This interview was conducted by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on the nineteenth of February, 2026. We invited the spirit of Cai Bentian to share his story so that the world might understand the profound workings of the spiritual realms.
Cai Bentian speaks: Today is a truly significant day for me. I am honoured to accept this interview from the monastics of the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre. I am transmitting this message from the spiritual realms so that it may be shared with all of you. I was once a primary school teacher in Taoyuan. After I passed away, my spirit became bound to the very chalk I used in my daily lessons. It was not a coloured chalk, but a simple, white stick. This piece of chalk held the weight of my life's efforts. I had spent countless hours practising my handwriting, hoping that by writing clearly on the blackboard, I could make learning easier and more enjoyable for my students, especially when they were copying their notes. My hard work eventually paid off, and my calligraphy improved significantly.
The Turning Point of a Wayward Youth
You might wonder how I came to be a primary school teacher. To understand that, we must look back at my middle school years. I remember lying on the grass beneath a pedestrian bridge, gazing up at the vast blue sky, sighing to myself, Another day has passed, how incredibly boring. At that time, I was a student with good grades, but I suffered from a terrible habit: I loved to skip classes. This made me a problematic student in the eyes of my teachers. They held conflicting toward me; on one hand, they hoped I would bring glory to the school with high marks in the major examinations, but on the other, they felt I was unmotivated and constantly breaking the rules. Because my parents were permanent board members of the school, the administration often turned a blind eye to my behaviour. As long as I did not cross the line, they pretended not to see. Consequently, my behaviour grew increasingly outrageous, until I finally reached the point of being expelled.
My parents did not say much about it, but I could see the profound disappointment in their eyes. Fortunately, my teacher at the time stepped forward to vouch for me. He promised that if I could not improve, he would resign from his position. Because he was a veteran teacher with an excellent track record, the school gave me one final chance. Seeing that even my own parents lacked such faith in me, yet a teacher with no blood relation believed I could change, I was deeply moved. My heart was stirred in a way I had never experienced before. He told me, Everyone, on the path of life, needs a helping hand at a critical moment. Because of his words and actions, I resolved to turn over a new leaf. I suddenly had a new goal: to become a teacher who could provide that helping hand to my own students at their critical moments. Later, I truly fulfilled that wish and became a primary school teacher in Taoyuan.
The Chalk Space and the Light of
In my life, I did not do anything particularly extraordinary. Beyond teaching the curriculum thoroughly, I simply offered my students my absolute trust whenever they faced a choice. I truly believed from the bottom of my heart that they could make the right decisions. I knew that what truly saves a person is not some grand gesture, but that simple, pure trust—that quiet belief in their potential. After I became that piece of chalk, my spirit drifted between different sticks of chalk. No matter how things changed, the constant was that my spirit remained trapped within the space of the chalk. I was a chalk stick with a kind heart. Whenever a teacher held me, I would help them naturally think more of their students and, most importantly, help them have more confidence in those students. I spent fifty years in that chalk space.
Recently, a delivery driver carrying a box of us saw a billboard of Namo Amituofo in Taiwan and chanted, Namo Amituofo. Because of that, I was released from the chalk space. When I saw the golden light emanating from the billboard, I was filled with immense . That is how I arrived at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Through the performed by Practitioner Su, who possesses countless Bodies, I entered the within that light.
Reflections on the Universal Principle
While listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I finally understood the terror of the cycle of rebirth and the reality of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. I had been a piece of chalk; if I had not been saved by Practitioner Su and brought to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I do not know what fate would have awaited me. Seeing so many different types of spirits coming to the temple seeking Spiritual Deliverance, I realise that any one of them could have been my destination. Fortunately, I have encountered Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and I no longer need to be reincarnated. I even have the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
I look at the current educational environment and see that while technology develops rapidly—even primary school students now use high-tech products for learning—it is a pity that the cultivation of character and moral foundations has not seen similar progress or breakthroughs. Now, as I listen to the Dharma in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I see the education provided by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This is the teaching given to the masses by Namo Amituofo, and it is truly the education that children today need. Beyond understanding the laws of and cause and effect, it allows them to understand the situations of the spiritual realms and the relationship between the countless beings within the human body. This naturally inspires the learner to seek liberation, to be willing to adjust their own personal ego and selfishness, and to rediscover their original nature, truly saving beings and helping them leave suffering behind.
I am now in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, constantly listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma. I hope that one day, I can be like Practitioner Su—a person who can truly help beings, truly help spirits leave suffering behind and end the cycle of rebirth, and eventually be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
