Escaping the Path of No Return

This interview records the testimony of Ye Tianwen, who sought spiritual deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Having endured a life marred by addiction and tragedy, Ye Tianwen now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account, recorded by Chief Writer Shi Fa on September 29, 2024, details his harrowing journey through the cycle of rebirth and his eventual liberation through the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su.

Ye Tianwen speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I once believed myself to be a person of heavy sins, a soul so deeply stained that there was no hope of ever turning my life around. I never imagined that the Buddha would still grant me a chance, allowing me to see Him today. My heart is filled with profound gratitude. Now that I have reached the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I only wish to focus on following the Buddha and to practise the Dharma diligently.

I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su for delivering me and fifty-nine other prison guards to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Upon arriving here, I felt the Buddha’s great compassion, which accepts all beings without any discrimination. Having wandered through the cycle of rebirth, I have finally been liberated. My heart is overflowing with gratitude; I bow in thanks to the Buddha’s grace, and I bow in thanks to the grace of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

A Childhood in the Shadows

"I am Ye Tianwen. From as far back as I can remember, I followed my father. He was my only reliance in this world. Once I gained the ability to perceive and judge the world around me, I began to notice that every day, whenever others were not looking, my father would sneakily steal their belongings.

He would do this at least a dozen times a day. At a certain hour, he would go to a dimly lit shop where two guards stood at the entrance. He would go straight inside to sell the stolen goods for cash. I once asked him why he did this, and he told me that if he didn't, we would have nothing to eat. I was too young to understand the gravity of his actions, but the seeds of confusion were already being sown in my young heart.

When I was seven, I started school. I learned many principles of how to be a good person, and I loved learning these truths. However, as I learned them, many doubts began to arise in my heart. I wondered why the principles taught at school were so different from what my father did. According to the school, taking things without permission is called 'stealing.' Was my father a thief? I dared not think further, but my heart became heavy with complex feelings. I constantly struggled: should I listen to my father, or should I listen to my teachers? This internal conflict created a persistent sense of gloom that followed me everywhere."

The Descent into Darkness

"When I was ten, my father brought home bag after bag of white powder. My intuition told me it was drugs. I could no longer endure it, for I knew this was a crime and that it harmed people. I shouted at my father, and he glared at me. Seeing that he wouldn't listen, I told him, 'If you continue this, I will call the police to arrest you.' He was so angry that he slapped me. It was only after a while that he calmed down and promised he would stop.

Hearing him say that, I was truly happy, and my heart settled. But to my horror, the next morning I woke up feeling dizzy, with a sensation of floating. I knew something was terribly wrong. I saw a container beside me with some unburned white powder. I instinctively knew what had happened: my father had deliberately drugged me. A wave of fury rose from the depths of my heart. I could not forgive him for what he had done to me. I cried out in my heart: 'I am your child, Father! Why would you do this to me?'

Later, I learned that my father had long been addicted and had agreed to transport drugs illegally because he needed money to feed his habit. He didn't want me to interfere with his 'business,' so he simply dragged me down into the abyss with him. He was physically stronger than me and would force drugs into my system. I was powerless to resist. Eventually, I could not escape the addiction myself. Whenever the cravings hit, I had to beg my father for more, and I began my journey down a path of no return."

The Struggle for Redemption

"Many times, my reason told me to reject those substances. When my mind was clear—during the times the addiction wasn't active—I tried many ways to help myself break free. But whenever the cravings struck, the intense physical need and the agonizing symptoms were impossible to resist. They would pull me back down, shattering my self-confidence completely. Time and again, I was defeated. My willpower was worn away until I chose to give up on myself, living like a walking corpse, a living dead man.

My teachers at school noticed my long absence and came to our home. They discovered my situation, called the police to arrest my father, who was still in a drug-induced stupor, and sent me to a rehabilitation centre. In the centre, I began a series of treatments and received guidance from counsellors who helped heal my wounded spirit. During that time, I felt happy, and I knew I was slowly breaking free from the control of drugs. It was incredibly difficult at first. When the cravings hit, I wanted to bang my head against the wall or throw my body on the floor. The staff there assisted me, helping to alleviate the symptoms, and they constantly encouraged me, helping me to endure and eventually walk out with courage.

I am so grateful to those who helped me in my life. Because of them, I didn't have to remain under the control of drugs; I could return to a normal life, embrace the light, and no longer live in the darkness of secrecy."

A Second Chance and a Final Sacrifice

"When I fully returned to a normal life, the joy was indescribable. It was like the clouds parting to reveal the sun; it was the joy of being reborn. I was so thankful that my body was once again my own, rather than a puppet controlled by drugs. When I returned home, I didn't see my father; he hadn't returned. I didn't go looking for him, as I knew he was likely in prison. At first, I couldn't face him. He was the one who had hurt me the most, and my heart was in conflict. He was my father, yet he was the villain who pushed me into a dark hell.

I later learned about drugs and how to help addicts recover, just as I had been helped. In the process, I found it wasn't easy. Addiction causes people to repeat the same mistakes. Sometimes they seem to have changed completely, but when the craving hits and their self-discipline falters, they let themselves fall back into the dark whirlpool. Sometimes, these people choose to escape their problems through drugs. Just when they are about to change, a major setback occurs, and they revert to their old, familiar ways of escaping.

This happened so frequently that I had to understand why they relapsed, rather than scolding them or blaming them for lying to me. The more I understood them, the more I knew how to help them break free from the control of drugs completely. As I gained the ability to help others, I felt a sense of release regarding my father. I realized he, too, was trapped and couldn't find his way out.

One day, I finally decided to visit him in prison. When I saw him, I was shocked—he had aged so much. I told him about the work I was doing, and he was so happy for me. I also told him I no longer blamed him. I knew he was filled with self-reproach; it was this guilt and the negative energy it generated that caused him to age so rapidly, his heart entirely tethered to me. Seeing me doing well, he finally smiled in peace.

Later, I became even more active in helping addicts find the light, and years later, my father returned home to reunite with me. We worked together to help those harmed by drugs. This was the causal condition of our lives. We did not view it as a bad connection, but cherished it, as it gave us the opportunity and ability to help those who could not find their way out."

The Transition to the Western Pure Land

"When I was forty-six, I encountered a patient with a severe addiction. I was confident I could help him. However, during one of his episodes, he had no drugs available, and his body was in such agony. I used my experience to try to help him, but he suddenly pulled a sharp knife from his pocket and stabbed me directly in the heart. It happened too quickly; I was caught off guard and could not withstand the injury. I passed away in a short time.

Where was my spirit? After leaving my body, I entered the 'drug space' and became a small pill. It was my attachment that brought me into this space. I did not want to harm anyone; I only wanted to save them. Therefore, this pill was not meant to make people addicted, but to help them break their addiction. I did not want to seek revenge on the person who killed me, because I knew he was so controlled by drugs that he could not master his own mind.

However, I had no ability to escape that space. I could only constantly use my thought power to prevent people from touching me. Even though I had become a drug, I did not want people to become addicted by consuming me; I wanted to help them break free. About ten years later, just before someone was about to swallow me, I flew out of his hand. He searched everywhere but couldn't find me. At that very moment, my spirit quickly emerged from the pill.

Two prison guards from the hells brought me to see King Yama. King Yama praised my heart for its desire to help others. He then gave me the job of a prison guard, allowing me to continue helping others in the hells. I hadn't been serving there long when I began to hear Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. Every word Practitioner Su spoke awakened me. When I lived in the world, I never thought of chanting the Buddha's name, nor did I have the causal conditions to know the Buddha's teachings. But the conditions were so magnificent that even after arriving in hell, I still had the chance to hear the Dharma.

I actively shared the Dharma with the beings in hell. Many did not believe at first, but after listening, they all believed and submitted; many even learned to repent. My heart gave rise to the vow of renunciation, and I hoped to have more ability to help beings in the future. Just like that, I was placed on the list to be led to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Today, I am finally able to arrive here together with fifty-nine other prison guards.

I bow in thanks to the Buddha’s grace, and I bow in thanks to the grace of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

Ye Tianwen bows in reverence."