A Testimony from the Western Pure Land: The Journey of Lin Rongsang

The Weight of Past Actions

In the underworld, the King of Hell conducts business with absolute impartiality. It does not matter how high your official rank was in the human world, or how vast your network of connections may have been; none of these things hold any weight there. I am Lin Rongsang. In my lifetime, I was well-known in the Democratic Progressive Party and the Sanchong Gang. My footprints were left across the worlds of politics, business, and real estate. However, those are things of the past. I am now in the Western Pure Land, and those worldly affairs are far behind me.

I have discovered that when I think of virtuous things, my spirit feels light and clear. Conversely, whenever I recall negative actions, my spirit feels heavy and burdened. There are many things from my past that I feel I must repent for. Repenting brings a sense of relief; otherwise, having created so much negative karma, the suffering in the hells is truly terrifying. It is fortunate that Practitioner Su, in his great compassion, rescued me. Without his intervention, I would still be trapped within those depths, crying out to the heavens and the earth with no one to hear my pleas.

The Mirror of Truth in the Hells

In the past, I was someone who would never yield when I felt I was in the right. To increase the appeal or listenability of my words, I would often embellish the truth. I did not think too deeply about whether it was right or wrong; I would oppose things simply for the sake of opposition, or to vent frustrations for others. This earned me the support of many people. However, while I was glorious in the human world, the first thing that happened after I died and arrived in the hells was an interrogation regarding the things I had said during my life.

My goodness! These were things from decades ago. I had long forgotten those words, yet the records in the hells were crystal clear. They even made me watch replays of myself speaking, with every date and time recorded with absolute precision. After being interrogated on several matters, I realised that one cannot argue with the King of Hell. They have methods that will make you bow your head and admit your faults automatically. Looking back, it was truly my own wrongdoing.

The Impartiality of Karmic Justice

In the human world, if you are involved in a lawsuit, you can hire a brilliant lawyer to argue your case. If you spend enough money, you might even win. But in the underworld, the King of Hell is strictly professional. Your worldly titles and connections are useless; in fact, they may even lead to additional charges, piling sin upon sin until there is no escape. What I received in return was the Hell of Hanging Tongues. My tongue was hung up, blood flowed incessantly, and the pain was excruciating. Since I was already dead, this was my spirit suffering, so I could not die. I would simply lose consciousness, be revived with water, and then be hung up again. This cycle repeated endlessly.

I am only speaking of this now. There were even more unbearable scenes—having one's heart or intestines dug out. I cannot bear to describe them further, lest I frighten you, and I have no desire to revisit those memories. Alas, I seem to have developed some compassion now. In short, to those who are still living: do not speak or write words that are critical, untruthful, or embellished, for fear of causing chaos in the world. Know one to be one, and know two to be two. Otherwise, you will have much to endure in the hells after death. I am speaking the truth, not falsehoods. You must believe me; this is my own painful experience.

The Serenity of the Western Pure Land

I am now in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It was Practitioner Su who rescued me from the hells, granting me a chance to repent and turn towards goodness. I am truly grateful to him. The Western Pure Land is wonderful. No matter what kind of person you were in the world, everyone is treated with absolute equality here. Everyone is kind and gentle, and there is not a single thing that will cause your heart to be unsettled or turbulent. There is no loud or aggressive speech; there is only heart-to-heart communication. It is very unique; here, there is no need to speak, as one can understand the other's meaning simply by looking. I have become this way as well.

The scenery is beautiful, and the living conditions are even better. Everything shines with golden light. There are all kinds of dwellings, and you do not need money to buy a house; you simply think of it, and it manifests. This is a miraculous, highly advanced world, perhaps because Namo Amituofo truly abides here. There are also many monastics here, all of whom look very dignified. I believe I do as well.

A Call to Practice

To be able to come to such an environment, such a magnificent place, must be the result of blessings cultivated over many lifetimes. As a human being, one should do more good deeds and cultivate blessings, so that when you fall into hardship, there will be someone to rescue you.

Forgive me for saying all this, but my main hope is that everyone will learn the Dharma, chant Namo Amituofo, and seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss so that you will not have to suffer. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia is the place that saved me. I hope my family can come here. The Centre is preparing to build a Mituo Village, which can guide people to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I welcome everyone to come here; not only can you find peace of mind and heart, but those who are ill can also come here to find healing.

Namo Amituofo!

This interview was recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Venerable HaiZe.