This is a record of an interview with the 793rd Venerable, Wu Gang, who sought at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life and his journey toward . Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on June 24, 2018.
Venerable Wu Gang speaks:
". I am Wu Gang. After I was born, it was just my mother and me, relying on each other to survive. Every day, I was able to eat delicious food, but I was never satisfied. I would pester my mother for sweets, for fine clothes, and to play like the other children. I even nagged her to see my father. My mother would try her best to fulfil every one of my desires, yet I often found her missing, leaving me alone at home to play.
A Heartbreaking Loss
When I was seven years old, my mother returned home one day, hunched over and clutching her stomach. She told me, 'Mother needs to rest for a while.' Her voice sounded so weak, and I thought perhaps she was just exhausted from the day's work. By nightfall, she was still lying on the bed. My stomach was growling with hunger, so I walked over and shook her body, but she did not respond. I shook her harder, but she remained motionless. I panicked and shouted, 'Mother! Mother!' I touched her face, and it was ice-cold.
I was terrified and cried out, 'This is not how my mother's face should be!' My hands trembled as I reached out to check her breathing, and my legs gave way beneath me. 'Mother! Mother!' She had passed away that night. I held her for three days and three nights, crying until my eyes were red and swollen. I knew I had to bury her, but I was penniless and knew nothing of the world. I had no choice but to carry her on my back, crawling along the ground until I reached a nearby hill. My feet were worn raw and bleeding, but I found a patch of open ground, dug into the earth, and laid her to rest. My skin was torn, but I felt nothing, for the grief in my heart far outweighed any physical pain. I was devastated that my mother was gone forever.
The Truth of Poverty
I returned home and sat in a daze, not knowing how to go on. I opened the rice jar and saw not a single grain. I searched the house over and over, but found no food. Only then did I truly understand the depth of our poverty. The next day, I walked the streets alone and heard women whispering: 'Why have we not seen that beggar woman these past few days? You know, to get a bowl of rice, she would beg everywhere. She would pick up the grains of rice discarded on the ground at the mill, one by one, putting them into her cloth bag until she had enough to cook a bowl. When people saw how pitiful she was, they would share food with her, and she would kowtow in gratitude. She was suffering from a severe illness and could not do heavy labour, and with her husband long dead, she was literally selling her life to raise that child. I have not seen her lately; I wonder if she is alright?'
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I ran to my mother's grave. I kowtowed incessantly, crying out, 'I am an unfilial son! I am unfilial! I did not know my mother's hardships! I am unfilial!' I knelt there, sobbing uncontrollably. Regardless of the changing sky, regardless of the wind and rain, I remained there, repenting to my mother. I knelt for seven days until I collapsed from the cold, unconscious.
A Guiding Light
The warmth on my face awakened me. I saw the blurred figure of a monastic standing before me. I jumped up, calling out, 'Mother! Mother!' The monastic said to me, 'Child, I see your mother is still following behind you on your back; she seems unable to let go. Tell your mother to chant the Buddha's name and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.' I wept and told my mother, 'Mother, please, quickly chant the Buddha's name and follow the Buddha! I will not let you worry about me; please, go in peace!'
Every morning, as thick fog blanketed the mountainside, I had to learn to chop wood. Having never done such manual labour, it took me the entire day to carry the wood back to the temple. By the time I returned, the time for cleaning had passed. Fearing that the Master would smell my stench, I would squat outside the dormitory to spend the night, still holding my axe, ready to head back up the mountain at dawn. To speed up my wood-chopping, I would practice my technique in the middle of the night, using a large log to perfect my speed and form. That is why, in the dead of night, one could always hear the 'tap, tap, tap' of my axe.
The Vision of the Western Pure Land
I improved rapidly. Within a month, I could carry load after load of wood back to the temple before noon. Since I often missed the morning service, I made sure to catch the evening service with the Master. Every evening, I would kneel devoutly outside the main hall, chanting the sutras. Even in the freezing snow, I never missed a session, only leaving quietly once it concluded. I understood that the holy name of 'Namo Amituofo' could absolutely save my mother. Whenever I chanted this name in my heart, I would naturally smell a refreshing fragrance, and the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss would often appear before my eyes.
One night, I entered the main hall alone and knelt before the Buddha, making a vow: 'Buddha! I am an unfilial son. My mother gave her life for me. In this lifetime, I must save my mother. If she can reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I am willing to dedicate my entire life to the , helping the people of this world so that they, too, can return to the West just like my mother.' My mother had been following behind me, but my sincere vow before the Buddha deeply moved her. She realised that her child had grown up, and only then did she truly let go. Suddenly, the Buddha-light appeared, and my mother stepped onto my shoulders, leaping up onto a large golden lotus flower to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
A Life Dedicated to the Dharma
I was so moved that I kowtowed in gratitude: 'I will surely repay the Buddha's grace! I will surely repay the Buddha's grace!' The next day, I told the Master everything that had happened and expressed my wish to become a monastic, begging for the opportunity to contribute to the Dharma. In this life, I used my own life to vigorously propagate the Buddha's teachings. I personally went deep into every village, bringing the Dharma into the lives of every household, hoping only that I would leave no regrets and that every family would have the chance to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. At the end of my life, I returned to the West with many followers and reunited with my mother. I knelt before her, grateful for her nurturing grace in this life, and grateful for the of the Buddha.
For the continuation of the Dharma, I wish to return to the human world to save beings. When Practitioner Su suffered a leg injury, I did not hesitate to leap down and enter her leg to repair the injured area. I understand that in this age of the Dharma’s decline, with the power of Practitioner Su, immeasurable and boundless beings can be saved. To help save the beings of this worldly realm, I am doing my utmost to help Practitioner Su recover.
I am fortunate to follow Practitioner Su's in performing Chao Du. The myriad phenomena of the universe are not something that modern instruments can comprehend; space contains immeasurable and boundless spirits. When I was alive, I did not know the truth of this universe. What I saw was the suffering of human beings, and all I could do was bring the Dharma into every home. Now, through Practitioner Su's Dharma Body, a single Buddha-name can save spirits throughout the entire Dharma realm. I am willing to return to the human world, to practise again, and to learn the ability to perform Chao Du like Practitioner Su, contributing my strength to this worldly realm once more. Grateful for the compassion of the Buddha, Namo Amituofo!"
