From the Beggar's Path to the Western Pure Land

She Canzhong, a former prison guard in the underworld, sought deliverance through the compassion of Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This testimony was recorded on July 23, 2021, following his successful rebirth into the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

She Canzhong speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am She Canzhong, representing sixty prison guards. I am filled with gratitude for the compassion of Practitioner Su and the boundless compassion of Namo Amituofo. Today is a day of immense joy. Beyond our group of sixty, there are eight other spirits from the Western Dharma-Nature Land who have been chanting the Buddha’s name, seeking rebirth in the Western Pure Land. When my name was called, Practitioner Su’s countless billions of manifestations and his Dharma Body guided us toward the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. We saw Namo Amituofo radiating magnificent golden light, and we immediately knelt in reverence. I am deeply grateful to the Buddha for his compassionate welcome, and I offer my heartfelt thanks to Practitioner Su, the Venerables, and the volunteer Bodhisattvas at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia for chanting for us. Thank you all, truly thank you."

A Childhood in the Imperial City of Chang'an

"I was born in the city of Chang'an, a capital for many emperors. It was a place where different cultures and social classes converged—it was filled with wandering mystics, renowned fortune-tellers, street performers, wealthy merchants, and beggars. While there were countless teahouses and taverns, the city was remarkably well-governed.

I grew up in a wealthy family. My mother once told me how she came to find me. She had not yet been blessed with children of her own when she saw a beggar on the roadside trying to sell a baby. Curious, she asked him about it. The beggar replied, 'This child is not mine. I saw a young lady from a noble family leave him at the doorstep of a wealthy household. There was a golden locket on the child, which I sold to buy milk for him. Now, I have no money left. It is strange for a man like me to be begging with a baby, and I simply cannot bear it anymore. Though the child is adorable, one must survive, so I have decided to sell him.' My mother, Lady She, said, 'That is for the best.' She told the beggar, 'I will raise him well,' and gave him a gold ingot. A maid carried me home. My father, Master She, was overjoyed to see me: 'This child has such a natural affinity with people; even at such a young age, he radiates a sense of nobility.'"

The Seeds of Compassion and Generosity

"My parents were wealthy, yet they were never arrogant or self-satisfied. Instead, they were approachable, kind, and loved performing good deeds. I heard that my father had been raised this way since he was young. Even when the family had little, my grandmother would take my father out to give alms and help others, giving whatever they could. Gradually, they encountered noble people who helped their family prosper, leading to the grand house we lived in.

My mother would regularly take me to the main street to purchase household supplies. She knew the beggar gang was located in a corner by the East Gate, and she would always bring me there to distribute food and silver to them. My mother would look around as if searching for someone. I asked her, 'Mother, why do you specifically give alms to the beggars?' She replied, 'Your grandmother and your father, we have all been helped when we had no warm clothes or enough food. When we have the ability, we must know how to help others.' My father told me to name myself She Canzhong, hoping I would have a brilliant life and live out the value of my existence. He said, 'Remember, one must always do good deeds. A family that accumulates goodness will surely have blessings to spare.'"

Unravelling the Knots of Habitual Patterns

"Ever since I could understand, my parents cared for me deeply and kept me by their side. Every evening, I would feel a strange heartache and would drift into a daze. My father would ask with concern, 'Son, what is wrong? Do not dwell on it. Come out with me; I will take you for a walk. It will be helpful for you and worth learning from.'

My father took me under a bridge outside Chang'an, where about twenty people were living. My father said, 'Canzhong, this is a beggar’s den. These people are all beggars, but they do not want to change. Day after day, they remain beggars.' I asked, 'Father, why do they beg when they have hands and feet?' He replied, 'That is called a habitual pattern. They are accustomed to begging, and they enjoy this kind of freedom. If a person wants to be good, their life will be good; if they think poorly, their days will be painful. I want to tell you that forming good habits is very important. Why does your mother often take you to give alms? It is because she hopes that when you see the hardships of being human, you will develop a compassionate heart to help others—just as your mother did when she first brought you home.' My father then told me the whole story of how I came to be in their family.

I had an 'Aha!' moment. No wonder! I had always felt as if someone was looking for me. I asked, 'Does anyone know where my birth mother is now?' My father said, 'In the eighteen years since we brought you home, we have never heard anything about your birth mother. Your mother often goes to the beggar area to look for that beggar, but she cannot find him. We intended to tell you about your background when you were older.'"

A Long-Awaited Reunion with My Birth Mother

"Two days later, a friend of my father brought a young woman to our home. She wore a veil to cover her face. When my father introduced her to me, she removed the veil, and my father noticed that my face and hers were identical. She began to weep, unable to speak. My father asked, 'Young lady, is Canzhong the child you abandoned eighteen years ago? Why do you look so refined, yet have fallen to working as a teahouse girl?' She replied, 'I was deceived and became pregnant. I could not bear to harm the life within me, so I gave birth to him. My family did not understand, so I left him at the doorstep of a wealthy house. I never expected you would find him.' After my father explained the whole story, she burst into tears: 'My poor child! I thought that arrangement was best for you. I am sorry for making you suffer. Every evening, I would think of you; missing you became a burden to my family. My stepmother feared I would go mad and drove me out, which is why I ended up as a teahouse girl. Now, we are finally reunited. Seeing you grown so well, I feel comforted. Thank you, Master She, for your guidance and cultivation of Canzhong. I am sorry I had no ability and did not fulfill my duties as a mother. Please, Master, be patient with me. Canzhong, you must be filial to Master She and his wife.'"

Cultivating a Garden of Rebirth for the Lost

"I went everywhere with my mother and birth mother to do good deeds. We visited major temples across the country, providing monks with vegetarian meals and clothing. Three months later, my mother suggested, 'I suggest you bring your birth mother to live with us so you can fulfill your filial duties.' With my father’s consent, we brought her home from the teahouse. I told her, 'Please move into the She household; we will live together so I can show my filial piety.' She was deeply moved and thanked my parents for their compassion. Our whole family lived a life of gratitude.

My mother and birth mother took me to the street, where we saw a pitiful middle-aged beggar. My mother immediately recognized him as the one who had originally taken me. She went up to show concern. He had already spent the gold ingot my mother had given him and had returned to begging. He recognized my birth mother: 'You are that young lady.' He said to me, 'Aren't you that child? You have grown so big.' He explained that after spending the gold, he had achieved nothing and returned to begging. I remembered what my father told me: unless one changes their habits, it is difficult to change one's environment. Only by thinking well and doing well can one change everything.

After consulting with my parents, we decided to perform a great act of charity for the beggar gang nationwide. For those willing to change, we arranged work; for the elderly and weak, we provided clothing and food. We eventually found three hundred and eighty young beggars willing to start a new life. My father donated a large sum of money and land to build a 'Garden of Rebirth.' We taught them how to farm, cultivated their skills, and educated them that people must help one another. Ten years later, the people in the Garden of Rebirth no longer felt inferior or self-pitying; they all developed their own paths. My parents and I were comforted by these reborn people. From then on, we did this every year, seeking out beggars who wanted to be reborn and giving them an environment to change."

A Summons to the Underworld and Final Deliverance

"One day, when I was sixty-nine, as I was going to bed, I heard, 'She Canzhong, She Canzhong, wake up! The King of the Fifth Hall of Hell is looking for you. Please come back with us.' The King of Hell met me and said, 'She Canzhong, in your tenth lifetime, you were a feudal lord of a small state. Due to greed for profit, you colluded with other lords to betray your people. After they were betrayed by you, they could not break through their social class; no matter how hard they worked, they could only remain slaves. These beggars were the people of that lifetime. In your sixth lifetime, you became the leader of their beggar gang. In every lifetime, no matter how bitter or difficult things were, you always went to temples to make offerings and listen to the Dharma. That is why you had the blessings and causal conditions in this lifetime to save these beggars. You have repaid what you owed in this life. Now, Hell needs your help to counsel these prisoners to change their ways, not to commit evil, and not to return here after they leave.' I accepted the position of prison guard given by the King of Hell. During my tenure, I worked hard to counsel them, asking them to change their ways and never return.

I served as a prison guard for thirty years. One day, the King of Hell summoned me and said, 'She Canzhong, you have served with merit. Your name is on the list for Practitioner Su to guide you to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Congratulations.' From that day on, I worked hard to listen to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks, realizing that the way of being human must be pure and good, to give rise to all roots of goodness and achieve the fruit of Bodhi. On that day, I participated in the Thrice Yearning Ceremony. The Western Dharma-Nature Land was filled with sentient beings seeking rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Practitioner Su’s countless billions of manifestations guided us to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Gratitude to the Buddha’s compassion.

Gratitude to Practitioner Su’s compassion.

Namo Amituofo.

Prison Guard—She Canzhong"