The Truth Behind the First Lady's Path

This is a record of an interview with Soong Mei-ling, the former First Lady of the Republic of China, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her life and her journey through the afterlife. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on April 26, 2026.

Soong Mei-ling speaks:

"Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, it is good to see you. I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for leading me to this place ten years ago. I am truly, deeply grateful!"

"I have now been in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss for ten years. It has been twenty-three years since I departed from the human world. If one does the math, it means I spent thirteen long years suffering in the hells. Practitioner Su is absolutely correct in his assessment; when I look back at the political landscape of that era, almost everyone who was involved in politics ended up in hell. Why is this the case? Why is it that in this great 'dyeing vat' of the world, almost everyone is trapped, suffering and struggling in the hells, before finally finding their way to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to reunite?"

A Decade in the Western Pure Land

"Being able to gather here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is, in itself, a tremendous blessing and a cause for profound gratitude. Not many people are afforded such an opportunity. I am so thankful to Practitioner Su for his work in the human world—realising his true nature and attaining Buddhahood, following the footsteps of Namo Amituofo, and leading us suffering beings out of the torments of hell. Today, many members of my own family remain trapped in hell, enduring such intense suffering; it is truly difficult for them to find a way out. My heart is filled with countless emotions, and I feel deep remorse for the sins I committed throughout my long life."

"As the First Lady of the Republic of China, how could I have avoided creating karmic debts? My late husband, President Chiang, passed away many years ago, and he too endured the torments of hell for a very long time. Now, having seen the interview with my stepson, Chiang Ching-kuo, it is clear that he also suffered greatly in those realms."

From Christian Faith to the Truth of the Universe

"Throughout my life, I was a devout Christian. From a young age, I was raised on Christian teachings. While I was aware of the concepts of heaven and hell, I had no knowledge of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Perhaps I had heard the name in passing, but I never gave it any thought; it never entered my heart. To me, the Buddhas of the East and the Jesus of the West were entirely different entities. In my view at that time, I believed there was only one Lord—the Lord Jesus. In the world of Buddha’s teachings, however, there seemed to be so many Buddhas, which made it all seem rather complex. Because I did not understand the underlying meaning, I did not place much importance on the Buddha’s teachings."

"But now, having arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have come to understand the principle that everyone is a Buddha. Upon realising this truth, I was absolutely astonished! I used to believe that the only reality was the one Lord—Jesus and his Father—and that our Lord was the true master of this world. The multitude of Buddhas in the Buddha’s teachings had only served to confuse me. Ha! It is truly laughable now. In the end, I discovered that I, too, am a Buddha, and that everyone is a Buddha!"

"It was only after I truly understood the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way as taught by the Buddha that I was struck with such amazement. I had previously disregarded, and even looked down upon, the Buddha’s teachings. Now, I realise that they are truly profound and mysterious; they are, in fact, the absolute truth of the entire universe. I am filled with such shame—truly, such shame."

I relied on all the good deeds I had performed, and I once believed that I could use my good reputation to justify doing the wrong thing without being condemned by the world. This precisely reveals that deep down, although I was happy to help others, I still harboured a significant amount of selfishness—and this selfishness was not small at all! As this selfishness churned, it grew into something even greater, and the karma I created as a result ended up affecting countless more people.

If I am to be honest with everyone, this selfishness of mine, Soong Mei-ling, was the act of shielding my own family members as they embezzled funds from the national treasury, as well as the massive sums of money provided by the United States to support the Nationalist army at the time.

A Family of Greed and Power

Back then, my brother T.V. Soong and my brother-in-law, the husband of my sister Soong Ai-ling, H.H. Kung, both became key figures in the Nationalist Party under the strong promotion of my husband. My brother-in-law, H.H. Kung, was the Minister of Finance, and my brother, T.V. Soong, was also a prominent figure in the nation's financial and fiscal affairs.

However, in this time of national emergency, while I was acting like an angel on the front lines saving people from suffering, behind the scenes, I turned a blind eye to the corruption of my own family. I did not question them at all, allowing them to grow their wealth and purchase real estate. This was something that was heavily criticised by the public at the time. After all, these hard-won resources were supposed to be used for saving the nation and its people, yet they were twisted and exploited by my family members. They manipulated the accounts so that, on the surface, it appeared the national treasury was stable, but in reality, a portion of the funds was falling into private pockets.

The Blindness of Privilege

I was actually aware of everything at the time, but I tried hard to counsel my husband not to be too harsh on them, or even to take no action against them at all. I was considering things from a worldly perspective and political interest, thinking that they had made huge contributions to the nation's finances. At the same time, in the series of speeches I delivered, I also secured a lot of supplies for China. Comparing the two, I thought that since my family members had contributed so much to the national finances, what did it matter if they embezzled a little bit? I once believed that because of the contributions my family and I made to China's finances—which did indeed move the country toward international standards—such a great contribution should be enough to cover up the little bit of money we had embezzled.

Therefore, because of my selfishness toward my family members since childhood, which was magnified again and again through one incident after another, I eventually became completely controlled by these demon crowds and layers upon layers of karmic creditors. I could no longer turn back. In truth, I knew full well why I allowed such despicable conduct to occur, but I could not let go of the interests of my family or my doting love for my descendants.

The Price of Blood and Life

This led me to desperately prevent my husband from taking any sanctions or arrest actions against them. The sins I created in this regard were truly profound! They embezzled the money of the Chinese people, swept massive amounts of wealth overseas, and even bought themselves grand mansions and other real estate. Yet, I forced my family not to take action against them, especially forcing my husband and my stepson, Chiang Ching-kuo, not to strike at the Soong family. The price paid for this massive error—this inability to distinguish between public and private interests—was the blood and lives of millions. If these massive sums could have been used to save the nation and help the civilians leave their suffering behind, how many people could have been saved!

I was young and full of vigour at the time, and my health was excellent, yet I did not know that parts of my spirit had already gone to the hells to suffer retribution. One of my spirits entered the heart-gouging hell to suffer, because this heart of mine had already gone bad. This heart was selfish, calculating only for my own family, calculating for the pockets of my own kin, and I even went so far as to shield them in their massive embezzlement. This is a sin that can never be repaid!

A Sincere Apology

People look at the glory of my life, but they do not know that for the better part of my years, like many others, I was not in control of myself. On the surface, I looked infinitely glorious, but inside, I was often suppressed by the guilt of the great sins I had committed. Whenever I thought of these past events in my later years, the pain in my heart was indescribable. That was the karma I created; when one's conscience cannot repay it, one truly lives in the shadow of this immense pain for a lifetime.

Soong Mei-ling sincerely apologises to the vast Chinese people here. This apology is genuine and sincere. As the First Lady at the time, I planted such negative causes, which was essentially setting a very bad example for the world. There were many people in China who admired me back then; if they learned from my methods and even put them into action, then I must also bear a portion of the responsibility for the sins they created.

The Weight of Influence

Therefore, the greater the influence a person has, the greater the impact of the karma they create, and the heavier the sins they commit. I am a living example. Although my blessings were enough to sustain me for a lifetime, my frail and sickly physical constitution never changed from beginning to end. My heart often felt gloomy; no matter how strong or arrogant I appeared on the outside, this bitterness in my heart could never be erased.

Later, during the Chinese Civil War, knowing that the Nationalist Party had lost its momentum, I did not choose to return to China but stayed in the United States to accompany my eldest sister. After Mr. Chiang truly retreated to Taiwan, I flew directly from the United States to join him.

I was indeed quite despondent for a long time. I had thought that the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan would usher in a victory for the vast Chinese people. With the support of foreign powers, the most advanced weapons, and manpower superior to the Communists, the Nationalist Party should have had victory in its grasp. But I never expected that we would lose such a vast and beautiful land in an instant.

The Nightmare Continues

When the Nationalist Party retreated to Taiwan, I was sad, but not too sad for the party itself. My desire for power was actually very strong. If I were the First Lady of all China, that would have been an incredibly glorious thing, and I would certainly have had a place on the international stage. However, if the Nationalist Party were merely retreating to Taiwan, such a small island—where the nation was no longer a nation and the home was no longer a home—alas, for me, this was a massive blow.

I never expected that everything I had painstakingly managed, hoping that after the victory I could work peacefully with my husband for the people of all China and enjoy a moment of peace, would turn out to be the opposite. It turns out that this nightmare had only just begun. After returning to Taiwan, I strongly advocated for the recovery of the mainland. But as year after year passed, it became clear that the possibility of recovering the mainland was becoming lower and lower, and I gradually lost hope in the political scene.

Consequently, when I was in my seventies, I did indeed suffer from cancer and other illnesses, which caused my body to suffer greatly. I had been frail and sickly since I was a child, and at this time, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, for which I went to the United States for treatment many times. Later on, I did indeed have instances where my spirits went to the hells to report and suffer.

The Truth of Universal Principles

Relying on my talent and eloquence, I also created quite a bit of verbal karma. To achieve my goals, I would stop at nothing, using my eloquence to the extreme and often speaking untruths. The verbal karma created for the sake of myself and my family's interests, accumulated piece by piece, is also a massive debt of karma! Of course, my husband followed my advice to take certain measures and committed serious errors; his own karma was also something he could not repay. This is one of the reasons why he also went to the hells to suffer.

As a Christian at the time, people might be curious: since I was a devout Christian, how could I have committed such grave sins? This is not because Jesus taught incorrectly, but because I did not listen; I did not truly take the teachings such as

"Throughout my life, this series of errors cast a shadow over my heart, and I was frequently haunted by these memories, suffering deeply within. In an attempt to make amends for the mistakes I had made, I turned to reading the Bible extensively, hoping to find spiritual peace, yet it was always to no avail. I had once assumed that the strength Jesus provided could settle a heart that was both wounded and had wounded others, allowing everything to be eroded and forgotten in the dust of history. However, the truth that 'karmic retribution is never empty' is a reality that truly exists.

The Illusion of Goodness

At the time, I did not believe in the laws of karma and reincarnation. I only believed in the two destinations of heaven and hell after death. Consequently, I actively performed good deeds to compensate for the deficiencies in my heart, hoping to secure a measure of strength for my path to heaven.

After returning to Taiwan, my willpower was indeed much weaker than before, and I no longer possessed that desire to be in the limelight, although the arrogance in my body and mind still remained. To be honest, I was extremely arrogant throughout my life; I would never admit defeat, nor would I ever feel that I was wrong. But this error was carved into my bones. I knew deeply that I had done wrong, yet I never dared to openly admit it, nor was I willing to bow my head before anyone. How I wished that the dust of history could cover up everything I had done, so that the world would never see it.

A Quiet Exile in America

Later, after my husband passed away, I knew clearly that my stepson, Chiang Ching-kuo, was already in firm control of power and had his own ideas for the future of Taiwan. It was not appropriate for me to participate too much in government affairs, nor did I have any qualification to interfere. Therefore, I very sensibly chose to immigrate to New York, USA, to settle down. At that time, I maintained close contact with my eldest sister's family and the Kong family. The properties they purchased locally provided me with a place to stay. Thus, with the help of my family, I settled in the United States and began my long years of retirement.

As for the later years of Soong Mei-ling, perhaps you have heard a little; you know that I lived to be 105 or 106 years old. During these long years, I lived quietly in the United States, maintaining the same hobbies every day—I enjoyed painting, reading the Bible, or participating in some small-scale charitable causes.

The Hidden Burden of Arrogance

However, what I did not tell the world during those long years was that although my mind was very clear and my body was not overly decayed, the pain and suffering in my heart were unknown even to those around me. This stemmed from a life that was half-merit and half-sin, accompanied by my intense personality—that is, my powerful arrogance. Although I had been glorious in my life, deep down I was also very empty and miserable. My personality contained many things hidden deep within that were unknown to the world, the most significant being the selfishness I concealed in the depths of my heart.

From the beginning of my student days, I was accustomed to having my own little calculations. Even later, in various matters both within and outside the country, and within and outside my family, I was very accustomed to striving for my own benefits.

Part of the reason for this was that the most primitive and fundamental education I received from childhood was based on the individualistic ideology of Britain and America. This education taught me to push individualism to the extreme. Although I was a Chinese person with Chinese blood, many of the values and life views in my bones actually originated from everything I learned while studying in the United States. This deep-rooted worship of foreign ideas, as well as a way of thinking based on and oriented toward private interest, permeated my entire life.

A Life of Luxury and Neglect

Although I was influenced by traditional ethical education after returning to China later in life and put in quite a bit of effort to lay a foundation in the Chinese language, all of this remained merely on the surface. In order to cope with various occasions and to have a place in China, I studied the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius, but in my bones, I did not care about all this Eastern thought and traditional culture, nor did I take it to heart. The content I majored in at university, such as English literature and thought, as well as all the hobbies and social activities I pursued, were based on the ideas of European and American people. This also contributed to all the considerations I used in my life, which were entirely based on the standards of everything most advanced and superior in America.

Because of these early habits and the high standards I set for myself, I lived in an environment of extreme luxury throughout my life and could not detach myself from hedonistic thinking. Although the country faced great danger and I had once stepped forward, no matter where I was, I often had to carry many luxury goods with me, and I had attendants following and serving me at all times. The reason I had such a personality was also because I had truly never suffered in my life. Although I saw the suffering of the human world in my later years, I did not take that suffering deeply to heart. To be honest, if I had truly possessed a heart of compassion and could have empathized with the hardships of the civilians, I would not have shielded my family from embezzling such huge sums of money from the state.

A Sincere Confession

Today, Soong Mei-ling is truly speaking to everyone with such sincerity for the first time. This is an open repentance, repenting for my own mistakes. In the past, I would not even dare to think about the consequences of making these things public, because when I was alive, I cared very much about my body, my face, and the noble aura of my life; I could not tolerate having such a bad image. But at this very moment, in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have received the Buddha's grace deeply. I know I must repay the Buddha's kindness, and I know that I only fell into the hells because I had committed sins. I know that even if I say more words of repentance, I cannot make amends for the sins I committed back then, but I will certainly speak with a direct heart.

I hope these words can awaken the vast Chinese people, so they know the truth that 'karmic retribution is never empty,' and know that everything they do, down to the smallest detail, cannot escape the Universal Principles, Truth, and the Right Path. As a Christian, I did not understand the Buddha's teachings in the past, but now, standing before the Buddha, I do not dare to have even a shred of selfishness or hidden intent. Because I know that the karma created in this was very great, and there are simply too many people who have been misled.

The Weight of My Sins

When people were in their most miserable and helpless state, when they needed national support the most, and when the soldiers at the front were fighting in blood and starving until they were nothing but skin and bone, I was in the rear enjoying the best treatment, eating steak, and enjoying the luxurious life of being surrounded by servants. Is this not a sin in itself? I led such a trend, leading everyone toward Westernization, yet I only learned the furor of Western culture—that is, its most glamorous appearance and this heart that craves enjoyment. Such a way of demonstrating the Dharma was truly very inappropriate.

I know that my husband was a very frugal man who lived a very disciplined life. Although he also created quite a bit of negative karma, he truly did not add much enjoyment or luxury to his life. I, however, was the exact opposite. I grew up in a wealthy family, and later married the President of the Republic of China, becoming the First Lady of the Republic of China. Along this journey, I truly enjoyed all the glory and wealth, yet I still created great karma with my own selfishness.

Namo Amituofo, Practitioner Su, I am truly so ashamed! Disciple Soong Mei-ling sincerely apologizes to the vast Chinese people, and also apologizes to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

The Importance of the Heart

Therefore, the 'Dharma of the Heart' spoken of in the Buddha's teachings is truly so important. Throughout my life, because I did not guard this heart of mine, and did not transform this heart into a pure and kind one, I allowed this heart to gradually move toward selfishness step by step amidst the baptism of the vicissitudes of time. When selfishness became heavier and heavier, I was unable to turn back. I had once held a good intention in doing many things, but because of the selfishness I mixed in, all the good I did was merely a tiny bit of Blessings, only extending my lifespan and my glory and wealth in the human world. This small bit of Blessings was completely unable to allow my spirit to grow, to be reborn in the Western Pure Land and transcend the three realms, or to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss as I am now.

All of this is to be grateful for the great kindness of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. With great compassion, Soong Mei-ling has today been able to deliver this speech to the Chinese people. Putting in the work from the heart is truly so important; everyone must take this as a warning!

The story of my life is that of a heart moving from purity to selfishness, from Goodness to evil, pushing myself step by step into the abyss of hell, and letting the vast masses of people suffer and endure hardships with me. If I could have realized this earlier and known the direction of my heart, perhaps there would have been a turning point; but one wrong step led to every step being wrong. As for having the chance to tell everyone all of this decades after my death, I feel very satisfied in my heart at this moment. Being able to say it out loud has truly made me feel much more at ease. Although I have lived happily in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss for fourteen years, feeling very pure, peaceful, and beautiful, looking back at the karma I created, I cannot help but feel shame and repentance. I also make a vow that I must succeed in my studies in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and one day I can return to the human world to make amends for the karma I created. But for now, it is truly not yet the time.

During these long years in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have also often looked back at the human world, especially watching everything Practitioner Su has done in the human world, which truly makes me admire her very much! Practitioner Su is a lay practitioner, a woman just like me. At the time, I thought I was very powerful in the world of women, and thus I was full of arrogance. Looking back at Practitioner Su silently doing so many things that benefit all beings in the ten directions in the human world, yet still working hard and diligently in obscurity, never saying how amazing she is, and even more so, never having a heart of arrogance—this is the true Buddha-heart, the true heart that helps people! Seeing all this, Soong Mei-ling feels ashamed, so much so that I dare not even lift my head, which is very different from my past posture.

Namo Amituofo."

The work that Practitioner Su has accomplished in the human world over the past decade has truly shifted the magnetic field of our world in profound ways. While the human body may not be able to perceive these changes, from my vantage point here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, looking back upon the world, I can see it with absolute clarity. The transformation within this vast magnetic field is truly immense! That field, which was once so incredibly selfish, so filled with malice, and so saturated with suffering, has gradually been cleansed, diminished, and weakened through the vast and continuous Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su. In particular, the Chao Du that Practitioner Su has conducted across the vast expanse of mainland China is a monumental feat. It is something that future generations must commemorate and understand; this matter must be made public to the world.

The Complexity of the Spiritual Realms

The world must be made to understand just how densely packed and incredibly complex the spiritual realms truly are. Because Practitioner Su has realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood, and with the assistance of Namo Amituofo, he has established the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This has provided the opportunity for countless, immeasurable, and suffering spirits to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature, where they can receive purification and the chance to study the Buddha’s teachings. One day, as long as they continue to chant Namo Amituofo, they too will be able to arrive here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, just as I have.

How many people in the human world could possibly believe in such an inconceivable reality? In my time, I certainly would not have believed it; I would have dismissed it all as mere superstition. As a Christian, I only knew that Jesus was supreme, that the Lord was supreme. I had never considered that the equality spoken of in the Buddha’s teachings is what truly aligns with the universal principles, the Truth, and the Right Path. This sense of equality allows me to live here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss with such profound peace of mind. Because there is equality, there is no discrimination. Only in a society free from the heart of discrimination can we hope to eliminate jealousy, hatred, and love, and end the cycle of struggle and competition. Only then can the world develop in stability, and only then can people grow in an environment of harmony and inner peace.

The Battle Against the Pandemic

I have seen the power of Practitioner Su’s Chao Du skills with my own eyes. During the global lockdowns and the immense suffering caused by the pandemic in recent years, the interference from the forces of the Demon Realm and the spiritual realms was truly overwhelming. We watched it all unfold. Practitioner Su broke through his physical limits time and time again to save these pandemic demons, allowing the pandemic to finally be mitigated and brought to a close. The number of deaths and injuries was significantly reduced, a fact that fills me with the utmost admiration.

People may not understand the underlying reasons for this, but from my perspective, it is undeniably because Practitioner Su, carrying the supernatural power of Namo Amituofo and with the collaborative assistance of Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, was able to achieve the stable and peaceful situation we see today. The people of the human world must clearly recognise these truths. Believe in the Buddha, believe in Practitioner Su, and believe in everything that the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia has done—it will be of immense help to you all! It is a great pity that I did not know the Buddha’s teachings during my life. However, given my age, I might never have encountered the work Practitioner Su is doing. Being here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, watching all of this unfold, I feel a sense of relief and joy for the vast number of people—the people of China and, indeed, the people of the world.

A Journey Through the Hells

Although I lived a life of prestige in my later years, the suffering in my heart was never erased. It was not until I was nearly one hundred and six years old, when I passed away peacefully at home following a bout of pneumonia, that my life came to an end. Everything appeared beautiful, and a period was placed at the end of my life’s story, but my spirit was soon cast into the hells to suffer retribution. At that time, I cycled through several different hells. In addition to the heart-gouging hell I mentioned before, I also spent time in the brain-gouging hell. Because I had spent my life thinking only of myself, planning and scheming for my own benefit and the enjoyment of my family, all of that karma eventually returned to me.

I was cast into the hell of freezing ice because the cold, unfeeling heart I possessed had caused immense suffering to countless innocent civilians. Even while knowing the pain I caused, I remained obstinate in my ways. This was the retribution I deserved. Although the time I spent suffering was not as long as it was for others, the dozen or so years I endured in the hells were still incredibly painful and unbearable. Every single minute and every single second was spent in immense agony. In the hells, I truly repented for my sins. Although there was no way to undo what I had done, I was willing to accept it all.

Deliverance and the Path Ahead

It was not until one day, when Practitioner Su was chanting Namo Amituofo, that the gates of hell were thrown wide open and a great light shone through. Only then was I guided to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. At that time, I was at what is now the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia—formerly known as the Australia Hsiang Kuang Buddha Chanting Hall. During a 'Celebrity Day' event, as one of the 'celebrities' present, I was granted the opportunity to go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I am filled with gratitude! Namo Amituofo! I am so grateful to Practitioner Su! In my heart, Soong Mei-ling feels infinite gratitude, but also infinite shame. Throughout my life as a Christian, I did not believe in the Buddha’s teachings, yet I still possessed the Buddhist affinity to arrive at this place. This is the true Buddha-land. At that moment, I felt a sense of peace and serenity in my heart—a feeling of being truly at ease that I had never experienced before. The Buddha embraced all the sins I had committed and told me, 'You are a Buddha; everyone is a Buddha.' There were no more attachments to the past. I know that this karma still exists, and there are still many sentient beings with karmic affinity waiting in suffering for an opportunity. I have also made a vow to practice diligently here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss until I attain Buddhahood, so that I may save these immeasurable and boundless sentient beings and bring them back here.

A Final Plea for the Future

My current power is not yet sufficient to return to the human world to save beings, but I will certainly settle my heart and seize every minute and every second to practice diligently here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Having the opportunity to be interviewed by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre now fills me with such joy. Being able to make public all the good and evil I have done serves as a reminder to the world. I want to tell everyone that the Buddha’s teachings are truly the 'technology of technologies.' Everyone must take the time to truly understand this precious land, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. In this lifetime, follow the footsteps of the Buddha and change your own personality; only then will you be able to return to this beautiful Buddha-land.

Looking at the next generation, I feel a deep sense of emotion. It was because my own heart had become corrupted that my life was filled with such suffering. Today’s people, especially those in China, have not been nurtured by the Buddha’s teachings for a long time. Under the long-term suppression of religion, many people’s hearts are filled with the pollution of selfishness, or they commit sins in the name of self-protection. Some may be aware of this, while others may not. Those who are unaware continue to make mistakes without knowing it, believing they will not be subject to the laws of karma and cause and effect. People truly do not understand this kind of spiritual suffering, and the consequences of this ignorance are severe—they do not know they are suffering, nor do they know that other beings are suffering. They continue to commit the same mistakes, and thus, they must continue to cycle through samsara according to their karma.

Many people suffer from terminal illnesses and eventually end up in the hells to suffer retribution; this is a common occurrence. The strange and varied illnesses that the people of China suffer from are proof of the strange and complex nature of their hearts. The karma they have created is what attracts these incurable and unidentifiable diseases. All of this is 'heart-sickness.' If people could realise this and adjust from the heart, changing from within, they would not have to go through the painful process of birth, aging, sickness, and death. I, Soong Mei-ling, now in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, have made a vow to follow the footsteps of the Buddha and practice for all eternity. I hope that one day the people of China will truly come to know the Buddha’s teachings and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, allowing the Buddha’s teachings to flourish once again in China. This is especially important for the precious island of Taiwan, where the people still hold the Buddha’s teachings in their hearts, supported by decades of deep-rooted Buddhist education. Therefore, I believe that if everyone on this land can sincerely propagate the Buddha’s teachings, it will surely bring long-term benefits to the people of Taiwan and allow the true Buddha’s teachings to remain permanently on this precious island. I believe that both sides of the strait will become key regions for the propagation of Buddhist education in the future. Although I cannot participate with a physical human body, I can still offer my humble opinion for everyone’s reference.

Thank you all, and thank you to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving me this opportunity to repent!

Namo Amituofo

Soong Mei-ling