The Wisdom of the Zhou Ancestress: A Legacy of Virtue

This is a record of an interview with Tai Jiang, the grandmother of King Wen of Zhou, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon her life approximately 3,100 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faru, on March 30, 2026.

Tai Jiang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Looking back at the history of China from the perspective of the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I am truly struck with wonder. I never imagined that this vast land of the Divine Province could experience such a flourishing development. For those of us who lived on this land thousands of years ago, such progress was beyond our wildest dreams. In our generation, we lived simple lives, relying primarily on basic farming tools and the rhythms of the earth. To see how much has changed—it is almost impossible to believe that this is the same land we once walked upon.

In our time, life was incredibly simple and pure. When we faced difficulties, beyond the support we gave one another, we would seek the guidance of the spirits. We would ask them to show us the way, to lead us out of our predicaments. Our tribe lived in a village by the river, surviving through herding and agriculture. Initially, our numbers were small, but starting from the time of one of our ancestors, more and more people began to seek refuge with us. The guidance from our tribal leaders and the spirits was clear: we were to welcome all kinds of people and tribes. Regardless of where they came from or what their customs were, we adopted an attitude of inclusion and broad acceptance.

A Simple Life Guided by the Divine

I was the daughter of an elder in our tribe, and I later married the leader of another tribe, my husband, Zhou Dan. In our time, our writing system was not so complex, relying mostly on simple symbols and patterns to describe the world, with information passed down largely through sound. By uniting the strength of our two tribes, survival became much easier. While the languages of different groups varied slightly, we were generally able to understand one another's intentions.

My husband possessed an extraordinary ability to perceive the world from a young age. After performing divination and receiving guidance from the spirits, he was told: 'Your descendants will bring unparalleled stability to the tribe.' When faced with the aggression of external enemies, my husband followed the spirits' guidance—he chose to yield, valuing harmony above all else. When the harassment continued, the spirits directed him to lead our people to a region where we could expand and develop. He led our young people through difficult mountain paths, eventually arriving at a vast, fertile plain. He instructed everyone to develop the land, while personally leading the youth to explore the terrain, water sources, and topography, planning the use of each area with great care.

The Virtue of the Zhou Tribe

I was always by my husband's side, assisting him in surveying the land and planning our future, allowing him to focus on governing our people and building our new home. I also taught our three children the knowledge of tribal governance, instilling in them the philosophy that harmony is the most precious treasure—one must never sacrifice the lives of the people lightly. This was the principle of the Heavenly Way at the time. However, the Rong and Di tribes did not share this concept. My husband hoped that by not engaging in unnecessary conflict and by following the Heavenly Way, we could truly bring prosperity to our people.

Through divination and the guidance of the spirits, my husband knew that a descendant who would appear in the future would bring a transformative change to the entire tribe. I treated all three of my children equally. My sensitivity allowed me to know that all three were exceptional, and that one of them would eventually guide the destiny of the Zhou tribe, while the other two had their own missions. I did my utmost to educate them, knowing they would eventually move further south to expand the territory of the Zhou. It was essential that they learn the ways of benevolent and virtuous governance so that they would not bring disaster upon the land.

The Burden of Ambition and the Fall of Zhou

My three children were all outstanding, yet the ambition of Ji Li, my third son, always caused me great worry. I could see his sincere desire to help the Zhou tribe develop, and I knew he was truly dedicated to the tribe. However, he was different from my husband. My husband’s virtuous governance attracted other small tribes to surrender to us, naturally expanding the scale of the Zhou tribe. Ji Li, on the other hand, always thought about using that growing scale to actively expand our territory through force.

I knew that such expansion through military might was going against the Heavenly Way, but I could not persuade Ji Li; I could only let things take their course. A tall tree catches the wind. When the King of Shang summoned him, I urged Ji Li to claim illness and avoid going to the capital, but he was convinced he was going to receive an honour, and he never returned. I urged Chang—King Wen of Zhou—not to repeat his father's mistakes and to remain low-profile. I told him that if the momentum of Heaven was such that Zhou would replace Shang, the tribe would naturally grow strong without the need for excessive display.

Although I did not live to see the day the Shang fell and the Zhou was established, I always believed that day would come. As I lay dying, I felt a slight malaise and a sense of weakness, and I passed away in my sleep. After death, I entered the ancestral space of the Zhou tribe. There, I watched over my people. Later, my descendants did not disappoint; it was indeed a natural phenomenon of the Heavenly Way. Fa—whom we should respectfully call King Wu of Zhou—led the people to establish the nation, and I felt as though a great weight had finally been lifted from my heart.

The Decline of a Dynasty

The people of the Zhou tribe were excellent, and many descendants inherited the benevolent and virtuous governance passed down by our ancestors. Everyone understood the principles of the universe and knew how to perform divination to ask the spirits if their actions were in accordance with the Heavenly Way. If one prayed with sincerity, one could naturally receive guidance that aligned with the Truth. However, as time passed, the descendants of the Zhou dynasty lived in such stability that they gradually forgot the laws of the universe and became increasingly disrespectful toward the spirits. Sacrifices and divination became mere formalities. The spirits no longer felt the sincere prayers, and naturally, they could no longer provide guidance to the descendants.

In the space of the ancestral tablets, I felt the emptiness of these rituals. But that was secondary; the most important thing was that the energy and momentum of these descendants were vastly different from our ancestors. This was a sign that the nation was about to decline. I desperately wanted to call out and remind them: Do you remember to follow the laws of the universe? Do you remember that the foundation of our nation was built on the virtuous governance of Tai Wang, King Wen, and King Wu? Yet, these descendants could no longer produce correct divinations, nor did they have the heart to truly seek the guidance of the spirits.

Soon, in less than three hundred years, the Zhou dynasty fell. Looking back, perhaps this was the root cause planted by the expansion of territory during that time. After all, only the virtue and governance of Tai Wang could align with the Heavenly Way, allowing the nation to grow naturally—through the voluntary allegiance of the people, not through military expansion. After the fall of the Zhou, I had no desire to interfere in the lives of the people. Although later generations continued to perform rituals in the ancestral temples, those who truly followed the laws of the universe were few and far between, and I was powerless to assist them.

Deliverance into the Western Dharma-Nature Land

I cultivated in silence within the space of the ancestral temple, undisturbed. I do not know how much time passed, but one day, golden light illuminated the entire space. Amidst this golden light, I arrived on a golden earth. This is the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Whenever I had a question in my heart, the answer would naturally arise. At first, I thought this was an ancestral space for high-level spirits, but now I know this is the Western Dharma-Nature Land created by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su—a Buddha-land, a high-level spiritual space. Here, Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are always present, giving Dharma talks to sentient beings and explaining the principles of the Buddha’s teachings.

In my era, there was no Buddha-Dharma, but the part that is common to the Buddha-Dharma is what we call the Universal Principles. Any action or method must comply with and align with these Universal Principles—the laws of the universe. If one violates these laws, one will trap oneself and bring about one's own destruction. If one can align with these principles, one can flourish and prosper. This is a natural phenomenon; all things and all spirits in the world will eventually return to those who possess virtue.

The Universal Principles of Namo Amituofo

In my view, Namo Amituofo is the one with the highest virtue and prestige in the spiritual realms, the one to whom all spirits look for guidance. I also understand that only a spirit with immeasurable and boundless morality and merit, like Namo Amituofo, can subdue the immeasurable and boundless crowds of spirits. With the sensitivity of my spirit, I understood from the moment I entered the Dharma-Nature Land that this place resonates with the pure side of my own nature. This is the pure and good energy brought by the Buddha-light.

This special, inconceivable power of purity and goodness is a phenomenon formed by the virtue of Namo Amituofo. This natural phenomenon, born of supreme morality, allows all spirits, under the illumination of the Buddha-light and after hearing the Buddha-name, to calm the negative energy and thoughts within them. Complex emotions, whether panic or anxiety, can be pacified. This is the virtue of Namo Amituofo—using heart-to-heart communication to bring peace to all beings. The Buddha-heart of Practitioner Su is the same. With an endless heart of great compassion, Practitioner Su has made a great vow to save the various spiritual spaces of China.

The era I lived in was the ancient period of China, before the establishment of the Zhou dynasty. Even in that time and space, there were immeasurable and boundless spirits. The ancestral spirits of the Zhou tribe, the many people who were not listed in the ancestral temples, and all the myriad things of the earth at that time—immeasurable and boundless spirits—have all been saved and entered the Western Dharma-Nature Land as Practitioner Su opened the trapped, subtle spaces of ancient China. Now, everyone resides peacefully in the Dharma-Nature Land, bathing quietly in the Buddha-light, listening carefully to the Buddha-Dharma explained by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

In truth, everyone understands intuitively. After all, in our era, following the laws of the universe as guided by the spirits was the key indicator for our survival. And this law of the universe is nothing other than morality. The supreme virtue spoken of in the Buddha-Dharma is to be selfless, to dedicate oneself entirely to benefiting all beings. This coincides perfectly with the laws of the universe; we understand it the moment we hear it. The true brilliance of the Buddha-Dharma lies in the vastness of its mind-capacity, which surpasses even the scope and realm of morality.

The mind-capacity of the Buddha-Dharma is the immeasurable and boundless mind-capacity of Namo Amituofo. The beings he vows to save are not limited to those he sees before him or those he encounters in his surroundings; he has made a great vow that extends to the immeasurable and boundless spirits of all Buddha-realms. The saying, 'All sentient beings shall be born in my land,' is the embodiment of Namo Amituofo's mind-capacity. This incomparably broad mind-capacity is the reason why the Buddha-Dharma is truly respected and revered by all spirits. Beyond saving beings in various spaces, Practitioner Su has also saved immeasurable and boundless demon crowds. In the ancestral space where I resided, I could not have known the full extent of the demon realms.

Seeing Practitioner Su save the crowds of demons, I finally understood why people sometimes have mind-sets that deviate from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way—it is because demons are involved, interfering with people's minds and leading to deviant behaviour. This is the vastness of the Buddha-Dharma; it not only reveals the Truth of the universe but also the truth behind why people go astray. By starting from the fundamental level to save the demons and helping people solve the problem of deviant mind-sets, it is possible to correct the immeasurable sins accumulated in this Divine Province over five thousand years. This is a tremendous blessing for the Chinese people, and it also relies on the virtue accumulated by our ancestors. We of the Zhou tribe are among the ancestors of the major Chinese ethnic groups, and we are deeply grateful for the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way passed down by our ancestors, which have sheltered our future generations.

Here in the Dharma-Nature Land, watching the deliverance happen before my eyes, I am filled with admiration. I am in awe of the great compassion of Namo Amituofo and the selfless deliverance of Practitioner Su. I offer my gratitude to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Thank you for saving our immeasurable and boundless people and our descendants. As spirits, we were powerless to help them. I pray that Namo Amituofo will surely transmit the Buddha-Dharma education to these descendants, so they do not violate the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and bring about their own destruction.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su. Your disciple, Tai Jiang, bows in reverence.

Tai Jiang"