From the Depths of Darkness to the Light

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Xia Ziyi, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life and subsequent suffering in the subterranean realms for approximately 360 years. Recorded by the chief writer, Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian, on December 16, 2017.

Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I respectfully invite you, Practitioner Xia. How long have you been trapped in the subterranean layers of the earth, and what brings you here today to seek Spiritual Deliverance?"

A Tremor in the Dark

The Spirit of Xia Ziyi speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I have been trapped there for about three hundred and sixty years. Approximately three days ago, the subterranean demons and the shifting of the magma caused a great disturbance. Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre invited us to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Centre to listen to the sutras. From that moment, all the spirits in the deep earth were stirred. Those of us with spiritual awareness all knew of the place—a world of eternal darkness and unbearable suffering. We all longed to seek deliverance. Because of this causal condition, I finally realised the gravity of the negative karma I had created in my past life. I am here now, weeping in repentance, begging for Spiritual Deliverance."

Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian speaks:

"May I ask how you came to be one of the spirits trapped within the earth's layers?"

The Path of Greed

The Spirit of Xia Ziyi speaks:

"Alas, the human heart is never satisfied; it is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. My heart was consumed by greed—insatiable, bottomless greed. I only ever wanted more. I was blinded by the prospect of money and completely ignored the horrific negative karma I was accumulating. If only I had known better! I am now reaping the bitter fruit of the seeds I sowed. I was originally a simple, hardworking farmer in the countryside. One day, a distant relative came to stay with us for a few days. As we chatted, I asked him about his livelihood. He described his business—it was fast money, and it seemed so easy. I listened with envy. My daily life was one of back-breaking labour; whenever natural disasters struck, our harvest would fail, and the rice jar would always be empty. We had to scrimp and save just to survive. I thought to myself, 'If only this relative could give me a hand, how wonderful that would be!'"

The Point of No Return

"Perhaps he sensed my desperation. He told me, 'I am short of hands right now. Would you like to come and help me? I will pay you a very generous salary.' My heart leaped with joy, and I nodded in agreement. Just like that, I stepped onto a path of no return. It was only later that I discovered his business was human trafficking. I suppose I was just too afraid of poverty! When I saw the piles of money before my eyes, I knew full well that this wealth was built on the suffering of young girls. Yet, for the sake of that money, I extinguished my conscience. The first time we trafficked human beings, I saw a young girl begging and crying in agony. My heart ached; I truly wanted to secretly let her go. But my relative was sharp; he saw my hesitation and warned me, 'If you want to work in this trade, you must have a heart of stone. Otherwise, you will never survive.'"

A Heart of Stone

"And so, day after day passed, and my heart truly did turn to stone. I eventually reached a point where I would traffic even girls under the age of ten without a second thought. I even ordered my subordinates to go into remote, impoverished villages to lure young girls from struggling families. We would lie to them, promising to help their families out of hardship by taking them to work as maids for wealthy households. Countless innocent girls were deceived and pushed into a pit of fire because of me. After committing so many atrocities that extinguished my conscience, my lifespan was cut short. At the age of forty-five, I fell gravely ill. My entire body felt as if it had been crushed by a heavy blow. I was bedridden, weak, and wasting away day by day. Every day, it felt as if someone were strangling my throat. One day, I opened my eyes and saw—I don't know how many—a room full of young girls. Some were pressing down on my throat, others on my head, and some on my hands. That was when I breathed my last. After I died, I fell straight into hell—the Avici Hell, the Hell of Uninterrupted Suffering."

Deliverance from the Abyss

"I was judged in hall after hall, suffering torture in each one. The pain was unbearable. I do not know when the seed of repentance finally sprouted within me, but I began to weep in agony. I eventually rose from the hells, only to continue suffering my retribution in the subterranean layers, where I became a piece of black mineral ore. If it were not for the tremors caused by the subterranean demons and the fact that the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre was performing Chao Du for so many spirits beneath the earth, I would never have been able to emerge. I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su for allowing me to escape that world of darkness and for the opportunity to listen to the Dharma in the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre."

Lay Practitioner Li Jiaxian speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Thank you for accepting this interview."

Namo Amituofo.