The Vow That Defied Destiny: The Story of Venerable Huiti

This interview was recorded on March 16, 2019. It features the Venerable Huiti, a practitioner who lived four hundred years ago. Having sought deliverance through the True Teachings, he now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. He shares his story of karmic debt, the power of a sincere vow, and his return to this world to assist Practitioner Su in the noble mission of saving beings.

Venerable Huiti speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Huiti. It has been four hundred years since I walked the earth in that lifetime, yet the memory of my arrival remains as vivid as if it were yesterday. On a night of heavy, blinding snow, my mother endured immense pain, using every ounce of her strength to bring me into this world. She was utterly exhausted, her vitality drained, and the midwife was drenched in sweat from the intensity of the labour. My father held me, his newborn son, and wept with profound gratitude, whispering, 'Thank you, my wife, for bringing this precious child into our lives.' Despite her fatigue, my mother looked at me and smiled, feeling that all her suffering had been worth it. The midwife remarked to my parents, 'This child was meant to be stillborn. I do not know how he survived—it must be a blessing from the Heavens. You must offer your deepest thanks.' My father immediately knelt and kowtowed, 'Thank you, Heavens, for your protection! Thank you!'"

A Dark Omen at the Threshold

"Just then, a sharp, rhythmic 'knock, knock, knock' echoed at the door. A man dressed in black, wearing a black hat, stood there, his face twisted with a terrifying, unnatural fury. 'Who took this child?' he demanded, his voice chilling the air. 'This child harmed me in a past life! In this life, I intended for him to die a miserable death. I never expected someone to interfere! I will certainly return to claim his life!' My father was absolutely terrified by the malevolent energy radiating from this stranger. He slammed the door shut, trembling with fear for my life, shielding me as if his own body could act as a barrier against the darkness.

The next morning, my father searched everywhere, desperate to identify this man. He asked every villager, but no one had ever seen such a person. Most assumed my father had simply suffered a nightmare, but he knew the terror he had felt was real. For six months, he searched in vain, eventually beginning to wonder if he had indeed been dreaming, though the cold dread in his heart suggested otherwise."

The Monk’s Guidance

"One day, a monk came to our door to beg for alms. My father, sensing something auspicious, invited him inside. The monk looked at me as I played on the floor and asked, 'How old is the child?' My father replied, 'He is three years old this year.' The monk looked at me again with deep, piercing eyes and said, 'Remember this: you must ensure this child enters the Buddha’s gate by the age of eight. That is all I can reveal.' My father was deeply grateful for this instruction. Though the monk spoke only one sentence, my father understood the urgency of his message and the gravity of the path ahead.

I was a sickly child. My father spent every penny he earned on my medical care. My illness was strange; I would often cry out suddenly, struggle to sleep at night, and frequently suffer from sleepwalking. My resistance was so weak that I was constantly catching colds, and no treatment seemed to help. After hearing the monk’s words, my father began taking me to the temple to learn the Buddha’s teachings. The monk gave me a string of prayer beads, which I cherished as my most precious treasure. With my tiny fingers, I would count the beads one by one, chanting 'Namo Amituofo' as the monk had taught me. Within weeks of chanting, my health began to improve dramatically. My parents were overjoyed. To repay the Buddha’s grace, they decided to perform more good deeds, introducing the Buddha’s compassion to others and propagating the Dharma through their own actions."

Observing the Cycle of Desire

"Though I was young, the suffering I had endured was immense. Once I experienced the relief that came from chanting, my desire to practice grew stronger. I began to understand the preciousness of the Buddha-name. Whenever relatives visited, I would share the benefits of chanting with them. Seeing my physical transformation, they too began to chant, and upon experiencing the benefits of the Dharma, they naturally developed faith.

My parents never forgot the monk’s instruction: I had to be sent to the temple to practice before I turned eight. With only two years left, they worked tirelessly to help me see through the illusions of the world and settle my heart in the Dharma. They knew that human beings are driven by desires, and they taught me by showing me the world. We observed people from childhood to old age, all chasing dreams and trying to satisfy their endless cravings. In this pursuit, people only grew older and more weary, for greed is bottomless. My mother pointed out a boy of my age who spent vast sums of money on food and play, causing suffering not only to himself but to his parents, who worked themselves to the bone for their only child. His heart remained empty, and his parents lived in endless, hopeless misery.

We saw an uncle who had once been wealthy, but his unbridled desires had squandered his fortune. When his luck turned, he had no merit to fall back on, and he ended up bankrupt and alone, struggling to pay his debts. We saw a man in his twenties who looked forty because he spent his life chasing women, constantly seeking to satisfy his lust, aging prematurely in his pursuit of pleasure. My parents wanted me to see that the world is a cycle of chasing desires that can never be satisfied. I realized that my own heart had been restless, never finding a moment of peace because it was never 'settled' in the Dharma."

The Great Trial and the Vow

"At age eight, I bid farewell to my parents and entered the temple. My heart was finally at peace; I knew this was the path I was meant to walk. However, that same year, I fell gravely ill. Seeing my condition, the monk said, 'Good! Good! This illness has resolved a great karmic calamity. Had you not entered the temple, you would have died at home, for your karmic creditors had come to claim your life. It was your vow to become a monastic that generated the merit to resolve this crisis.' Despite the severity of my illness, I continued to chant. Under the blessing of the Buddha, I recovered within weeks. I emerged from that trial with even deeper faith, dedicating every act of service to the benefit of all beings.

I grew naturally, supported by diligence and anchored by compassion. I did not let a single day pass in vain, cherishing life and seizing every moment to save beings. When my parents saw me, they were moved to tears, knowing that not only had their child been saved, but he was now helping immeasurable beings. My father was eternally grateful to that old monk; had he not pointed the way, I would have surely left this world long ago."

A Call to the Present

"My life became one with all beings, living for them until I passed away after eighty years of practice. I returned to the Western Pure Land, prepared myself, and have now returned to this world to continue the work of salvation. The world today is different from four hundred years ago. The attachments of beings have become as hard as steel, and their ego-consciousness is increasingly reinforced by worldly knowledge. They do not realize that the stronger the 'self' becomes, the more they harm themselves. Even with the Buddha’s teachings available, many remain lost because the Dharma is misinterpreted or treated as a mere ritual for peace of mind, rather than a path for true transformation.

Practitioner Su has returned to propagate the True Teachings, hoping to help people hear the Buddha’s voice, change their destiny, and return to their original, unpolluted purity through chanting Namo Amituofo and seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land. This path of propagating the Dharma is expanding, and more people of noble intent are joining us, united in heart to help all beings. The temple is opening wide to receive immeasurable beings. I am deeply grateful that the Buddha’s compassion resides in this world. Namo Amituofo."

Recorded by the disciple Shi Fa Jing.