The Vow to Deliver All Sentient Beings

This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Sun Dejiang, who sought Chao Du 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 and spiritual journey. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on July 17, 2018.

Venerable Sun Dejiang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Sun Dejiang. Ever since I was born, my parents left me in the care of my grandmother while they went to work in the city. She was a devout practitioner of the Buddha’s teachings.

The Lessons of the Great Tree

My grandmother was the most important person in my life. I followed her guidance with absolute devotion; if she said one, I did one. If she said two, I did two. I never had an opinion of my own. When I was seven years old, my greatest joy was to climb a massive tree in our village. I could sit or lie on its branches, feeling completely at ease. It was never boring, for beneath that tree, the dramas of the world played out every single day. I would watch with curiosity and return home to recount everything I had seen to my grandmother.

One day, I told her, 'There is an old woman who sits under the tree every day wearing a bamboo hat. She sits there for such a long time, as if she is waiting for someone to appear.' My grandmother nodded and said, 'Her son died in an accident thirty years ago, and she has never been able to let go of her grief. She has been waiting for him to return for thirty years, every single day.' She continued, 'Sentient beings in this worldly realm are burdened by heavy emotions; those who cling to these feelings must suffer. This woman’s attachment to her son is so deep that it causes her immense pain.' She hoped that by witnessing this, I would awaken to the truth: in this world, if you invest your heart in emotional attachments, you will spend your life paying the price for them. When the person you love is separated from you, you are destined to taste the bitterness of parting. I nodded, finally understanding.

The Thief and the Beggar

On another day, I reported, 'Today, a thief stole silver from a wealthy family. He ran to our tree with a black bag full of gold and jewels, pouring them out and admiring his ill-gotten gains with such joy.' My grandmother shook her head. 'Stealing is wrong. That man has hands and feet, yet he is lazy and chooses to steal from others. He has planted negative causes and will surely reap evil consequences. Even a crime the size of a sesame seed brings retribution, let alone theft.'

Then, there was the day I told her about the old beggar. 'He sat under the tree to escape the heat, holding a broken bowl with only two or three mouthfuls of sour, rotting rice. He cherished it, eating it grain by grain with such satisfaction. A young beggar approached and asked for a share. I thought the old man would be reluctant, but he gave away his last mouthful without a moment's hesitation. When the young beggar smelled the sour rice, he threw the bowl onto the ground in disgust. The old man immediately knelt, picking up the grains one by one, even those covered in dirt, stuffing them into his mouth, unable to bear wasting a single grain.' My grandmother told me, 'That old beggar has a vast heart. Even with only his last meal, he was willing to give. He knows how to cherish what he has. His mind-capacity and his Goodness will surely transform his karma.'

A Vision of Suffering and a Great Vow

My grandmother looked at me and said, 'So many life stories perform before you, clear and true. With your wisdom, Dejiang, you should awaken. Life is nothing more than this performance. Look as you might, no one is truly happy, because the desires and needs of this physical body force the heart to endure all kinds of suffering. Dejiang, I see that you have the capacity to help beings. You should make a vow to save them. If you set your heart on this and seek the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they will surely respond and guide you to a path of light.'

Her words were etched into my mind. That day, I sat under the tree in deep contemplation, wondering what kind of vow I should make to help these poor people. As I pondered, I fell asleep. In my dream, I walked into a thick, misty fog. At first, it was dark, but then images began to appear. I saw a group of emaciated spirits, starving and desperate for food, yet unable to consume anything. I saw the hells, where immeasurable and boundless ghosts awaited punishment—their eyes gouged out, their hearts torn away, their bodies ripped apart, or thrown into boiling oil. It was unimaginably painful. I saw these tortured souls, after their sentences ended, mostly reincarnated into the animal realm—cows, sheep, horses, camels, dogs—all of them were these very spirits. I had never known these things before, but the dream revealed it all with chilling clarity.

In the final scene, I saw my past life. I was tall, with a dignified appearance, wearing a kasaya, kneeling on a cliff and making a grand vow: 'In this life, I live for sentient beings. Their suffering is my suffering. When they suffer, my heart feels as if it is being sliced by knives, and my body feels as if it is being burned by fire. I must save these suffering beings and lead them back to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, where they can be liberated from all birth and death.' Tears welled in my eyes. Upon waking, I knelt on the ground and prayed, 'Dejiang now understands the suffering of beings. I am willing to dedicate my life to saving them. May the Buddhas compassionately bless me.'

A Final Farewell and a Life of Propagation

When I returned home, I found my grandmother lying on her bed, dressed neatly, holding her prayer beads. I wanted to speak to her, but as I approached, I realised she had peacefully departed this world. My heart was filled with reluctance, but seeing her auspicious signs, I knew she had achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This was a joyous event—she had been liberated from the cycle of rebirth. I knelt beside her, thanking her for all the years of care. I vowed that I would spend my life delivering sentient beings so that I might eventually reunite with her in the West.

I grew from a young boy playing in a tree into a dignified monk. Over the decades of my practice, I returned to that tree to propagate the Buddha’s teachings. Many of the poor people I had seen there as a child became my followers. I remember the old beggar most vividly. When I returned, he was so old he could barely walk. I told him to chant the Buddha’s name and seek rebirth in the Western Land. Though he was poor, his heart was vast. Even as he struggled to move, he continued to spread the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo,' hoping that everyone who heard it could be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I spent my life propagating the Buddha’s teachings, leading beings to chant together. Fifty years passed in the blink of an eye. During those fifty years, countless beings heard the scriptures, understood the importance of liberation from birth and death, and sincerely chanted the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' to leave suffering behind and achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Reach of the Holy Name

Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body performs Chao Du, flying throughout the entire Milky Way. The planets within the galaxy vary in size, each with its own unique and changing characteristics. The magnificence of the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' can traverse all time and space, allowing all spirits connected by karmic affinity to be saved.

In the universe, the number of planets transformed by the Buddha is growing. On some planets, the inhabitants have made vows just like Practitioner Su to lecture on the scriptures. Using their own unique extraterrestrial languages, they propagate the Buddha’s teachings throughout their worlds, causing the Dharma to flourish and shine brightly.

Namo Amituofo."