The Soul Within the Dog's Body

This is a record of an interview with Zeng Ziyang, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life and his unique experience of karmic retribution. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on June 24, 2022.

Zeng Ziyang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is truly as magnificent as the sutras describe, filled with crystal-clear lapis lazuli and brilliant glass beads. Everything I see here is transparent and radiant. I stepped onto a boat to gaze upon the beauty of this land, but I could not see an end to it; my heart has become vast and boundless. After thousands of years of wandering in the cycle of reincarnation, this moment was finally worth it. I hum the music of the Buddha-name with a smile upon my face.

Upon arriving in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I immediately knelt to express my gratitude to Practitioner Su for her compassionate guidance. We, the fifty-nine prison guards, have all reached the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am deeply grateful."

A Tragic Fall and a Strange Transformation

"My name is Zeng Ziyang, and I am from Hunan. My family had been tea farmers for generations; the scent of tea always lingered at the tip of my nose. The entire tea plantation was my playground from childhood. Once, while playing with a neighbour's child, I lost my footing and tumbled down the terraced fields, giving everyone a terrible fright. I lost consciousness, and when I awoke, my once-sharp mind had become dull. I could not even recognise people I had known my whole life. My family was terrified by my condition, and they worried endlessly about me.

Suddenly, a black dog appeared at our home. This dog was incredibly affectionate toward everyone, especially toward the neighbour's child, A-Lang. It would always rub its body against him. We all grew fond of this unexpected visitor. My mother bathed the dog and prepared meat for it, but strangely, the dog refused to eat meat. After trying many things, we discovered it preferred fish. Conversely, I, who had become 'dull,' suddenly developed a craving for meat.

My family was astonished by this change. I had never liked meat before, but now I would happily devour chicken legs with great relish. My family wondered if I had truly lost my senses, as even my dietary habits had shifted. I did not answer them; I just kept eating in a daze. The black dog loved fish and could even spit out the fish bones with ease. The neighbours all remarked that it was a very special dog."

The Truth Revealed

"I had a yellow shirt that I loved, and every time the black dog saw it, it would become exceptionally excited. During the tea harvest, I used to be expected to help, but after my fall, I could no longer perform tasks I had once known so well. Instead, the black dog would weave through the tea garden. If it saw beautiful tea leaves, it would squat by the bush and bark if people took too long to notice, urging them to pick the leaves there. Strangely, the tea leaves the dog identified were always of the highest quality. Seeing this, my family and neighbours said, 'We have observed this for a long time, and we feel the black dog is just like the old Ziyang. All its reactions and preferences are so similar.'

At first, I did not react to these comments. But one day, while the black dog was eating fish, it was pricked by a bone and instantly spat it out with a familiar motion that shocked me. It was then that I realised: if everyone said the dog was like me, could it be that I was currently inhabiting the body of that black dog? When this thought crossed my mind, I ran to the well and looked inside. I saw that I was indeed in the body of a dog—the very black dog everyone had been calling. Many of my actions were identical to my past self, which explained why everyone felt so familiar with me.

Upon discovering this truth, I felt a sense of collapse, and even more so, a feeling of helplessness. I did not know what to do. I went home, feeling dejected, and looked at my human body lying on the bed, fast asleep. I pushed it, but it did not respond; it looked like an empty shell. Not knowing what else to do, I wandered to the tea garden, a place I used to go whenever I felt troubled."

The Language of Beings

"When I reached the tea garden, I saw a group of birds perched on a tree, chirping away. To my surprise, I could understand them. One bird said, 'I just ate a big fat worm on the ground, I am so full, that is why I was the last to fly up.' Another small bird replied, 'You are so lucky today!' The others chirped, 'Let's go, let's fly to another tree together.' They all agreed and took flight.

At the edge of the tea garden, our neighbours kept chickens. They were always noisy, and I used to find them annoying. But that day, although they were making noise, they were actually crying. One of the chickens was about to be taken away; the owner was selling it for slaughter. All the other chickens surrounded it, bidding a final farewell. I felt a deep sadness and squatted there to watch over them. When the time came, the neighbour appeared and dragged the chicken away. The chicken wailed, and the others wept. I wept too, unable to bear the cruelty of the scene. I stayed near the coop, mourning with them until nightfall before returning home. As soon as I arrived, my mother stroked my head and asked, 'Where have you been all day? I was so worried. Are you hungry? I have prepared a fish for you.'

I felt miserable and rubbed my body against my mother. She felt my fur and comforted me. Soon, she brought out a whole fish. In the past, I would have devoured it without hesitation, but today, seeing the fish, I felt nauseated. I remembered the chicken I had seen earlier, which was also being slaughtered for food. Although this dead fish did not speak to me, its eyes were wide open, and I believed it must have struggled just like the chicken. Thinking of this, I could not eat. I did not eat anything from morning until night that day."

A Vow for Life

"The next day, my mother saw the fish was still there and worried I was sick. Since I would not eat the fish, she poured some dog food into a bowl. When my stomach growled with hunger, I could not help but try to eat it. I mustered the courage to take a bite, but when I chewed it, I tasted fish and meat, and I vomited immediately. I could not eat, so I only drank water to fill my empty stomach. I wondered how I could return to my own body and what karmic conditions had caused me to become a dog. As I thought about this, my consciousness became hazy, and I felt so weak that I collapsed on the ground. I vaguely heard my mother calling, 'Xiao Hei! Xiao Hei!'—the name they had given the dog. But I had no strength to open my eyes. My mother tried to feed me, but I could not open my mouth. I wondered if I was on the verge of death. In my blurred consciousness, I thought, 'If I have the chance to return to my body, I will teach everyone to cherish life and never harm living beings again.'

In an instant, the dog's body stopped breathing. I felt dizzy, unsure of where I was. Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw the familiar ceiling and the decorations in my room. I could hardly believe it. I moved my hands and feet and looked out the window; my consciousness gradually returned. I went to my mother's door and knocked, telling her I was going to the tea garden. She opened the door, saw that I had returned to normal, and hugged me, weeping. She said, 'You are back to normal, but our little black dog has died.' She was heartbroken. I did not say much to her.

I went to the front yard, touched the lifeless body of Xiao Hei, and buried it on the hillside, thanking it for letting me understand things I had never known before. Before leaving for the tea garden, I told my mother, 'Now that I have recovered, I want to be a vegetarian to show gratitude to heaven and earth.' She agreed, 'That is the right thing to do.' I asked my whole family to join me in a month of vegetarianism to celebrate my recovery."

Karmic Debt and the Underworld

"During that month, I constantly counselled my family, telling them of the cruelty of killing. They were gradually moved, and some began to follow my vegetarian diet. I then went to the neighbours and shared my thoughts, asking those who raised livestock to stop harming them. To ensure they would not lose income, I worked hard to transform our tea garden into a tourist attraction, which brought in many more visitors than before, and people gradually stopped relying on raising livestock for extra income. Furthermore, I wrote to the newspapers to spread the message of non-harming. I was very happy doing this, and I even dreamed of animals surrounding me, looking very happy.

Wherever there was a karmic connection, I would counsel people. I never married in this life and lived to the age of fifty-nine. As I aged, my limbs became weaker, and eventually, I had no strength left. When I passed away, I was alone, and by the time the neighbours found me, my body was already stiff. I did not struggle much; it was quite sudden.

I saw the Impermanence Spirits bringing me to the underworld for judgment. Kneeling in the Hall of Yama, the King of Hell asked if I knew why my soul had briefly left my body to enter a dog's body. I shook my head. Yama said, 'This was you repaying a debt. In a past life, you were a Taoist priest who harmed many dogs and even controlled human souls. You went through this experience in this life; had you not resolved to help other animals, you would have died at that moment. The King of Hell gave you a chance, and because you fulfilled it, your life was extended. Your actions in this life have cleared your karma. That black dog was your karmic creditor, and now the debt has been repaid; it has already been reborn.'

Gratitude in the Western Pure Land

"Upon hearing this, I had an 'aha!' moment. I thanked the King of Hell. Seeing my sincerity, he appointed me as a prison guard to serve the beings in the hells. I was very grateful, and I also thanked him for nominating me, which gave me the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in this life. I am deeply thankful. Arriving here in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, everything has returned to emptiness, everything has returned to zero. I am filled with gratitude.

Namo Amituofo."