts residing within the spiritual realms. If you have studied the Buddha’s teachings, you might be able to accept this perspective. However, if you are a follower of traditional folk religion or a devotee of a traditional Taoist temple, you will likely feel a strong sense of backlash. The idea that these beings are merely ghosts might seem like an insult to the deities you hold in such high esteem. But if you were to ask these deities themselves, they would certainly not dare to deny it, because the truth is that they have not yet escaped the cycle of six realms of rebirth.

In the process of performing Chao Du, we often write out memorial tablets for the ancestors of the Chinese people, ancestral spirits of all generations, various deities, the local earth gods, good brothers, and various spirits or immortals. Are these not the very objects of folk worship? They frequently come to us seeking deliverance. Once one group is saved, another takes their place. It is much like a job position; the individuals in the role change constantly, but you, the person offering incense, never realise that the person you are worshipping today is not the same one you worshipped yesterday!"

The Cycle of Spiritual Positions

"Many local guardian deities—such as the Wang Ye, Stone Gods, Tiger Lords, Immortals, local spirits, or various legendary figures—where do they come from? Which space do they belong to? In truth, they are mostly within the ghost realm. It is true that some deities in folk religion are not in the ghost realm; they reside in the second heaven, the Trayastrimsa Heaven. These include the highest deities in Taoism, such as the Three Officials, the Jade Emperor, Guan Gong, and the Northern Emperor. Even the bodhimandas of these deities involve spiritual communication, as these beings also seek opportunities to accumulate merit and virtue to benefit their communities. They, too, aspire to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

This is why you see mediums, Taoist priests, and spirit channelers appearing to help communicate with these deities and resolve people's doubts. More often than not, you will see them dealing with issues involving karmic retribution. In folk society, this kind of consultation is extremely flourishing. It is popular because it provides immediate, tangible results for people who are trapped in the thousand knots of life—unhappy family situations, career failures, health issues, or worries about their children. When people face these insurmountable difficulties, they look for channels to clear away the invisible obstacles in their lives. Through word of mouth, these places become crowded with followers rushing from all directions, all seeking a brief glimmer of light in their destiny. Sadly, no one tells them that seeking true liberation is the only real solution. No one tells them the Truth."

The Limitations of Temporary Relief

"In this world, there are too many ways people try to resolve their bad luck: burning spirit money, making lotus flowers, or using various methods to escape their fate. These methods fascinate the masses, who believe in them deeply. While some of these tricks might seem effective, they only provide temporary relief. The root cause of the problem is something these deities simply cannot resolve. The reason is that they themselves are waiting for an opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. If the people helping you cannot reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss themselves, have you ever stopped to think about why that is?

If your karmic creditors cannot reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is no guarantee they will not return to interfere or seek revenge. The laws of karma and cause and effect remain in place. Your karmic creditors seem to leave only temporarily. The greatest compassion you can show them—and the only fundamental solution—is to send them beyond the six realms of rebirth. Once they reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, they leave suffering behind and gain happiness, no longer trapped in the cycle of samsara. Your own sins will also be reduced as a result. This ability to send beings to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss can only be achieved through the Buddha’s teachings. It requires the blessing of the Buddha’s compassion and the teaching of the Truth. Every single case of karmic retribution is handled with the utmost seriousness; it is never treated carelessly. Sending them to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is the ultimate goal, and it is something the deities themselves yearn for. If you have the opportunity, I suggest you try the methods of the Buddha’s teachings—send these beings to the West instead of just spending money on rituals. You should understand that when they leave after a ritual, it might only be temporary, or they might have been forced away by a stronger power, but they will return. Repeating this process is not appropriate, and it might even anger these spirits."

The Complexity of the Spirit World

"The ability to communicate with spirits is real, but is it true? Is it false? Is it righteous? Is it evil? I have seen too much of this. To be honest, it is not a very safe channel. Human hearts are not always honest, and you have to wonder what kind of power drives these abilities. Will these forces eventually demand a price from you? It is very difficult to guard against, though not impossible. While many are indeed benevolent spirits, there are also phenomena of external spirits taking over. The current spiritual realms are actually very complex, and human intentions are not always pure. Often, a single moment of greed can cloud a person's judgment. Too many people have become puppets for these invisible beings.

Sensitive individuals know the moment they step into such places that it is not stable; there is a terrifying feeling to it. Yet, the vast majority of believers do not know the truth. Many well-known temples—those dedicated to Mazu, folk versions of Avalokiteshvara, the Third Prince, Laozi, or the City God—have these channels for consultation. These deities, or sometimes external spirits, are eager to accumulate merit and often manifest through suitable spirit mediums to handle affairs. These methods are not necessarily bad, but what happens to the spirits that are invited out? Such places often gather too many spirits, most of whom are filled with resentment. Too many people cannot sense this and continue to worship devoutly, participating in temple fairs and large-scale sacrificial activities to entertain the deities. In reality, they are just entertaining the masses, and such temples become gathering places for countless invisible beings, because the ghost realm is just as lively and chaotic as the human world."

The Responsibility of the Monastic Community

"Most descendants of the Chinese people have participated in these folk customs. At temple fairs, the number of ghost deities joining in the festivities is immense. They simply lack physical bodies; their lives, patterns, and beliefs are no different from those of humans. In this state of confusion, one can see how many spirits are involved. You might encounter them by karmic affinity and be followed, or you might encounter them due to karmic debts from past lives. Most humans are unaware of these changes, and even when they notice something is wrong, they do not understand the true cause. Lacking education on the laws of karma and cause and effect, this group makes up the majority of the population. Every household is like this. Young people in big cities might say, 'My parents back home do this, and it’s fine.' But if you talk about studying the Buddha’s teachings, it might not resonate with them as a faith.

They have been accustomed to these folk beliefs for so long. If you want to spread the Buddha’s teachings, they might only recognise Avalokiteshvara, but the Avalokiteshvara of the world is not the same as the Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is not that these devout believers cannot study the Buddha’s teachings; it is that they do not recognise the true Buddha Dharma at all. Based on what they know, the image of these monks makes them not want to learn anything about the Buddha’s teachings. These civilians think the Buddha’s teachings are just another religion. They choose to burn incense and worship gods, thinking that is enough for peace and family harmony. They have no interest in the Buddha’s teachings. If you say these people lack blessings, well, so many people are like this—who can you save? Everyone continues to reincarnate because they lack blessings. We monastics should reflect deeply on our own behaviour that causes them to reject the magnificence of the Buddha’s teachings."

A Call to True Compassion

"The root cause lies in the fact that the examples set by monastics have left the Buddha’s teachings with no foothold in this world. Why do these deities hold such a high status in the hearts of the people? Because they have helped with the people's suffering. Regardless of the extent of that help, at least the people found a sense of peace within that faith. As monastics, should we not feel ashamed? In folk society, there is a widespread, incorrect belief that the function of a monk is merely to recite sutras, and specifically to recite them for the dead. The living are very repelled by the sound of such chanting. For these people, the holy name of Namo Amituofo is even more terrifying, because they believe it is inseparable from funerals and death. People are extremely superstitious about such things. In folk Buddhism, the teachings have been distorted beyond recognition. Believers will believe, but non-believers are full of rejection. Even if the Buddha’s teachings are magnificent, for these people, they might respect the religion, but making it their faith is extremely difficult. For example, in many folk temples, you can see the Western Trinity, but they are only small statues on the offering table compared to the large statues of folk deities. This contrast clearly shows how little folk society values the Buddha’s teachings, and the bodhimandas of the Buddha’s teachings have failed to manifest the Truth to the world.

These people are very devout, but they lack sufficient reasons to understand the magnificence of the Buddha’s teachings. They are very honest, but there is no sufficient power to lead them out. None of them can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Although this is a result of their causal conditions and blessings, if the power of the Buddha’s teachings were complete—meaning if the monastics who bear the responsibility could skilfully promote the Buddha’s teachings, letting these believers at least understand that there is a path of liberation like the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and helping them rediscover the correct image of the Buddha’s teachings—perhaps they could learn. They could avoid the cycle of rebirth. This is what it means to save sentient beings. I hope we can all work together. Even many who have already started studying the Buddha’s teachings do not necessarily know what the true Buddha Dharma is. This situation is enough to show that the voice of the Buddha’s teachings in this world is almost silent. Everyone should work harder to promote the Buddha’s teachings. Monastics in temples should put down their pride and truly welcome sentient beings. Seeing the needs of sentient beings is what matters. Only by putting our hearts into the beings can we live up to the offerings sent from the ten directions. May the Buddha’s teachings be spread far and wide. Namo Amituofo."

Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Xi.