This is a record of an interview with Li Xin, who sought [Spiritual Deliverance] at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 650 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on January 6, 2020.
Li Xin speaks:
". I have always been a simple, honest man. I was born into a humble, rustic village, a place where life was measured by the seasons and the strength of one's hands. My mother, a woman of immense character, once sat me down and said, 'Xin-er, you are my precious son. In this life, you have come into this world as my child, and I have used every ounce of my life to protect you, to care for you, and to raise you. I do not ask for any repayment, nor do I seek any glory. I only hope that you will live your life with absolute honesty. Do not be greedy, do not steal, and do not take what is not yours. Be a truly good person, through and through. If you can do that, then I shall have no regrets in my heart.'
A Promise to My Mother
My mother did not only have me; I had two younger brothers who were born with disabilities. From the time they were small, they required my mother's constant presence and care. When I was only five years old, my father passed away, leaving my mother as the sole pillar of our home. She carried the weight of our entire family on her shoulders, and I knew how deeply she suffered. I could not bear to see her struggle so intensely, so from the age of five, I began to help with the household chores and the family finances.
The gentleman from the neighbouring village, Master Wang, became my great benefactor. He approached my mother and said, 'I have taken a liking to your eldest son. He is not only intelligent but also capable. If he comes to work in my household, I will nurture him and help him grow.' My mother was heartbroken at the thought of me leaving home, but she knew this was a rare opportunity. If I worked at Master Wang’s estate, she would no longer have to worry about money every single day. Although my heart was heavy with the thought of leaving my mother and my brothers, I knew I had to go. It was the only way to provide the help our family so desperately needed.
The Kindness of Master Wang
Master Wang was a man of profound kindness. When I arrived at his estate, I discovered that I was not the only young child working there. There were more than ten others, all around my age. The eldest among us had just turned twelve the year I arrived. Many of them were orphans, destitute and without a soul to turn to, whom Master Wang had taken in to work at his estate. Even though we were young and could not yet perform heavy labour, Master Wang was willing to give these brothers and sisters a chance. He wanted us to earn our own living through the work of our own hands, rather than relying on the charity or begging of others. Because of this, we were all filled with deep gratitude toward him.
On my very first day at the estate, Master Wang asked me, 'What is the meaning of your life in this world?' I was stunned. I could not answer him immediately because my mind had been entirely focused on earning money to send home to my mother and brothers. I had never once considered whether my life held any deeper meaning. Seeing my confusion, Master Wang smiled and said, 'Your mother is an honest woman, and she has raised you to be honest as well. It is that very simplicity and sincerity that I admire in you. We humans live in this world, and beyond the daily pursuit of food and shelter, the most important thing is our heart. If this heart is used only to care for one's own family, then it is being vastly underutilised. Do you know that this heart can care for not just one family, but ten, a hundred, or even a thousand families? It is all a matter of your mind-capacity.
The True Meaning of Life
Master Wang continued, 'Think of it like this: if I have a piece of gold, I could keep it all for my own family. Or, I could exchange that gold for silver and share it with ten families. I could even exchange it for copper coins and distribute them among a hundred families. It all depends on how large my mind-capacity is; the larger the capacity, the greater the utility of that gold.' Hearing him speak this way, I began to grasp a glimmer of the meaning of life. I realised that living in this world is not merely about surviving for one's own family; one can live for the entire village, the entire town, the entire nation, and even for the people of the whole world. The value of life takes on an entirely different dimension when viewed through that lens.
Although I had lived only with my mother since I was small and had little contact with others, I did not become selfish or think only of her. When I saw my mother’s exhaustion, and then saw the mothers of other children suffering in the exact same way, I understood that the people of this world all share the same suffering. If I had been born into the home of Auntie Li next door, I would have had to endure all the hardships that the Li family faced. If I had been born into the home of Lady Liu further away, even if I lived a life of wealth, I would still see the suffering in Lady Liu’s heart. It is all the same human suffering. Looking around, I saw so many people enduring the same pain, only in different families and under different names. How could I possibly think only of my own mother?
A Heart of Gratitude
At seven years old, working in Master Wang’s estate, he told us children, 'I do not demand that you perform a specific amount of work; it depends entirely on the heart you are willing to cultivate.' I worked in his home with a heart full of gratitude. Without Master Wang’s help, I would never have been able to send money home every month to support my mother and brothers. Therefore, I lived in a constant state of thankfulness. In the estate, whether the task was large or small, I strove to learn and perform it well. I did not care that I was only seven; I felt that for every new thing I learned, I could do one more thing to repay the kindness of the estate.
Some of the older boys preferred to play. They asked me, 'Master Wang said he doesn't demand a certain amount of work from us, and we are just children. Why do you work so earnestly?' I told them, 'Without Master Wang’s help, my mother could not have stayed home to care for my brothers in peace, and I would have had to wander everywhere looking for work just to fill the void left by my father. Now that I have this stable and well-paying job, I must work honestly and diligently. Only then can I feel that every cent I receive is earned with a clear conscience, and only by giving my absolute best can I repay Master Wang’s kindness.' The other boys just shook their heads and laughed at me, calling me a fool. One of them, Wang Zhen, said, 'Master Wang has hired so many servants; there is someone for every task. He doesn't even know how much you’ve done. Even if you didn't do it, someone else would naturally finish it. Why not use your time to do what you want? That would be much happier!' I just smiled and said nothing, continuing to do what I knew I had to do. In my heart, I could never forget my mother’s teaching: 'For every ounce of kindness received, give back ten times over.' I knew deeply that what I did was never enough. Master Wang was truly compassionate; he never counted how much work we children actually did, yet he still provided for us. That level of mind-capacity was a model I truly needed to learn. Sometimes, I would work until the middle of the night, and I would even take on tasks that no one else wanted to do. My heart was not for myself; I treated the estate as my own home, giving of myself sincerely without any other thoughts, simply working on and on."
Master Wang did not stay at home every day; he was frequently away on business. One could say that this household was primarily occupied by us servants and Master Wang’s wife and concubines. On this particular day, Master Wang returned home unexpectedly. None of us knew he would be back so soon, and his wives and concubines were caught completely unprepared. Some rushed back to their rooms to touch up their makeup, while others scrambled to change into more elegant attire, hurrying out in a fluster to greet him. Even some of the servants who had been slacking off were jolted awake from their daydreams the moment the gatekeeper shouted, 'The Master is back! The Master is back!' They quickly wiped the drool from their faces and stood up, pretending to be busy sweeping the floor.
A Sudden Return and a Lesson in Diligence
As for me, I was not at the estate when Master Wang returned; I was up on the mountain chopping firewood. Before I left that morning, an older servant had told me, 'There is hardly any wood left in the woodshed. It might last a few days, but it certainly won't hold out for weeks.' The man usually responsible for the firewood, Uncle Chai, had left in a hurry at dawn after receiving news of a family member's passing. Now, the job was vacant. If no one stepped up to take it on, the Wang household would have no fuel to cook meals. Without a second thought, I grabbed my axe and headed for the mountain. Fortunately, I had often volunteered to follow Uncle Chai to learn how to chop wood, so the path was not unfamiliar to me. I was quite skilled at the work, and it felt effortless. I chopped a large amount of wood, made one trip back to the estate, and then returned for a second load to bring the rest home. Upon returning the second time, I heard the Master’s laughter from afar. I thought I had misheard and paid it no mind.
After I stacked all the wood in the shed and closed the wooden door, I had not even turned around when the Master stood behind me and said, 'I remember your name is Li Xin. You were seven when I last left, and now that I am back, you must be eight, right?' I immediately turned around, nodded, and replied, 'Yes, Master, I am eight years old this year.' The Master looked at me with a smile and said, 'In just one year, you have grown so much, and you look even better than before. Although I was not at home, I could see the meticulous care you put into your work. I know exactly how much you have done during this time; nothing escapes my notice.' Master Wang continued to watch me with a gentle smile, then added, 'I lack nothing. I possess everything that people in this world crave. Do you know why I hired so many servants to work here?'
The True Purpose of the Wang Household
I shook my head, and the Master explained, 'The world outside is in turmoil. Finding stable work to support a family is no easy task. Every servant working here has a heartbreaking family story; everyone has lived a life of hardship and suffered greatly before coming to me. I originally thought that providing for everyone with money was a good deed and a genuine way to help, but my perspective has changed. That is why I rushed back home—to completely reform the rules of the Wang household. Even though no one reported to me what each person was doing, seeing everyone’s state, I knew how comfortable a life they were living. You were the only one working silently and diligently; I saw all of that. Therefore, I hope you will achieve spiritual success. I did not return this time bringing more wealth, but rather the most precious and magnificent Buddha’s teachings to share with everyone. I want to teach you all to practice the Buddha’s teachings. Only if each of you truly practices and transforms yourself will there be salvation in this lifetime. Otherwise, you could work here for a lifetime, earning wages for a lifetime, and your life would pass by in a blink!'
'Look at Uncle Chai, who just returned to handle his family’s funeral. He has worked for the Wang family for sixty years. He has been incredibly loyal to me, never wavering, so I have always cared for him like a brother. In these sixty years, he has had to return home many times, each time because a family member had passed away. Now he is quite old, and he knows in his heart that it won't be long before his own time comes. I had not practiced the Buddha’s teachings before and did not understand the gravity of the situation. Now that I have, I understand the terror of the cycle of rebirth, and I realize how great my responsibility is to help you all. Uncle Chai, in particular, must be saved—he is such a good man. Listen to me: practice the Buddha’s teachings diligently. You will gain insight from it, and your life will undergo a different transformation. When that time comes, you will be able to help many people and save all those who have yet to wake up.' Hearing the Master say this, although I did not yet understand what the Buddha’s teachings were, it sounded like a true treasure. It seemed that only by practicing could life be saved and a way out be found.
A Path Toward
The Master stayed home for a long time during this visit. The older servants said it was the longest he had remained at the estate in decades—a full three years. He did not leave once, all to personally guide us children, as well as the older uncles and aunts, in practicing the Buddha’s teachings. Only by letting us practice would everyone have a chance to leave suffering behind.
I am illiterate, so the Master taught me to recognize characters. He patiently taught me to recite the Sutras, reading them to me word by word, and taught me how to write. The Master said, 'You are still young. Learning these characters and reading these Sutras now is with the hope that you will be able to give Dharma talks in the future. You have a dignified appearance and are hardworking. If you give Dharma talks, you will surely be able to capture people’s hearts. Among so many people, although I am leading everyone to practice, not everyone will necessarily achieve success. If one person succeeds and truly gives of themselves for the sake of all beings, then my efforts will not have been in vain, and I will have something to show for my service to the Buddha.' The Master’s cultivation and patient guidance were meant for nothing more than to help me grow so that I could help more people. His heart was entirely focused on helping others, truly and compassionately thinking of them. I was deeply moved, which inspired me to further develop my Bodhi heart, vowing to practice diligently to save all beings.
A Vow to Serve All Beings
One day, while I was kneeling before the Buddha reciting the Sutras, I did not notice the Master standing behind me. After I finished, he gestured for me to follow him outside. He led me to the back garden and asked, 'If I were to send you to a temple to practice, would you be willing?' I nodded immediately, but then I suddenly thought of my mother and younger brothers at home. Hesitating, I said, 'If I go to the temple to practice, there will be no one to earn money for my mother and brothers. How will they live?' The Master told me, 'Do not worry about that. I can provide for your mother and brothers; I can even bring them to live at the Wang estate. I have plenty of rooms here. As long as you are willing to give of yourself for the sake of all beings, I will unconditionally support you in all your concerns.' Master Wang was truly compassionate. I had no prior relationship with him, yet simply because I had the heart to practice the Buddha’s teachings and save beings, he was willing to support me, allowing me to focus on my practice without any worries.
I told my mother about the plan to practice. She was very supportive of me learning the Buddha’s teachings, but she felt embarrassed to let Master Wang help us. I told her, 'I will never let down the kindness Master Wang has shown our family. Mother, you once said that for every bit of gratitude, one should give back tenfold. I will practice diligently in the temple. When I achieve success in my practice, for every being I save, I will give back a portion of that merit. Therefore, I must make a greater vow and a greater heart to save more beings, so that I can repay all the Master Wang has shown me by giving back to this world. Mother, please accept Master Wang’s help with peace of mind. If you cannot accept it, I truly will not be able to focus on my practice.' After hearing this, my mother was at ease. Before I left, she reminded me once more, 'Mother will always be here; do not worry about me. Once you enter the temple, forget about home. Only by practicing without any attachments will you be able to achieve success one day. I look forward to the day you return home to give Dharma talks and save these fellow villagers. They have never had the chance to hear the Buddha’s teachings. If you can transform them, they will have a chance to be saved.' I nodded in understanding, bowed to my mother, and waved goodbye to my two younger brothers. This was the last time I returned home before my practice began, and with a firm heart, I stepped onto my path of cultivation. Namo Amituofo.
Day after day, I follow the process of Chao Du, and every single day brings new revelations. I ask myself: what in this world is truly worth clinging to? No matter how much you hold onto, no matter how tightly you grasp at the things of this world, in the end, only your follows you. It is the only thing that truly stays by your side. Practitioner Su works tirelessly on the task of purification, all for the sake of gaining greater capacity to assist the wandering, suffering spirits who have lost their way. The work of Chao Du never ceases for a single day, nor does it falter for a single moment. It is a constant, forward-moving journey of breakthroughs and continuous salvation, never wasting a single second of this physical life in the world.
A Life Dedicated to Salvation
Every piece of land that Practitioner Su walks upon is welcomed with and smiles by the beings there. She truly inspires joy in the hearts of all beings. She is a genuine practitioner of the Way, embodying the actions of the Buddha and truly saving beings in this world. With such a heart, all beings offer their deepest respect and gratitude, and they all willingly accept the salvation offered. I am deeply grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su, and for her great joy and willingness to let go of everything for the sake of others. Namo Amituofo.
This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Buddhist disciple Shi Fajing.
