The Taste of Being Human: A Wind God's Journey

This interview was recorded on March 18, 2021, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. It features the Wind God, Zhao Shengxiang, who sought Chao Du for himself and the myriad spirits he brought with him. Having spent his early life raised by a wild cow in the forests of ancient China, Zhao Shengxiang reflects on his transition from a feral child to a divine being, and his ultimate mission to bring rain to the Centre.

Wind God Zhao Shengxiang speaks:

"I blow the wind, carrying moisture from the sea, arriving above Goombungee, where the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is located. The clouds condense, and heavy, thick raindrops fall, nourishing the earth with abundant water.

In this land, which is used for raising large numbers of cattle and sheep, the resentment of animal spirits—the spirits of cows and sheep—gathers in the space, blocking the moisture from falling. Karma is constantly churning, and the killing continues; it is not an easy task to make it rain here. For a long time, all the creatures living on this land could only silently endure the suffering of drought, until Practitioner Su prayed for rain and led the myriad spirits to chant Namo Amituofo. Only then did a turning point appear amidst the heavy karma.

A Divine Request for Chao Du

I am the Wind God, Zhao Shengxiang, who came with this group of divine beings to seek Chao Du. I am grateful to have the blessings to come here, and I am grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su in saving us. I have long known of Practitioner Su's compassionate acts to save the world. I have often seen the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su appearing everywhere to save myriad spirits, and my heart has been filled with joy and admiration. Therefore, I gave rise to the heart to save others. This single thought has immense power, and it is because of this Causal Condition that I am here today to be saved by Practitioner Su. I am grateful to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

I understand the rules of this interview, so now I will speak of my own past."

The Child of the Forest

"Approximately 3,700 years ago, I was born in a remote region of China. After my parents gave birth to me, for reasons unknown, they simply abandoned me in a pile of grass. My life should have ended there, but I had the blessings to continue living. The one who saved my life was not a human, but a wild cow.

This cow lived alone in the jungle. She did not follow other herds, nor was she raised by humans; she survived by eating wild grass. When the cow found me, she immediately used her mouth to push me into a very hidden and warm spot in the jungle, then covered me with dry grass she had bitten off to keep me warm. When I cried loudly from hunger, she would lie beside me, allowing me to drink her milk to fill my belly. Under the care of this cow, I gradually grew up, becoming strong and physically capable.

During my growth, the cow was my mother. All the animals in the jungle, the flowers, the trees, and even the insects on the ground were my friends. I had no language, but I could naturally converse with these animals and plants. This was an instinct I developed from childhood in that environment. It was a form of heart-to-heart communication, interacting with all things naturally. There were no words, no gestures—it was an invisible resonance. They could understand what I wanted to express, and I could know what they were saying to me."

Conversations with the Wild

"As the weather gradually turned cold, I asked the big bear, 'When is winter coming?' The big bear understood what I meant and responded naturally, 'Soon! Our entire bear family is preparing to hibernate! This winter will be especially cold; you should also find a warm place to hide and avoid the cold!' I looked at the big bear with a smile and told him, 'My cow mother has already found a place for us to avoid the winter, in a cave deep in the mountains. We are going to live there for the whole winter. I am looking forward to it because I have never been there before.' After talking to the big bear, my best friends, the rabbit sisters, all ran out. I told them, 'I won't play hide-and-seek today. You are so good at hiding that I can never find you. So, today, let's climb trees!' The rabbit sisters were not interested in climbing trees, but the squirrel and monkey brothers all ran out. They said to me, 'If you want to play a tree-climbing game, you should be looking for us! Today, you compete with us—whoever climbs fast and jumps far is the winner!' It sounded interesting, and I happily agreed immediately. With my abilities, I would definitely not lose to them; this was something I had honed in this environment.

Sure enough, I won the first competition, and all the uncle antelopes, auntie deer, uncle donkeys, brother giraffes, and many other animal families watching the scene expressed their admiration for my performance. The monkey brothers, who hated to lose, were so angry that their cheeks turned red. They wanted to continue competing, determined to win. We kept playing until my cow mother called me, and only then did we end the competition."

The Call of the Human World

"I lived with my cow mother for twelve years. I knew I was a human; my cow mother had told me. She said to me, 'Outside the jungle, humans exist; that is the world that belongs to you.' Every time my cow mother said this to me, I felt very sad, and even a little angry, because I never felt that I was any different from my cow mother. We just had different bodies; there was nothing else different. She ate grass, and I ate grass with her; she slept on the grass, and I slept on the grass with her. We could converse freely; there was no difference. Why did my cow mother have to treat me as a human and insist that I leave? My cow mother did not say much, but she still told me, 'You must eventually return to the place where humans live.'

The year I turned thirteen was the year my life underwent the greatest change. That year, for the first time, humans entered the jungle. As soon as they stepped in, my group of friends and I immediately smelled their hostility. We had been playing happily, but in an instant, we all hid, fearing we would be discovered by these humans. I hid in a pile of very tall grass. If they did not look carefully, they would never find me. When they passed the grass where I was hiding, my nose suddenly itched, and I couldn't help but sneeze loudly! The group immediately shouted, 'There is an animal here!' Just as they were about to walk into the grass, my cow mother suddenly walked out. A hunter saw her and shouted in surprise, 'Why is there a cow here!' Other hunters turned their heads and shouted, 'It really is a cow! We've hit the jackpot! We've hit the jackpot!' I was nervous and kept using my heart-language to tell my cow mother, 'Mother! Mother! Why did you come out? Run quickly!' My cow mother still did not run. She told me, 'I am old; I am already an old cow. I won't live more than a year or two anyway; it doesn't matter. You are still young and are a human. Mother hopes you return to the place where you belong. Listen to Mother.' Hearing Mother say this, I couldn't help but cry out loud. The hunters turned their heads again and said in surprise, 'Why is there the sound of a child crying in the grass?' They ran over to look and shouted, 'It really is a child. He looks like he should be twelve or thirteen years old.' At this time, one of the hunters said, 'Have you heard that the old Madam Wang has been looking for her grandson?' Another hunter said, 'You mean that wealthy old Madam Wang?' 'Yes! That old Madam Wang once had a son and daughter-in-law, and a newborn grandson, but a fire took the lives of her son and daughter-in-law. Her daughter-in-law was great; with her last breath, she crossed through the fire to save her child. But when her daughter-in-law's body was found, her grandson was nowhere to be seen. No one knew where her grandson had been taken. Calculating the time now, her grandson should be about twelve or thirteen years old.' Another hunter said, 'This child is so big, yet he is not wearing any clothes, his hair is long to his shoulders, and he is covered in dirt. He looks like he has been living in this jungle. Could it be... that he is old Madam Wang's grandson?' The hunters suddenly showed a strange smile. At that moment, I didn't actually understand the language they were speaking, but my heart was pure and unstained. Even if I didn't understand human language, I could vaguely sense what they were talking about. It was a very natural resonance."

Return to the Human Realm

"The hunters took me and my cow mother out of the jungle. This was the first time in thirteen years that I had stepped out of that forest, and the first time I had seen the human world outside.

The hunters didn't know where they got a tattered piece of clothing for me to wear. I didn't know what it was, nor did I know how to wear it. They had to help me put it on and taught me, 'This is called clothing.' After I put on the clothes, I suddenly couldn't walk. I felt as if my whole body was bound in pain, and I kept twisting my body, wanting to break free from these clothes. The hunters told me, 'It is normal for humans to wear clothes. If you don't wear clothes, you will scare people on the road! Stop twisting; you will adapt soon.' My cow mother said to me from the side, 'Listen to them. They are humans, and they are teaching you how humans live.' I listened to my cow mother and stopped struggling.

The hunters brought me to a house. This was the first time I had seen a house where humans lived. I felt it was very novel and special. The hunter knocked on the door three times, 'Knock, knock, knock,' and shouted into the house, 'Is old Madam Wang here?' Someone in the house responded, and not long after, the door opened. The person who opened the door asked, 'What is the matter with looking for the old Madam?' The hunter said, 'You are the old Madam's personal servant, right? Help us tell the old Madam that we have found her grandson!' The servant showed a very surprised expression, finding it hard to believe. After looking at me, she scratched her head and walked into the house. She had just gone in when she quickly came out and said, 'The old Madam invites you in, come in quickly!'

The hunters also brought my cow mother in, telling her to stay in the courtyard and not to run away. I looked at my cow mother, and she said to me, 'Don't be afraid, Mother is here to protect you.' Hearing that Mother would not leave, I followed the hunters into the house with peace of mind.

I kept looking around. This was the first time I had walked inside a house with a roof and four walls. I didn't know this was called a house, but I felt this thing was even more amazing than a cave, so I looked around with great curiosity."

Reunion and Purpose

"The hunters brought me to the old Madam. The old Madam asked excitedly, 'Where do you say my grandson is?' The hunter immediately pushed me out and said, 'It's him!' The old Madam looked at me in surprise, stood up, walked to me, touched my face, and then immediately burst into tears, saying, 'This is my grandson, no doubt! This scar on his face was cut by a knife shortly after he was born. I will always remember this scar; he is my grandson, no doubt!' Seeing the old Madam's joy, the hunters reached out their hands to her and said, 'Since we helped you find your grandson, shouldn't you give us something?' The old Madam understood what they wanted and immediately called her maid, 'Go inside and prepare some things!' The maid brought out a box full of things I had never seen before. I didn't understand what they were, but the hunters were very happy when they saw them and left contentedly, carrying the box. Before leaving, the hunter remembered my cow mother and turned back to say to the old Madam, 'That old cow in the courtyard is yours! We originally planned to catch it and sell it for money, or slaughter it to eat ourselves; but now, this box is enough for us. We don't want that cow anymore; leave it to the old Madam to handle!' After the hunter finished speaking, he left the old Madam's house.

After the hunters left, the old Madam said many things to me. I could roughly understand what she was saying, but I couldn't answer her with language, nor could I use gestures. Because I had always communicated with the animals in the jungle using invisible heart-language, I was like a wooden person now, without any response.

The old Madam asked her maid, 'Where is the cow that those people mentioned?' As soon as I heard the tone, pitch, and expression, I knew they were talking about my cow mother. I immediately opened my eyes wide and pricked up my ears, wanting to know where they were going to take her. The old Madam noticed my reaction and asked me, 'Does this cow have a relationship with you?' Seeing me trembling with excitement, the old Madam knew the importance of this cow to me, so she told her maid, 'Take the cow to our backyard to graze!' Although my cow mother was standing in the courtyard at a distance, I could still communicate with her using my mind. I told my cow mother, 'Mother! We don't have to be separated anymore!' My cow mother told me, 'It seems this old Madam is your relative; you must listen to her well.'

I was changed into a set of clean clothes, and my hair was tidied up, as if I had become a different person. I ran to the backyard to show my cow mother, and she said, 'You look great! You have finally returned to human life.'

Although the old Madam was old, her body was still healthy. She wanted to understand what kind of life I had lived all these years, but I couldn't speak a word, so the old Madam first taught me to speak and also taught me to call her 'Grandmother.'

Perhaps because I am human, or perhaps because my heart is pure, I learned language very quickly. In less than three months, I could already converse with Grandmother. The first thing I wanted to tell Grandmother was, 'That cow outside is my mother.' Grandmother was very surprised when she heard this. I told Grandmother the whole process of how my cow mother took care of me. Grandmother was filled with gratitude and immediately brought my cow mother into the house, wanting her to have a better environment. But my cow mother told me, 'No matter how luxurious the house is, it is not the best environment for Mother. Only in nature is it the most suitable place for Mother to live. If you force Mother to live in the house, it will be too painful for her.' I could understand what Mother said, because like Mother, I was not used to this environment. I often jumped around in this house, sometimes jumping on the table, sometimes climbing on the walls. I missed life in the jungle; I was so unaccustomed to this house. But my cow mother still told me to learn; I had to get used to this lifestyle, because I am human, and this is the way humans live."

The Bridge Between Worlds

"Every time I told Grandmother the content of the conversations between me and Mother, Grandmother felt it was inconceivable. How could I communicate with a cow so naturally? Grandmother didn't know that I could not only communicate with my cow mother, but I could also naturally talk to all things.

Living in Grandmother's house for less than half a year, strange phenomena appeared in the whole village. Fires often broke out in various places, making people panic. The villagers couldn't find the exact cause and began to suspect, 'Is someone setting fires secretly?' No villager admitted it, and there was no evidence to prove who was setting the fires.

I secretly told Grandmother, 'The successive fires are not caused by someone maliciously setting them; they are caused by the human heart.' Grandmother asked in surprise, 'Why do you know?' I replied, 'The Fire God told me.' Grandmother was surprised, 'The Fire God?' I told Grandmother, 'Not only did the Fire God tell me, but the animals in the forest also told me. The hearts of the villagers are not at peace. In order to compete for water sources with the neighboring village, their hearts have been in a state of unrest. Within this unrest, there is the fire of anger, and the fire of anger has brought about one fire after another. If you want to stop all this, you must let your hearts calm down. If everyone's heart can become calm, then I can discuss with the Wind God and the Fire God not to let the dry grass catch fire again.'

The villagers were willing to listen to what Grandmother said. In order to prevent more fires in the village, the villagers decided not to compete for water sources anymore. When the villagers' hearts calmed down, there were indeed no more fires.

After the villagers knew I had this ability, I became a bridge of communication between the villagers and all things. In particular, the village often had strong winds but little rain, which troubled and worried the villagers. They often communicated with the Wind God, Rain God, Thunder God, and Lightning God through me. I used my inner positive power, combined with the purity of my heart, to summon the Wind God and the Rain God; but I did not yet have enough ability to make them bring heavy rain here, unless the villagers made a vow to stop killing. I was once an animal living in the forest, and I clearly understood that when humans capture and slaughter animals, the intense hatred in the animals' hearts is truly enough to make a grassland burn, or even cause a region to have no rain for years. That is hatred—a very, very deep and profound hatred.

The villagers listened to my words and stopped harming any life. Under my communication, the Wind God blew a strong wind, and dark clouds quickly drifted over the sky, bringing sufficient rain to the village, irrigating this dry land and resolving the long-standing drought in the village."

A Life of Service

"My cow mother left me when I was fifteen. I was very sad. Under Grandmother's guidance, I buried my cow mother according to human funeral rites and erected a monument in front of the grave to express my respect for her. I promised my cow mother that I would live well in the human world.

I once asked Grandmother, 'What is the difference between humans and the animals in the forest?' Grandmother replied, 'Humans are also a kind of animal; there is no difference.' I asked in confusion, 'Then why did my cow mother insist that I return to human life?' Grandmother said, 'Do you feel any difference between living in the forest and living here?' I replied, 'In the forest, I played around every day doing nothing. After returning to the human environment, I have done many things, and I have used my abilities to help many people.' Grandmother said, 'Exactly! You are a human, and you have the ability to save people. Your cow mother was right to let you return, because so many people have been saved because of your help. Isn't this a good thing?' Saying this, I seemed to understand. Perhaps the purpose of being human is to help people?

I took the initiative to follow Grandmother to do good deeds everywhere, because this was my purpose as a human. I gradually tasted the flavor of being human through doing good deeds. It turns out that a person's potential is infinite. As long as I have a kind heart, I can make a vow to help many people.

My life ended at the age of sixty-seven. A light shone on me, guiding my soul into a world of light—that was the Heavenly Palace. The Jade Emperor appointed me as the Wind God, allowing me to continue doing good deeds with the wind. My final stop was here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. I blew a gust of wind, bringing dark clouds to complete my final mission, allowing the Rain God to bring heavy rain to this place.

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo for his great compassion, and I am grateful to Practitioner Su for her compassionate heart, giving us the Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning Gods the opportunity to come here to seek Chao Du. We cherish this immensely.

Namo Amituofo.

Memorial Tablet: The Wind God who came to seek Chao Du for the rain prayer at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, along with the subjects brought by the Wind God and the myriad spirits in the wind, countless in number. Representative: Zhao Shengxiang (Seeking purification, seeking Chao Du)