Two Millennia of Wandering: From Soldier to Spirit

This is a record of an interview with Zhang Gongchen, who sought Spiritual Deliverance 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 2,000 years ago. It was recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on March 7, 2026.

Zhang Gongchen speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My name is Zhang Gongchen. The character 'Zhang' is my father's surname, and 'Chen' is my mother's. 'Gong' signifies respect. I was once a minor officer in the Western Han Dynasty. I never had the opportunity to rise to the rank of general, and I met my end in the underworld while I was still quite young. After that, I spent over a thousand years circling and wandering through the desolate valleys along the borders of the Western Han, living the life of an eagle, trapped in the cycle of existence for what felt like an eternity.

The Burden of a Warrior

Why did I become an eagle? Perhaps it was because my temperament was somewhat similar to one. In my youth, I was sturdy and possessed a very precise strategy for achieving my goals. As a young officer, I had indeed decapitated many enemy soldiers. This is something I regret deeply, but I was forced by circumstances beyond my control. I knew my hands were stained with blood. When I thought about the killing I had committed, even though I had no concept of Buddhism at the time, my heart told me that all people are equal and that I should not be doing such things. Yet, helpless, I killed countless people in the army. My heart remained conflicted, a struggle that continued even after I became an eagle. Becoming a vegetarian eagle was, in truth, much simpler than being a soldier who killed people.

I was born during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han. At that time, the Emperor was striving to defeat the Xiongnu in the border regions. I held little status in my family and was not valued by my parents. Therefore, when the state mandated that every household must provide a man for military service, I naturally became the one to go. I had no complaints in my heart, but I was still very young. My body had not yet fully matured, yet I was forced to slaughter on the battlefield. I spent nearly twenty years on the front lines, until I was in my thirties. For those twenty years, I lived in contradiction and struggle. I did not know if such killing was correct in terms of ethics and morality. I always believed that there is a natural operating principle in the universe: that doing good or evil will inevitably bring a natural return. This is something many people believe in.

A Life of Contradiction

The days of military service were incredibly long. Along the way, we were always fighting battles and confronting the armies of other nations. I was stabbed many times—severely—but my life was preserved, unlike so many others who never returned. Yet, I never felt true happiness. I did not enjoy any of it. As I said before, the guilt of having blood-stained hands constantly shrouded me. In my final action, I became a sacrifice for the army, and that was how I said goodbye to everyone. Only then did my heart begin to feel at ease; at least this time, I was the one being killed, and I did not have to kill anyone else.

Helpless against the arrangements of fate, my next life was that of an eagle. This was an inconceivable thing. Perhaps I was meant to prove to the world my determination not to kill. After becoming an eagle, I never once ate meat to nourish this body. I lived among flocks of eagles for many years, and after I died, I continued to be an eagle for many lifetimes. From the Western Han to the Three Kingdoms, the Tang Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty, I was always an eagle—a compassionate and kind eagle.

A Thousand Years of Observation

After being an eagle for about a thousand years, I traveled from the Central Plains to the border regions and back again, seeing through all the various changes in China's territory over that millennium. After a thousand years as an eagle, Zhang Gongchen finally shed that form and returned to the human world. This time, after my life as an eagle ended, I no longer had a physical body. I existed only as a spirit, guarding everyone on the various battlefields of China. The fighting and grabbing on the battlefield have not stopped or slowed down for thousands of years. People are still just as warlike, willing to sacrifice the interests of others for their own gain.

To this day, it has been over a thousand years since Zhang Gongchen ended his life as an eagle, has it not? One thousand years as an eagle, one thousand years as a lonely spirit. Until now, before I arrived at the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I had been wandering in the Xinjiang region of Northwest China. This time, the encounter was very special. As a lonely spirit, my world was usually dim and unclear, but suddenly, the sky burst forth with great light. I could see that not only where I was, but entire mountains and entire lakes were shrouded in this brilliance.

The Miracle of Deliverance

I looked up in curiosity and was stunned to see a Buddha, two Buddhas, many Buddhas! Where did so many Buddhas come from? It turned out that this Buddha was Practitioner Su. He possesses a magical skill called the 'countless manifestations,' which allows him to create many, many clones that look exactly like him—like Buddhas—to perform the work of saving beings. Each Practitioner Su could take a lonely spirit like us and lead us toward the light. I was immediately guided to this place, the Western Dharma-Nature Land.

There are Buddhas here, too. I looked up and saw a Buddha who felt very familiar. He was standing, his bare feet treading on a lotus, looking at me. The words 'Namo Amituofo' surfaced in my mind. Although I did not know the Buddha at all back then, today, those six characters, 'Namo Amituofo,' suddenly popped into my head. It seems I am a child with Buddhist affinity after all. Namo Amituofo looked at me with compassion, as if welcoming my arrival. Practitioner Su was also there, staying by our side the whole time. I was suddenly changed into clean clothes and, like many others, sat quietly on a lotus. Gradually, my mind became clearer and clearer. I understood what I had done over these two thousand years, the causes and consequences, and even the self from long before—everything was clear at a glance.

A New Beginning

Life is so short, but in the long two thousand years after life, I lived with a kind heart and good intentions. I did not do anything to harm others, and as an eagle, I was a good, vegetarian eagle. Perhaps this is my blessing, to be able to come to such a dignified, beautiful, and pure Buddha land—the Western Dharma-Nature Land. I later learned that this person called Practitioner Su is still alive, living in a place called the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, where he gives lectures and performs Chao Du. His health is excellent; although he calls himself eighty-something, he is very robust and lively. I was overjoyed to see that such a pure land still exists in the human world.

I realized that Practitioner Su not only made the place where I was in Xinjiang shine with great light, but he also left traces of great light in every corner of China, from south to north and from east to west. Ah, this is what is called 'Chao Du.' Only then did I understand that it is the Buddha's vow and the Buddha's mind-capacity that have facilitated such a beautiful act of saving people. The Buddha can establish a Buddha land, and he can also deliver us poor children to his Buddha land. This is what Practitioner Su has done by coming to this world to vow to save beings. We are very lucky to have been chosen.

Zhang Gongchen is filled with gratitude. I am grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo and the compassion of Practitioner Su. This time, I no longer have to be a wandering spirit. Like everyone else, I have sound limbs and can listen to sutras, hear the Dharma, and practise Buddhism here. This is truly a very happy thing.

Namo Amituofo.

Zhang Gongchen"