This is a record of an interview with Ye Yongyuan, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his harrowing journey from the hells to his eventual rebirth. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on October 9, 2021.
Ye Yongyuan speaks:
". I am Ye Yongyuan, and I am currently residing in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is a place I have longed for over such a long time, and it was Practitioner Su who brought us here! Everything here is so bright, so beautiful—I truly cannot believe that I have been able to arrive in such a magnificent place. It was my sister, Lay Practitioner Ye Qianxian, who performed the for me at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and it was Practitioner Su who rescued me from the hells. At that time, I was still in a state of confusion, and my entire being was filled with agony. After I was brought to the , I gradually began to recover. From that point until now, I have not only become clear-headed, but I have arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss with complete and perfect clarity."
The Gathering of Souls
"Previously, when I was in the Western -Nature Land, I would witness the held at the temple. I saw countless souls—so many that they were packed together—surging in from every direction, filling the entire temple grounds and even the sky above. They had all come to the temple to beg Practitioner Su for deliverance to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Even then, I knew that the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss must be an extraordinary place for so many spirits to be striving to reach it. I suppose I have a bit of that 'small cleverness'—I can see the second step by looking at the first.
However, I was waiting for my father. In my heart, regardless of how others viewed him or what they said about him—whether they called him a 'gambling king' or not—he was still my father. He seemed to have his own stubborn attachments, so I stayed with him in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, waiting. Until now, we have finally set foot upon this sacred land. I now understand why so many souls are desperate to come here: in this world, only the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and Practitioner Su have the capability to send us deceased spirits to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. My heart is filled with such deep emotion and gratitude!"
A Reckoning Beyond the Grave
"Sister—let me call you that—you have always been the daughter our father held in high regard. In our hearts, you are the wonderful sister who looked after us, your relatives. There were so many things I could not bring myself to say while I was alive. I never imagined that after death, I would have this opportunity to finally speak the words held within my heart. When I was alive, I did many things I should not have done. I forged many karmic enmities with others, thinking that there would be no consequences as long as I did not think about them or confront them. I never expected that after death, everything would be tallied up before the King of Hell. Every single debt was calculated with absolute clarity. There was no escaping it, and there was no one to plead my case. I had no choice but to go to the hells to suffer my retribution. It was so painful—truly, it was agonizing!
While I was alive, I inverted right and wrong and was full of self-righteousness. I never imagined that after death, I would have a place in the hells of inverted hanging. That was a miserable past, and even now, just thinking about it makes me tremble with fear. I can only urge everyone: you must live with integrity. If you are not upright, these actions will not simply vanish; everything is accounted for with perfect precision after death. If it were not for Practitioner Su saving me, I would still be in the hells, screaming in agony with no one to rescue me!"
The Rarity of True Practice
"Sister, thank you for performing the Chao Du for me. In the past, I never paid any attention to the concept of deliverance. I never imagined that after death, it would be precisely through this deliverance that I would be saved. But you must find the right person to be able to save you. Now that I have found a 'noble person' like Practitioner Su, one must follow closely. Practitioner Su is a true practitioner; such a person is far too rare in this world! During the Dharma assemblies, I watched Practitioner Su—selfless, with no sense of '.' Every single second, he is thinking for the sake of all sentient beings, constantly delivering them. I felt so moved, because I am also one of those sentient beings, and it is only because of Practitioner Su's deliverance that I could be saved and cease my suffering. There is warmth to be found everywhere in this world. The living are important, but the deceased are also in need of salvation, and that is equally important. However, this requires finding someone with the capability and the spiritual skills of Practitioner Su. Only the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre possesses this."
The Transformation of the Spirit
"When I was at the temple's Western Dharma-Nature Land, I listened to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks, and only then did I understand that I had committed many wrongdoings in the past—mistakes that were truly outrageous. I also chanted the Buddha's name, chanting 'Namo Amituofo,' hoping to repent for the wrongs I had committed. This was not at all my style of doing things when I was alive, but fortunately, I had this opportunity to realize my own problems. The Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su are not only heard by the living; the spiritual realms hear them as well, and there are even more listeners there than among the living! This is truly a remarkable thing. One could say that the dead have more than the living! Many ghosts felt deep sorrow and repentance upon hearing them, and I was one of them. It must be that the magnetic field here is filled with and goodness, which transformed us into something new. It is truly hard to believe that the Buddha’s teachings are so profound.
If those who knew me were to see me now, they would surely fall off their chairs in shock. In any case, I am now a member of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and I am happy to accept this new identity. Thank you, Namo Amituofo. Thank you, Practitioner Su. Thank you, my respected sister. Without Practitioner Su and you, there would be no 'me' as I am today."
