This is a record of an interview with Koo Chung-liang, who sought at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He reflects upon his past life as a butcher and the profound karmic connections to the beings he has harmed. He currently resides in Taiwan, having travelled to Australia to seek deliverance. This testimony was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on February 27, 2018.
Koo Chung-liang speaks:
". I am Koo Chung-liang. Today, the morning hours felt particularly heavy and difficult to endure. Every day, I witness so many spirits passing by; the sight of thousands upon thousands of souls rushing towards the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is truly a heart-wrenching and shocking spectacle. Before coming here, I never realised that all the creatures I saw in the world were once human beings, just like us. This revelation made me feel physically ill, especially when I thought back to the times I would feast on steak without a second thought.
The Butcher’s Past and the Price of Ignorance
It turns out that in a past life, I was a butcher. I lived in a simple house built of bamboo nestled in the mountains, where I kept cattle and pigs. The cattle were gentle by nature, while the pigs were always running about in a chaotic frenzy. The neighbours within a hundred miles would come to me before the holidays to place their orders for beef or pork. Especially during the Lunar New Year, everyone placed great importance on showing gratitude to the Heavens, and they would insist on offering a pig's head as a sacrifice.
There was one particular Qingming Festival when a close friend of mine placed an order for beef. His father, who had recently passed away, had loved beef more than anything in life. I knew his father well, and he had always been very kind to my family, so I decided that I would slaughter the finest cow I owned to offer as a sacrifice for his father's spirit. That cow was special; whenever I went to check on the herd, it would always come close to me, looking at me with eyes that seemed full of deep emotion. I felt a vague sense of hesitation, but I was so accustomed to the act of killing that I did not think twice. I dragged the poor creature away and slaughtered it. It seemed so heartbroken, but because I had already taken so many lives, I had become numb to the suffering of these animals. And just like that, the best cuts of meat from that cow ended up on the sacrificial table for my friend's father.
The Cow That Was Once a Friend
It is only now, through the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings, that I have come to realise that this cow was actually a dear friend of mine from a past life. Because he owed me some money that he never repaid in that lifetime, he was reborn as the cow I kept. When I saw the images of our past life together, I wept uncontrollably. I apologised to him, begging for his forgiveness and hoping that he could find his way to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The cow, now transformed back into his human form, simply smiled at me and said, 'I do not blame you.' My heart broke; I wept so bitterly. I had never truly felt the weight of my own past until this moment.
A Profound and the Path to Redemption
I am so deeply grateful to the Master for helping us perform Chao Du for the fifty trillion cells of beings that carry my karmic debt. Every single one of these cells is deeply connected to my own past. If it were not for the realisation I had today, I would never have felt this level of profound connection. I sincerely apologise to these fifty trillion beings; please forgive the ignorance of my past actions. Today, I have encountered the Buddha’s teachings, and I ask all of you to assist me in joining the Master to save the world. I will surely weep with gratitude for this opportunity.
Such sincere repentance has, in some inexplicable way, made my entire being feel clearer and more luminous. Today, it is not just my spirit that feels cleansed, but my physical body as well. The breakthrough achieved by the Master is truly extraordinary. Namo Amituofo."
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