The Suffering Human World: A Message from Venerable Master Chin Kung

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Master Chin Kung, who now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. He reflects upon the nature of suffering in the human world and the significance of Namo Amituofo’s presence at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Haize, on December 5, 2022.

Venerable Master Chin Kung speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today, Namo Amituofo has given me a topic to discuss: 'The Suffering Human World.' When people see this title, those who have truly tasted the bitterness of life will nod in recognition. Those who have lived a life of ease might feel nothing at all. If one has never suffered, or has not experienced the tempering fires of life, it is difficult to grasp the true taste of suffering. If one has been 'too fortunate'—sailing through life without a single obstacle from birth to the present—it is truly impossible to explain the reality of this world to them. However, there are those who, even if they have not suffered personally, can witness the suffering of others and gain a profound realisation. To awaken to the truth through the suffering of others and then truly change one's heart—that is the mark of a person of superior capacity.

The Prince Who Sought the Truth

Think of Shakyamuni Buddha. As a prince, he witnessed the suffering of his people—the agony of birth, aging, sickness, and death—and he was compelled to find a way to resolve it. He abandoned his royal life, his desires, and his status. He rode his horse far away from his home to seek the path of liberation. It took him nineteen years, but he finally found it: the realisation of one's true nature, the attainment of Buddhahood. This is the ultimate path to liberation from all suffering. This manifestation is of such vital importance! For those who truly wish to leave suffering behind, to use the 'false' to cultivate the 'true,' and to realise one's nature to attain Buddhahood—this is the most definitive path. For anyone seeking the Truth and a way to end suffering, this is truly the best news imaginable.

In this lifetime, I, Chin Kung, also hoped to achieve this. I thought I could do it. Alas, my heart was tainted. The mentality of self-protection—protecting my disciples, my Dharma protectors, and my followers—was rooted in selfishness. This tainted the heart that could have otherwise realised its true nature, and in doing so, I even created the karma of the hells. Everyone must take my example to heart. People in the world consider me, Venerable Master Chin Kung, to be a practitioner of great cultivation and virtue. Generally speaking, that may be true, but if one wishes to realise their true nature, one must exist in a state of pure goodness—not a single speck of pollution can be tolerated. Before I could cleanse this pollution, my lifespan ended, and I had to follow my karma to receive the consequences. Fortunately, there was a turning point. Fortunately, Namo Amituofo is of such great compassion that He gave me a chance to repent and start anew, allowing me the opportunity to return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. If, upon arriving there, I can truly let go of everything in my heart, then it is a genuine rebirth in the Western Pure Land. And in that environment of Infinite Life and Infinite Light, what to do next is a matter for another time. One can make a vow to continue being reborn in the human world to save beings with whom one has an affinity, or one can remain in the West, where there is infinite time to learn, to refine oneself, and to attain Buddhahood.

The Origin of Suffering

The suffering human world—where does this suffering come from? It arises from the heart. The heart is the true master of this body, and the body is merely a composite formed by the laws of karma and cause and effect. Everyone experiences the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death. Even if you have not encountered these personally, you must have seen them happen to your relatives and friends. You should be able to feel it in your heart, especially when you see people of your own age suffering from illness or death; you can empathise more deeply. The anxiety and fear in people's hearts mostly arise from the unknown future and the uncertainty of what they might encounter. Especially for those who insist on keeping everything under their own control, expectation, and grasp—when they hit a bottleneck, the panic in their hearts is often far greater than that of others. Yet, they cannot express it, forming a pressure that the body feels, which then manifests as illness. All of this is karma.

Many people feel that talking about these things is mere superstition, or they cannot bear to listen, thinking it is 'old-fashioned' stuff. They ask, 'Why not use a new explanation or new content?' If you think this way, it is a great pity! It is precisely because these are 'old-fashioned' truths that they are better able to withstand new situations, new shocks, and new circumstances. They can help everyone avoid being influenced by demonic beings, allowing you to still learn the True Teachings, find the Truth, and recover your true nature.

The Inevitability of Impermanence

No matter how successful or powerful a person may be, once they fall ill, they cannot help but lament the terror of the suffering of aging and sickness. They feel their own helplessness, their inability to do anything, and they may even face death. These things are not under your control! Unless one is a great practitioner who has realised their true nature and attained Buddhahood, or one possesses tremendous blessings and can, according to one's own will, chant the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss—avoiding the six realms of existence and entering the Western Pure Land—then this life has not been lived in vain.

Beyond the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death, there is the 'suffering of not getting what one wants.' To desire something and not be able to obtain it—that is also suffering! There is the 'suffering of being with those one hates.' Those you resent, those you cannot stand to look at, yet you are forced to live together—especially husbands and wives, or family members. There is the 'suffering of separation from those one loves.' No matter the relationship, you cherish and care for each other, yet you are forced to separate—that is truly suffering. And there is the 'suffering of the Five Aggregates being ablaze.' The Five Aggregates—form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

'Form' refers to the physical body or the material world. While the body is important, you must be careful not to be deceived by it. This body constantly leads us to create negative karma, good karma, and neutral karma. Especially when the evil consequences of the hells manifest, the suffering is unbearable. 'Feeling' is also a source of suffering and is the biggest reason why we make ourselves suffer. Many people ignore this part, thinking that when they have a feeling, they must express it and vent it. They do not realise that the very process of expressing it is a form of suffering; it traps you in misery, and the event has already passed anyway. The illusions of the world bring different sensory experiences, entertainment, and feelings to people, and they become addicted to them. How can one leave suffering behind this way? Therefore, it is best to distance yourself from 'feeling.' 'Thinking' is the most important reason for attracting spiritual attachments. Memories and ruminations, to be honest, occupy many important periods of the day. You think only of yourself—how can you ever 'get ahead' by thinking of yourself? If you think of sentient beings, how to help them resolve their suffering, then it has meaning. Do not think of yourself! 'Mental formations'—you think and think, and then you act. So the power of thought is immense. And this 'consciousness'—the storehouse consciousness—form, feeling, perception, and mental formations can all enter the consciousness. Once they enter, they become karma, and once there is karma, there must be retribution. All of this proceeds naturally.

The Modern Struggle

When the Buddha first proposed the Eight Sufferings to us, it was incredibly profound; it encompassed all the forms of suffering in this world. The newest form of suffering is the internet and computers, which trap people so deeply that they cannot escape, controlled and used by demonic beings. That is truly suffering; people today are living in such misery.

In short, when various sufferings manifest, you cannot control whether you want to suffer or not—that is the suffering of being unable to be the master of your own life. Now, the disciples at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre are able to receive the illumination of Namo Amituofo’s Buddha-light, as well as the care of Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su. This is truly an excellent time to practice, realise one's true nature, and resolve suffering. All methods of resolving suffering in the world are only temporary. If you do not suffer in this life, you will still suffer in the next. The suffering human world is not under your control, so of course, it is miserable. If you practice and realise your true nature, you can become the master of your own life, and your soul can properly perform its functions, allowing you to live a life of ease, fulfillment, and freedom from suffering. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a place that helps everyone leave suffering behind, helps everyone recover their true nature, helps everyone avoid reincarnation, and enables them to enter the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo is here! What could be more joyful than this? Those who hear this, those who know this, must hurry to seek liberation from suffering!

The Truth of the Dharma

Up to this point, what I have mentioned regarding suffering is a general overview. In fact, those who have been listening to my lectures on the sutras will not be unfamiliar with these contents. I have also introduced several technical terms. Naturally, having lectured on the sutras for sixty years, I must mention which parts, which places, and which links are the key points. After all, the Buddha's teachings have flourished in China, thanks to the efforts of so many ancestral masters and venerable masters. Among them, there have been manifestations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Some of them dedicated themselves to the compilation and explanation of the sutras, so they used terms that everyone could accept and easily understand, allowing everyone to grasp the truth of reality. This is the wonder of language.

Because we are in the cycle of rebirth, all suffering is inseparable from the body, the heart, and the spirit. It can be said that the heart is the leader, directing the state of the body and the spirit, including the body's reactions, thoughts, and behaviours when facing suffering. These are all related to suffering.

When the body suffers from illness, the first thing one thinks of is to use the body to resolve the suffering—that is, what is used in medicine, whether it is injections, medication, various examinations to see the current results, or nursing care in the hospital, all in the hope that the patient can be freed from physical suffering as soon as possible. After many treatments, if the body feels a bit better, the spirit will appear a bit better. If the condition does not improve, the spirit often becomes much worse than before. Therefore, for ordinary people, when treating the body, if the body improves, the heart and spirit naturally improve. By looking, feeling, and relying on examinations, one can understand the current state of the body. In other words, hospital treatment is an effort directed at the body.

The Reality of Spiritual Interference

Now we know that this body is not so simple. So many karmic creditors, so many attached spirits—they all use the body as the primary place to collect debts, seek revenge, and interfere. Who dares to say they are not suffering? If you count them carefully, is it real suffering or fake suffering? So-called 'real suffering' is when the pain truly goes into your bones. This is not necessarily the suffering of illness; the suffering of separation can sometimes be just as intense. If it is a little better, it can be smoothed over later. Otherwise, many sufferings leave a wound that persists. Sometimes, unknowingly, the wound heals itself, which is great. If the wound never heals and always exists, you must be careful; this is a great injury to both the body and the spirit. In the end, it can be simply said: as long as there is fluctuation, turbulence, and unease in the heart, these are all sources of suffering.

People call themselves the 'most intelligent of all beings.' Is it possible that we will let ourselves continue to suffer like this? On some levels, this is indeed the case. Human brains are constantly innovating, creating new products to make life easier and more convenient, which can reduce the time spent on processing or treatment. This is not bad. Modern people are busy, and they want to save as much time as possible. But what is the saved time used for? It can be used to do things that help everyone, to practice Generosity and find joy in it. This is the smartest person. No matter which country or which people, habits and lifestyles differ greatly. Those who can tolerate these differences are those who can open their hearts. The smaller the capacity of one's heart, the easier it is to feel suffering. The larger the capacity of one's heart, generally speaking, the more one is able to give, to see the deficiencies of others and the places where help is needed, and if one has the ability, to help those who need it.

Helping the other party leave suffering behind is also helping yourself leave suffering behind; this is relative. The more you dislike someone, the more you are actually hurting yourself in that moment. If you can turn it around, turn that dislike into something natural, and treat everyone equally, then once your heart has turned, your crisis has also turned. Because the previous dislike brought about dissatisfaction and anger in your heart—these are all crises. For a practitioner, this makes you live in suffering, like a fire burning. If you turn it around later, even if you don't like them yet, at least you are the same as everyone else, at a cool temperature. It may not be 'refreshing' yet, but that doesn't matter; at least the temperature has dropped. It was originally a fire, then it cooled down to extinguishing the fire, and later there is no fire. Eventually, everyone will make you feel refreshed, rather than making you catch fire.

Therefore, in this suffering human world, there are different fires happening all around us at any time. But now that we are learning the Buddha's teachings, we don't have to let these sufferings happen to us. Once they happen to you, you must use your heart to overcome them, to realise them, and to face them. Joy is a method of treatment; it can treat a heavy heart, heartache, unhappiness, and misery. Everyone should make good use of it.

The Importance of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre

Generally speaking, in this age of the Dharma’s decline, the Buddha's teachings are waning, and the True Teachings are relatively weak. However, because Namo Amituofo is residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, it is equivalent to the age of the True Teachings, which is different from the age of the Dharma’s decline. In the age of the Dharma’s decline, people easily commit sins. Once the cause of sin is planted, the result will inevitably be suffering. In the six realms of existence, the most miserable is to go to the hells to receive punishment.

The punishments of the hells are all created by people themselves. The suffering when receiving punishment is real. However, the suffering of the deceased is something most people have no ability to know. They can only miss and think of the deceased, not knowing where they are now. What is rare and precious is that Practitioner Su, Su Fo, has appeared at this time. He came not only to save suffering beings but also to save suffering people. He can accept the request of those who have an affinity with the deceased while they were alive—that is, the request of the living—to perform Chao Du for the deceased. Under the guidance of Namo Amituofo, he knows where the deceased are. Even if the spirits are in the hells, in other spaces, or in the animal realm, Practitioner Su, Su Fo, can use his Dharma Body to lead the spirits to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, and then, according to the wishes of the spirits, lead them into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, helping the spirits leave suffering behind.

Those who can truly receive the benefits of the Buddha's teachings will not suffer, and they will be able to resolve, escape, and leave suffering behind. Only then does it have meaning. Otherwise, learning so much and listening so much is just finding an excuse for suffering; there is no substantial help. The existence of the Buddha's teachings is to help sentient beings resolve suffering. Therefore, the greatest suffering should be not having the opportunity to hear the Buddha's teachings. The so-called 'before or after the Buddha' is one of the eight difficulties, and it is truly reasonable, because the Buddha came to save sentient beings and help them leave suffering behind. But you must encounter the Buddha's teachings, and you must also have a Buddhist affinity. If you don't have a Buddhist affinity, you can talk to him about the Buddha's teachings, but he won't be able to listen. Without encountering the Buddha's teachings, you cannot find a truly thorough method to resolve suffering. The true Buddha's teachings are cool, free, and transparent. They require diligent practice to be obtained; they will not fall from the sky.

A Special Dharma Affinity

The spirit of every one of us sentient beings is unborn and undying, coming from the beginningless and heading toward the endless. In our past lives, we have all formed a Dharma affinity with Namo Amituofo, which is why it is possible for us to encounter the Pure Land and Namo Amituofo now. The Dharma affinity formed at that time might have been in the country where you are now, or it might not have been on Earth; it could have been in the Saha world or any planet in the universe. You might have stayed and lived there in the past, and Namo Amituofo might have manifested there too. You once approached Namo Amituofo and formed a Dharma affinity—that is truly a very special Dharma affinity!

Now, Namo Amituofo has appeared at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. If the conditions are ripe and you happen to be in the human world at this time, you have the opportunity to hear Practitioner Su, Su Fo, give lectures on the sutras. You will naturally be able to listen, find it useful, and want to understand more. Then you can continue to listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma, or take a trip to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Coming here to seek the Dharma and hear the Dharma is the fastest way to leave suffering behind.

In fact, the true Buddha's teachings are meant to teach everyone to realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood. It is just that later, as people learned, the direction of the Buddha's teachings became skewed. They were unable to expand the Buddha's teachings, and thus entered the age of the Dharma’s decline. Regardless, now that the Buddha is here, Namo Amituofo has appeared to help us correct our wrong concepts, views, thoughts, and actions. If you accept this, or even if your whole family accepts it, that would be truly wonderful. Learning the Buddha's teachings will not be so hard, and chanting the Buddha's name will be done with enthusiasm. This is a very good thing. If someone makes a vow to save everyone from suffering and leaves home to practice, this person is worthy of praise and support. Leaving home means leaving the family, severing ties with family members, and wholeheartedly focusing one's spirit on the Buddha's teachings and one's own practice, washing away past pollution to reveal a kind, pure, and untainted nature. This is a good thing! If someone truly does this and realises their true nature to attain Buddhahood, it is something to be celebrated!

A Call to the World

Today, Practitioner Su, Su Fo, is this person worthy of celebration. I, Chin Kung, see it clearly now in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, so I am speaking out to let everyone understand. He is here to help everyone resolve their suffering. Up to now, the number of beings he has saved through his Dharma-Body Visualisation Deliverance is immeasurable and boundless. Because sentient beings have no bodies and have tasted all the bitterness, once they have the opportunity to leave suffering behind, they will do their utmost to cooperate and accept deliverance.

Now that Namo Amituofo has descended to the human world, right here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, He has already helped everyone heal illnesses, invited spirits to resolve conflicts, and performed Chao Du to lead beings to the West. He has already taken many concrete actions to save sentient beings. Of course, this is a collaboration between Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, Su Fo. Many actions rely on the body to be completed, and Practitioner Su, Su Fo, is very dedicated and wholeheartedly cooperating with the Buddha to save sentient beings. Part of this was saving me, Chin Kung. And I, Chin Kung, also want to save everyone. This is what I should have done. I didn't do it well while I was alive, so now I am using this time to make up for it—making up for as much as I can. Therefore, in these days, I have done more than fifty interviews. I, Chin Kung, am doing my best to tell everyone: Namo Amituofo is now at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Everyone, hurry and come! What are you coming for? We have chanted the Buddha's name for half our lives, hoping to be received by the Buddha at the time of death and taken to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, right? Sometimes our chanting is not good enough, not powerful enough, not pure enough, and we cannot invite the Buddha. Now the Buddha is at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, waiting for everyone to come, yet the situation is reversed—not a single person has come to draw near to the Buddha.

To the Pure Land societies, the Pure Land Learning Colleges, and my vast audience and followers around the world, I have also sent letters to tell everyone some facts. The Buddha sees that everyone is too miserable, and with the appearance of Practitioner Su, Su Fo, in the world, He has taken the initiative to descend to the human world. This suffering human world is truly miserable. The Buddha wants to come to save everyone, but everyone is staying far away, avoiding Him. Isn't this just asking for trouble? This is not right! However, I, Chin Kung, believe that the Buddha is the Buddha. He will not stop being the Buddha just because everyone has not come to find Him. Namo Amituofo is always Namo Amituofo, always the Universal Buddha, and always waiting to receive us.

If everyone knew they could come to draw near and seek the Dharma, or even heal illnesses, resolve conflicts, and perform Chao Du for sentient beings, resolving their own suffering—actually, you would also be resolving the suffering of your karmic creditors and attached spirits. Wouldn't everyone's suffering have a chance to be resolved? In fact, in the spirit world, Practitioner Su, Su Fo, has already subdued many demonic beings and sent them into the Western Dharma-Nature Land. Many have already joined the ranks of the external Bodhisattvas from the cosmos, the Milky Way Bodhisattvas, and the new Buddha-disciples to save the world and sentient beings. They follow Practitioner Su, Su Fo, to perform Chao Du and save sentient beings. They hope for a chance to repent for some of the things they did when they were demonic beings, so every one of them has turned over a new leaf and is very dedicated to following Practitioner Su, Su Fo, in saving sentient beings. This is also helping them resolve their own suffering! Because they are also sentient beings, they just had strong personalities, fierce tempers, and would not listen to advice, harming others and themselves. The retribution for demonic beings is terrifying—flames, icebergs, the deep sea, and the deep layers of the earth where they cannot come out for hundreds of millions of years. Therefore, everyone still has some Buddha-heart and a kind heart within their demon nature. Many demonic beings will come to surrender at this time. Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are of great compassion and unconditionally accept the surrender of demonic beings, allowing them to enter the Western Dharma-Nature Land. They turn over a new leaf, become new people, and are no longer demons. With the status of monastics, they continue to extend their spiritual lives. Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are already saving sentient beings from suffering, saving demonic beings from suffering, and at the same time, saving many people from suffering. Because demonic beings interfere with people's hearts and destroy people's normal lives, now that they have been subdued, conquered, and have surrendered, the people they were supposed to influence and interfere with have returned to their normal routines. Isn't this also helping people leave suffering behind?

To be honest, this suffering human world is truly interconnected. Resolving the suffering of the other party is equivalent to resolving your own suffering, as well as the suffering of vast numbers of creatures.

Namo Amituofo. I, Chin Kung, believe that one day, everyone will surely know that Namo Amituofo is here, and they will do their utmost to come here to see the Buddha and seek the Buddha. Even if it is just to bow to the Buddha three times and be bathed in the Buddha's light, you will benefit greatly!

Alright, I, Chin Kung, will stop here for today.

Namo Amituofo.

Shi Chin Kung, with palms joined.

At the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Australia."