This is a record of an interview with the Venerable Kuloga, who sought at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,600 years ago during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on June 6, 2018.
Venerable Kuloga speaks:
". I am Kuloga, with the name Shi Xuandao; I am ranked number 737 among the beings who have attained liberation through this centre.
I was born during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and at that time, I was a prince of the realm. However, I was born with a nature that felt no attachment to the splendour of the palace; I felt no greed for fame, wealth, or political power. When I reached the age of thirty-seven, I left the imperial palace with absolutely nothing to my name. I disguised myself as an old farmer and walked alone into the deep mountains far outside the city, beginning a life of solitary, reclusive practice.
A Prince's Renunciation
I dedicated myself to the cultivation of a compassionate heart and strictly observed the , for I could not bear to engage in any form of killing. In the mountain forests, I drank from the life-saving streams and sustained myself on wild grasses. The hut I lived in was one I had constructed myself, quite haphazardly; it offered no real protection against the wind, nor could it keep out the rain. Whenever a storm arrived, it would pour outside, and it would pour inside as well. Cold winds would seep through every crack in the walls at any moment. Yet, no matter how fiercely the wind and rain raged, my heart remained completely unmoved. I would wear my bamboo hat and straw cape, sit upon my cushion in meditation, keeping my body upright and my mind free from all attachments, solely chanting the name of Namo Amituofo.
Chanting the Buddha-name within meditation, and practising meditation within the chanting—this was my method of practice. I saw that all things in heaven and earth were one with me; I merged this physical body with the natural environment. Living in such a state of nature, I had long since forgotten the illusory and empty world of men. I could offer my own blood to feed the mosquitoes, and I could even slice my own flesh to feed the starving animals; as long as it was within my power, I gave joyfully, without a single trace of hesitation or obstruction. I viewed my body as the earth, my blood as the rivers, my breath as the air, and my hair as the tender grass; anyone who needed them could take them freely. I dissolved into the heavens and the earth, finding freedom, , purity, and naturalness. , giving, no-thought, and —these were the foundations of my practice.
The Path of Compassion and Practice
When I was forty-three, I happened to meet an elderly monk in the forest who possessed profound spiritual achievements, and I took him as my teacher. At forty-five, I was ordained and received the full Precepts as a monk. In my spiritual achievements, I was rigorous in my discipline, practised extensive giving, and spread the Buddha’s teachings widely, instructing the people of the world in good deeds and good thoughts. When I was seventy-three, I passed away. My physical body returned to the earth, while my spirit returned to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to meet the Great Compassionate Teacher, Namo Amituofo.
The great vow of Practitioner Su to spread the Dharma and the vastness of her compassionate heart are things that I, as a student, deeply respect and strive to emulate. In this lifetime, seeing Practitioner Su descend into the human world, her virtuous conduct and demeanour are equally worthy of my admiration. It is only through the guidance of Practitioner Su that I was able to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, and I bow in gratitude for her teacher’s grace. Today, I am fortunate to have descended from the Western Pure Land back into the human world to assist my teacher from a past life—Practitioner Su—in teaching and transforming sentient beings. I am currently residing within the space of the teacher’s legs, working to repair damaged cells and assisting her in recovering as soon as possible so that she may walk without hindrance.
The Cosmic Scale of Deliverance
The worldly realm of today has become chaotic beyond measure. Practitioner Su’s countless billions of manifestations are currently performing Chao Du for the myriad spirits of this world. These layers of space are filled with sentient beings from thousands of years past. Now that the Causal Conditions have matured, Practitioner Su has opened up these spaces, allowing them to attain liberation through the chanting of the Buddha-name. The power with which the teacher performs this deliverance today is millions of times greater than it was in my time; a single utterance of the Buddha-name can liberate boundless sentient beings. In this degenerate age of the Dharma, this level of skill is truly unmatched.
In the blink of an eye, Practitioner Su has finished the deliverance of this world and is now proceeding to deliver the entire universe and the space beyond it. Every speck of dust scattered throughout the universe contains sentient beings. Once Practitioner Su and the various Venerables ascended into the cosmos, they dispersed to every corner to perform this deliverance. The vibrational energy of the 'Namo Amituofo' Buddha-name carries the force of ten, a hundred, or even a thousand planetary collisions. Yet, the vibrational power of this Buddha-name is also filled with gentleness and compassion. Every time a Buddha-name is broadcast, no matter how vast the distance between planets, it can penetrate every star and inject them with abundant energy. At the same time, it allows the extraterrestrial beings on those planets to understand the magnificence of this Buddha-name, which will become their future source of vast, inexhaustible energy.
Harmonising the Universe with the Buddha-Name
Among the planets, there are friendly ones and there are those that are not. The unfriendly planets follow irregular orbits through the Milky Way. Many small planets have been struck and shattered into fragments, turning into dust. These unfriendly planets have appearances that are quite distinct; they are either covered in extremely exaggerated colours or are engulfed in burning flames. If one looks closely at the spirits within these unfriendly planets, one finds they were once high-ranking monks who possessed great virtue in the world, but due to a single moment of biased thought, they fell into the paths of evil, demons, or monsters. Some claim to be the Great Black Kings of the dark world, and all they do is destroy, commit evil, and act against the righteous path, rampaging through the stars. They have their own factions and hierarchies, scattered throughout the entire universe and beyond.
Practitioner Su’s countless billions of manifestations, together with the various Venerables, are delivering these sentient beings throughout the universe and beyond. Some planets are on the verge of being torn apart and have actively sent out distress signals; Practitioner Su injects energy into these planets, and in an instant, they are illuminated by the Buddha-light. Different planets are inhabited by different extraterrestrial beings, and they each use their own unique ways to express their gratitude to Practitioner Su and their worship of Namo Amituofo. Indeed, a large number of extraterrestrial beings have already relocated from their original planets and are following the Buddha-light into the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
The word 'Buddha' is being spread throughout the entire universe, transforming into various languages or images that they can understand. Some planets liken the Buddha to inexhaustible energy; others use images of great radiance to represent the Buddha’s magnificence. On some planets, the inhabitants are solitary by nature; when the word 'Buddha' enters their world, they invisibly begin to learn respect and mutual assistance. A magnetic field of friendliness, mutual aid, care, and compassion naturally arises, bringing warmth and light to those cold, icy planets.
The Buddha’s teachings are re-harmonising the entire universe, leading the planets to learn good deeds and good methods. It allows evil forces or planets that lack discipline and have gone off-track to return to the righteous path; some have even turned their thoughts toward goodness and have sought refuge in Namo Amituofo. Every orbit in the universe is being infused with the power of the Buddha, much like a parched and cracked earth suddenly receiving the nourishment of life-saving streams; gentle currents of air are flowing between the stars. This charitable power is being opened up bit by bit, and the holy name of 'Namo Amituofo' is beginning to spread far and wide. All of this is the result of Practitioner Su’s vow. I hope that more people in the world will learn to emulate this, and carry on this magnificent Buddhism. Namo Amituofo."
