The Stone Spirit Who Became a Thunder God

Chu Dong-yi, a former stone spirit who spent centuries observing the cycle of human suffering, recounts his transformation into a Thunder God and his profound experience witnessing Practitioner Su's deliverance of the spirits of Southern Taiwan. Seeking deliverance from his long existence as a guardian spirit, he eventually found his way to the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This interview was recorded on April 27, 2021.

Chu Dong-yi speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Before I became a Thunder God, I was a stone spirit. I was a large boulder resting on the ground, bound with a red silk ribbon, with a small roof built over my head and an incense burner placed before me. It was neither too large nor too small. In that place, everyone called me the 'Stone God.' I was situated right at the entrance to the mountain path. Those who wished to enter the mountain would first buy some fruit to offer to me, hoping that I would bless them with a smooth journey. When they knelt before me, I could already see the karmic retribution upon their bodies. I could see which family would successfully ascend and descend the mountain, and which man would accidentally lose his footing, fall into the valley, and lose his life, his spirit left to wander the mountains. I saw a woman who would come to the mountain for an adventure with her lover, only for her spirit to be snatched away by demons. I saw a young boy who would suffer a heart attack after entering the mountain and be reborn as a ladybug. I could see the karmic causes and effects of every single person who offered incense before me with perfect clarity. Yet, I could not help them. I sat there receiving their offerings, but it was merely to put their minds at ease. I could not truly protect them; every person must follow the path of their own karma."

The Burden of a Guardian Spirit

"Being a stone that received incense was a result of the merits I had accumulated in my past lives. As a guardian spirit, I observed the different mindsets of everyone entering the mountain. Some came to relax, some for adventure, and others for the thrill. Regardless of their intent, they were all focused on this physical body—trying to make it relax, trying to make life feel interesting, trying to escape the monotony. Standing at the mountain entrance, many animals would often pass by and talk to me. Seeing my attire, they would ask, 'What are you? Why are you dressed like that?' I would reply, 'I am a stone. I am just an ordinary stone, and it just so happens that the place where I stand is at the entrance to the mountain, so humans treat me as a guardian spirit.'

I had studied the Buddha’s teachings in the past; I was a person of the Buddha’s gate. After my spirit entered the large stone, I still remembered my past and even the profound meanings of the Dharma. So, when small animals or the sand and gravel nearby spoke to me, I would share the teachings of the Buddha with them. I would tell them about the reasons behind the cycle of rebirth. The stories of samsara that came from them mostly revolved around greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and the receiving of retribution. This is human nature; it is something inherent to the human body, though it manifests differently depending on the family one is born into."

A Life of Transition and Loss

"My name is Chu Dong-yi. My family had studied the Buddha’s teachings for generations. My father was a retired official from the Ming Dynasty who believed that the officialdom was filled with too much scheming and deceit, so he decided to distance himself from politics. My father brought us to live among the mountains and forests, where we grew our own vegetables and invited my grandparents to live with us. My grandparents were sincere practitioners of the Buddha’s teachings and fully supported my father’s decision to resign. They always believed that one inevitably creates karma while serving in the government. In fact, ever since my father began taking the imperial examinations, my grandparents had opposed it. Now, my father had finally come to his own realization and resigned from his post. My father often carried a folding fan, and in his mannerisms, he still retained the air of someone who had once been an official. My mother was a virtuous lady from a wealthy family, whom my father had married when his colleagues in the government thought highly of him. My father and mother treated each other with the utmost respect. Not long after they married, they had my older sister, and two years later, they had me.

I was thirteen and my sister was fifteen when we moved out of the large house in the city. She was already at an age where she could be married. When we were about to leave the town where we had grown up, my sister was very reluctant; she did not want to leave at all. After moving into the house in the countryside, my sister complained every day. She would argue with my father and mother, saying she did not want to live the life of a pauper—she was a young lady of status. My father and mother felt helpless when they heard her say this. My sister would say, 'In the future, I must marry someone of status and reputation. I want to live a good life; I do not want to live this poor life. By then, even my maid, Ping-er, will be gone, and won't I have to do everything myself?' My sister pestered my father to find her a match, urging him to introduce her to someone while he still had connections from his time in office. Hearing my sister’s constant complaining, my father worried if he had spoiled her too much since childhood, which was why she had become so unreasonable. Regarding her marriage, my father thought about it and indeed knew a wealthy gentleman. Although he was twenty years older than my sister, he was a man of integrity. However, he already had a primary wife. If my sister were to marry him, she would become a concubine. My father thought that given my sister’s unreasonable personality, it would be good for her to be taught a lesson by others."

The Path to the Western Land

"After my father decided, he asked for my sister’s opinion. Without much thought, she immediately agreed, wanting only to escape this life of poverty as quickly as possible. After hearing her response, my father began arranging the marriage. The wedding was set for a month later, and my sister left happily. Her expression as she left was as if she would never return. Before she left, I asked her, 'Are you so happy to be getting married?' My sister snorted and said, 'Who wants to live a life of hardship with you people?' A life of hardship—I did not feel that our life was particularly hard. I asked her, but she just said, 'You child, you don't understand. It’s fine; it’s better that you don't understand. If you don't understand, you won't overthink things.' It felt strange to have one less person in the house.

Ever since my sister was no longer in the home, I stayed by my grandmother’s side. My grandmother did not speak much; she simply chanted the Buddha’s name continuously. I asked her, 'Why do you keep chanting the Buddha’s name?' My grandmother replied with a smile, 'Because I want to go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.' I asked, 'What kind of place is that?' My grandmother said, 'It is a golden world, without suffering or worry about daily life. The people there are all beings of supreme goodness.' I did not quite understand, but I knew it was very beautiful. On the night after my grandmother told me this, I dreamed that I was holding her hand, walking toward a very bright place. From that day on, I knew that the world my grandmother spoke of truly existed."

The Trials of War and the Call of Duty

"After moving there, it did not rain for about a year. The plants we grew withered, there was no harvest, and nothing to sell. My father had to start a small business selling cakes. At first, there was no business, and we were almost unable to survive, but fortunately, my grandmother told the whole family to have faith in the Buddha, and we managed to overcome the crisis together. I grew up in a simple life until the house we lived in was surrounded by a group of soldiers. I was not at home at the time; my whole family fled and hid. When I returned home, the house was empty. I was stunned. Hearing the sound of soldiers patrolling outside, I quickly hid and escaped the disaster. I did not know where I could go, so I stayed at home, hoping my family would return. I waited and waited, but they never came back. I did not know where they had fled. Although I did not leave the vicinity of our home, I knew that the situation outside was extremely chaotic. I stayed at home, chanting the Buddha’s name and praying that everyone could survive this catastrophe.

Several years passed, and I remained alone, guarding the small house, hoping to reunite with my family. Just when I was in despair, a girl appeared in my life. She had also fled here to escape the chaos. She told me that the dynasty was changing outside. The times were turbulent, and she had separated from her family after luring the soldiers away to let them escape. We lived together in that small house, relying on each other, and became partners. We held a very simple wedding and became husband and wife. We did not have children because we felt that any child born in this era would only suffer.

I lived to the age of fifty-six, feeling depressed and heartbroken as I left the human world. My body departed, but my spirit did not. My spirit entered a stone and became a stone spirit. From a small stone to a large boulder, and then to the guardian spirit within the stone at the foot of the mountain. I was a stone for a very long time. Many times, I would remember to chant the Buddha’s name, but even so, I could not leave the space of the stone. While I was a stone, I witnessed the alternation of one era after another, and the changes between people. I hoped that I would have the opportunity to counsel them. Every time I saw someone who touched my heart, my desire to help them grew stronger."

A Divine Appointment

"Suddenly, one day, a beam of light pulled my spirit out of the stone. It turned out that the heavenly soldiers and generals had pulled me out and brought me to see the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor said, 'We have received your prayers all along, and we have added you to the list of deities. Now, there is finally a vacancy for the position of Thunder God, so I have asked the heavenly soldiers and generals to bring you here to take office.' I was very surprised when I heard the Jade Emperor say this. I never expected to have such a magnificent karmic affinity. I cherished it greatly and did my best.

Recently, I received another notification from the Jade Emperor, informing me to come to Taiwan to help bring rain. I was very willing. I came from my original jurisdiction to the sky above Taiwan to wait for the karmic conditions. I saw the infinite manifestations of Practitioner Su, radiating light as he performed Chao Du for the entirety of Taiwan. I was assigned to Southern Taiwan, where I could see Practitioner Su’s deliverance very clearly. The resentment accumulated from the slaughter and farming in this area was immense. The space was filled with the piercing screams of pigs being slaughtered, the clucking of chickens, and the desperate cries of fish flapping their bodies in their final moments. There were also the offerings of the 'three sacrificial animals' used in Taiwanese rituals. The entire space was incredibly noisy. But as soon as the Buddha-light arrived, they shed their animal bodies one by one. It was so fast! They walked out of their victimized, suffering bodies, and it was as if they were reborn. The clouds and black gases damaged by the pollution from factories were also purified. Layer after layer of deliverance was performed, and then a light rain began to fall.

Practitioner Su is so compassionate; he performs deliverance every day without interruption. All the rivers, the earth affected by drought, the withered yellow grass, and the thirsty insects began to stir. Everyone rejoiced that the rain had finally come. The reservoirs, which would have run out of water in a few days, began to fill up because of the special, intensified deliverance performed by Practitioner Su. The entire vast space of the South was cheering, and every day they waited for Practitioner Su’s arrival. When Practitioner Su led the assembly to arrive, the space and the earth began to stir. 'The Buddha has come! The Buddha has come!' The multitudes knelt to express their gratitude to the Buddha and Practitioner Su."

A Final Journey

"I, the Thunder God Chu Dong-yi, have never seen such a scene of salvation. My heart is filled with deep respect. Now, having completed my mission to bring rain, I have been guided to the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Having finished telling my story, I now seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am very joyful. I am grateful to the Buddha, Practitioner Su, and the Jade Emperor for giving me this opportunity."

Chu Dong-yi

Memorial Tablet: The Thunder God connected by karmic affinity to the rain-seeking in Southern Taiwan, the spirits connected to the Thunder God, the spirits of slaughtered livestock, the polluted clouds, air particles, and the countless beings connected to the earth and space in the South. Representative: Thunder God Chu Dong-yi (Seeking restoration, seeking purification, seeking liberation).

Entered the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.