From Magma to Mercy: A Pirate's Redemption

This is a record of an interview with Wang Jinguo and Guo Chengyu, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. They now reside in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon their lives as pirates during a period of historical turmoil. Recorded by Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian on December 19, 2017.

Wang Jinguo and Guo Chengyu speak:

The Searing Agony of the Underworld

"Namo Amituofo. The magma deep beneath the earth was boiling, and the intense, searing heat burned my entire body until I was covered in wounds. I do not know how much time has passed—truly, I have no idea. It was a nightmare that repeated every single day. Every day, I suffered retribution within that molten, boiling lava. Then, a few days ago, the demons of the underworld suddenly vanished. Even the familiar magma, the very tectonic plates of the underworld where we suffered our retribution, simply disappeared. What on earth had happened? I was desperate to know.

"After making inquiries, I heard that the demons and many of the 'demon children and grandchildren' of the underworld had gone to a place called the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to be saved by Practitioner Su. I found this incredibly strange. A demon is a demon; we are fundamentally on a different path from the Buddha. Yet, over the following days, many beings from the lower depths—whether they were made of magma or black stone—began to leave, one after another, saying they were going to seek Chao Du. Today, out of pure curiosity, I followed them here. I discovered that there is a Buddha here, known as Practitioner Su. He restores us to the appearance we had before we suffered our retribution and brings us to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to listen to the sutras. When I first arrived, I did not even know what it meant to 'listen to the sutras.' I heard there is a Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss that can free us from the six realms of rebirth and grant us eternal life. These kind-hearted people told me to settle down and listen to the teachings with a peaceful heart."

A Life of Ruthless Piracy

Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian: "May I ask what kind of karma you created that led you to suffer such retribution in the magma?"

Wang Jinguo and Guo Chengyu speak: "I lament that I was born in such a chaotic time. The country was in turmoil, and my father was conscripted into the army, only to die in battle. My mother took me and fled, but because she was frail, she fell ill and died on the road. Left completely alone and helpless, I encountered a group of men who walked with such arrogance. They were tall, burly, and wore thick beards. They asked me, 'Little one, why are you here?' I followed these men and told them my story. After listening, they said to me, 'Then come with us. We guarantee you will have plenty to eat, a good place to live, and you will lack for nothing.' I thought to myself, how could there be such a good deal? But I had nowhere else to go, so I followed them. Only later did I realise that these men were pirates.

"I grew up in that cesspool of vice, and I, too, became a pirate who stopped at nothing. My heart was as cold and ruthless as any of theirs. Whether on the sea or on land, I plundered everything in sight. I committed murder and arson without a second thought. Any woman I set my eyes upon was never spared. Because I was competitive and had a violent temper, whenever I drank, I would fly into a drunken rage. If I saw a subordinate I did not like, I would beat and kick them mercilessly. My subordinates suffered in silence, swallowing their resentment."

The Final Reckoning

"One day, I was once again heavily intoxicated, and I began to berate my subordinates without any reason. Suddenly, I felt a heavy blow to my head. Blood poured out like a fountain, and I collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. I died from excessive blood loss. It turned out that my subordinates had long endured my unreasonable and abusive behaviour. They had been waiting for a chance to get rid of me, and they seized the opportunity while I was drunk to strike me down once and for all.

"After I died, I was cast straight into the hells: the brain-gouging hell, the heart-gouging hell, the burning hell, and the gut-gouging hell. After suffering my retribution in the hells, I was sent to the magma depths of the underworld to continue my punishment. People in the world do not understand the laws of karma and cause and effect; Goodness and good deeds are so important. Because I committed every evil imaginable, it was only right that I suffered retribution in the depths of the earth. I pray that people in the world will keep good thoughts in their hearts to save themselves and avoid suffering retribution in hell. This Causal Condition has allowed me to be reborn, to repent for the negative karma I created in the past, and to be deeply grateful for the salvation of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

The content of this interview was recorded by Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian.