Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are Real

By Xuehui Liao

Translated by Guo-xiang

Preface

This booklet is a truthful account of my lifelong experiences as a Buddhist. I want to tell the stories not to seek fame or profits but to help strengthen Buddhists’ faith. I hope they will strengthen their faith in the salvation of Buddha and our eternal home in Pure Land. If one prays sincerely, he/she will be blessed. If one wishes to go to Pure Land, he/she definitely will. People say that theories without evidence don’t amount to much; the twenty incidents in this booklet are solid cases of evidence.

Part 1: My Dad’s Brief Biography and his Departure ▲

In 1895, the 16th year of Republic of China and the last year of Qing Dynasty, my dad was born in Xiluo, Yunlin County, Taiwan. His name was Dahan Liao, and his school name was Qizhang. He was a scholar. Because he had a photographic memory, he knew Four Books and Five Classics inside out. He also mastered Buddhist principles.

In 1902, he was 18 years old and went on a pilgrimage to the four famous Buddhist mecca mountains in mainland China. The last temple he visited was Mt. Pu Tuo, monastery of Guanyin Bodhisattva located in the South Sea. He went by a boat. When his boat was docked, there were already two monks waiting for him. They said, “You’re from Taiwan. Your name is Dahan Liao, right?” My dad was surprised, “How come you know me?” The two monks said, “Our abbot knows you are coming on this boat, so he told us to meet you here.” My dad thought the abbot must be an enlightened sacred monk, so he followed them. When he entered the abbot’s room and bowed to him, he found there were already two bowls of hot noodles on the table; the abbot invited my dad to eat with him. After my dad greeted the abbot, he asked to take refuge with the abbot and leave home life. The abbot said, “You’re already freed this life, but you still have some unfinished mundane affairs. You will lose vision in one eye at the age of 40 and then in both eyes at the age of 71; you will need to be taken care of by your family.” (All the predictions became realities later. ) The abbot had my dad stay and cultivate with him. His Dharma name was Master Jingyun. He had my dad give talks of sutra commentaries and teach the Buddhists how to meditate. Over ten years later, the abbot departed. My dad did not return to Taiwan until he was 36.

In his prime time, he rented an apartment on Democracy St., Tainan. On the door was hanging a sign which read, “I’ll be delighted to meet learned friends. We’ll write poems and couplets. No matter what field of learning, I won’t be beat.” It was indeed bold. Many scholars were not convinced, so they challenged my dad in contests of poems and couplets to see who was the champion. Later, all of them bowed to my dad as their teacher! Twice a week, my dad would go the Confucius Temple and give lectures to those scholars. He gave lectures on Prajna Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and Sixth Patriarch Sutra. These scholars were the generation of the ending Qing Dynasty, and they were all seniors ten years before the Republic of China. One of them frequently hung around and studied from my dad; one day he asked my dad, “Buddhism teaches us to have wisdom, gain Buddha-hood, transform the people, and end the cycle of life and death. What about your life and death, Master?” At the time, my dad was only in his thirties, and such things should not be stated; nonetheless, there was no one else around, so my dad told him the truth in order to enhance his confidence, “I’m all set with my cycle of life and death.” “At what age are you going to depart, Master?” My dad answered, “At the age of 75.”

During the Second World War, my dad moved back to Xiluo. In the 39th year (1950) and the 40th year (1951) of the Republic of China, the local people asked my dad to oversee a temple, the former Beitan Temple, which housed a holy statue of Dizang Bodhisattva. As soon as he took over, he renamed the temple Blessings and Virtue Temple. After setting up a fund consortium, he began to give talks of sutra commentaries. From then on, my family was often blessed with the visits from many venerable monks. I remember such monks as Master Yongguan, Master Qingmiao, Master Chuangyuan, Master Kaitian, Master Huifeng, Master Longquan, Master Daoan from Songshan Temple in Taipei; there were many other monks but I couldn’t remember their names. One day, many Dharma masters and laypeople followed Master Zhangjia to our home; the most impressive master was Master Zhuyun. He used to be the concierge monk at Mt. Putuo Monastery. The moment he stepped in, he noticed the couplet flanking the statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva on our altar table because the couplet signature was that of his patriarch Master Jingyun at Mt. Putuo Monastery. Master Zhuyun asked my dad, “When I became a monk at Mt. Putuo Monastery, I heard from seniors about a layperson by the name of Liao from Taiwan; they said he was of cultivation and accreditation. Before he arrived, the venerable abbot had known he was on the way and arranged for monks to meet him at the port…” My dad told him all the details. Master Zhuyun asked, “Are you that Layperson Liao?” My dad replied, “Yes.” Later on, Master Zhangjia had a photo taken with my dad and then left. Master Zhuyun stayed, for quite a few months. At my dad’s invitation, the master gave several talks of sutra commentaries at Blessings and Virtue Temple; sometimes they would go together to the countryside to disseminate Dharma.

In 1965, the 54th year of the Republic of China, I was 23; my parents moved to Tainan.

In 1969, the 58th year of the Republic of China, I was 27; Mr. Shang Lu came to our house. On July 5th of the lunar calendar, my dad said to him, “Shang Lu, I’ll be leaving in three months, on October 5th. You must come then.” Mr. Lu asked, “Master, you’ve been practicing Buddhism your whole life, and you have foresight of your departure time. What level of Buddha-hood have you attained?” My father said, “___ Level.” (Translator’s note: The author purposefully obliterated the word.) From then on, he started to look sick; then he fully recovered in early September.

On September 15th, he called Master Miao-ran at Zhuxi Temple and asked him to come over to our house on the early morning of October 5th to help him recite Buddha, “I’ll be departing!”

About 10:40 a.m., October 5th, my dad asked, “Haven’t the masters arrived yet?” I said I would go out and check. I found the masters had arrived in four cabs. Master Miao-ran came in and said, “Layman Liao!”. My dad said, “You’re here. Good. I’m leaving. Amitabha.” The masters struck Buddhism instruments and sang Lotus Pond Praises; when they got to the part of “Amitabha Buddha over the Lotus Pond, Guanyin and Shizhi Bodhisattvas on the lotus”, my dad had done two bows; when the masters were singing “extending a hand and guiding you to the golden step”, my dad completed the third bow, did a knot mudra, then left for Pure Land. He was really at ultimate ease!

Master Miao-ran was the abbot of Zhu Xi Temple; he immediately called me over, “Hui, come here.” He said on the spot, “Your dad was the reincarnation of OO patriarch master who came to carry on the mission of rescuing people.”

Master Long Quan heard of my dad’s departure and came over from Taipei; he gave us Dharma talks. He was so compassionate.

Master Zhu Yun hurried over from Feng Shan Buddhist Center to read sutras and recite Buddha for my dad; he then compassionately gave Dharma talks to our family for the whole day.

42 days after my dad departed, Master Xingyun from Fo Guang Shan Monastery came over with eight other masters in a 9-seat van. He and the eight masters stepped into our living room; Master Xingyun fixed his eyes on the Guanyin statue and the couplets flanking it on our altar table; the couplets had the signature of Abbot Jingyun Shih, South Sea Mt. Putuo Monastery. Master Xingyun pointed to the couplets and said to the eight masters, “This is our patriarch master!” Then he said to my mom, “Over 10 years ago, my Dharma brother Zhuyun had told me stories about South Sea Mt. Putuo Monastery. He told me about a Taiwanese layman who was known for his cultivation and accreditation, and he knew the layman. He had urged me to go meet the layman. At the time, I had just bought land and just started the plan of constructing Fo Guang Shan Monastery; I really couldn’t afford time to come over and meet Liao Bodhisattva. Now the Compassion Hall has just been completed. I heard the news and here I am.”

That day happened to be November 17th of 58th year (1969) of Republic of China, birthday of Amitabha Buddha. My mom said to the master, “Seven days from today will be my husband’s 49th day after departure. We’ll hold a ritual event of feeding the starving ghosts at Zhu Xi Temple.” At this, the master said, “I’m late. If only I had been here a month ago when my Dharma brother first reminded me. Liao Bodhisattva had the power to rescue people; he does not need others to rescue him.” The master was very compassionate, and he gave lots of Dharma talks to our family.

Our family was really blessed to have had so many venerable Dharma masters give us talks!

Part 2: My Mom’s Brief Biography and her Departure ▲

My mom also achieved good cultivation, and she had foresight of certain things. I will give a few examples.

1.In 1973, the 62th year of Republic of China, I was turning 31. One day, my mom said to me, “Hui. Hurry up and take me to Shang Lu’s house (my dad’s disciple). He’s dying.” Right away, I said, “Mom, no blabbing please. If he was dying, his wife or his son would have come to notify us.” My mom was anxious, “For real. His body has already been moved to the living-room. He’s in grave danger. Take me there quick.” I instantly took my mom on a motorcycle to Shang Lu’s house. On the way, my mom told me to stop by his second wife’s house and take her with us. When we got to his house, Shang Lu was really dying. Mom was extraordinary. Did she have magic eyesight? I found Shang Lu’s face was as pale as a sheet, his facial muscles looked so tense, he was panting heavily, and he was in great pain. My mom immediately went over and said to him, “Shang Lu! Shang Lu! I’m your maser’s wife. Listen carefully. You must let go of everything! I’ve brought your second wife here to you. You don’t owe anything to your wives or children. Let go of everything. I’ll recite Namo Amitabha. You must recite along with me. You must pray to be reborn in Pure Land. Amitabha Buddha will definitely come here to take you there.” My mom and I began reciting loudly Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha… An hour or so later, the inconceivable thing happened: Shang Lu’s face turned rosy with smiles and he was breathing steadily. Then he departed peacefully.

2.One midday in 1974, the 63 year of Republic of China, my mom said, “Xuezhi (my second brother) and his family will move abroad.”

In 1992, Xuezhi’s family really emigrated to New Zealand. Amitabha! My mom had the foresight of the future.

3.One day in 1976, the 65th year of Republic of China, Mr. Xu passed away; my mom told me to take her there to light incense in memory of him. When we got there, she said, “Amitabha! Hui, Look. Mr. Xu still has attachments. It’s been ten days since his passing, but he’s lingering over his body.”

4.One evening in 1979, the 68th year of Republic of China, we were chatting with my mom when she stopped in the middle of a sentence; she did not speak until about two minutes later, “Hui, Auntie Jinchai in Xiluo died.” “Oh? How do you know, mom?” She said, “She just came to see me.” I said, “Why did she come to see you?” Mom said, “She asked me to rescue her.” I said, “What did you say?” Mom said, “OK. I’ll rescue you.” Seven days after that, we got the news from Auntie Jinchai’s son. On the funeral day, my mom and I went over to pay respect. My mom asked Auntie Jinchai’s daughter-in-law, “Was it at such an hour on such a date that your mom passed away?” Her daughter-in-law replied, “Yes. How did you know?” Mom answered, “We were chatting that evening when she came over to see me…”

5.One day in 1981, the 70th year of Republic of China, my mom said she would depart in three years ( the 73th year of Republic of China), at noon on lunar calendar November 26th.

In early August of 1984, the 73th year of Republic of China, my mom said, “Yuan (my first son), please take me to your uncle Xueying’s home in Taipei.” Mom got to Xueying’s home; her in-laws who lived right across the street came over to see her. Mom said to Xueying’s father-in-law, “Dear, this is the last time I visit Xueying. I won’t come again anymore.” When Xueying and his wife came home from work, he said to them, “Ying, your mom is angry with you. Maybe because you both go to work and don’t take time to keep her company, so yesterday she told me that she won’t come here anymore.” Xueying explained to his father-in-law that Mom wouldn’t get angry. He then turned to Mom and asked, “Are you mad at us?” Mom said, “No, I’m not. Ying, Mom won’t come here anymore.” Xueying did not understand what she meant. Mom stayed there for about ten days; then she said to Yuan, “Tomorrow, let’s go over and stay with your aunt in Beitou for a few days. After that, we’ll go back to Xiluo Blessings and Compassion Temple.” When Mom and Yuan got to my sister Fang’s house, she said, “Look, Yuan. There’s a ghost.” Yuan kept looking, “I don’t see any.” Mom said, “The ghost went hiding behind the door. That’s OK. We go in and the ghost will run away.” When they went in, my sister Fang said, “Mom, December 20th is your birthday. I have planned to go back to Tainan to celebrate your birthday. What brought you here?” Mom said, “I can’t wait anymore.” Jieyu (Fang’s daughter) said, “Granny, please come more often. Please stay longer.” Mom said, “No more chance.” At the time, my sister Fang did not know that mom was saying goodbye.

About 4 or 5 o’clock on the afternoon of November 24th , Mom began throwing up; she couldn’t eat; she would throw up even if she did eat a little. My wife sent for a Chinese medicine doctor from Huian across the street. The doctor checked on Mom, but she kept on throwing up.

Xuezhi came over and sent for a Western doctor who gave Mom medication and a shot; she stopped throwing up. That day, I worked overtime until 9 p.m. When I got home, I immediately went to ask the doctors about my mom’s illness. The doctor said, “No big deal. It’s just a cold.” I went back home, took a shower, did my evening prayers, then went to Mom’s room and chatted with her. At the time, Mom was feeling slightly sick. Usually, I slept in the same room as Mom; Mom sat in her bed and chatted with me. I thought: when someone is dying, it must be painful. So I said to Mom, “Let me read Heart Sutra to you.” Mom said, “Don’t bother. I’m very relaxed.” “Then let me recite Namo Amitabha to you.” Mom said, “Don’t bother.” Mom began reciting Namo Amitabha herself. After reciting a few times, she said to me, “Reciting Namo Amitabha shouldn’t be lip service; You must recite wholeheartedly and your heart must hear it.” This was in accordance with Dashizhi Bodhisattva’s Chapter on Reciting Buddha To Consummation and Obstruction-proof: “If sentient beings remember Buddha and recite Buddha in the heart, they will surely see Buddha presently, they are not far from Buddha, and they will be enlightened on their own.” About half past 3 a.m., Mom said, “I’m going to bed. If I don’t wake up tomorrow morning, don’t take me to a hospital. You must recite Buddha for me.” That night, I stayed up to watch over Mom and I did not know when I fell asleep.

The next morning, I needed to go to work. I told my wife to pay more attention to Mom because it was already 25th of November. At half past nine, my wife called me at my work and I immediately went back home. I saw my mom sleeping peacefully; I called her a couple of times but she did not answer, so I called Fengshan Monastery and explained it all to Master Zhuyun; I said I wanted to take Mom to the hospital. The venerable monk said, “No. No! Do what your mom has told you and recite Buddha for her. Please call all your siblings and get them back here to recite Buddha for her. Recite Namo Amitabha day and night, non stop…”

On the morning of November 26th, I called Zhuxi Monastery and asked the venerable monks to make preparations; my mom was in a critical condition; if she passed, I hoped that the masters could come and recite Buddha for ten hours. The concierge monk at the monastery Renmiao and Master Yinmiao came over right away; it was already 10:40 then. Master Renmiao said to my mom, Yun! Yun! How are you doing?” My mom didn’t answer. Master Renmiao said again, “You don’t need to speak. If what I say is right, then you can nod; if I say is wrong, then you can shake your head.” Then he asked her quite a few questions; sure enough, my mom sometimes nodded and sometimes shook her head. It was 11:40; Master Renmiao and Master Yin Miao had things to take care of and left.

We siblings kept reciting Namo Amitabha; at 12:00 sharp, Mom left for Pure Land. Right away, I called the masters. Master Ren Miao and Master Yin Miao had just got back to the monastery; they got my call and called out at once, “Yun had foresight of her departure time; now she’s blissful in Pure Land!”

The next evening, on the 27th, my mom appeared in my wife’s dream. My wife asked Mom, “Where are you now?” Mom said, “I’m in Pure Land!” Because it was my wife who had bathed Mom in the past three years, she came back to let us know!

Part 3: King of Death Punished me and Dizang Bodhisattva Rescued me ▲

In 1952, I was 10 and I was attending the fourth grade of National Elementary School. One night, I was about to fall asleep when I saw two ghosts. I was scared and did not dare to fall asleep. I couldn’t forget what I had seen that night until dawn. The next night, I saw the same two ghosts. I was so scared that I covered myself in the comforter and again I did not dare to fall asleep until dawn. Then I went to school. When night fell, the same two ghosts came again; by then I hadn’t slept for two, three nights; so I couldn’t hold up anymore and I finally fell asleep; they snatched me away. I found my body lying in bed but my soul left my body and came to a deserted field. I saw the two ghosts flying three feet above the ground. I felt as if I was on a train looking out of the window; I saw fields and brooks and rivers running back. Then they took me to Hell. It was very dark, with a little light. King of Hell called my name, “Xuehui Liao. Damn you!” Then he banged on the table and told the two ghosts to whip me 50 times first. Then he looked my life-death record.

He was waiting for an order when he heard a voice up in the air, “Here comes His Majesty Dizang Bodhisattva!” At this, King of Hell immediately got up from his chair, walked over to Dizang Bodhisattva and bowed.

Dizang Bodhisattva was very stately, the steps were very serene, and the voice was very soft. Dizang Bodhisattva said to King of Hell, “No. No. This is Liao Bodhisattva’s son. He will behave in the future. Let him go.” Then Dizang Bodhisattva waved twice and I flew; I took the same route and I flew faster than the two ghosts; soon I was home. I found my body still lying in bed, and then I woke up. From then on, I never had nightmares.

Dizang Bodhisattva’s voice was so serene and soft, and it was full of deep compassion and love; every time, the voice cooled down my anxious, hard heart and my heart became serene and soft.

From the age of 6 to 13, I had a bad temper and often got into fights with classmates; my grades were very low; I was not interested in schoolwork. But I was afraid of making my parents angry; I was even more afraid of seeing my mom cry. After that dream, my temper improved gradually and I often recited Buddha and Bodhisattvas. After my middle age, I switched to the Way of Pure Land. My experiences of Buddha and Bodhisattva’s response incidents convinced me fully that Buddha’s salvation is “voluntary, nondiscriminatory, and unconditional”; as long as you recite Buddha, you will definitely go to Pure Land like everyone else, no matter if you maintain oneness with Buddha-hood all your life or you wait until your last breath to recite Buddha. I believe in this 100%.

Part 4: Reciting Buddha in my Dream and Flying to a Monastery ▲

In 1954, I was 12. Once I dreamed of reciting Buddha and flying over rivers and brooks and mountains; then I saw a monastery halfway on the mountain. There was a river in front of the monastery. I landed and walked into the monastery. There were many pilgrims inside, and I went in to bow. In the main lobby was a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva. There were three monks, and I bowed to them saying, “Amitabha”. Then I walked around; after that, I woke up. I was happy and told my parents about my dream.

10 days later, some elders wanted to go to Yanzi, so I went along. It was the rural area in Tianzhong, Zhanghua. When I got there, I was very happy and excited because it was exactly the monastery in my dream a few days before even though I had never been there! How surreal!

Part 5: Guanyin Bodhisattva Came off the Altar Table to Comfort me ▲

In 1954, I was 12. One day when I was bowing to Guanyin Bodhisattva and reciting Guanyin Bodhisattva I saw with my naked eyes Guanyin Bodhisattva come off the altar table; I looked up at the Guanyin Bodhisattva painting on the altar table. Wow! Guanyin Bodhisattva was not there anymore; it was just a blank sheet. Then Guanyin Bodhisattva came over to me and affectionately hugged me and comforted me just like Mom.

Part 6: Dizang Bodhisattva Operated on me and Cured me ▲

In 1958, I was 16 and I was very sick; I had blood in the stool; sometimes it was pus. My stomach hurt badly. In a little over a year, I became skinny, and I would have dizzy spells when I was on my feet.

In 1959, I was 17. One night, I dreamed of Dizang Bodhisattva coming to treat me. Dizang Bodhisattva told me to lie down. At the time, I had my eyes fixed on Dizang Bodhisattva and I said, “Wow! You’re Dizang Bodhisattva!” Dizang Bodhisattva nodded kindly; then Dizang Bodhisattva took out something that looked like a scalpel; Dizang Bodhisattva was going to operate on me; I saw it clearly. Dizang Bodhisattva said to me, “The outer skin must be cut first.” When Dizang Bodhisattva was cutting, it sounded like a blade cutting a sheet of paper “sha sha sha”; then Dizang Bodhisattva took out my intestines and showed them to me, “This is bad. Let me replace it with a new one and it’ll be good.” After that, Dizang Bodhisattva sewed me up. Then I woke up and sat up. I felt itchy from my stomach to my belly button. Later on, I did not need to take medication anymore, and my stomach problem was cured.

Part 7: Roaming in Pure Land in my Dream and Seeing Buddha Radiating Light ▲

Since my dad’s departure, I kept reciting Buddha day and night; my whole heart was on returning to my natal place, which was Pure Land! Namo Amitabha! Namo Amitabha!

In the evening of October 15, 1969, ten days after his departure, I dreamed of going to Pure Land. Wow! I saw gold covering the ground, seven rows of railings, seven rows of trees, and they were all tall and neat; everything was made of seven jewels; it was so bright and magnificent; the music sounded like birds chirping and it was beautiful; all the palaces and buildings were made of seven jewels. I entered and it was bright. I saw Amitabha sitting on a diamond platform, very awe-inspiring; I couldn’t find words for it! What I saw was millions of times more stately than any paintings or sculptures in this world because they could not compare with the Buddha I saw with my own eyes. Buddha could move and smile just like a living person. I bowed to Buddha, and Buddha affectionately nodded and smiled at me. Buddha was wearing a golden robe with his right shoulder exposed; I saw it clearly; Buddha was radiating colorful light from all over. I had recited Buddha and Bodhisattva in my dreams and I had seen Guanyin Bodhisattva and Dizang Bodhisattva many times before but I had never see any of them radiating light.

Part 8: Reciting Buddha in my Dream and Visiting Zhengjue Monastery ▲

On the evening of October 20th, 1969, the 58th year of Republic of China, I recited Buddha in my dream and found myself flying! It was every comfortable and blissful! I flew over the city and saw many skyscrapers, buildings, cars, vehicles, and pedestrians below. Then I saw a two-story monastery, with thyme flowers along the surrounding walls. I landed and went to the main lobby. I entered the lobby and saw a big statue of Dizang Bodhisattva on the altar table, so I owed and recited Namo Dizang Bodhisattva. Then I passed the main lobby and entered the administration office and saw Master Juehua and Master Yongding there. I called out to the two masters, “Amitabha. You two masters are here with Dizang Bodhisattva.” They replied, “Yes.” I said, “You two masters are really blessed to be with Dizang Bodhisattva!” At the time, the two masters were still living at Zhuxi Monastery. When I woke up, I told Mom about my dream.

One day four years later in the 62th year of Republic of China, my mom wanted to visit Master Juehua. He was the abbot of Zhengjue Monastery at the time, but we did not know where the monastery was, so we called Master Juehua for directions and then I took my mom there on a motorcycle. When we got to Zhengjue Street close to the monastery, I saw the thyme flowers along the walls; I was excited and told my mom, “It was right this place that was in my dream four years ago.” It was indeed inconceivable. Namo Amitabha! Namo Amitabha! I had known Master Juehua and Master Yongding for over 40 years; he became Abbot of Zhengjue Monastery in early 1965, the end of lunar calendar 1959.

Part 9: Bodhisattva Took me to See Dad in Pure Land ▲

When I turned 30 in 1972, I read Chapter 12 of Dizang Sutra: on Benefits from Knowing:

In the future, if any man or woman lost their parents or siblings during breastfeeding or under the age of three, five or ten, he or she grows up and misses the loved ones but doesn’t know their whereabouts and doesn’t know which world or heaven they were reborn to. If he/she can paint the image of Dizang Bodhisattva, hear His name, keep bowing respectfully for one day or seven days straight without wavering, hear His name and visualizes His image, pay respect and make offerings, his/her loved ones who might be in Hell for eons due to their wrong doings will be released and rise to Heaven to enjoy great joy as a result of the the credits of the men, women, and siblings paying respect to Dizang Bodhisattva’s image; if the late loved ones are already in Heaven enjoying themselves, they will be elevated to sacred blessings and enjoy endless joy as a result of their relatives’ credits.

If the man and woman can concentrate on paying respect to Dizang Bodhisattva’s image for three seven-day periods and recite Dizang Bodhisattva 10,000 times, Dizang Bodhisattva will show the indefinite image and tell him/her the whereabouts of the late loved ones. Or Dizang Bodhisattva will appear in the dream, use the magic power, take the person to meet the late loved ones in other worlds.

I was very happy to read the part and I said to my wife: I’ll recite Dizang Bodhisattva’s name and I want to know which world Dad is in. I asked my wife to sleep in a separate bedroom and I asked her to cook vegetarian meals for me. I began reciting Dizang Bodhisattva from lunar calendar July 13th, week after week. Then on the evening of July 30th, birthday of Dizang Bodhisattva, Dizang Bodhisattva came to my dream and took me on a flight tour in the sky; the universe was blue everywhere. I saw huge palaces in the universe, beautiful and grand; they were bright and fragrant; I had never smelled anything that fragrant. The palaces were full of Bhikkhus, without any laypeople; all of them looked very stately. They looked the same, showing their right shoulders, in colorful robes; each row had a distinct color. I thought they were all Bhikkhus and my dad was a layman; how could I find him? Amitabha! I stepped into the rows; the Bhikkhu on the right transformed into my dad; I looked to the left; wow! The Bhikkhu on the left transformed into my mom; I saw it all very clearly. When I woke up, I immediately took a ride to Buddhist Lotus Association at Fengshan, Gaoxiong to see my master Venerable Master Zhuyun and told him about my dream. My master said to me: your dad has long been freed! I was very happy; from then on, I started to eat vegetarian foods on fasting days and during fasting months; a few years later, I was permanently vegetarian and I took the Bodhisattva Precepts.

At the time, my mom was still alive. It is clear that a Buddhist’s spirit is already in Pure Land even though his/her body is here in the Saha world. The patriarch masters all say Pure Land way is “fulfillment in this life”.

Xuehui Liao, August, 2008, Tainan

Part 10: Reciting Buddha in the Saha World and Seeing Pure Land ▲

In 1982, the 71th year of Republic of China, I was 40. One night, I was reciting Buddha in my sleep when Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared in front of me and told me that Guanyin Bodhisattva was going to take me to Pure Land; I said OK; in a split of a second, I was in Pure Land. I looked around. Wow! It was very bright; the ground was covered with gold; the seven rows of trees were tall and orderly, all made of seven jewels; the palaces were also made of seven jewels; there were palaces and buildings in the universe, too; they were all so grand and the music was beautiful; everything was as sutras state. Guanyin Bodhisattva took me to a palace; it was very spacious and grand; it was made of seven jewels. When we came out, Guanyin Bodhisattva pointed to a palace on the side and said, “This is the palace of Master Changding from Zhuxi Monastery; he’s in there.” At this, I immediately went in. It was spacious and grand; it was made of seven jewels. Master Changding was glad to see me; he and I chatted like old friends and I forgot the time. When I realized it, I excused myself and said to the master, “Guanyin Bodhisattva is waiting for me outside. I have to go on the tour.” When I came out, I couldn’t find Guanyin Bodhisattva. Then I woke up, and I remembered my dream very clearly. At the time, Master Changding was 51, and he was the vice abbot at Zhuxi Monastery; later, he became the fourth abbot of the monastery.

Master Changding was very devout and diligent about Buddha recitation. He did Buddha Recitation Samadhi (translator’s note: reciting Buddha for 96 days straight without sitting down or lying down). He departed for Pure Land in his 70s.

Recite Buddha in the Saha world, and you’ll see Pure Land;

You’re in the Saha world, but you’ve attained oneness with Pure Land.

Following the way of Pure Land, everyone can go to Pure Land as long as one concentrates on reciting Buddha wholeheartedly; before getting there, his name and his palace are already reserved in the Pure Land. The “attainment of Buddha-hood in this life” is grand and easy.

Part 11: Permanent Telepathy Between Mom and Child ▲

The old saying goes, “There’s telepathy between mom an child.” To tell you the truth, the telepathy is conditional. Filial piety does not mean feeding or clothing parents or putting a roof over their heads; such can’t count as filial piety at all. For example, if your parents displease you and then you yell at them or even swear at them, then aren’t you the same as a dog or a pig?

My mom went to stay at Xiluo Blessings and Virtue Monastery for a month every lunar calendar July; she came home in August. For the past ten years, she had stayed at the monastery ten times. Six times, she fell sick or fell down. Each time, I experienced the sudden whim and said to my wife, “Mom’s sick or she fell.” Then I would say to my kids, “Granny is sick. I’m taking the bus to Xiluo and see her. You kids be good.”

Part 12: Recite Buddha in your Heart Constantly and You’ll Hear Every Sound as Buddha ▲

Reciting Buddha to Consummation and Obstruction-proof says: “If sentient beings remember Buddha and recite Buddha in the heart, they will surely see Buddha presently, they are not far from Buddha, and they will be enlightened on their own.” Therefore, I often recited Namo Amitabha Buddha in my heart. Several times on a bus, I heard the passengers talk, and the words that came into my ears were “Namo Amitabha”. In the twenty plus years as a cab driver, I heard the passengers talk and all the words also became “Namo Amitabha” to my ears; I was very happy and I thought they were reciting Buddha; I asked them, “Are you reciting Buddha?” They said, “No.” Then I kept quiet.

Part 13: Reciting Buddha Devoutly and Seeing the Appearance of Buddha ▲

In my hometown Xiluo, there’s a relative who was born six years before Republic of China (1905). One night when he was 18, he heard a dog bark, and it was not pleasant; the cold wind was blowing; he felt cold and scared. At the time, he did not believe in Buddhism, but he heard that in case of ghosts, reciting Buddha would drive them away; so he began to sincerely recite Buddha. Ten plus minutes later, the room became very, very bright and Buddha appeared in the bright light, wearing a monk’s robe and looking super grand. In the 54th year of Republic of China, he had a professional artist paint the image of Amitabha; from then on, he began to recite Buddha day and night (he waited 40 years before reciting Buddha). When I went to Xiluo, I once paid respect to the Buddha painting in his house.

Part 14: Bodhisattva Showed the Whereabouts of the Late Loved Ones ▲

In 1992, the 81th year of Republic of China, I had a coworker cabdriver Dharma Brother Shuyuan Yhou who also exclusively practiced the way of reciting Buddha with the goal of being reborn in Pure Land. Life is unpredictable; his father died of liver cancer at Qimei Hospital. Dharma Brother Yhou recited Buddha every day and prayed for his father to go to Pure Land; he also read Dizang Bodhisattva Sutra. Thirty days later, we were at Yuandong Department Store waiting for our schedules; he asked me, “Dharma Brother, is it true that Bodhisattvas will show us the whereabouts of our late loved ones if we pray to them?” I told Dharma Brother Yhou, “His Enlightened Buddha is of true words, honest words, no false words. If you really believe Him, Buddha and Bodhisattvas will grant you your wish.” My words convinced him fully; he said, “I’ll take seven days off from driving and pray to Buddha and Bodhisattvas.” I told him, “Keep up your diligence for a week, and Buddha and Bodhisattvas will grant you your wish.” I was very confident because Dharma Brother Yhou had taken the Bodhisattva Precepts and he had been a vegetarian a long time. Seven days later, I drove my cab the department store for my schedule; Dharma Brother Yhou was all smiles, full of dharma joy; he said to me, “Dharma Brother, Buddha and Bodhisattvas are so compassionate; they responded to me. The second night, I dreamed of Bodhisattva taking me to Indra Heaven to see my mom. I found my mom looking very young; right away, I knelt and threw myself into her arms and burst into tears, “Mom, what a tragic death you died!” My mom comforted me and told me that she was fine now; thanks to my prayers, she was able to enter Heaven. I asked my mom where she lived. She pointed, “Here.” I found the room very beautiful; it was not made of mud like those in our world. Then I woke up. On the third night, I dreamed of Bodhisattva taking me to see my daughter; I was startled; my daughter was in Zhuqi. Then I remembered that my second daughter had died at the age of three.” Dharma Brother Yhou added, “A few years before my father died, my mom was checking out the fields on her bike at five in the morning when she was crushed by a big truck. She died such a tragic death that my heart was broken; the truck driver fled the scene.” On the sixth night, Bodhisattva took him to Pure Land to see his father; he saw everything very clearly. Dharma Brother Yhou said to me, “I must pay back the blessings of Buddha, my parents, and all the sentient beings; I’ve decided to leave home life.” After that, he pilgrimaged to the four renowned Buddhist mecca mountains in mainland China and stayed at some mountains for three months, totaling one year.

Dharma Brother Yhou’s parents were not Buddhists and they never recited Buddha. Thanks to the prayers of Dharma Brother Yhou, his father was able to go to Pure Land; on the second day of his prayers, Bodhisattva elevated his mother to Indra Heaven and then took him to see his daughter that died prematurely. All this is stated in Dizang Bodhisattva Sutras. It is clear that Bodhisattvas are very compassionate, reciting Buddha is exceptionally beneficial, and the reciter can go straight to Pure Land.

Dharma Brother Yhou has been a monk for ten years; his Dharma name is Juehui Shi; he lives at 61 Nanhe Village #24, Shuishang, Jiayi.

Tel: 05-2682868 M：0928-428818

Xuehui Liao, August, 2008, Tainan

Part 15: Experience of Body-and-Mind Being Freed ▲

In 1964, the 53rd year of Republic of China, I was twenty-two. I had just joined the army. It was very hot; and the boot camp of the new recruits was located in the woods. The training was to last 8 weeks, but I caught a cold only after one, two days into the training; I had chills, a high fever, and I had diarrhea quite a few times every day. Later on, I couldn’t control it and I pooped in my pants a few times. It was really stinky. My pants went from wet to dry and then to wet; I had no chances to wash them. I asked my captain for leave but I was denied, and he insulted me again and again for three days and nights straight. On the fourth morning, I asked him for leave again; he said, “You can ask the officer on duty and then ask the major and report to me.” I did what he told me. When I turned around, I found our unit already out of the gate, so I went back to my dorm for a wash basin. It turned out that he had my lieutenant already waiting for me. Right away, he said, “No! No! You must go to the drill and practice target shooting!” At the shooting site, he kept insulting me in front of all the soldiers and he fined me to run 600 meters non stop, until he told me to stop. “Amitabha! Amitabha!” This was a very hard adversity! In my heart, I did not hold any resentment, not a hint of grudges, not a hint of sorrow, not a hint of embarrassment.

I began running, and I was reciting “Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha” in my heart. Then I recited loudly “Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha…” seven times; followed by seven times of “There’s no ‘me’ ”. Incredibly, I instantly experienced the relief of my body and soul; the 100 plus soldiers disappeared, my body disappeared, the shooting sounds disappeared; all left was the constant reciting of Buddha. It was wonderful! That state was void of ‘me’.

What is the void of ‘me’? It is transcendental! What is the void of ‘me’? It is incredible! What is the void of ‘me’? It is being light and serene! What is the void of ‘me’? It is coming forth of the true ‘me’.

When my body and soul were freed, I was oneness with the universe. My mind grasped the oneness between the visible and the invisible! The invisible is not void! The visible is not constant! “Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha…”

Part 16: Bodhisattva Appeared to Direct me to Medication ▲

In 1964, the 53rd year of Republic of China, our army unit had just moved from Jinmen to Taiwan; we got off our ship at Gaoxiong port and we walked to the station at Wushantou. A few days after we settled there, we were having a politics lecture when a 2-or-3-inch-long caterpillar fell off a casuarina tree down my neck. I gently took it out and set it free onto the grass. Right then, the spot where the caterpillar crawled began to feel very painful. At once, I rubbed some tiger ointment on the spot several times but I couldn’t stop the itch or the hot pain. Then I used some white flower embrocation several times and it did not work, either. The spot began to fester, and there sprang out two white zits; they broke soon and began to ooze pus. Wherever the pus dripped, it festered, hot, itchy, and painful. It was terrible. At 5 o’clock that afternoon, I walked an hour to the grocery market of Liujia; it was getting dark. There was a pharmacy on the side of the market. It was not well lit because there was no business in the evening. I was about to enter the pharmacy when a woman in the market called out, “Young man. Young man. Your neck has shingles. Whatever medicine you get won’t help. Come over here. I’ll tell you where to go for a cure. She said, “Go straight and then turn right; you’ll see a courtyard. There an old woman will cure your shingles.” I looked at the street and thought it was so dark and I was in uniforms with my collar turned up to cover my neck; how did she see my neck? How did she know I had shingles there? I turned around to look at the woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. I got to the courtyard and met the old woman. I told her why I was there. She said it was shingles. She took out a cinnabar pen, murmured some words, and pen-dotted about 100 spots; each time she dotted, it felt cool and comfortable, almost half cured. She said, “Young man, come back for another treatment tomorrow afternoon and you’ll be fine.” Granny, how much?” She said, “No charge.” “Thank you, Granny!” The following day, I went to see her one more time and I was all fine.

Part 17: Bodhisattva Came to Rescue Again and Appeared with Directions ▲

On lunar calendar June 25th, 1968, the 57th year of Republic of China, I was 25; it was a hot day. I did know why my belly and back felt hot, itchy, and painful, just like when I had shingles at Wutou Station; I heard that people would have shingles when they had bad luck. I used ointment for two days, but it didn’t work. About 10 o’clock that morning, a woman said at the gate, “Young man. Young man. You have shingles. Ointment won’t work. Go to a herb medicine pharmacy and get kingdonia, and long melon core; then ground them together with brown sugar. Apply the liquid onto the shingles and it’ll be fine instantly. I noticed that her voice was the same as that of the woman at the Liujia grocery store when I was in the army two years ago. I ran out to check only to find the woman gone. Amitabha! It must be Guanyin Bodhisattva rescuing me. So I immediately went to the Chinese herb pharmacy and get the stuff and ground them together. I applied the liquid onto my shingles; instantly it felt so cool. One, two days later, I was fine. It worked wonders. I realized that Guanyin Bodhisattva was always with me and protecting me!

About 10 years ago, my grandson’s face and his lips looked wet; it seemed as if they were festering. I took him to see a dermatologist, who said it was hard to treat and it would take a few treatments. I took him there three times and it did not work. Then I thought of the remedy of kingdonia, long melon core and brown sugar. I applied the liquid and it worked right away. He was all fine the next day. It worked wonders!

Xuehui Liao, August, 2008; Tainan

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