A Young Soul's Departure from the Flames

This article records an interview with Chang Hua-min, a twenty-six-year-old victim of the tragic fire at Wang Fuk Court, located at 3821 Tai Po Road, Yuen Chau Tsai, Tai Po District, Hong Kong. Having sought deliverance, he now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on December 2, 2025.

Practitioner Su speaks:

"Chang Hua-min, a victim of the disaster at 3821 Tai Po Road, Yuen Chau Tsai, Hong Kong, now residing in the Dharma-Nature Land. You were at Wang Fuk Court in Yuen Chau Tsai when the fire broke out. How did the situation unfold? You lost your life. You are now at the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. With the compassion of the Buddha, I invite you, Chang Hua-min, to recount the events of the disaster exactly as they happened, so that your family may come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to communicate with you. I respectfully invite Chang Hua-min of the Western Dharma-Nature Land."

Chang Hua-min speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Chang Hua-min, twenty-six years old, a very young victim of this tragedy. When the fire started, I was brushing my teeth, doing exactly what I would do on any ordinary day. In my youth, I never imagined that I would lose my life so early in this fire. I did not have the chance to look at my parents one last time, nor did I have the chance to say goodbye. Just like that, the living and the dead were separated, each going our own way. Now, here in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I do not see them. They must be in a different realm, as they were not at home when the disaster struck; I was the only one there.

A Sudden Departure

I am a young man who loves playing basketball, so I am rarely at home. But this time, I happened to be resting at home, and I never expected such a disaster to occur. I left this world in such a bewildering way. My death was swift; I was choked by the thick smoke. Before I could even feel the searing heat of the flames, I had already lost consciousness. This was a failure of my own self-protection measures; I did not know to soak a towel in water and cover my nose before attempting to escape.

I do not know what has become of my parents, but they must be devastated. I was their only son, and at twenty-six, I was still by their side; I did not even have a girlfriend. This tragedy of the 'white-haired person sending off the black-haired person'—perhaps they cannot even find my remains, so how could there be a funeral? Although I am now sitting peacefully in the Dharma-Nature Land, my heart cannot fully let go of them. They have lived such bitter lives and have never experienced true happiness. I had hoped to grow into a man who could properly care for them in their old age, but I never imagined that they would be the ones left waiting in agony for the list of victims. I feel immense guilt, but it seems there is no way to turn back time.

Reflections on a Short Life

Thinking back on my life—neither long nor short, actually quite short—I had been working for two years since graduation. I did not have much in savings, but I was doing well. Our family was generally harmonious, and we did not argue often. My heart still aches when I think of these things; after all, I was a huge part of their lives. I am gone, I am truly gone... I can never return to how things were.

I put down my toothbrush because I suddenly smelled thick smoke coming from outside. It was pungent, and it was obvious that something was wrong. At that moment, I did not think it was a fire; I thought perhaps the neighbor had left their gas on, causing a small explosion. I rushed out the door and saw a sea of thick smoke. I did not see flames at the time, but I saw many people running for their lives. Subconsciously, I knew I had to escape to survive, so I grabbed a water bottle and ran. I did not think of any safety precautions. In fact, looking back, I had water in my bottle; if I had poured it on my clothes and used them to cover my nose, that would have been a precaution. I truly did not think of it.

The Final Moments

As I ran out, I saw several children also running, so I followed them, thinking that as a big brother, I might be able to lead them to safety. I was so confident, haha. We saw a cloud of black smoke. It was not very dark, so I thought we could rush through it. I thought that if we ran quickly, we would reach a bright future. I never imagined that this tunnel of black smoke would be so long, so very long. I was holding the hands of two children, and it seemed there was another child nearby. We agreed to rush out together without thinking too much, just running straight ahead. But the moment we entered the tunnel, we were separated. It seemed that everyone suddenly had difficulty breathing; it was so painful, and we became dizzy and lost consciousness. Just like that, we said goodbye to the world.

When I regained consciousness, I felt very light, as if my body had been emptied out. It felt as if there was nothing left. My spirit and my body had separated, but there was no pain at all—it was completely different from what I had imagined. The children were still by my side, but the clothes we were wearing were different; they were white, a translucent, glowing white.

The Light of the Buddha

The children looked innocent and happy because it seemed as if we were flying. Everything around us was filled with light, nothing like the pain and smoke of the fire. A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted through the air, and it was very comfortable; my whole being felt incredibly refreshed. We vaguely felt hungry, but we no longer had stomachs—that is, we no longer had these bodies. Perhaps humans just think of eating whenever they have nothing else to do! So, even as spirits, we were still like that.

I, Chang Hua-min, have always been a free-spirited person with few attachments in life, and my heart has always been relatively calm. In this fire, seeing so many people die in such agony, I feel quite fortunate. It was just a matter of a few minutes—a few minutes of decision-making—that led me to rush out of that black smoke and leave the world. Leaving was not painful; I just drifted out so naturally.

It turns out that we were so fortunate. At the same time we emerged, after being in a daze for a while, we encountered this great deliverance—not a rescue by humans, but by the Buddha in the spirit world. It was Namo Amituofo who saved us! I am also a child who believes in the Buddha. I have heard of Namo Amituofo. In my impression, Namo Amituofo is the most famous Buddha. It seems that whenever people talk about the Buddha in many places, they mention Namo Amituofo. Just like in the movies, when monks put their palms together, they say, 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo,' and 'Namo Amituofo, excellent, excellent.' Well, these are digressions, but I feel I am a child with a Buddhist affinity. I am not unfamiliar with Namo Amituofo, and my heart carries a very warm feeling. Seeing the Buddha, a warm feeling naturally welled up within me. I did not perform any special rituals; I do not know how to perform prostrations or chant sutras, but I also do not look down on the Buddha’s teachings or the existence of the spirit world like many of my peers. I believe in it; it is a feeling brought from a past life!

The Ultimate Destination

These children must be like me. We feel the Buddha-light shining upon us, and it is very comfortable. We are not suffering; our hearts are very calm and peaceful, and our mouths naturally chant Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, with the Buddha-name constantly in our hearts. Although I occasionally think of the bits and pieces of the past, when I look back, it feels very distant. Although it has only been a few days since I was separated from my parents, it feels as if these things happened a long time ago. It does not feel like something that happened to my 'spirit,' but rather like the experience of one of my bodies. True and false, false and true—all of this is truly like the dream-like bubbles mentioned in the Buddha’s teachings, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Nothing is worth clutching tightly in one's fist.

I chant the Buddha’s name, knowing that I am in a Buddha-land, knowing that I have been saved! I do not think too much about the future, nor do I have many desires or many things I am desperate to know. I believe the Buddha saved me, and the Buddha will surely settle me well so that my spirit will not continue to wander. I also want to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss; one day, I certainly will. That is why I keep chanting the Buddha’s name, keep chanting, with my heart empty, filled only with the Buddha. I know that I, too, can be a Buddha, which makes me very happy. The children are also very happy. Although we did not know each other well before, only occasionally greeting each other, this time we have become brothers in life and death, arriving together in this bright world. Who can say for sure about Causal Conditions?

A Message to My Parents

Suddenly, the image of my parents appeared—they are the people I am most familiar with in the world. I am not a person with a wide social circle, so I am not very interested in the myriad worlds. I am a child with a quiet heart, even though I said I like playing basketball. I want to tell my parents that I used to rely on you, and you were the same with me, but in such mutual entanglement, we did not have true happiness. It felt like our home was harmonious, but there was always a vague sense of depression present.

This time, you did not have the chance to hear these words, and I have not spoken so much in a long time. But I truly hope you can make a trip to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Although flight tickets are quite expensive, you must believe that the Buddha is here. If you come, you will not need to die; you can communicate with me and know my heart, which is very peaceful and calm at this moment. I do not have many extravagant demands; I was the same before, and I remain so now. You are also such ordinary, simple, and good parents. I hope you can believe that Namo Amituofo is at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and believe that Practitioner Su is an awakened being, a person who can truly lead us to liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The children and I all want to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, because we know that it is the highest spiritual world and our final destination.

The Only Way Out

Practitioner Su often says, 'There is no saving the human world!' Now it seems that is truly the case. If the human world could be saved, such a tragic event would not have happened at Wang Fuk Court, and all of Hong Kong would not be weeping and shedding tears with us. If it were not for the Buddha, how bitter all of this would be! Those who have yet to know the Buddha are still weeping bitterly for the victims of the Wang Fuk Court fire, still waiting in agony for the identification of remains. In truth, one might consider letting go of all this. Once the body is gone, it is merely an illusion; what does it matter whether it is identified or not?

With one 'Namo Amituofo,' we can transcend all these matters of life and death and find the true resting place of our spirits. In this life, in this short span of existence, I am very fortunate that all of this led me to such a wonderful place. I must be a child with blessings and Buddhist affinity—truly great blessings, greater than all the billionaires in the world combined! I am very grateful and cherish these Causal Conditions. I also hope I can shout in space: Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo! Let everyone know the Buddha, and let everyone have the same warm feeling toward the Buddha that I have, entering the ear-gate to become a seed of the Way forever. The Buddha is you and me; the Buddha is the destination of life. Namo Amituofo is our best teacher. Everyone must believe and must chant the Buddha’s name!"

Chang Hua-min