From Battlefield Butcher to Pure Land Practitioner

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Chang Yuchun, a prominent general from the early Ming Dynasty, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately six hundred years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on March 30, 2026.

General Chang Yuchun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I, Chang Yuchun, have officially reported to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Over these past few weeks, this place has purified my soul from the inside out, through and through. I never imagined that a rough man like me—a man who was once a bloodthirsty maniac, so cruel, so ruthless, and so demonic—would ever have the chance to arrive in such a pure and dignified Buddha-land. It is all truly inconceivable.

The name Chang Yuchun once shook the world; enemies would literally wet their pants just hearing it. Even now, my speech remains coarse, but in all honesty, I never knew such a beautiful Buddha-land existed, a place where people could find true refuge. The transformation is simply miraculous! I am a simple, rough man and cannot offer any profound or noble discourse, but standing here in this place, my heart is so incredibly calm. All my old habits have vanished. It has truly purified my entire being. This must be the profound mystery of the Buddha’s teachings. Now, let me tell you my story and how I came to be here.

A Rough Man in a Pure Land

During my time in the human world, I lived a tumultuous life of forty years. I was originally a bandit. In the late Yuan Dynasty, a period of extreme corruption and suffering, we were all starving and desperate, so I was forced to join the ranks of the bandits. But I was a bandit with ambition. I was not content with merely being a bandit, so when I heard that Zhu Yuanzhang was recruiting soldiers, I signed up immediately. During the vetting process, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at me with cold eyes, thinking I was just another bandit looking for a meal. But I told him with absolute conviction that I was willing to work like an ox or a horse for him, and I would not hesitate to sacrifice my life. I valued his character; I knew he had the courage, the strategy, and the vision to carve out a path for the common people. I was willing to entrust my life to him.

Later, I gradually rose through the ranks of the Central Plains army and slowly earned his trust. In many battles, I was the first to charge as the vanguard, clearing a path for our troops. No matter how perilous the situation, I never cared for my own life. Leading the charge is never easy, but relying on my innate courage and execution, I turned many seemingly hopeless battles into victories. This is why Zhu Yuanzhang valued me. I was truly loyal to him, and he knew my sincerity and loyalty well. With this mutual understanding, Xu Da and I were always in perfect alignment with him in military matters. This is why, despite his humble origins, Zhu Yuanzhang was able to consolidate the early Ming Dynasty so smoothly with our cooperation. Looking back, it was not easy, but life passed by too quickly. Forty years of life is nothing more than middle age in the eyes of modern people. I, Chang Yuchun, departed the human world during a sudden illness, without even a chance to say a final word.

The Weight of Killing Karma

To be honest, in the decades I spent following Zhu Yuanzhang, the killing karma I created was far too heavy. In many major battles, I could not help but order the slaughter of all surrendered enemy troops, leaving none alive. At that time, I was truly a general who killed without blinking. I did not give it much thought; I would simply and swiftly order the execution or even live burial of thousands of surrendered soldiers. People have analyzed my state of mind at the time in many ways; some think I walked the world with a naturally cruel disposition, viewing life as something of no value. Zhu Yuanzhang often advised me not to be so extreme and to leave a way out for others, but I never listened. When the moment came, I would always issue such brutal orders. I was indeed a rough man who did not think much, but now that I have truly arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, a pure land, I have a much clearer understanding of my state of mind while I was alive.

Haha, Practitioner Su always says, 'There is no one outside who is yourself.' For a person like me, Chang Yuchun, long before I became a bandit, I was not entirely the one in control of my own actions. The degree of control varied. Looking back now, I realize that the demon nature within me was extremely high. Throughout my life, in countless life-and-death struggles and battles, I awakened layer upon layer of countless demon crowds. We now know that demon crowds are very common in the human body, but the difference between me and others is that, due to past causal conditions, I carried countless 'killing demons' within me from the start. These demons were waiting to attach themselves to me even before I was born, to seek revenge. This 'revenge' meant influencing my many actions, making me cherish life not at all in my later years, with no room for sentiment. That is why I could kill without blinking, slaughter enemies on the battlefield without restraint, and even crush tens or hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, wiping out all those who surrendered.

The Demon Nature Within

Initially, when I joined the bandit ranks, these demon crowds had already awakened in large numbers, constantly encouraging me to harm the lives of others. I am not trying to blame the demons, but after seeing this clearly, I finally understood why my character evolved in such a way. It was not entirely my own doing; it was the result of my personality being amplified bit by bit, influenced by these beings.

When I joined Zhu Yuanzhang's army, this demon nature exploded completely. My extraordinary courage, as well as my daring, angry, and reckless personality, were entirely driven by the demon crowds within me. This gave me the quality of not fearing success or failure, allowing me to charge into battle time and time again.

Furthermore, what these demons valued, besides the fact that I had many personality traits similar to theirs, was that they were my own karmic creditors from the past. After entering the demon path, they held a strong desire for revenge against me. Therefore, they attached themselves to me, inciting me to commit many brutal acts that were beyond the norm, leading me step by step toward self-destruction. In the end, I suffered extreme retribution, which was the very outcome they wanted to see. You can imagine that with the killing karma I created, I fell directly into the hells after death. No, actually, even before I stopped breathing, my soul was already suffering retribution in hell. My death was extremely painful; my body festered in intense agony as life slipped away. In terms of time, I died in extreme pain within a few days, and my soul continued to suffer in hell for hundreds of years.

A Second Chance at Redemption

I was not clear-headed while I was in the human world, but after truly suffering the tortures of hell, I became clear-headed. It is truly inconceivable. I did indeed openly repent in hell, sincerely asking for forgiveness from all the beings I had killed. I knew I had killed too many people, and behind the damage I caused were countless broken families. These thousands of military souls lingered in my soul, and I suffered constantly—not for the punishments I received, but for the many innocent soldiers, military personnel, and civilians I had killed.

Hundreds of years of suffering allowed me to see my past clearly. I understood that the killing karma I created was done under involuntary circumstances, and that it was the result of karma accumulated over many lifetimes, as well as the karmic affinity that summoned these karmic creditors to seek revenge. My heart, which was pure at the beginning, turned impure, and then I had an endless stream of karmic creditors and demon crowds coming to seek revenge.

At this moment, in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, such a dignified and beautiful land, I see my past even more clearly. The reason I had such deep resentment with the Yuan army and slaughtered them one by one was actually the result of intertwined grievances and emotions from the past. Long before that, at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, they had also slaughtered tens of thousands of Song Dynasty citizens on Chinese soil.

Indeed, their methods at the time were also cruel and heartless. They slaughtered the cities of the Great Song Dynasty one after another; they carried out cruel killings of innocent civilians, the elderly, the weak, women, and children, leaving no one alive. Such brutal and heartless acts eventually met with the same tragic retribution on the Yuan army themselves by the end of the Yuan Dynasty. The laws of karma and cause and effect are so inconceivable, yet so real. I, Chang Yuchun, was merely a supporting actor in this karmic retribution.

The Miracle of Deliverance

Later, after I sincerely repented for hundreds of years, my sins were indeed reduced through the repeated trials of suffering. King Yama saw my sincere repentance and gave me a way out, allowing me a chance to atone for my past sins by good deeds. He said that the human world was even more difficult than the era I lived in, truly unbearable. During the Republic of China era, one war after another broke out in the Greater China region, with both civil and foreign wars, causing countless casualties everywhere. As someone who once came from this land, I was given a chance to return to my homeland as a spirit, to counsel people during the war and act as a messenger of peace. I was, of course, overjoyed to agree to King Yama's request, returning to the human world with a new identity to do everything a soul could do.

Although my power was very limited, under my tireless counseling, I provided guidance to those with whom I had karmic affinity, leading them toward the righteous path and away from the brutal methods of war. Having such an opportunity to atone for my sins, I, Chang Yuchun, have cherished and been grateful for it immensely. I dare not ask for more, as I am a person who carried heavy sins. Many of the military souls I once harmed are still trapped in that space, suffering, which remains a source of guilt in my heart.

But what makes me most fortunate is that later, Practitioner Su brought the Twelve Lights of Namo Amituofo and countless manifestations to the Greater China region to perform Chao Du. After I was saved, I saw with my own eyes that many of the military souls who suffered and were in pain because of me were, like me, given the chance to be reborn in the Western Land of Dharma Nature and start a new life through the Chao Du of Practitioner Su's countless manifestations. This made me feel deeply comforted. I never expected that such an earth-shattering turnaround would happen on the land of China today. Everything changed in an instant; the densely packed suffering spirits on the land were sent to the Western Land of Dharma Nature the moment Practitioner Su performed the Chao Du.

A New Life in the Dharma

These scenes flashed before my eyes, and all of us Chinese in the Land of Dharma Nature were deeply moved. We never expected to have the chance to be reborn and start everything over. I, Chang Yuchun, was a rough man who did not understand great principles and was even more unfamiliar with the Buddha’s teachings. Now, I have a brand-new outlook, and my life has a new direction: to understand the Buddhist education that Namo Amituofo brings to the world. My past ignorance finally vanished after purification, leaving no trace. This is the power of the Pure Land. My heart is full of gratitude; I am grateful to have been able to participate in this and to have the opportunity to accept this precious interview.

I sincerely hope that all beings with whom I have karmic affinity can be saved to the Western Land of Dharma Nature as soon as possible. Without this path, there is certainly no second chance for anyone to turn their lives around; this is the only way. The skill of Practitioner Su's Chao Du is an unprecedented feat since the beginning of time; and such a feat can only be achieved by someone who has realized their true nature and attained Buddhahood—that is, Practitioner Su—who has complete faith in the Buddha and Namo Amituofo, and only then can he exert the greatest vow to lead us all here.

Chang Yuchun accepts this interview with a heart of gratitude and gives the world an account of my beautiful ending at this time. I hope the world can sincerely believe that the Buddha’s teachings are real, and also believe that there is truly someone at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia who has realized their true nature and attained Buddhahood, and that Namo Amituofo is truly residing in the world.

I used to have a vague understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, thinking they were just a religion, something people relied on to find comfort for their hearts. At the time, I thought I was very powerful and did not need such religions in my life at all. But after suffering such immense pain, looking back, it was the Buddha who saved me, and also saved so many other beings like me.

Everyone creates a lot of karma in their lives, both good and evil. No one can truly follow the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way as described in the Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, everyone is still suffering and cannot escape. Perhaps the Buddha, seeing that we were truly ignorant and had no chance to receive education, saved us one by one and taught us the correct understanding and the true Buddha’s teachings, giving us a brand-new chance. I hope the world can open their eyes, distinguish the truth, see this clearly, and learn the true Buddha’s teachings together. That is to wholeheartedly chant the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' and change your habits. Only then can you pave a path for yourself to leave suffering behind and gain happiness.

I, Chang Yuchun, sincerely and honestly thank Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving me and everyone such an opportunity. I cherish this karmic affinity, and I am also very seriously listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, learning how to perform prostrations and how to chant the Buddha’s name, learning everything I find unfamiliar from the very beginning.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to the compassion of Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Chang Yuchun"