Master really wishes that, in his later years, there could be a big Guanyin Village. A place where every evening, everyone enjoys their vegetarian meal, sits together to recite sutras, and gather to listen to Master’s teachings. That would truly be a Pure Land on Earth.
— Buddhism in Plain Terms, Volume 8, Chapter 21: Only the Diligent Attain the Buddha Dharma
“In the future, when I grow older and can no longer travel around the world, but Dharma centres have already been established everywhere, I truly hope there will be such a sanctuary — a Guanyin Village — where several thousand people can live together. Many of you may have suffered deeply after losing your loved ones. Some of you may grow old and find yourselves alone. When that time comes, you can come straight to Guanyin Village and be together with everyone else. Every evening, I will share my teachings, and there will be people making offerings and caring for you. Our daily life will revolve around Buddhist practice. In the mornings, we will recite sutras; in the afternoons, we will meditate; and in the evenings, we will gather to listen to my Dharma teachings. We will also practise life liberation regularly. In Guanyin Village, you will be surrounded every day by many spititual family members. And when the time truly comes for you to leave this world, over two thousand people will each offer you one Little House, that will be over two thousand Little Houses for you! And with my blessings on top of that, you may very well behold Amitabha Buddha and Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Tell me — would you be willing to spend your later years cultivating together with me?” “Yes!” “This is your future. This is the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the human world.” [Applause]
“Let me tell you: once Guanyin Village is built, there will be no fees whatsoever. Anyone who sincerely practises the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door will be welcome to live there. As you recite Little Houses, everyone will be your family. If you have lost your spouse, do not grieve. If you have lost a child, do not be weighted down by sorrow. As long as you enter Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, all these people here are your family. When I grow old and can no longer walk easily, I will stay with you every day in my later years, teaching you Buddhism and the Dharma. My teachings will never end, nor will my explanation of the scriptures ever end, because it is not I who am speaking, but our great Guan Yin Bodhisattva speaking through me. Though sentient beings are difficult to guide, we must still guide them. Though the path in this human world is difficult to walk, we must still walk it. Though Buddhist cultivation is difficult to attain, we must still strive to attain it. Let Dharma joy fill your hearts. Let there be a heavenly realm in the human world. Let the Bodhisattvas smile, and let all the Bodhisattvas in this world applaud. Dharma joy, such Dharma joy! Let go of laziness. Recite sutras every day, and take action immediately!”[Applause]
— Master’s Teaching to Disciples at the Hong Kong Dharma Assembly, 9 June 2013
“Why did Master say that there will be Guanyin Villages in the future? Master’s words will not be in vain. There will be Guanyin Villages, and in the future, there will be more and more of them. Why? Because Master wants to take care of the elder disciples, the elderly mothers and seniors, so that they will have a place to live, a place to cultivate, and a place to spend their later years in peace. Therefore, all the elderly mothers don’t need to worry that no one will look after you, or that no one will offer you Little Houses. As long as you continue to follow the guidance of Master’s Dharma Voice, listen carefully to Master’s teachings, and diligently practise Buddhism and cultivate your minds, Master will ensure that you have something to rely on in life. Master will bring many disciples back, because many of you, countless kalpas and lifetimes ago, in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or in other Buddha lands, held very high spiritual attainments. Therefore, now that Master have come down and attained Buddhahood, many of you will rise and ascend with me as well.”
— Dharma Voice Teaching, 6 January 2023
“Everyone is so reluctant to leave, and to be honest, Master is just as reluctant to part with you all. I have made a vow: When I grow older and can no longer walk easily, and when all of you have retired and become elderly men and elderly mothers, there will certainly be an even larger Guanyin Village. Every evening, everyone will gather together to listen to my teachings. I will keep teaching you until we reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, teaching all the way until we enter the Four Sagely Realms. And when someone is about to enter Nirvana, each one of us will offer that person a Little House. If there are tens of thousands of people, that means tens of thousands of Little Houses. Even if that person doesn’t want to go to the Western Pure Land, with that many Little Houses, they’d have no choice but to go!” [Applause]
“When you grow old and retire with nothing much to do, you must not play mahjong, you must not drink alcohol, and you must not waste your time on meaningless activities. Instead, listen to Master’s teachings every night. During the day, Master will lead you in circumambulating the Buddha in Guanyin Village. Every evening, I will share the Dharma teachings with you. Every day, we will be filled with Dharma joy, and welcoming the Bodhisattvas to visit us daily. And when the time comes for you to leave this world, you will be free from illness and free from pain. You will simply fall asleep and joyfully ascend to the heavens. This is the goal of our lives. The true aspiration of a Bodhisattva is to ascend to the higher realms. Just like today, when I lifted you upward, many of you swayed a little, opened your eyes, and suddenly found yourselves right before Guan Yin Bodhisattva. I hope that a hundred years from now, you will leave this world in the same way, without pain, without illness. Just sway gently, open your eyes, and say: ‘Guan Yin Bodhisattva! I am truly by Your side!’ That means you have succeeded. You have accomplished your cultivation in a single lifetime.”
— Teaching delivered at the World Buddhist Friends Meeting, Hong Kong, China, 24 June 2015
