The Rescue of Celestial Sages and Outer Space Beings

The Honoured One Li Zanlun, a practitioner from the Western Han Dynasty who now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, recounts his participation in a mission to deliver celestial beings and entities from a dying outer space planet. This interview was recorded on May 30, 2018, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia.

Li Zanlun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. May the Buddha’s compassion be upon us all. Today, the various virtuous Honoured Ones have arranged for me to come forward and report on the details of today’s deliverance. I am the Honoured One Li Zanlun, designated as the three hundred and eighty-sixth. I was born during the Western Han Dynasty in China, a time when our Emperor held great respect for the monks arriving from the Western Regions, which allowed the Buddha’s teachings to flourish.

A Lifetime of Devotion and the Promise of Rebirth

"Originally, I was a scholar and a teacher in a private school. However, after reading the Buddhist sutras, my heart and my vision were opened wide. In particular, when I read the Infinite Life Sutra, I felt a deep, yearning connection to the scenes of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss described therein. Later, I sought guidance from a master and began to learn the practice of chanting Namo Amituofo. As the days and years passed, I became filled with Dharma joy. As I had never married or had children, I was truly free from many worldly burdens and attachments. In my later years, I stayed by my master’s side, and when he passed away, I chanted Namo Amituofo to send him off. The room was filled with the fragrance of lotus flowers and the sound of the Buddha’s name—I felt such immense admiration! I hoped that I, too, would one day experience such a departure. This inspired me to practise even more diligently. I converted my classroom into a chanting hall, where I studied and chanted with several close friends and fellow practitioners.

"When I reached the age of fifty-eight, I knew a week in advance that my time had come. I invited my friends and fellow practitioners to chant Namo Amituofo and send me on my way. It was a truly great blessing. I received the Buddha’s guidance, obtained a golden lotus, and travelled to the Western Pure Land together with the Buddha. Nearly two thousand years have passed since then. Recently, when we performed the Chao Du and I saw the place where I once lived, there was absolutely no trace of it left. I realised that I must not let my mind dwell on it; everything is an illusion, and impermanence is the nature of all things—especially after two millennia! Just as I was thinking this, in the blink of an eye, Practitioner Su and the senior Honoured Ones had already flown ahead, and I had to hasten my steps to keep up with them.

The Limitations of the Ten Dharma Realms

"Our figures streaked across the dark sky. Ahead of us, there was a vast expanse of light radiating from Practitioner Su. This light is the very opportunity for sentient beings with karmic affinity to awaken and be saved. As long as they have the heart to leave suffering behind and follow us into that light, Practitioner Su will deliver them all to the Western Pure Land. Along the way, although everyone followed Practitioner Su, some would occasionally pause before catching up again.

"In the darkness, there was a place that possessed its own radiance. As I looked ahead, I realised it was the heavenly realms and the heavens beyond the heavens, where the celestial beings of the twenty-eight heavens and the sages of the Four Sacred Realms reside. The Four Sacred Realms, in particular, are a world of brilliant light. For ordinary people, the heavenly realms and the heavens beyond the heavens are already extremely high states of existence, existing within different layers of space. Their spiritual lives have already surpassed the practice of ordinary practitioners. Especially in the Four Sacred Realms of the Buddha-Dharma, I had originally thought these were already the highest levels of practice. However, after Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su appeared in the human world, the stark difference between life in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and life in the six realms and ten Dharma realms of the human world became clearly and undeniably apparent.

"Life in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is far, far superior to the worlds of these sages. Even for those in the twenty-eight heavens and the Four Sacred Realms—that is to say, as the sages of the ten Dharma realms increase their practice, the light on their bodies and in their environments also increases. Yet, even with such magnificent skills in Precepts, Concentration and Wisdom, they have not yet realised their true nature. Even if they make a vow to enter the Western Pure Land, and even if they chant the Buddha’s name perfectly, they have no way to enter the Western Pure Land through their own power alone. Looking out across the vast Dharma realm, who else could help them fulfil their wishes? They must still rely on the help of Practitioner Su. Practitioner Su exists in the human world in a physical body, yet possesses the ability of the Dharma Body to perform Chao Du, entering the Four Sacred Realms to lead them to rebirth in the Western Pure Land. This is truly an encounter difficult to find in millions of years; otherwise, even with the highest spiritual life of the ten Dharma realms, they could only remain as they are. Today, the celestial beings and sages are waiting for Practitioner Su to lead them to the West. As we passed by, many of them were already kneeling, waiting for Practitioner Su’s arrival. This opportunity is so precious. I truly hope that the celestial beings and the sages of the Four Sacred Realms who wish to enter the West will be able to fulfil their wish by entering Practitioner Su’s light and being sent to the Western Pure Land.

A Dying Planet in the Void

"Without lingering, I hurried to catch up and move forward. I saw a glowing object, flickering on and off; it was an outer space planet that seemed to be running out of energy. On the periphery of that sphere, I saw a small boy. He was completely wrapped up—it seemed their outer garments were silver-white—with only his two eyes exposed. I looked closely and saw two lines of tears streaming down the boy’s face. I couldn't help but tilt my head to look at him and ask why he was crying. He transmitted a mental note: 'We are all about to be extinguished!' I asked, 'What do you mean by extinguished?' The boy replied, 'Our energy is almost exhausted. The adults are searching everywhere for energy to survive, but they cannot find any. Much of what is available is not suitable for us! Because we lack energy, some have already fallen ill, and others cannot even stand up.' Upon hearing this, I immediately told him: 'The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss has immeasurable and boundless energy that you can use. Do you want to go?' The boy said, 'Really? I will go and tell everyone!' I saw the boy turn his head in a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree circle, transmit the message, and immediately turn back to face me. He said, 'Okay, we will go with you.' I said, 'Hurry, fly towards that bright light ahead.' No sooner had I finished speaking than the boy vanished before my eyes, entering the outer space planet, and then that planet flew towards the light of Practitioner Su, moving at an incredible speed. Saving lives was the priority!

Returning to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre

"A Honoured One beside me waved a hand, signalling me to follow quickly. Looking ahead, I saw that outer space planet approach Practitioner Su and then vanish into the sleeves of Practitioner Su’s robes. Practitioner Su had already sent the planet and those extraterrestrial beings into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Our team of deliverance continued to fly forward until we returned to the human world, to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, to reunite and join the team of external Bodhisattvas from the cosmos led by Venerable Changren."