From Prison Guard to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Wang Jingui, 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 and his time serving in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on July 2, 2022.

Wang Jingui speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I, along with fifty-nine other prison guards, have been led by Practitioner Su to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Gazing upon the towering, magnificent form of Namo Amituofo standing before us with such compassion, we immediately knelt to pay our respects. We are filled with gratitude toward Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

Reflecting on the bits and pieces of my life in the human world, it feels as though I have only just left it. Yet, when I look at the time that has passed, it has been such a long while. I thank Practitioner Su for allowing me, Jingui, to share my story. In truth, my life was very simple. If there is anything special to share, I am not sure what it would be. Please, just listen to Jingui’s life story as you would a simple tale."

A Childhood of Simple Joys

"'Ah Gui! It is time to collect the eggs!' This was my grandmother’s call. I would reply, 'Yes, I am coming right away!'

Walking into the chicken coop, I would find that the hens had already laid their eggs. I would pick up the fresh eggs one by one, placing them into my basket. Then, I would bow to the hens and say, 'Thank you for your hard work. We have a great harvest today, thank you.' Although I did not know if the hens understood my words, I felt that they were happy too. As long as they were happy, they would lay delicious eggs for us every day.

'Ah Gui! It is going to rain! Go and bring all the clothes inside!' Grandmother would call out. I would answer, 'Yes, I am going right now!'

Walking to the backyard, the sky would indeed begin to drip rain—large, heavy drops. I had to bring the clothes in as quickly as possible. However, I was not tall enough, so I had to stand on a chair. I had to keep moving the chair to reach everything. Although it was inconvenient, I did my absolute best to bring all the clothes in with the greatest speed."

The Promise of the Ten Cakes

"'Ah Gui, Old Zhang says he needs ten large cakes. Please help Grandmother deliver them to him.' I replied, 'Yes, I will go immediately.'

I was not tall enough to ride a large bicycle, so Grandmother found one suitable for my height. It even had training wheels on the back, making it as stable as a tricycle—very safe for a seven-year-old boy like me.

Grandmother carefully placed the ten cakes into a bamboo basket and strapped it to my back. She instructed me, 'You must take good care of these ten cakes. Old Zhang needs them for his wife’s birthday celebration tomorrow.' I replied, 'Grandmother, you can rest assured and leave the cakes to me! I will certainly deliver them safely to Old Zhang.'

I pedalled the tricycle slowly, not daring to go too fast, so that I could protect the cakes and complete the task Grandmother had entrusted to me. Along the way, I met many villagers. Auntie Li said, 'Ah Gui, are you delivering cakes for your grandmother?' I greeted her and replied, 'Yes! Tomorrow is Old Zhang’s wife’s birthday, and I am delivering these cakes to their home.' Uncle Sun saw me and shouted loudly, 'Ah Gui, do you want to come to my house to play today?' I answered, 'I must ask Grandmother if there is any work to do. If there is no work, I will come over to your place.'

Finally, I safely delivered the cakes to Old Zhang’s home. He was so happy that he gave me a few copper coins and said, 'Good child, here, take this to buy some candy.' After thanking him, I quickly rode my tricycle home and gave the coins to Grandmother. She had me put them into a piggy bank. This was a habit of mine; I would not spend the money casually but save it. Once the piggy bank was full, I would give the money away through Generosity. This was the agreement between Grandmother and me."

A Heart Dedicated to Service

"Thinking of Uncle Sun’s invitation, I asked Grandmother, 'Grandmother, is there any work I can do today?' She replied, 'There is nothing to do at home, but Old Wang’s vegetable garden is having a big harvest today. You can go over and help.'

I preferred helping others over playing. So, I rode my tricycle to Uncle Sun’s house first to tell him, 'I am going to help at Old Wang’s field today, so I cannot come to play.' Uncle Sun smiled and said, 'What a good child, go quickly, go quickly.'

As soon as I arrived at Old Wang’s field, everyone had already started working. Old Wang’s children and grandchildren were all there, the whole family working together. When they saw me, they cheered, 'Ah Gui is here! Ah Gui is here! Make room for Ah Gui.' I laughed and ran in to help. To me, being able to help others was truly a joyful thing.

Since I was young, I was an optimistic and cheerful child. Everyone in the village knew me. Perhaps because I was always willing to help others, I was very popular in the village.

At home, it was just Grandmother and me. My parents had passed away in an accident shortly after I was born, so I had no memory of them at all. Grandmother raised me alone by selling cakes, so I was deeply grateful to her. To help share her burden, I learned to make cakes from a young age. When I could make them taste exactly like hers, I took over the baking and selling so that Grandmother would not have to work so hard."

The Path of the Healer

"I did not have much formal schooling initially; I would attend when it was free, but stop when it required payment. Later, the villagers, knowing how hard Grandmother worked to raise me, kindly pooled their money to send me to school. I was deeply grateful to them, especially since they spent so much money to train me to become a doctor.

To not let these kind people down, I studied harder than anyone else. I slept only a few hours a day, and as soon as I woke up, I would continue to study. At school, while others would doze off, I would never sleep. I remained fully focused, listening to every lecture, never letting my mind wander. I grasped every second, determined to complete my studies successfully.

Beyond my studies, I was happy to help others, so I took the initiative to handle many tasks within the class and the school. That was my voluntary service. The feeling of serving others was incredibly joyful.

After graduation, I returned to the village and opened a clinic. This clinic was not meant for making money, but for giving back to society everything I had received. My education was a gift from the villagers; it did not belong to me, so I had to use my skills to serve them in return.

Grandmother always supported me and was always proud of me. On the day I returned to the village, she specially made many cakes to give to the villagers. I heard that Grandmother had not made cakes for a long time, but that day she exerted her elderly strength to make them for everyone, thanking them for their support of my education.

Grandmother lived until she was eighty-nine. I am grateful that she accompanied me for so many years. All those years, I never forgot to be filial. I told myself, 'Ah Gui must only bring Grandmother joy, never worry.' So, when Grandmother was with me, she was always smiling. She did not have to worry about me because I could handle everything myself and even help others. Seeing this, Grandmother could feel at ease.

The clinic was open for many years, and I never left. When I grew old, it was time to retire. At the age of sixty, I handed the clinic over to the young doctors in the village. They had a heart for doing Goodness, and two or three of them renovated the clinic and practised medicine together, charging the villagers only half price.

In my later years, I lived alone and took care of myself. While I still had strength, I did volunteer work in the village. Anything I could do, I would certainly do.

At the age of seventy-one, my lifespan came to an end. My body was laid into the coffin, and my life in that world came to a close."

From the Hells to the Western Pure Land

"My spirit left my physical body and arrived at the Yama Hall in the hells. King Yama gave me the position of a prison guard, allowing me to serve in the hells, where I was responsible for clerical work. About seven or eight years ago, I began to hear Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. When I first heard them, I was shocked. I asked the other prison guards, 'Do you hear this?' Those who heard it were all as filled with Dharma joy as I was.

Every day, I focused on listening to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks, with a single heart seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Now, I have finally been given the opportunity. I am so happy and so grateful. Thank you, Practitioner Su, for leading us, the prison guards of the hells, to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Namo Amituofo."

Wang Jingui