From Earthly Suffering to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Ke Hongbin, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life in the Republic of China era. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on November 17, 2019.

Venerable HaiZe: I respectfully invite the sixty prison guards who have been delivered to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss through the Thrice Yearning Ceremony to speak. Representing them is Ke Hongbin.

Ke Hongbin speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Ke Hongbin. Together with sixty other prison guards, I wish to offer our most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Practitioner Su, to all the virtuous ones at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and especially to Namo Amituofo." (Ke Hongbin stands at the front, with the other prison guards behind him. They all stand in perfect formation and kneel together to express their thanks.)

A Life of Quiet Humility

"I am Ke Hongbin, born during the Republic of China era. I was originally born into a wealthy family, living together with my parents, grandparents, and uncles. The lively scenes of our large family celebrating festivals during my childhood are still deeply etched in my mind. However, the family's fortunes began to decline after my grandparents passed away and my uncles divided the estate. My father was the youngest son and was originally the most beloved by my grandfather. But because my grandparents suddenly fell ill with a strange sickness and passed away in quick succession, there was no time to properly divide the inheritance. My uncles took charge of distributing the ancestral farmland among the brothers. By the time it reached my father, there was very little left. My parents were honest, simple people who did not know how to fight or argue for their share. Having grown up in comfort, I did not know what hardship was, and my parents accepted the arrangements made by my uncles without a single word of complaint."

"The large family mansion was part of the ancestral estate and was claimed by my uncles. When it came to my father, only a small hut by the river remained. So, before the date agreed upon by my uncles, we moved out of the mansion. My parents and we four children—six of us in total—lived in that tiny hut. The difference between our new home and our previous life was truly like heaven and earth! Yet, seeing my parents without a single complaint, we children—especially my older brother and sister, who were already of marriageable age—though feeling indignant in our hearts, dared not speak a word. We rolled up our sleeves, took the little money and the small plot of land we were allotted, and went to work in the fields with our father."

Finding Joy in Simplicity

"I was the youngest and had a more optimistic nature. I felt that although our food and clothing were not as good as before, it was enough that our whole family could be together. Even though I no longer had my cousins as playmates, I had the river beside our house to play in, catch fish and shrimp, or lie on the vast grassy field outside to watch the large, fluffy clouds and the stars in the sky. This was a life different from the one I had known before. And so, I grew up in that environment. My siblings married one after another. The sisters-in-law who joined our family were like sisters to me; they treated me well and took good care of me. The children they bore were also very close to me, and I played with them as if I were their big brother. I taught them to read and played games with them, not acting like an adult at all. During the breaks from farm work, the whole family gathering together to drink tea and chat was my greatest joy."

"Because of my cheerful nature and simple life, I was well-liked by others, and so those ordinary days passed one by one. I had no desire to marry; after all, my brother and sister-in-law had several sons, so there were people to carry on the family line. Living with my nephews and nieces was just like living with my own children. I worked in the fields, which was my contribution to the family income, and that is how I spent my life."

The Secret Charity of a Kind Soul

"During the off-season for farming, I would go into the city to see if there was any work to be done. I would save the money I earned and give it to a gentleman in the city. He knew where people were in need of relief. Some of the money went to elderly people who had no children to care for them, some to orphans, or was used to buy rice, grain, and clothing so they could eat and dress. I never left my name with that gentleman; I would simply deliver some silver to his home at regular intervals, explain my purpose, and leave. I never bothered to calculate how much I had saved or how much I had given. If I had more, I gave more; if I had less, I gave less. I was a generous person who did not fuss over trifles. My brother and sister-in-law never asked me for money, and since the family was getting by, they didn't mind having one extra mouth to feed. Besides, I would often buy daily necessities or extra food to add to our meals at home."

The Debt of the Past

"When I reached the age of fifty-eight, I fell and became unable to walk, so I became the one who stayed home to look after the house. Two years later, after my brother, sister-in-law, and the younger generation helped me celebrate my sixtieth birthday, I left the human world that very night with a smile. I had no illness or pain; it was just that my legs could not walk. That night, my soul was called out by prison guards: 'Ke Hongbin, Ke Hongbin, come with us.' My soul emerged, but my legs could not move. A guard looked at me and said casually, 'It is fine now. Not being able to walk was a matter of the past; your karma has been dissolved. It is fine!' Strangely enough, as soon as he said that, my legs were able to move! In my surprise and joy, I had only taken a few steps when I saw the Third Hall of the underworld. The guard said, 'You are lucky. There are currently no accusations against you in the First or Second Halls, so you can go directly into the Third Hall.'"

"The King of the Third Hall then said, 'The collective karma you endured in your family during this lifetime was because you used your own strength to earn money to help the poor, and you did so without leaving your name. This not only dissolved your karma but also accumulated much hidden merit. The reason your legs could not walk was because you had broken someone else's legs in a past life. You used two years in this lifetime to repay that debt. Now, you have the opportunity to obtain a human body again. However, calculating your past, because you studied Buddhism and were a practitioner who chanted Namo Amituofo, and because you once helped others with chanting and taught them to chant, you formed a Buddhist affinity. Since you also sought no reward, this counts as a great merit. Therefore, these two sources of hidden merit, combined with your great merit, allow you the opportunity to join the ranks of the prison guards and be sent to the Western Pure Land. However, if you choose this path, you still have insufficient merit and must serve as a prison guard for ten years to pay it off. You must decide which path to choose.' I answered without hesitation, 'I want to go to the Western Pure Land. I am willing to serve as a prison guard for ten years, because in this lifetime, I have seen and endured the helplessness and reality of human life.'"

Deliverance at Last

"During my time as a prison guard, I chanted Namo Amituofo often. Although the work was hard, I never complained, and I chanted with great joy. It must have been the blessings of the Buddha. Before the ten years were up, I received a notice one day to go quickly to Practitioner Su's Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, as my name was already on the list for rebirth in the Western Pure Land. I was overjoyed. I had finally waited for this day to fulfill my long-cherished wish from past lives: to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

"I thank Practitioner Su. I thank Namo Amituofo."

"Ke Hongbin and the sixty prison guards bow in gratitude for the Buddha's grace."

"This interview message was recorded by the Buddhist disciple Venerable HaiZe."

Namo Amituofo.