Life possesses a finite limit, and when the final breath ceases, it marks a permanent parting from this world. In this moment of transition, who is there to guide the spirit? We are fortunate that Practitioner Su is here to lead the spirit into the Western Land of Nature, while the fourfold assembly gathers to chant the Holy Name "", offering their sincere support and farewell.
Venerable Hailiang, your illusory body has been laid to rest. While this physical form has reached the end of its utility and can no longer serve you, you have finally been liberated from the suffering of illness. Your spirit, however, is immortal. You have returned to the of Ultimate Bliss to attain Buddhahood, even before many of us who remain here.
The efforts you made for the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and every small contribution you offered, are etched forever in our hearts and preserved within the records of the temple. These memories are a testament to your dedication.
Gratitude for a Life of Service
Though we may not have had the chance to express our gratitude to you in person before your departure, we wish to offer our heartfelt thanks now:
Thank you for your tireless dedication to the Hsiang Kuang Room and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.
Thank you for your constant care, guidance, and reminders to the fourfold assembly.
Thank you for your unwavering support of Practitioner Su, managing the countless details of our daily operations.
Thank you for your vigilance in protecting the temple and the fourfold assembly.
We remember that it was through your initial advocacy and your invitation to the spirits that the connection between the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, the ancestral masters, and the Hsiang Kuang Room was first established. This is a legacy that we will never forget.
The Dreamlike Nature of Existence
Is all of this merely a dream? It is both a dream and reality. We once shared a life of true, tangible practice together, yet those days have now become the past. Your presence still feels vivid before our eyes, and your voice still echoes in our ears, even though you are no longer in this human world.
We hear laughter around us, yet those who laugh once felt deep sorrow at the passing of the owner of that illusory body. Now, it is as if nothing has changed, yet in the hearts of many in the fourfold assembly, there remains a lingering sense of loss. Is this all an illusion? It is both an illusion and not an illusion. The past and the present are both within a dream, within an illusion; even this very moment is occurring within a dream, within an illusion.
A Call to Future Liberation
We have walked side by side through many inconceivable events. We have navigated times that were difficult to encounter, and we have weathered periods filled with both praise and blame. Although these moments have passed, they have written a special chapter in the history of the Hsiang Kuang Room and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. The temple as it stands today is built upon the accumulation of these countless moments, and Venerable Hailiang was a vital part of that foundation.
We realise now that while we have breath, this body is useful for doing good works. Once the breath stops, can no longer move and loses its purpose. The illusory body is left to be handled by others, and the play of this life concludes. Where does the personality you held in life go now? Ordinarily, it would follow the spirit into the cycle of being reincarnated, driven by . Fortunately, through the grace of our teacher, Practitioner Su, your spirit was guided into the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Through the chanting of the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo" by the fourfold assembly, you were helped to find liberation, ending the cycle of being reincarnated and suffering, and entering the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
One day, the fourfold assembly will also be the ones being sent off by others. We pray that when that time comes, we will be prepared:
To have saved ourselves and all those with whom we have karmic affinity, helping them leave suffering behind to enter the Western Land.
To have achieved success in our Buddha-recitation practice and reached an awakened being.
To have the ability to know the time of our passing in advance.
To be able to come and go from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss with and autonomy.
To be able to propagate the Pure Land teachings of Namo Amituofo throughout the entire Dharma Realm.
If we can achieve this, we will not have lived our lives in vain as practitioners of the Pure Land path.
