A Lucky Spirit Amidst the Flames

This is the story of one of the young people caught in the fire. It is truly hard to believe that I am already dead. Not long ago, I was still playing on my computer, completely lost in the game, and then, just like that, I was consumed by fire. It sounds almost too dramatic to be true, but it is a fact.

This is a record of an interview with Chen Shaohan, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his passing in the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong on November 30, 2025. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe.

Practitioner Su:

"We invite Chen Shaohan, who is now in the Dharma-Nature Land, to speak. You have been here for two days now. You have seen that Namo Amituofo abides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre! Namo Amituofo has begun Buddhist education here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Lay Practitioner Chen Shaohan, during this disaster at the Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong, the Buddha’s compassion led you to the Western Dharma-Nature Land. Your physical body has died, but your spirit never dies. You have seen the salvation team of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre here in the Dharma-Nature Land. You have influence; your family can come to speak with you and join the salvation team.

Chen Shaohan, although your body has died, your spirit has been elevated and can now be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. You will no longer be trapped in the cycle of rebirth. This is a rare opportunity, difficult to encounter in millions of years, and it is your ray of light—even after death, you can still turn your karma around. Chen Shaohan, actively help develop the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre."

Chen Shaohan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My name is Chen Shaohan, and I am one of the deceased from the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. I solemnly tell everyone that I am speaking to you now as a spirit, accepting this interview from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. I hope you can believe the content of this interview, because although I, Chen Shaohan, was a real person with a physical body, once my body burned in the fire and my soul departed, I did not know if the subsequent events would be discovered. Therefore, this account is the absolute truth. At this moment, my spirit exists.

A Life Cut Short by Fire

I reiterate: my spirit exists right now, here in the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. It was Namo Amituofo of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre who saved us, the spirits whose bodies perished in that fire. Although I am stating this quite concisely, the process was actually incredibly arduous. This massive fire in Hong Kong caught many people off guard; it was truly a scene of accidental disaster.

I was a twenty-five-year-old young man, and I was buried in that fire at such a young age. For young people today, computer technology and the internet are everything. Regardless of the family situation or how many children there are, even if parents are struggling, schools require the use of computers, so they always prepare one for their children. It is a very common thing.

I was just twenty-five. I had found a good job and saved up enough money to buy this apartment, where I lived alone. Young people today are all chasing a life of freedom, unconstrained by anything, and I was one of them. We young people don't have many skills, so being able to save enough money to buy a home is quite an achievement, and I, Chen Shaohan, worked very hard and diligently.

The Illusion of Safety

When the fire broke out that day, was I asleep? It is strange; the incident happened in the afternoon, and yet by midnight, I still had not realised it. I should have been able to escape the fire, so how did I end up buried in the flames so late? Looking back now, I spent the entire day immersed in computer games. I had my headphones on, listening to music while enjoying the game, which made me very excited and deeply invested in the virtual battlefield. Because of that, I was completely oblivious to the commotion outside.

When I finally noticed, the air was filled with a thick, smoky smell. Even if I couldn't hear the sounds outside through my headphones, my nose could smell the scent, and that couldn't be a lie. The smell was extremely abnormal, so I quickly took off my headphones. At that moment, my eyes had been fixed on the battle in the game, fighting for my life to win that round. My total immersion was suddenly halted by that thick, smoky odour. A sense of foreboding surged through my entire body like an electric shock. I quickly looked up to check my surroundings, and heavens, it was terrible! How could I have been so crazy as to not notice that a fire had started all around me?

The fire was coming in through the gaps in the door, starting with smoke. The smoke was very thick, and I could hear many sounds outside—crying, screaming, and the loud crackling of the fire. I thought, 'What is going on? Could it be a fire?' I had learned some disaster rescue and self-protection measures at school, so I quickly wrapped myself in a quilt and took a thick towel, wet it, and covered my mouth and nose.

The Final Moments of Escape

I thought, 'I cannot stay in this room; staying here is a dead end. I must escape this room and go outside to see if there is any chance of survival.' But I was terrified—so terrified. I didn't know what I would encounter next. I desperately hoped that all of this was just a nightmare, a game battlefield, and we would see who won. My heart began to tremble because I felt as if an ominous fate was about to descend.

I stayed in the room for a while because I didn't dare to rush out. Although I had taken self-protection measures, my feet just wouldn't take that step out of the room. It was only then that I realised that all the things I knew—even if you do them to put your mind at ease—might help you survive a minor incident, but in a major disaster, you might not be able to save your life at all.

I didn't know how bad the fire was outside, but I felt that staying at home was like living a year in a single day; I was on pins and needles, in great pain. I watched the fire growing and growing. If I opened the door to leave, wouldn't I just die? The fire was coming in from outside the door, so the fire out there must have been much larger than what I was seeing. My room only had small flames, but I never expected that the fire would soon collapse from the ceiling. This was a huge shock!

Coming in through the gaps was one thing, but having the fire collapse and erupt from the ceiling was no small matter! It meant there was no way out above. The only option was to flee downwards. My brain was racing; it was a matter of life and death in an instant. If I chose the wrong direction, it would be the difference between life and death.

At that moment, I thought that I couldn't take the lift—how could one take a lift during a fire? It’s the same principle as a power outage; the stairs were the only path out. I knew that the entire building had recently been covered with protective scaffolding, and the windows had been sealed. This was something I knew. But at that moment, I really needed a window to escape, yet when I opened it to look, the window was sealed shut. This was truly a cruel reality!

I lived on the fifth floor. I had originally wanted to choose another floor, but I heard the number of the floor below was inauspicious, so I chose the fifth floor. It seems the fifth floor was also inauspicious. Hong Kong people are actually quite superstitious; even as a young person, having grown up in that environment, it is hard to avoid such traits.

If I had no other choice, I would have to open the door and rush out of the fire. I imagined that in such a raging fire, the chance of escaping was too slim. At that time, firefighters wouldn't be coming in to rescue us because it was too dangerous for them, and for the residents inside, it went without saying—we could only leave it to fate. If I had left earlier when the fire was smaller, I might have had a chance to run downstairs and reach the outdoors to be safe. But I realised it too late; regret and anger were useless now. It was too late!

However, I still wanted to taste that sliver of hope, so I bravely opened the door. Although the surrounding walls were making loud popping sounds, they were still sealed tight. I couldn't just run into a wall, could I? I had to open the door. When I opened it and looked out, my heart sank. There was fire on both sides, but there seemed to be a path in the middle. I quickly ran towards the middle, hoping to find the stairs to rush down.

But by that time, the fire had already reached the stairs. It was as if the fire knew where it could go and where it couldn't—it spread rapidly wherever there was space. Therefore, the stairs were easily occupied by flames. Fortunately, I was wrapped in a quilt and had my mouth covered with a thick, wet towel. I saw flames on the stairs, but I couldn't care less; I had to rush. I ran downwards, not knowing which floor I was on—it must have been several floors—but at that time, who cared about the floor number? Running down was the only way.

Because the fire was coming down from above—that was my judgment at the time, though I don't know the truth of the matter, and it doesn't matter anymore—saving my life was what was important. As I ran down, I thought to myself, 'Oh, I might be saved!' Hurry, hurry, I was racing against time. I found that the quilt actually protected me, allowing me to descend several flights of stairs. But later, the quilt caught fire too. Once it caught fire, I had to discard it; otherwise, wouldn't I have been burned along with the quilt?

At that moment, there was a small path in front of me, so I quickly rushed towards it to keep going down. But it was bad; suddenly, a pillar of fire appeared beside me, looking like a burning stick, and it struck me. It was so painful—my body was in so much pain—and I realised that I was on fire too. I had been so focused on running that I hadn't noticed my own body. The fire stick hit my head, and it hurt so much, but I was still conscious. I quickly looked around to see where else I could run, but the fire all around was even larger than on the previous floor.

I saw a place where the flames seemed slightly smaller, so I rushed towards it, but there was no way out. It was a dead end with a wall, and I could feel the fire about to break through the wall from the other side. What could I do? There were no exits left. I used to think that exits were just things that took up space, but now I realised that in an escape, an exit is so important—it truly is the only path to survival. But when the exit is also blocked, it is a disaster, and one's life might be lost because of it."

Furthermore, several corners of the stairwell were cluttered with various items. In normal times, I never thought anything of it, but at that moment, I realised that these objects could also catch fire and were one of the reasons that obstructed my escape. If those obstacles had not been there, the fire might not have had the chance to engulf the entire space, and there might have been a path left for me to survive.

In short, from where I was positioned, there were no gaps in front or behind for me to dash through. I thought that perhaps if I could just rush past, I might find a way to live, but I did not have the courage to charge into the fire with my physical body. At that moment, my mind was racing, wondering who could possibly save me. In my daily life, I would often disregard the deities and immortals that people worshipped. Sometimes I would even say they did not exist, asking why people wasted time on prayers or sought spiritual solace. I was so arrogant back then; I was just a young person who had not yet experienced the hardships of the world, which is why I spoke that way.

A Desperate Plea for Salvation

At that moment, I felt I had to beg them for help. I had no pride left, and no dignity to speak of. I knelt down and pleaded: "Heavens! Please, I beg you to help me! I have never done anything evil in my life. Although I love playing on the computer and playing games, I am still young and have so much I could do. Please, give me a path to survive and lead me away from this scene. I promise I will transform myself, work hard, and contribute to society."

I was trembling as these words came from the depths of my heart; my mouth was so terrified that I could not even speak a word. But no matter how I begged, it was useless, for the fire only grew stronger. Later, I discovered that my head was in excruciating pain and bleeding profusely, because that burning rod had struck me right on the head. I felt so dizzy, and everything before my eyes became blurred. I felt as if I could not stand, nor could I kneel steadily. I knew my body was collapsing, covered in blood, because I used the last of my strength to touch the place that was bleeding. It was so painful—the most painful spot was exactly where the burning rod had struck me.

The Final Moments of a Young Life

Looking at my hands covered in blood, I felt absolutely nothing. This is what a young person feels when they are on the brink of death, filled with extreme terror. I thought, perhaps after my body becomes a charred corpse, my hands will still be held up before my eyes—a stiff, frozen gesture. People will probably think, "So that is the posture in which he was burned to death!" Because after that, I lost all consciousness; I remember nothing of what happened. I only remember my spirit... even now, as I speak of it, my whole body is still trembling.

In my youth, I was reckless and knew nothing of suffering. Now that I know, it is too late to cry. At that time, I felt my spirit was in such agony, constantly trying to leave my body, but it felt like hitting a wall everywhere I turned. It was a spirit filled with fear, helplessness, and panic. Eventually, it felt as if a force pulled my spirit out. I do not know where that power came from, or if it was just a hallucination. Regardless, once my spirit was out, I let out a sigh of relief.

Entering the Spirit World

I had read in science fiction novels that when a person dies, the spirit and body separate, but the process is different for everyone, and for most, it is not a pleasant experience. I must have gone through exactly that process. I knew I was in pain—intense, unbearable pain. When my spirit finally emerged, it felt completely drained, as if it had been paralysed after a fierce battle with the raging fire. My body was limp, and my spirit felt like it was kneeling and crawling on the ground, but suddenly, it stood up again. "No! This is a place of fire; I cannot stay here. I must run!"

So my spirit tried to dash out of that place, but there was no fire there, so I did not need to run. Once I calmed down, I realised I had entered the spirit world, where the fires were still burning building by building. I looked back, and my body must have been left behind in that place; I did not know what had become of it. At this moment, my spirit felt incredibly light, and I moved very quickly. Amidst the waves of fire, I saw a body that was already unrecognisable. Even though it was a fusion of fire and blood, I knew it was me. My face was not even visible. How terrifying! How did I end up like that? I found that my spirit could not stand either; it was completely limp.

The Reality of Death

This is the story of one of the young people at the fire scene. It is truly hard to believe that I am already dead. Not long ago, I was still playing on my computer, completely engrossed in my game, and then I was burned to death. It sounds too dramatic, but it is the truth. If this is how I died, then what was the point of all my hard work and studying? Was it just to rush towards this massive, deadly fire? I do not want to blame myself anymore, nor do I want to think about it, because it has already happened. The most important thing now is to accept that I am dead.

Looking around, there were many other spirits crying and screaming. They were no longer in the fire, but I could see they did not know it yet. They probably thought they were still in the midst of the flames, unaware that they had already passed away.

A Plea to the Unknown

"Who can save us? I want to leave this place! I beg..." I did not even know who to ask. I had no religious faith, but at that moment, I cried out, "Lord! Holy Mother! Please save me! Or any god, Wang Daxian, even the Money Immortal—anyone! As long as you can save me from this fire, I will kowtow to you. Please!" Later, I thought of the Buddha. "Buddha, please save me too! I am still young; I did not want to die so soon. My life had just begun, just started a new journey. Is this how my precious life is to be taken away?" The result was that I received no response. The answer was: Yes.

Later, I found myself standing there, numb and dazed. I knelt down and began to wail. I did not know why I was crying—what was I crying for? Was I crying because my body was gone, because I was dead, or because my beautiful life had been cut short?

The Golden Light of Deliverance

I do not know how much time passed, but the sky seemed to brighten. It had been filled with smoke, but as I looked up, I saw a very bright golden light. That golden light was not far from us, and I saw many spirits running towards it. I was terrified and shocked, but I followed everyone else towards the light, as I was just as frightened as they were. After entering the golden light, although I did not know what would happen—this was not something I had learned in school—it was such a brilliant, bright light that it immediately made me think, "I am saved." So, when I ran into the golden light, my mind was blank; I just wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, after entering the golden light, I and many other spirits on the scene were sent to this place. Later, I learned that this is the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Center. These spirits were all suffering souls. I truly do not know how many people lost their lives in that fire. After I entered the golden light, many, many more spirits followed.

Finding Peace at Hsiang Kuang

Once we entered the golden light, we arrived here. The speed was incredible. The power of this golden light was so strong; it gave us immense strength. Upon arriving, I felt that it was very quiet, and I felt at ease. I looked around and saw there was no fire here. There were lotus seats one after another, and I seemed to be sitting on one already. It was truly remarkable.

Actually, I regained my senses quite quickly because I wanted to figure out what was going on—whether it was safe and if I could stay here with peace of mind, or if I would have to run for my life again. "Running for my life" seems to be the most direct description of my current experience; it really was a flight for survival. If this place had any intention of harming me, I would have run away immediately, but if this place had no ill intent and was willing to take me in, I would stay.

As it turned out, there was no sound here, but many, many lotus seats were emitting a faint fragrance. I believed I was saved. At the very least, the pain of being burned by the fire had vanished. I was saved! I was saved! I kept shouting, "I am saved!" I did not care what place this was; in any case, this was what my poor, suffering soul desperately needed—to never be burned by fire again.

The Voice of Practitioner Su

I arrived in this bright place, and I did not want to go anywhere else. I was so tired; I was an exhausted spirit. At that moment, I heard a sound. Where was it coming from? It was the constant chanting of "Namo Amituofo." It was singing "Namo Amituofo" over and over. Later, I discovered that scenes of the Dharma assembly at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Center were appearing before my eyes. Although I was extremely tired, I wanted to understand what was happening.

In my young life, I never imagined that it would end so soon. At twenty-five years old, I was quite tall—172 centimetres—with an average build. I was just an ordinary young person from Hong Kong, but the way I died—the "death" in the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death—was so tragic. To be honest, my heart had always been heavy; I could never truly be happy, even now. But I believe this is the best possible state I could be in. If I had remained in the fire, it would have been countless times worse than this. Everything happened so quickly, so I now know that when an accidental disaster occurs, it truly catches one unprepared, with no room for reversal, because it has already happened.

The sound of the Dharma assembly kept coming from here. It was the voice of a master. Later, I learned that everyone called him Practitioner Su, so I will call him Master Su. His body was very bright, and his voice was full of energy—it did not sound like the voice of an old man, nor did it sound like my twenty-five-year-old voice. I should have had a louder voice than him, but I did not. I only then realised that when I was playing games, that was not my spirit... but what is the use of saying all this now?

I saw that my spirit looked just like my body, but much whiter—pale, perhaps because my body had bled so much... I knew I had lost a great deal of blood; I had essentially collapsed in a sea of blood. Could it be that losing so much blood made my soul appear so pale? That should not be the case; it was the body that bled, and it should have nothing to do with the soul. But why is my soul so pale now? Perhaps it is because of the extreme shock! Namo Amituofo.

"I know it was Namo Amituofo who saved us. This news is being shared among everyone in the Western Land of Dharma Nature through heart-to-heart communication. I am also speaking on behalf of many other spirits; they knew I was going to be interviewed by the temple, and they kept asking me to tell everyone that they feel very much at peace now.

The Weight of Lingering Sorrow

My spirit feels as if it had been trapped, and my heart is filled with helplessness, fear, and deep emotion. I am still dwelling in a state of sorrow, but I believe this is already the best possible state I could be in. I never imagined that young people would be so fragile when faced with such a catastrophe. I just heard the interview with the ninety-two-year-old elder earlier; he seems so full of Wisdom, and I truly admire him. He has already 'seen through' and 'let go'! Yet, my own heart cannot seem to find joy. Perhaps I am just too discontented, or perhaps I am still suffering from the effects of such extreme shock. I do not know what I will encounter next.

A Call to the Departed

Suddenly, I heard someone mention that the 128 spirits from Wang Fuk Court had been sent to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and I was completely stunned! I pricked up my ears to listen further. 'You spirits from Wang Fuk Court who are now in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, you should follow along and chant Namo Amituofo!' That is what I seemed to hear. My hearing is fine, and my eyes are clear. Although my physical body was destroyed by the fire, it is clear that my spirit was not injured, so I can hear and see everything that is being said and done.

I heard Practitioner Su tell everyone that there were 128 victims in total, which matches the latest list released by the media. He said, 'Let us perform the Chao Du for these 128 individuals.' This is a way for everyone to contribute a little effort for those who perished in the fire. Then, Practitioner Su led everyone in chanting, 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.'

The Power of the Holy Name

I heard Practitioner Su explaining that even spirits can chant the Buddha's name. At the same time, he mentioned that this Dharma Assembly would continue for another day tomorrow. This was a message that everyone seemed to understand and take to heart.

I followed Practitioner Su and began to chant, 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' Gradually, my heart was opened by Practitioner Su and the power of 'Namo Amituofo.'

A Fortunate Spirit

I want to thank the Namo Amituofo at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, because I know it was the golden light of Namo Amituofo that saved me. It was the power of the Buddha that supported me. It was truly a matter of life and death, and I am a fortunate spirit. Yes, a fortunate spirit. I think the title of this interview could be 'The Fortunate Spirit.' Because I was saved by Namo Amituofo and brought here, otherwise I would still be trapped in that sea of fire. This is the truth of what happened. It seems that 'seeing through' and 'letting go' is not such an easy thing to do after all.

I still want to express my gratitude—thank you, Namo Amituofo, thank you, Practitioner Su, thank you, Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and thank you to every Venerable here.

Chen Shaohan"

Namo Amituofo.