The Secret to Immortality

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Banbila and Venerable Sijieta, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. They now reside in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon their lives approximately 1,535 and 1,375 years ago, respectively. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on June 17, 2018.

Venerable Sijieta speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Venerable Sijieta. I was born into a family of extreme, crushing poverty. My mother, suffering from severe malnutrition, had barely enough milk to feed me, and I grew up in a state of constant, gnawing hunger. We were both reduced to skin and bone; many in our village expected me to perish from starvation in my infancy. Yet, I possessed a tenacious, almost stubborn will to live. My mother, clenching her teeth against her own agony, used every last ounce of her remaining strength to nurse me until there was nothing left to give. I was the youngest of three, the only boy in the family. Though my father loved us dearly, the famine had rendered our fields completely barren. It was a life of truly unbearable suffering. Growing up in such harsh, unforgiving conditions, I knew only misery; I never once knew what it felt like to be full. Before my father passed away, he looked at us with tears streaming down his face and said, 'I am so sorry for the life you have been given! Do not ever be reborn here again.' With those final words, he left us. The memory of that sorrow was etched into my mind forever. As an adult, I followed in his footsteps, performing back-breaking labour just to scrape by. My sister was married off in a simple, tragic arrangement—a mere bag of rice was given to our family, and she was taken away. We never heard from her again. It was truly heart-breaking."

A Life of Hardship and the Cliff of Death

"I lived with my mother, too poor to ever consider marriage. I told her, 'Since we have no money, I do not wish to marry. I do not want my children to suffer as I have.' I understood that in our caste system, there was no hope of rising above our station, so I simply accepted my fate, day by day. Yet, Heaven was not entirely unkind to me. Despite the constant hunger, I was blessed with a strong body—tall, lean, and dark-skinned. I had more strength than others, so I could carry heavier loads and earn a few extra mouthfuls of food to survive.

"One day, I was sent to the forest to chop wood to sell at the market. I was to receive a quarter of the earnings. Suddenly, a torrential rain began to fall. I quickly gathered what wood I had and hurried toward the market. The path required crossing a treacherous cliff that the elders warned us about—the 'Cliff of Death.' No one who fell from it ever returned alive. In my haste, I forgot the danger. My foot slipped, and I tumbled down the mountainside. As I rolled, the thought flashed through my mind: 'This is the Cliff of Death!' But then, a strange, profound calm washed over me. I had no attachments in this life; I did not even think of my mother. I stopped struggling and let my body roll. Rainwater filled my mouth, but instead of fear, I felt a sense of liberation. I felt nothing, wanted nothing. I do not know how long I rolled before I landed on a soft bed of wood shavings and debris, and lost consciousness."

The Immortal Sage and the Debt of Gratitude

"When I finally opened my eyes, I wondered where I was. I recalled the fall and touched my body, feeling the aches and wounds. I tried to rise but could not. A voice nearby said, 'Young man, just lie still.' I saw an old man with white hair and a white beard. He looked ancient, yet his movements were agile and his speech clear. He asked me to call him the 'Immortal Sage.' Under his care, I drank a bitter, vegetable-like broth every day. Having been raised in poverty, I was not one to be picky; if it kept me alive, I drank it. As my wounds healed, I learned that the Sage lived here in solitude. Often, I would hear him chanting. Before he fed me the broth, he would close his eyes and chant with intense focus.

"When I finally had the strength to walk, I approached him. He opened his eyes, smiled, and told me his story. Many lifetimes ago, he had been a destitute, dying young man saved by a practitioner. He became the practitioner's disciple and followed him in cultivation. When his master passed away, he left behind a final instruction: 'I am leaving! Do not worry about this illusory body; just dispose of it simply.' When the disciple went to bury his master, he discovered a deep, gaping wound on his master's abdomen. He realised then that his master had been suffering in agony all along, yet had continued to care for him and pass on his teachings until the disciple could stand on his own. The disciple wept bitterly, vowing to repay this kindness. He spent his life spreading the Dharma and saving countless beings before ascending to the Celestial Realm. Upon observing that his former master was now facing a karmic tribulation, he descended to the human world to save him. I was the master, and he was the disciple. I was stunned and overjoyed to realise the intricate workings of karma."

The Secret to Immortality

"The Immortal Sage brought with him a secret formula for immortality and the fulfillment of all wishes: the six-character name, 'Namo Amituofo.' This secret has been passed down since ancient times, reserved for those with great blessings and goodness. The Sage had been chanting this precious name to repay his master's kindness. He succeeded, and I was saved and healed. We both wished to preserve this immortal life, so we let go of all worldly attachments. In that solitude, with no interference, we focused our hearts and minds on chanting Namo Amituofo. We chanted until the chanting became effortless—until we forgot to eat or sleep, and our entire beings were merged with the Buddha-name. We chanted until we felt pure, cool, and light. We became one with the earth; the earth was us.

"I do not know how much time passed before we heard the sublime, melodious sound of 'Namo Amituofo' echoing from the sky. A great Buddha appeared, and the six characters 'Namo Amituofo' shone in golden light. We knelt in reverence, our hearts overflowing with the Buddha-name, reflecting the light of Amituofo. Suddenly, a lotus pedestal rose beneath us, and we were instantly transported to a beautiful, peerless realm—the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. It became our eternal home."

A Reunion Across Time

"One day, we heard a Dharma sound from the sky: 'Those who wish to protect the left leg of Practitioner Su in the human world, descend together.' Thus, the Sage—who is the 383rd person on the list, Venerable Banbila—and I descended. When the Sage was a young man living in the world after his master's passing, he had met a wandering monk. Before they parted, the monk gave him the gift of the six-character name: Namo Amituofo. That gift led us to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. That wandering monk was none other than Practitioner Su! The karmic conditions are truly wondrous. A thousand years later, we have met again, and every morning, Practitioner Su leads us to enter the Milky Way to save suffering beings.

"Practitioner Su remains the same as he was then—single-minded, with a heart only for the beings, helping them leave suffering behind and be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is why we have descended to protect him. To have lived this life is enough!"

Namo Amituofo.