On October 19, 2019, Chen Hanzhong, a scholar from the late Qing dynasty, was delivered to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss alongside sixty other prison guards through the compassionate grace of Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre. This testimony was recorded to document his journey from a dedicated village guardian to his final liberation.
Chen Hanzhong speaks:
A Scholar's Vow in Turbulent Times
"I am Chen Hanzhong. I was honoured to be recommended by the King of the Sixth Hall of the Underworld to serve as the representative for this group of prison guards awaiting deliverance to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
I was a scholar who attained the rank of Jinshi during the transition from the Qing dynasty to the early Republic of China. It was a time of great political upheaval, where the nation lay in ruins and everything needed to be rebuilt. My fellow intellectuals and I were deeply moved by the national tragedy and the suffering of the people. In many places, the people were starving; they had nothing to eat. The elderly and the children were frail and sickly, with no money for medicine. Seeing this, we formed a village collective. Our group included farmers, scholars, teachers, and healers.
I dedicated my modest monthly salary from the government to support our members. We planted rice and grain to feed the hungry. The costs for medicine, herbs, and nourishing broths were all covered by our collective funds. We also established a small educational group. The scholars and teachers among us gathered the village children to teach them basic Chinese characters, the rules of childhood conduct, and the Di Zi Gui. We were determined that the young seedlings of our nation would not become rootless, illiterate, or humiliated citizens. Fortunately, several of these children were ambitious and eager to learn; they later carried on this work, teaching the next generation so that the light of learning would not be extinguished."
The Guardian Spirit's Attachment
"To ensure the continuity of our village collective, I remained unmarried my entire life. I poured all my energy and every cent I had into our cause. I passed away at the age of fifty-eight without any illness. At that time, I had no opportunity to hear the , and I knew nothing about chanting . My heart was entirely tethered to the village collective. Even after I passed away, although my spirit saw the light, I was unwilling to leave. I wished to continue protecting the collective, so I became its guardian spirit.
One day, several officials from the underworld arrived and respectfully invited me to accompany them. I did not suspect anything. Upon arriving before the King of the Sixth Hall, the King recounted my life story in detail and explained the profound principles of cause and effect. He told me that there was a greater need for my service elsewhere. Thus, I began my duty as a prison guard, and at the same time, I was placed on the list of those awaiting deliverance to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss by Practitioner Su. Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and finally, our turn has come to be included in this list. I am truly filled with immense gratitude!"
A Final Bow of Gratitude
"Together with the sixty other prison guards, I once again prostrate myself to express our deepest gratitude for the immense grace of Practitioner Su and the great benevolence of Namo Amituofo.
Namo Amituofo."
This interview was recorded by the chief writer, the Buddhist disciple Venerable HaiZe.
