A Journey Home to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Lay Practitioner Chen Wu Jia-ping, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her transition from the cycle of rebirth. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxi, on November 12, 2021.

Lay Practitioner Chen Wu Jia-ping speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am filled with gratitude, and I repeat this gratitude over and over again. If it were not for this place, I truly would not have known where I was meant to go. My gratitude is infinite, truly endless! I am so grateful to the Buddha, to Practitioner Su, to all the monastics at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and to every single person here! Upon seeing this place, I truly realised that this is the pure land for practice in this world.

I am deeply thankful to my husband, and I am also grateful to the fellow practitioners who have walked this path of practice alongside him. Living in this world, one truly needs virtuous friends as a support, and one also needs the Truth of the Dharma. I am so grateful to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and to Practitioner Su. It is because of your tireless efforts that beings like us, who have been trapped in the cycle of rebirth for so long, have finally been able to find the path home and return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss."

Escaping the Cycle of Suffering

"My gratitude is beyond words; it is impossible to describe. It was this place that reached out to help me, helping me to emerge from the darkness of those other realms. I did not even realise that I had fallen into the animal realm; I had been living as a cat. In truth, my consciousness had been clouded for so long, and I did not understand what had happened to me. My spirit was constantly suffering. It was the Buddha who reached out a hand to guide me, rescuing me from that space. If not for the vast, boundless power of the Buddha, I do not know where I would have ended up in the cycle of rebirth, continuing that endless, unbearable suffering.

Xiang-bin, thank you for being my support throughout that lifetime, and for finally providing me with such a magnificent place to return to. I still remember the kindness you showed me and the love we shared as husband and wife, but I hope that you can now let go. I am no longer the person I was in the past; I have reclaimed my true spiritual self, and I have returned to my spiritual home. I hope that you can do the same. The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is the only truly perfect destination for us."

The Power of the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

"I am so thankful for all the Causal Conditions that led to this arrangement. The Chao Du performed during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony provided me with immense help. I saw my past karmic creditors, and I saw all these suffering beings; I wept many times during that process. I am so grateful for the compassion of the Buddha and for the powerful deliverance performed by Practitioner Su. This path of practice is truly magnificent. Xiang-bin, I hope that you and our relatives will always remember this pure path. The world is filled with too much pollution and distraction; you must never forget the Pure Land.

My gratitude is endless. I have now arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Namo Amituofo."

Lay Practitioner Chen Wu Jia-ping kneels and bows her head in reverence.

Namo Amituofo.