The Water God’s Three-Millennium Vigil

This is a record of an interview with Huang Wancun, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately 3,500 years ago, during the Shang Dynasty. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on February 21, 2026.

Huang Wancun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Huang Wancun. As I look back from the Western Dharma-Nature Land upon my homeland and everything I have encountered throughout the ages, my heart is filled with profound emotion. It turns out that a life, no matter how magnificent or eventful one thinks it is, is ultimately nothing if it does not return to the Buddha-land of Namo Amituofo. Without that, I would be no different from the countless spirits lingering in this physical world—wishing to be as free as the wind, mountains & rivers—waiting in endless suffering.

A Life in the Shang Dynasty

I was born over three thousand years ago during the Shang Dynasty. Compared to today’s society, our world was far more primitive. My name was Huang Wancun. In our village, most people shared the surname Huang; the elders would always say that we were all descendants of the Yellow Emperor. In truth, we never cared much about whose descendants we were. Our village was tucked away in the high mountains, far from the reach of any emperor, and none of us had ever ventured beyond those peaks. It was only after I died that I realised our village was located in the mountains of what is now Anhui province.

The pronunciation of my name, 'Wancun', has changed over the millennia, but the meaning remains the same. My father hoped I would achieve greatness and one day govern ten thousand villages. Because our understanding of geography was limited back then, 'village' was the largest unit of human activity my father could conceive, and 'ten thousand' was the largest number he could imagine. If his son could govern ten thousand villages, he figured I would surely be a king! That was the expectation my father placed upon me.

The Arrival of the Beast

After I was born, my parents had seven or eight more children. We lived crowded together in a small house, enduring many years of wind, rain, and the biting snow of winter. Later, some of my younger siblings passed away before they could grow up, which was a common occurrence in those days. We were a farming family; we worked from sunrise to sunset, sharing the harvest with our neighbours and selling the surplus at the market. Life was simple and ordinary until the day a fierce beast appeared in our village. We did not know what kind of creature it was then, but people today would call it a leopard. It is a common animal now, but we had never heard of such a thing back then.

The village was thrown into a state of excitement. Although everyone was afraid, curiosity often outweighed fear. People would sneak out in the early hours of the morning to a small creek where the beast had been spotted, waiting for it to appear. As one of the taller and more robust young men in the village, I volunteered to stand guard, thinking I could protect my fellow villagers if anything happened.

A Message from the Wild

I kept watch for about ten days. One day, as I began to drift off to sleep, I suddenly felt an incredible sense of coolness, as if I had arrived in a beautiful place. When I looked back, I realised the leopard had actually arrived. I was unarmed and unsure of what it might do. I watched it quietly, sensing that it was hungry, yet I also felt a sense of danger. Then, I discovered a hidden ability: I could read its mind.

The leopard told me that our village was about to face a great flood, and that the waters would come from the west. I asked it with my thoughts, 'When will the flood arrive?' It replied, 'In five days at the earliest, and within ten days at the latest, this place will be submerged. No one will survive.' I could feel that although the leopard was hungry, it sensed the kindness and simplicity of the humans here, so it had no intention of attacking us. I nodded, deeply grateful for this precious warning. I immediately returned to the village to report what I had learned. The villagers were divided; most believed me and the leopard, so they went home to pack their belongings and prepare to move to higher ground. Another group, mostly the elderly, were sceptical. They felt they had lived long enough and had no regrets if the flood were to come. Of course, there were also those who simply refused to believe it.

The Final Vigil

Although I was not the village chief, I was an important young leader. After escorting the main group of people to safety, I decided to return to the village to stay with and settle those who remained. My parents were very open-minded, and since there were many siblings and I had not yet married or had children, I had no great burdens. They respected my decision, allowing me to guard our village.

By the sixth day, I noticed that things were not looking good. Animals like rabbits began to flee the village in droves, and swarms of insects were also moving in a frantic, organised manner. I knew my time was running out, but I felt no fear. If the people here had decided to stay, I would stay with them until the end. At the very least, if they needed help, I would be there to assist them.

The flood arrived even faster than I had imagined. It was not a gradual rise in water, but a sudden, catastrophic breach, like a dam bursting, which completely engulfed our small village in an instant. Before I died, I was in the home of an elderly couple, keeping them company so they would not have to face their end in agony. In the surging water, no one could recognise anyone else; there was no sense of direction. In a flash, my life was extinguished, and I passed away in a haze.

The Water God’s Duty

After I died, my spirit consciousness quickly recovered. I seemed to have gained many followers—I don't know where they came from, but countless spirits gathered around me as we hovered above the floodwaters. It turned out that I had been chosen by them to be the Water God of this great river, and they hoped I would help manage it. There were so many spirits and creatures in the water that I naturally stepped into the role. I knew that people in the human world would pray to me, asking for enough water to irrigate their rice paddies, but not so much that it would drown their villages. My job was to manage the water levels, the flow of the currents, and the lives of all things within the water.

I was a very busy Water God, and I performed my duties with great diligence. This river flowed into the Yellow River and was one of its important sources. How long did I serve as a Water God? Recently, our river was covered by a golden light. I saw many, many spirits emerging and moving towards the light. We were all shocked. Where was everyone going? Although I was accustomed to my duties as a Water God, the situation today is vastly different from when I first began. Society has developed rapidly, the river is no longer as clean as it once was, and people no longer worship us or cherish the river. Feeling a bit sad, I decided to move towards the golden light as well.

Finding the Exit to Life

In a very short time, I felt as if I had been reborn! I was no longer in the water; it felt as if I were in the heavens. It was a brilliant, luminous world, and beneath me was a large lotus flower—a flower I had never seen before. A person radiating golden light appeared before me; they were beautiful and bright! I later learned that this was a Buddha, a being far higher than any god. I had never heard of a Buddha before, but the moment I saw the Buddha, it was like seeing a kind, elderly father. My entire being felt filled with Dharma-joy, lightness, and happiness. It was a joy and freedom that came from the depths of my heart. I had been a Water God for so many years, enjoying the adoration of humans and the spirit world, but I never truly liked those things, nor was I truly happy. I only knew I had responsibilities to fulfil and a home to guard.

Today, seeing the Buddha—Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are both Buddhas, and they will be my great teachers in the future—I have found the exit to life. It turns out that my time as a Water God lasted over three thousand years! They were fulfilling and busy days, and I have no regrets. Now, in just a short time here, I have learned to chant Buddha's name, perform prostrations, and listen to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks. At first, I understood nothing, but now I have begun to grasp the basics. I know that one must chant Buddha's name to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, which is the true destination for everyone's spirit. I also know that chanting Buddha's name can help many people and spirits come to this place, the Western Dharma-Nature Land.

A Debt of Gratitude

It is such a wonderful thing that there is a Practitioner Su in the human world! Watching Practitioner Su suffer such severe attacks from the demon crowds while trying to save the spirits of mainland China—my homeland—makes us feel quite distressed. We also want to work hard to participate in the work of saving the world. If possible, I wish I had the skills that Practitioner Su possesses to save so many beings; such a magnificent achievement is truly rare. The Western Dharma-Nature Land is a wonderful place, a destination I never imagined I could reach. Of course, I will continue to chant Buddha's name so that one day I can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. That must be my true home, a place where I can practise and become as great as the Buddha.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su!

Namo Amituofo.

Huang Wancun"