The Vow to Save Wandering Souls

This is a record of an interview with He Qian, 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 approximately 1,200 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on December 2, 2018.

He Qian speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am He Qian. My mother once prepared a bowl of hot soup for me. It was nothing more than clear water with a few grains of salt—the simplest broth we had in our home. I drank it with great relish, but halfway through, I set the bowl down, saving the rest for my younger siblings.

A Simple Life and a Childhood Bond

The weather outside was beautiful, with a gentle breeze and bright sunshine. I chose a large tree and lay down beneath its shade, drifting into a deep sleep. A young boy approached me and began tickling my nose with a leaf. It made me sneeze violently, and the boy laughed with pure delight at my reaction. I felt no stranger to him; he was the boy from next door, named Zhu Guang.

Zhu Guang lay down beside me under the tree, and together we soaked in the profound stillness of our surroundings. I asked him, 'What are your plans for life?' Being so young, he had no grand ideas. He simply replied, 'Wherever you go, big brother, I will follow.' It was a bond from our past lives—a karmic affinity that made Zhu Guang want to be by my side wherever I went.

The Turning Point: Living in the Present

Zhu Guang was my lifelong playmate. Despite the age gap, I always loved having him near. One day, I unexpectedly encountered a master dressed in robes. With a single glance, he saw the deep melancholy in my heart. He spoke only one sentence: 'Live in the present.' That single instruction untied a knot I had carried in my heart for sixteen years. During those sixteen years in the world, I had been constantly thinking about how to transcend my life, desperate not to be bound by the mundane. My siblings had all gone out to work, while I remained at home, scolded daily by my parents for being idle. In truth, it was not that I did not want to work; I simply could not find a purpose for my life. The compassionate master took me on a journey to visit major cities and small villages, allowing me to see the true nature of human existence. For an entire month, Zhu Guang and I followed the master, receiving his teachings.

Seeing the Five Turbidities

The master guided me to observe the entire Five Turbidities and Evil World. What I saw was not merely humanity, but the plight of every trapped spirit. Whether human or animal, the spirit within was tightly bound, unable to find an exit for its true nature. When the master introduced the Buddha’s teachings into these settlements, and these spirits heard the name 'Namo Amituofo,' they finally saw light emerging from the darkness.

Seeing these spirits was like seeing myself, for before I encountered the Buddha’s teachings, my own heart had been just as tightly bound. I had an unfinished task in my heart—a great vow made in a past life: I wished to save all the wandering souls in this world.

The Power of Chanting

My parents were unwilling to let me study the Buddha’s teachings, so I followed the master in secret. Zhu Guang and the entire physical world—wishing to be as free as the wind, mountains & rivers—became the objects of my Dharma teaching. When my father fell ill, my siblings spent all their hard-earned money on medicine, yet he did not recover. I sincerely chanted Namo Amituofo for him and explained the Dharma to his karmic creditors. Every day, as my father lay in bed listening to me, the panic, anxiety, and restlessness caused by his illness—along with the illness itself—gradually subsided. His body recovered day by day. In that moment, my family understood the importance of the Buddha’s teachings, and my heart was completely unburdened, allowing me to finally study the Dharma at the temple with peace of mind.

A Life Dedicated to Deliverance

Following the master and the sutras, I learned step by step, truly applying the essence of the Dharma to save sentient beings. This path of deliverance was difficult at first, but because I possessed a heart that understood the suffering of beings, I persevered until the very last moment of my life. I could not bear to see any being suffer; I would rather endure more pain myself than watch them drift and sink in the sea of suffering. After becoming a monastic, both Zhu Guang and I actively propagated the Dharma, hoping that all beings could let go of all suffering and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I am grateful that at the time of my passing, I was led by the Buddha. I also brought many who believed in the Buddha back to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, including my own parents.

The Ongoing Work of Chao Du

Although my life was not filled with dramatic highs and lows—it was a plain and simple existence without spectacular stories to share—I sincerely want to tell everyone the importance of chanting and studying the Buddha’s teachings. If one does not make a vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land in this lifetime, even possessing great wealth is ultimately in vain.

The Milky Way shines with brilliant light, and the golden light of Practitioner Su’s Chao Du illuminates the entire galaxy. These spirits, who have wandered for trillions of years, have finally been saved. Every day, Practitioner Su sends me and other venerable ones to the specific spaces where we have karmic affinities. These are not spaces seen by the physical eyes, but layer upon layer of immeasurable, boundless, and far-reaching dimensions. Within these spaces are the beings with whom I have had karmic connections over accumulated lifetimes. From this, one can see that I have been reincarnated in this worldly realm for a very long time.

Although I have no physical body and find it difficult to make new breakthroughs every day like Practitioner Su, I do my best to perform Chao Du, sending immeasurable and boundless spirits to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss every single day. This magnificent work of deliverance will continue. Only with Practitioner Su can this be achieved. I am grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo, and I am grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su."

Namo Amituofo.