The Vow of a Thousand-Year Soul

This is a record of an interview with Yin Lai, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,328 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on November 25, 2019.

Venerable Yin Lai speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. At the very moment I was executed, my heart remained focused on chanting Namo Amituofo. I chanted with such purity, such steadfastness, that I completely forgot myself. Even though I was enduring immense physical agony, I had let go of everything entirely, feeling nothing but the singular, burning desire to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Thousand-Year Wait for a Human Body

The wind was howling violently, whipping up dust and sand until it filled the air. If I did not shield my eyes with my hands, I truly could not have kept them open. Even so, I could not stop my feet; I had to keep moving forward. Before my mission was complete, my feet would never know rest.

When I was still in my mother's womb, I could already feel the deep anxiety within her heart. Her blood flowed with such rapid intensity that it caused me to be constantly compressed by her womb. Having waited a thousand years to attain this human body, I could not simply give up. I held on with all my might, enduring the turmoil. No matter how restless and uneasy my mother became, I struggled to remain calm, for my only goal was to be born safely into this world. Yet, in the end, I could not withstand the external forces encroaching upon me. A violent impact made it impossible for me to remain in her womb any longer, and my mother no longer had the strength to protect me. After several hours of excruciating torment, I arrived in this world prematurely, long before the ten months of gestation were complete.

Raised by a Mother Dog

I slid rapidly from the birth canal and landed on the cold, muddy earth. Before I could even open my eyes, my breath was already fading to a mere whisper. The biting wind blew, causing my body to tremble violently as my temperature plummeted. I was on the verge of taking my final breath when, suddenly, my body was tightly enveloped. It was not a blanket, but a warm, furry body. My temperature gradually returned, and my life was, against all odds, sustained. The one who saved my life was not my mother, but a mother dog. She licked my body with such tenderness, cleaning away the blood. When I cried out in hunger, she allowed me to drink her milk, treating me exactly as if I were one of her own puppies.

The mother dog would often forage, bringing back meat for her litter. These puppies would eat anything—rabbit, chicken, or even rat. As long as it was meat, the mother dog would bring it back to feed her young. But no matter what she brought, I would not take a single bite. The mother dog tried again and again, until finally, she understood: only when she bit off wild grass from the roadside and offered it to me would I be willing to eat. Thus, every day, aside from drinking the dog's milk, I survived on wild grass. Even though the environment was harsh and I was but an ignorant infant, the will to survive in my subconscious was stronger than that of any ordinary person. Deep within my spirit, I understood clearly: this human body is not easily obtained. If I did not cherish it now, when would I ever have another chance?

A Sudden Rescue

"Look! How can there be a human infant among that pack of dogs?" a passerby shouted loudly. Everyone rushed over to see, discussing the sight in utter astonishment: "It really is a human baby! How could he be living with those dogs?" The group consisted of seven or eight people, all of whom were terrified by my appearance. Because every movement I made, including the sounds of my crying, was no different from a dog's, I seemed like nothing more than a dog wearing human skin. One of them said anxiously, "This child has nothing to do with us. We must run! The government soldiers are closing in!" Another argued, "No! We cannot leave him! He is so small; he will surely die without care! Let us take him with us." Some agreed, while others insisted, "Do not bring trouble upon yourselves!" They argued back and forth, but in the end, they snatched me away from the mother dog. She fought desperately to protect me, baring her teeth and growling with fierce intent to attack, but she was no match for the strength of humans. She could only watch helplessly as I was carried away.

I was held in their arms as they ran, dodging government soldiers until they found a desolate, uninhabited place where they could finally rest. These seven or eight young men were all unmarried, let alone prepared to care for an infant. My cries of hunger left them in a state of complete panic. I had instantly become a burden to them. In order to continue their uprising, they decided to secretly leave me at the doorstep of a house. They had observed the household for several days and felt the woman inside was a kind soul, hoping she would provide me with the care I needed.

The Kindness of a Stranger

The cold wind outside the house chilled me to the bone, and I began to cry loudly. The woman inside heard my wails, immediately opened the door, and saw me lying on the ground, sobbing. She scooped me up at once, exclaiming, "What a poor, pitiful child! To be abandoned on the ground in such freezing weather—the world has truly fallen into chaos when even one's own flesh and blood can be discarded! This child is suffering for no reason." With a heart full of compassion, she held me close and hurried inside to feed me a bowl of warm milk—fresh goat's milk she had just milked. Under her meticulous care, within a few months, I began to put on weight. I was no longer a withered, thin infant, but had grown plump and adorable. This woman became my foster mother. She had never married or had children of her own, and with no other relatives, she lived alone on the vast grasslands, keeping only a few goats for company.

Although my foster mother was illiterate, she was a woman of immense kindness. Her temperament was cheerful, her nature free and easy, and she made it her life's mission to help others. Because of this, she cultivated many good affinities, and everyone who knew her loved her company. When the local people learned that she had found a child at her doorstep, they all came to visit out of curiosity. Some remarked, "This child looks so strange; why does his spirit and mannerism seem so much like a dog?" Others countered, "No, no, look at his forehead—it is full and broad, and his ears are long and large. He must be a child of great blessings!" They discussed me with great enthusiasm, fascinated by this sudden new face. My natural, innocent smile was so endearing that they would visit my foster mother's home time and again just to see me, finding a sense of peace and joy in my simple, childlike happiness.

I ran freely across the grasslands, humming the nursery rhymes my foster mother taught me. Every day was spent in carefree happiness, as if, amidst that era of turmoil and unrest, I had found a small sanctuary of peace upon those plains.

However, such days did not last long. The people lived in extreme poverty, yet were forced by the government to pay exorbitant taxes. No matter how they pleaded with the officials, they were turned away time and again. Eventually, the people could no longer survive, and regardless of the risks to their lives, they began to rise up in protest. Many rebels were captured and taken away, but for every group taken, another would rise in its place. Everyone was simply struggling to stay alive, while they watched the government officials live in decadence, utterly indifferent to the suffering of the common people. Under such conditions, the resentment and injustice within society grew ever more intense, naturally leading to chaos. The sounds of rebellion echoed everywhere, and the hearts of the people were filled with anxiety and fear."

Namo Amituofo.

When I was twelve, I became a wanted criminal. I did not understand why I had become the scapegoat for all the rebels. No matter how my foster mother pleaded for me, the soldiers were heartless and determined to drag me away. To protect me, she disregarded her own safety, confronting the soldiers and even taking all the blame for the crimes upon herself. I could not understand why she would do such a thing. I asked her, 'Mother, this clearly wasn't your doing. Why tell the officials that it was? Don't you know that doing this will lead to you being thrown into a dungeon and tortured?' She replied, 'Of course I know, but have you seen how the civilians have been living these past few days? If life were not truly unbearable, no one would want to rebel like this and live in such anxiety and fear. Now that I have come forward to take the blame, these poor people will not have to suffer in vain, and you will not be dragged away as a scapegoat. As long as you grow up well, it doesn't matter what happens to me.'

The Courage of Self-Sacrifice

I cried and begged my foster mother not to do it; I could not bear to watch her suffer. Yet, she calmly told me, 'If it is not me suffering today, it will be other civilians. If my actions can buy even a moment of stability for them, then everything I have done is worth it.' I knew that no matter what she encountered or what her own situation was, she would always put others first. This was how she had taught me since I was young. She once used a metaphor to educate me: 'Even if you are reduced to skin and bone, if you see someone next to you starving to their last breath, you must still, without hesitation, take a knife and cut off your own flesh to feed these poor people.' That was how she taught me. She could disregard her own life to help others, as if her body existed solely to serve those in need. I constantly strove to learn this heart of courage and fearlessness, yet I could never quite master her selflessness. At that moment, seeing my distress over her taking the blame, she scolded me loudly: 'I have taught you before: even if everyone else hides at the back to protect their own families, you must be the warrior who, regardless of the cost, bravely jumps into the fire pit to save others! If you lack that selfless heart to help, even if you live in this world for a hundred or a thousand years, it has no meaning or value!'

A Mother's Final Command

I understood all her teachings, but in that moment, I truly could not bear for her to do this. I told her, 'I would rather it be me who dies, not you! Mother, let me take the blame for everyone!' Hearing this, she became even angrier and shouted to stop me: 'So many people are living in a sea of fire. I want you to live because you are still young, and you can save these poor people. I am already old and do not have much time left. One must preserve those who are useful. You must live, and use all your strength to save these suffering civilians! Only then will my care for you over these years not be in vain! If you are truly filial, listen to me and do as I say. Go! If even you die, then this play has been performed for nothing! You must at least save some people! Go!' I was forced by her to leave. Before I did, I looked back at her several times before running quickly away from the place that was about to be surrounded by soldiers.

I kept running and running. To stay alive, I did not dare to stop for even a moment, because I knew that this life was no longer lived for myself. I still had to save all those who were suffering, so I could not die easily. There were so many lives waiting for me to rescue them!

The Narrow Escape

The sound of the soldiers' horses drew closer. It seemed they knew I had escaped and were searching everywhere for me. I quickened my pace, desperately telling myself, 'No matter what, I must survive!' Just as I was about to continue running, I suddenly saw the figures of soldiers ahead. I stopped immediately, not daring to move forward, but behind me, other soldiers were rapidly catching up. I had no path forward and no path back, standing there in a dilemma. Suddenly, a soldier shouted, 'That little brat is over there! I told you he couldn't run far! Catch him!' At that moment, I kept telling myself, 'To save people, I cannot die! To save people, I cannot die!' But if I were captured by the soldiers, I would certainly face death. I had no time to deliberate, so I had no choice but to slide down the foot of the mountain on the right. It was my only option. Whether I lived or died, I had to leave it to fate, but in my heart, I did not abandon the mission of saving others. As long as I could live, I would save people!

Seeing me roll down the mountain, the soldiers assumed I could not possibly survive and did not continue the pursuit. I rolled down from the top of the mountain continuously. My clothes were torn to shreds, and my body was covered in wounds. My speed increased until I finally slammed into a giant boulder. I used my remaining strength to open my eyes, only to see my blood staining the rock. I felt a hot, wet sensation on my head, and when I reached up to touch it, my hand was covered in blood. At that moment, I still told myself, 'I want to save people, I want to live!' But my body could no longer obey me, and I fainted.

A Ray of Hope

My life was indeed meant to end; I was destined to be short-lived from birth, having survived only through my own strong willpower. This was my second brush with death. I did not know if the Grim Reaper would force me to leave this world. While my spirit and body were not yet fully separated, I vaguely heard someone say to me, 'A good heart, good deeds, and the heart to save others can extend one's life.' I wanted to see clearly who was speaking to me, but after a darkness fell before my eyes, I lost consciousness completely.

Sounds began to enter my ears, and I woke from my stupor. Slowly opening my eyes, I immediately felt intense pain throughout my body. It was not just the pain of skin wounds; all my bones felt as if they were cracking. I let out a cry: 'It hurts so much!' Suddenly, someone walked quickly toward me and said, 'You're finally awake! How do you feel now? Do you need any help?' I could not react immediately. I coughed dryly and said, 'Could you give me a cup of warm water? I am thirsty.' The kind person hesitated for a moment, held a cup of warm water for me, and asked, 'Do you need me to help you?' I shook my head and prepared to reach out to take the water. Suddenly, I froze completely. I opened my eyes wide and looked at this person. His expression told me, 'It has already happened.' I shouted, 'Where are my hands?' He said with a grave expression, 'That day in the mountains, we encountered a heavy rain and had to stop to take shelter. Just as we were looking for a place to hide, we were shocked to see someone lying next to a giant boulder, soaked through. We ran up quickly to see if you were dead or alive. Fortunately, you still had one breath left. We braved the heavy rain to bring you here. After the doctor's diagnosis, your hands were already severely inflamed and festering. If we did not amputate them, your life would be in danger. We had no choice; to keep you alive, we had to sacrifice those hands to save your life.' Hearing this, I remembered everything that happened that day—how I had slid down from the mountain top to escape the soldiers. I looked at my body again; it was covered in severe wounds, and my head, which had suffered a heavy impact, was still throbbing with pain. But I told myself, 'As long as I can live to save others, no matter how great the injury, I can accept it.'

The King of Mantras

When I let go of my own suffering, I realized that a group of people nearby was chanting a song. I asked this person, 'What are they chanting?' He told me, 'Everyone is chanting the holy name of Namo Amituofo.' I asked in confusion, 'What is that?' He told me, 'As long as you hold the name without interruption, you will attain rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.' I did not understand what he was saying at all. Seeing my confusion, he sat down to explain it to me. After hearing his explanation, I felt as if I had seen a ray of hope! In this chaotic era, no one could still hold a book of mantras and chant them one by one. But if one could chant this holy name of Namo Amituofo at any time, one could attain liberation! That would truly benefit the vast masses; it is truly the king of mantras, the supreme mantra that can eliminate all suffering!

Once I found this method to save people, I relied on my strong willpower to recover as quickly as possible so that I could save others from suffering sooner. Under my powerful vow, even though the wounds on my body were still bleeding, I endured the pain and worked hard to train my feet and my mouth, wanting to use everything I still possessed to compensate for the loss of my hands. I practiced day and night. In a very short time, I learned to use my feet to hook the items I needed and my mouth to pick things up. Sometimes, I could even use my remaining stumps to clamp lighter objects under my armpits. I exerted the maximum function of everything I still had, whether it was my Six Roots or my feet, just to adapt to the changes in my body and use a brand-new body to save others.

What changed was my body; what remained unchanged was my heart to save others. I persisted in my mission to save people, working toward it at every moment. I kept the name of Namo Amituofo constantly in my heart. When I chanted the Buddha-name with a pure heart, free from distractions, I could feel the Buddha-light warming and shining upon me, healing my wounds. At that moment, I was even more convinced that this was truly the great Dharma for saving people. The Buddha is truly by our side at every moment; as long as one has faith, sincerity, and a pure heart, one can respond to the Buddha at any time. Namo Amituofo.

"I truly do not understand why, even though I had committed no crime, the government soldiers were so relentless in their pursuit of me. After my body had mostly recovered, I ventured out onto the streets, only to discover the truth: my background had been exposed. My biological father was a leader who had incited a civil uprising. Someone had secretly informed the officials that he had a son, and so the authorities began tracking my movements with even greater intensity, fearing that I would grow up to lead a rebellion just like my father. When I realised this, I made a resolute decision. I picked up a blade and slashed it across my face. Even as the blood streamed down, I felt absolutely no pain. I wanted to use this scar to destroy my appearance, to ensure the officials would never recognise me as that child. Only in this way could I continue to use this body to save others. It worked—the scar made me completely unrecognisable. Even as I walked through the streets, no one realised that I was the person whose portrait was plastered on the public notice boards, a wanted criminal marked for arrest."

The Path of Secret Deliverance

"I began my mission to save people wherever I went. Whenever I saw those living in hardship, I would secretly teach them to chant Namo Amituofo, helping them understand that chanting the Buddha-name is the path to liberation. Gradually, more and more people began to believe in the Buddha. Sometimes, I would gather them in a small hermitage to deliver Dharma talks. After listening to the teachings, everyone would find peace of mind and body, allowing them to chant the Buddha-name with even greater focus and sincerity."

The Ultimate Sacrifice for the Dharma

"The more chaotic society became, the more I had to maintain the stillness and purity of my heart. Only when I was at my most pure could I exert the greatest power to deliver sentient beings. However, in the sixth year of my Dharma-spreading mission, the hermitage was discovered by the authorities. To protect every single practitioner, I endured being beaten until my skin was torn and my flesh was shredded. Even when my legs were sawn off, I refused to reveal the names of those who had been practicing with me. I did this solely so that they could continue to chant Namo Amituofo in peace and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. At the very moment of my execution, my heart was still chanting Namo Amituofo—purely, steadily, and with such focus that I had completely forgotten myself. Despite the immense agony, I had let go of everything and felt nothing; my heart was set solely on rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The moment I drew my last breath, the Buddha-light suddenly appeared. The Buddha truly manifested before me, compassionately reaching out to lead me. With that single Buddha-name, I was instantly reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am eternally grateful for the Buddha's compassion."

The Boundless Power of Practitioner Su

"The Buddha's teachings are vast, deep, and immeasurable. A single Buddha-name, depending on one's level of practice, can manifest different energies. The height of one's spiritual attainment lies entirely within one's own heart. When the heart is filled with compassion and the mind-capacity is vast and expansive, one's spiritual realm naturally becomes infinitely profound. Practitioner Su has already realised the Dharma Body; in this world, one could say she is a living Buddha. She can use her Dharma Body to deliver all beings throughout the Ten Directions of the Dharma Realm. Countless spirits throughout the universe can receive the deliverance of Practitioner Su and attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Even though Practitioner Su has already mastered such profound skills and can travel freely between the Western Pure Land and this worldly realm, she remains diligent and tireless every single day, all for the sake of expanding her capabilities to save more sentient beings."

A Life Dedicated to All Beings

"Living in this world, she does not live for herself. Her life's work is not for her own benefit; the suffering she endures is the suffering she takes on for the sake of all beings. Practitioner Su manifests in the human world to demonstrate the true practice—a practice rooted in a heart of great compassion that exists only for the sake of others. For the sake of sentient beings, she is able to let go of everything in this world that one should not cling to. Her heart rests entirely in the stillness and meditative concentration of the West, allowing this physical body to fully exert its power to deliver beings. Every single cell of hers is a golden lotus of deliverance, benefiting the vast and boundless multitude of spirits."

"I am deeply grateful for Practitioner Su's compassionate salvation of the world."

"Namo Amituofo."

"This interview record was written by the chief writer, Buddhist disciple Shi Fajing."