The Wind God's Witness to the Rain

This is a record of an interview with Tang Xiquan, who served as a Wind God in the central region of Taiwan. He sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now reflects upon his long journey from the ancient planet of An-Er-Lan to his service as a Wind God and his eventual salvation through the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on April 26, 2021.

Tang Xiquan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. As a Wind God, to summon a gust of wind is a task of absolute ease. However, when a region is burdened by heavy karma, by the laws of cause and effect, and by deep-seated obstructions, even if a multitude of Wind Gods were to gather, we would be powerless to bring in the moisture-laden winds required for rain. That place, for a long time, was Taiwan.

The Drought and the Call for Help

Before the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su began the work of saving Taiwan from its drought, we were truly unable to bring in any moisture. Consequently, Taiwan could not receive rain, and as time passed, a severe drought took hold. The earth became parched, reservoirs ran dry, and every stream and riverbed dried up until they were cracked and overgrown with weeds. It was clear that water had been scarce for a long time, and immeasurable and boundless numbers of tiny lives had perished due to the lack of water.

I stood from afar, watching Taiwan, my heart aching with compassion for the suffering beings. I felt helpless, my heart yearning for a Buddha or Bodhisattva to come and save them. With my limited abilities, I could not invite the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to Taiwan. Yet, I believed that the people of Taiwan surely possessed the blessings to attract such salvation. I chanted Namo Amituofo for Taiwan, sending my blessings across the distance.

The Arrival of the Buddha-light

When the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su began the work of salvation in Taiwan, I knew immediately: 'The Buddha has arrived; Taiwan is saved!' I had heard of how Practitioner Su uses his Dharma Body daily to save sentient beings. In the vastness of space, spirits are hidden everywhere—a wisp of smoke is a spirit, a ray of light is a spirit, even a tiny molecule of air is a spirit. Spirits are omnipresent, yet no one had ever saved them. It was not that no one wanted to, but that no one had the capacity to do so. It was not until the Dharma Body of Practitioner Su manifested in the world that these spirits finally had the opportunity to be saved.

Practitioner Su's physical body remains in the human world, yet he is one who has already realised the fruit of Buddhahood. His spirit can travel freely to the Western Pure Land, while his Dharma Body works within this worldly realm to save beings. These were things I knew while I was in the Celestial Realm. I held deep respect for Practitioner Su and longed for the chance to meet him. But I was merely a Wind God; I dared not hope for too much and continued to fulfil my duties. To my astonishment, Practitioner Su was right before me. When I witnessed the magnificent scene of his Dharma Body performing Chao Du, I was completely dumbfounded—it was truly breathtaking.

The Great Deliverance

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body went to Taiwan—or rather, returned to his homeland of Taiwan—leading a grand, majestic rescue mission. He entered the skies above Taiwan, preceded by the Three Saints of the West, immeasurable and boundless Bodhisattvas of the universe, and Su Fo's countless billions of manifestations of his Dharma Body. They began the work of Chao Du across the entire island.

Dense, heavy layers of spirits completely enveloped Taiwan. These spirits were more numerous than particles of air; they were stacked in millions of layers, perhaps even more. Before entering Taiwan, Practitioner Su had already spoken to the Jade Emperor: 'The reservoirs are the most important; they must have at least eighty percent water capacity!' To ensure the reservoirs had enough water for the people, Practitioner Su intensified his Chao Du efforts there. His Dharma Body stood above the reservoirs, saving all the beings within, around, and above them, so that rain could fall directly into the basins. This was no fantasy. The Jade Emperor worked closely with Practitioner Su; as long as Practitioner Su could resolve the conflict of Taiwan's karma, and as long as the gods of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning were given the opportunity to bring moisture to Taiwan, this seemingly impossible task could be accomplished.

The Spirits of the Temples

Ghosts are everywhere. Practitioner Su worked actively and vigorously, saving vast numbers of them. Some were clear-headed, while others remained dazed, knowing only to follow the light or the crowd, unaware of their destination. Many were Taiwanese who, after death, remained in the space between realms with nowhere to go. Now, they finally saw the Buddha-light and followed the golden radiance closely. Practitioner Su continuously guided them forward, where they were received by the Three Saints of the West, allowing them to escape their original realms.

There are countless temples across the island of Taiwan. Each temple enshrines more than one deity, and each deity has many spirits associated with it. Take Guan Gong, for example; he is worshipped in many places in Taiwan, and within each temple, there is a different spirit of Guan Gong. Think of how many Guan Gongs, Mazu, Earth Gods, Wealth Gods, Matchmakers, Guanyin, and Third Princes exist in the space around us! There are so many deities worshipped by the Taiwanese, all existing within the space of Taiwan. Therefore, when Practitioner Su performed the Chao Du, many of these deities also sought salvation. These deities knew that no matter how prosperous the incense in their temples might be, without the help of Practitioner Su, they could not escape the cycle of reincarnation. Thus, they actively sought his salvation, desiring to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

A Prince from An-Er-Lan

Tang Xiquan is the name I took after arriving on Earth. Before that, I was a prince of the planet An-Er-Lan, named Puxiluo Yilipixi. I arrived on Earth 2,500 years ago, just before the destruction of my home planet.

I knew that a force would continuously strengthen on Earth: technology. But the technology on Earth is far inferior to that of An-Er-Lan. The space of our planet was different from Earth's, and our level of technological advancement was something Earthlings could never hope to reach. However, I must say that our end was tragic. As technology became more advanced, it only accelerated the speed of our planet's destruction. Thus, while technology is convenient, it is also a great killer, as was clearly evident from my own planet.

An-Er-Lan was the place where I grew up. Its destruction happened so quickly that we did not even have time to struggle or flee. All my people were annihilated. When I had only a sliver of strength left, I escaped. I came to Earth wanting to save it, but I did not know what abilities I had to help. I only hoped that Earth would not become a second An-Er-Lan, for if it did, all the people and living creatures on Earth would suffer.

The Transformation of Tang Xiquan

I arrived on Earth and immediately entered the body of a man with whom I had a karmic connection, a wealthy landowner named Tang Zhonghua. I renamed him Tang Xiquan. Tang Zhonghua was rich but always bullied the poor and committed all sorts of wicked deeds; the entire town knew this. One morning, as he prepared to rise from bed, his heart suddenly stopped. In that briefest of moments, I entered his body, brushing past his soul. His soul left the physical form, and my soul entered, quickly merging with his body. This allowed the body of Tang Xiquan to remain in a state where spirit existed—he did not die, he lived, but the soul in control had changed.

Within the body of Tang Xiquan, the way I nourished my spiritual energy was by continuously strengthening my good thoughts. I used these good thoughts to reinforce the influence of my spirit over Tang Xiquan's body. Although I could not be certain of the success rate, I did my best. This was my conviction; I would not give up.

The first thing I had to master was the heart of Tang Xiquan. I constantly transformed his heart, wanting to make it purely Good. Back on An-Er-Lan, I had lived with this same conviction of Goodness and was considered an outcast. Although I was a prince, my philosophy differed from everyone else's. The people of my planet performed more evil than Good. I advocated for doing Good, but I was despised by the people. I could not save my people; I could only watch helplessly as they met their fate and the entire planet was destroyed, with only me escaping.

The Universal Principle of Goodness

After I fled An-Er-Lan, I realised that my people were all undergoing retribution. They lived in a realm without the Dharma of Goodness, mistakenly viewing evil thoughts as Good and Good thoughts as evil. They lived in a world where right and wrong were inverted, blindly failing to see the Truth, while walking upon the peak of extreme technology. They thought it was enjoyment, but in reality, it was rapid destruction.

Goodness never deviates from the universal principle. No matter how correct an idea or philosophy may seem, as long as it deviates even slightly from Goodness, it is absolutely not a path of right action.

Tang Zhonghua often performed hypocritical, packaged 'good deeds'. That was not true Goodness; it was done with ulterior motives. Performing such false goodness ultimately harms oneself. After Tang Zhonghua's soul left his body, it was quickly taken into the hells to undergo retribution. His physical body, however, was used by me to perform good deeds. Every good act performed by this body, and all the merit accumulated, could shorten the time his soul spent in retribution. This could be considered my way of repaying a kindness, for in a much earlier life, he had once been a benefactor to me.

The Wisdom of the True Buddha

There are too many things in this universe that humans do not know, things that transcend the reach of technology. Human logic and technology are limited to the narrow cognition of the brain. To use human cognition and logic to explain the entire universe is like a frog in a well looking at the sky; what it sees is always just that insignificant patch of sky, yet it thinks that is the entirety of the heavens. It is too foolish.

At that time, I could already foresee the future and knew the direction Earth was heading. Greed, hatred, and ignorance were constantly twisting the Earth, causing its orbit to shift continuously. The shift was very subtle and not yet at the point of full retribution, so it was not easily noticed by humans. But I had already foreseen it, and I hoped that a person of Great Wisdom would come to educate the human heart and save the Earth, so that it would not be bound by karma and suffer.

I knew that this benevolent person, this Great Wise One, would appear on Earth 2,500 years later. It is Practitioner Su, who descended from the Western Pure Land to the human world, bringing the Great Dharma to save the world. By that time, the Earth would be on the brink of crisis. If the Earth were not saved when the true Buddha manifested, it would rapidly head toward destruction. When that time comes, humans will clearly see that this physical body is so insignificant. A massive wave, a sweeping gale, a momentary shift in the earth's crust, or a year of extreme heat is enough to take away human life. That is a task of absolute ease.

Humility and Following the Teachings

While in the body of Tang Xiquan, I spent my life doing good deeds and helping others. These good deeds and good thoughts helped me enter the Celestial Realm upon the end of my life, where I served as a Wind God. Even though I could know the future and see the past at that time, the destination of my spirit still had to be determined by the actions of the physical body and the thoughts of the final moment. Just like humans today, even those who are very confident that they can go to the Western Pure Land can still lose their qualification at the very moment their spirit leaves the body if they are disturbed by even the slightest external interference, causing them to enter other realms or spaces. Therefore, in the human world, there are no true 'experts'; there is only humility and modesty. Only by following the teachings can one reach the destination step by step.

Today, I have truly met Practitioner Su, who has come to the human world. The scene is exactly as I saw it 2,500 years ago. If I had told the people of that time that someone could fly in the sky, travel through the universe, and save immeasurable and boundless beings, it would have been hard to believe. It is even harder for modern people to believe; their hearts are filled with suspicion, always guessing, unable to truly trust, and always protecting themselves.

The Compassion of Practitioner Su

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body is clearly before my eyes, manifesting compassion to save beings. Since Practitioner Su realised his Dharma Body, he has used his compassionate heart to continuously elevate his ability to save beings. To this day, the moment the Buddha-name is chanted, in less than a second, immeasurable beings are saved.

During this drought in Taiwan, Practitioner Su's compassionate heart sought to relieve the suffering of all beings. The spirits and human beings who had been waiting in agony for the nectar of rain finally received the nourishment of water recently. The earth, which had been exposed to the sun for so long, was cracked everywhere and barren. Rainwater flowed into the cracks, and the tiny crawling creatures and insects hiding beneath the surface were filled with joy, feeling the sweetness of the water.

Now, the resentment of the spirits has been greatly eased, but they still densely cover the skies above Taiwan. The number of beings is infinite and boundless, still awaiting the continued Chao Du by Practitioner Su's Dharma Body, so that the climate may return to normal, the rain may stabilise, and the hearts of the people may be at peace.

The Path Forward

Disasters do not happen in a moment. If not for long-term accumulation, disasters and calamities would not appear suddenly. Although the people of Taiwan have simple and pure hearts, under the influence of technology and within this Five Turbidities and Evil World, they have also been thoroughly contaminated. Even in their originally pure hearts, there are stains. They should not have selfishness, yet everyone has it; they should not give rise to greed, yet they are insatiable; they should not give rise to hatred, yet it is hard to change their hateful nature. If there is the Buddha's teaching to educate the masses, to transform the hearts of the Taiwanese people, and to awaken their simple and pure nature, then disasters will no longer occur. Everything will be harmonious, the weather will be favourable, and the country will be peaceful and the people secure.

Tang Xiquan is grateful for everything. After reincarnating until now, I have finally received the help of Practitioner Su. Xiquan still has the planet An-Er-Lan waiting for salvation; my people are still waiting for Xiquan in the space between realms. Xiquan does not forget the suffering of my people. I wish to return to the Western Pure Land and then come back to save them.

Gratitude to the compassion of the Buddha. Gratitude to the compassion of Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Tang Xiquan

Memorial Tablet: The Wind God who sought rain for the drought in Taiwan and Chao Du for the central region, the people in the wind brought by the Wind God, the spirits in the wind, the beings with karmic affinity in the space where rain fell in Taiwan, and the tiny crawling creatures and insects that were harmed, immeasurable in number. Represented by: Tang Xiquan

(Seeking restoration, seeking purification, seeking Chao Du)