In June of this year, my father experienced sudden pain around his waist, and he couldn’t eat. Within one month, he lost around ten kilograms. He was admitted to Taipei’s General Veterans’ Hospital many times. Finally, in September, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. According to his doctor, this type of cancer worsens very quickly. Usually, a patient with this illness has only six months to live. Although my entire family didn’t lose hope, we were finally defeated by the disease. My father peacefully passed away at the end of October. From the time he first got ill to the time that he passed away, many inconceivable events as described in the Sutras occurred. Therefore, I put these events together to share with everyone.

1. The Six Principles formed the foundation of my father’s faith: My father was introverted and very responsible, and he considered carefully before he acted. Ever since we were children, my father taught my brother, my sister, and me never take advantage of, or to flatter others to further our own benefit. Also, he taught us not to add to another person’s burden. Because my father sincerely respected the Venerable Master Hua’s merit and virtue, he took refuge with the Venerable Master in 1994. From then on, my father recited the Earth Store Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Buddha’s name daily.

2. I constantly reminded my father to maintain his faith: During my father’s stay in the hospital, he went through indescribable suffering. When he realized that his illness was incurable, he was determined to be reborn in the Pure Land. I put a recording of the Buddha’s name next to my father’s bedside, and it played continuously. I frequently described the scenes of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to him. I also told him that the relationships in the Saha world are temporary; only his Dharma companions in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss are permanent. One day when my father woke up, he was in great pain. However, he saw a circle of yellow light about one foot in diameter on the ceiling. All of a sudden, he experienced comfort all over his body. After that, his faith grew even firmer.

3. The manifestation of negative karma cannot be ignored: Eight days before my father passed away, he dreamed that many people were chasing him to kill him. When he woke up, he was very disturbed. When my friend told me over the phone that the Three Thousand Buddhas Repentance was taking place at Taipei’s Dharma Realm Buddhist Books Distribution Society, my family rushed over and set up a “Plaque to Repay Those We Owe”on behalf of my father. The next day, my father dreamed that there was an individual who blocked those who were trying to kill him. On the third day, in his dreams, my father saw that his intended killers had smiles on their faces, appeared to be joyful, and they stopped seeking retribution from him. My father’s experience was similar to the teachings in the Earth Store Sutra where it describes what a person experiences before he passes away. Everyone should be mindful of this.

4. Letting go of everything and passing away amid recitation of the Buddha’s name: On October 25, my father’s illness quickly worsened. At my mother’s reminder, he used his hoarse voice to call out Amitabha Buddha’s name two hours before his passing. It was incredibly touching! I told my father in his ears not to worry about the family, to let go of everything, and to concentrate on reciting the Buddha’s name in his mind. At that time, my entire family started to recite the Buddha’s name. When I saw my father’s last breath, it was as if a knife cut my heart while it broke into thousands of pieces, and I felt as if there were explosions all around me. However, I remembered the words of Great Master Yin Guang, so I continued to recite the Buddha’s name with tears in my eyes. With the compassionate assistance of Dharma Masters Heng Yun, Heng Tsai and others, the Dharma brothers of Dharma Realms Buddhist Books Distribution Society were contacted right away. They took turns to recite the Buddha’s name on my father’s behalf. Due to their efforts, my father reached the Western Pure Land smoothly, and my family is deeply grateful.

5. Amitabha Buddha appeared and radiated thousands of rays of golden light: When my family started to recite the Buddha’s name, my younger brother smelled the scent of flowers in the hospital room, and my younger sister saw an incredibly large Amitabha Buddha emitting golden light from afar. Even more surprisingly, she saw our father walking slowly towards Amitabha. At that time, my sister thought there was something wrong with her, so she left the room to get a drink of water and take deep breaths. When she returned to the room and closed her eyes to resume her recitation, the scene she saw earlier returned. Our father was closer to Amitabha, and he appeared to be getting smaller. My sister left the room again to get a drink and take deep breaths. When she returned, she saw that my father’s hair had fallen away, and he was wearing a black robe as he got on a lotus to leave. My sister said that Amitabha Buddha’s head was royal blue in color and covered with curls. She also said that our father appeared to be very small next to Amitahba. Two days after my father’s passing, my sister continued to smell wondrous fragrance. My brother and sister are not formally Buddhists. They know very little about Amitabha and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Without the kindness and compassion of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, my brother and sister would not have experienced such auspicious states.