The Scholar's Awakening: An Interview with Zheng Banqiao

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Zheng Banqiao, a renowned historical figure from the Qing Dynasty and one of the 'Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.' He sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 260 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable Hai Yuan, on March 30, 2026.

Zheng Banqiao speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Zheng Banqiao, one of the 'Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou' from the Qing Dynasty. When my name is mentioned, the high-ranking officials and noble people might look down upon me with disdain, but the common civilians are always willing to speak of me with warmth.

The 'Eight Eccentrics' of Yangzhou

Why am I called one of the 'Eight Eccentrics'? The 'eccentricity' lies in my unique personality and style. I was never willing to flatter or fawn over others just to climb the ranks in the officialdom. Instead, I would fight tooth and nail to ensure the common people had enough to eat, striving always for their welfare. I did not seek fame or wealth, nor did I cling to the powerful. I preferred to pour my heart into my calligraphy, poetry, and painting.

In my paintings, I most admired the noble and upright spirit of bamboo. The green bamboo that springs from the cracks in mountain rocks is not as neat or manicured as those planted in the city, but it possesses a proud, unconstrained spirit, naturally swaying with the winds from all directions. To me, the rustling sound of bamboo leaves represents the voices of the common people, not the arrogant, self-important sounds of the elite."

A Life of Integrity and Service

"I entered the officialdom only after I had passed my fiftieth year. Having seen the suffering of the human world in the first half of my life, once I became an official, I did my utmost to secure benefits for the people. For instance, when the people were facing a severe grain shortage, there was an urgent need to petition the imperial court for disaster relief. However, the journey to submit such a request was long and arduous. If I had waited for the court to process the request through layers of bureaucracy, the people would have already suffered heavy casualties. It would have been too late to address the emergency. Therefore, risking my life and the prospect of being dismissed from my post, I made the resolute decision to open the granaries and distribute food to the people without waiting for imperial permission. Countless lives were saved because of this. This remains the accomplishment that brings me the greatest comfort in my life.

I refused to bow for five pecks of rice. After witnessing the ups and downs of the official world and the coldness of human relationships, my heart remained unmoved. When I eventually resigned and returned home, the people were deeply reluctant to see me go, precisely because I had been an honest official who never accepted a single cent in bribes. Even when wealthy local magnates offered me vast sums of silver to cover up their misdeeds, hoping I would turn a blind eye, I insisted on handling matters according to the law. How could I have been fair to the common people otherwise? Could one be exempt from their mistakes simply because they were wealthy or powerful? Where would the justice of Heaven be in that? That is certainly not the conduct a public servant should have. I chose to remain as clear and upright as the wind. Although I lost my official position, I have no regrets. To have earned the love and respect of the people is the true proof that I walked my path with integrity."

The Philosophy of 'Hard to be Confused'

"I was never one to hold back my criticism of worldly hypocrisy, and this was reflected in the lines of my poetry, my paintings, and my calligraphy. To be able to do so, I must thank my parents for giving me a mouth that could speak, hands that could paint, and a mind that refused to compromise with evil forces. This 'scholar's pride'—in terms of the Buddha’s teachings—might perhaps be considered a form of attachment! Yangzhou is located in the Jiangnan region, a place of great beauty in China, filled with poetic and ancient charm. After I resigned from my post, I returned to Yangzhou to sell my paintings and compose poetry. This was the pride of a poet and a painter.

In China, there are many scholars who, like me, harboured a deep ambition to serve the people. Those who were fortunate enough to be appreciated often found protection in the official world and lived glorious lives. But I never envied such a fate. After all, everyone has their own destiny. If I had encountered such a life, perhaps I would never have been able to paint the unique, elegant, and noble spirit of the bamboo. Some appreciated my character, while others despised it. Just as I admired honest officials but despised the officialdom, I preferred to live a life of simple tea and coarse rice, with a heart that was open and free. Though I was poor, I felt I had done right by myself. In that society, there were those who followed the rules and climbed the ladder, and there were those who clung to power to become wealthy. I saw all these various facets of society clearly, and I understood that where there is joy, there must be sorrow; where there is suffering, there is also happiness.

Who can hear the voices of the common people? How many officials can truly give of themselves to work for the people and solve their hardships? In truth, although I was proud and unconstrained, I look back on those days as an official with great satisfaction. At least I did something for the people with whom I had a karmic affinity, rather than only looking after myself or prioritising my own status while ignoring the poverty of the masses. I once wrote a poem about bamboo that I am quite fond of, as it expresses my state of mind:

'Clinging to the green mountain, I never let go, my roots firmly planted in the broken rock. Through a thousand grinds and ten thousand strikes, I remain strong and resilient, letting the winds blow from all directions.'

It is a tremendous blessing to be able to share this here, and it is my way of repaying Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for saving the souls of China's five thousand years of history, bringing us to the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This place is filled with light; it is a perfect place to recite poetry and sing."

From the Ghost Realm to the Pure Land

"However, when it comes to elevating the quality of one's spirit, there is a completely different dimension here. In the official world or among the literati, one might think oneself special; yet, upon being saved to this place, I realised that the deliverance provided by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, along with the power of the Buddha’s teachings that can be manifested at any time, is something that can save any creature, anywhere, at any moment. This compassion and Wisdom are what I had been searching for in my heart all along. Although I had dabbled in the Buddha’s teachings, I did not know they were so profound and compassionate. This actually aligns perfectly with my own personality. It is a great pity that I did not delve deeper into the Buddha’s teachings at the time! It could have allowed me to cultivate a different kind of life—one of compassion and Wisdom, gentle and harmless to others. After all, every being possesses Buddha-nature; to harm others is to harm oneself.

'Hard to be Confused' is a phrase I coined based on my own reflections. It does not mean that being 'confused' is a rare or desirable thing; rather, it means that while one may appear 'confused' on the surface, one is actually clear and bright about the truth of things in one's heart. There is no need to be overly calculating about worldly affairs—why not just be a little 'confused' sometimes? Once the matter has passed, as long as things are calm and smooth, everyone is happy. That is the meaning of the phrase. 'Hard to be Confused' is not truly about being confused; it is about Wisdom and compassion. It turns out that my heart was always in alignment with the Buddha’s teachings. To be swept up by the Buddha-light of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su and sent to the Western Land of Dharma Nature is truly a tremendous blessing.

In my bones, I must have had a deep Buddhist affinity. I must have had a profound Dharma affinity with Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su in the past, which is why I could be guided by the Buddha-light to enter the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. My story dates back about 260 years. In the time since I passed away, China has experienced much turmoil and unrest. After I died, my spirit drifted in the ghost realm. In truth, I never really left the land of China. Perhaps because I still held a sense of concern and attachment for the people in my heart and bones, I remained in the ghost realm. Because of my pride and my desire to express myself, I still hoped to be of help to the people and do more for them.

So, while in the ghost realm, I watched the people suffer, and my heart was filled with pity. Although I wanted to help, I could not because we were in different spaces. I always prayed, begging Heaven to have the virtue of cherishing life, not to let this land be covered in shadows again, and not to let wars that cause suffering and bloodshed occur. Every time I offered this sincere prayer, even though we were separated by different spaces—the human world and the ghost realm—in reality, the ghost realm can often feel the pulse of the human world.

This time, Practitioner Su compassionately brought the Buddha-light of Namo Amituofo into the space of the ghost realm. For the land of mainland China, this Dharma affinity is extremely magnificent. The Buddha-light brought brightness to the spiritual realms where lonely, suffering creatures were wailing with no one to save them. The light swept across the entire land. At that time, my spirit was in Yangzhou, attached to that place, and so I remained there. Although Yangzhou is no longer as prosperous as it was in my time, it still retains the atmosphere of a refined scholar, and so, attached to that place, I became one of the lonely spirits there.

Watching future generations chase after the poems and paintings I left behind, I cannot help but smile. I suppose these works touched that part of people's hearts that is not easily revealed. Yes, although many people might look down on my way of doing things, what does it matter? After all, that is just who I am."

The True Meaning of Compassion

"Here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, listening to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks, hearing the compassionate teachings of Namo Amituofo, and the Dharma words of Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, is truly like experiencing an ocean of Wisdom. Every word and every sentence strikes at the root of life, hitting the mark, clearing the blockages, and leading directly into the light. But how many people truly hear it? Even if I, Zheng Banqiao, understand and take it to heart now, what can a formless spirit do? I can only pray to practise diligently here.

Regarding the three practices of making prostrations, chanting Buddha's name, and reciting the Sutras, I respected them in the past but never truly engaged with them. Although I had some contact with them, as the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism were subjects that scholars and candidates had to study, I must admit that my understanding of the Buddha’s teachings was only superficial. The true essence must be put into practice, and there must be actual actions to save beings. This is the true meaning of faith, vows, and practice. Otherwise, if one only speaks of the Dharma on paper and expresses it in words without truly saving the people from their hardships, such a Dharma is merely a Dharma of words. It provides only shallow help to the human heart and cannot truly liberate one from life and death or help one escape the cycle of rebirth.

Now, I finally understand that my previous display of literary talent was merely the work of an ordinary person caught in the cycle of life and death. To truly achieve liberation, one must put in the effort of diligent practice. I had some meditative concentration, but when it comes to true Wisdom, it seems I was not even close to a drop in the ocean of the Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, I still need to study deeply, and purification is my top priority. Before I encountered the Buddha’s teachings, my spirit was still filled with arrogance, but after meeting Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, that arrogance has vanished completely. True Wisdom can be seen here; true selflessness and dedication to beings are found right here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where Namo Amituofo is residing.

I have great admiration for the fearless spirit of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su in saving beings. At the Dharma assembly, I saw Practitioner Su endure attacks from demon crowds to save the spirits in mainland China who had no one to deliver them. Her body suffered much, which is something an ordinary person could never endure or achieve. This is the Buddha’s dedication to beings—a willingness to sacrifice for those one does not even know, for suffering beings. This is only possible through the Buddha’s salvation. Moreover, Practitioner Su is completely fearless. The principle that 'the Buddha can subdue demons' is something I have witnessed with my own eyes. This is also the 'oneness' that I wish to follow, along with the spirit and actual actions of paying any price to give for the sake of all beings.

I am deeply grateful for the salvation of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Zheng Banqiao"