From the Depths of Hell to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with the spirit of Lay Practitioner Jiang Zhaoxing, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his transition from the suffering of the hells to the peace of the Pure Land. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on April 17, 2026.

Jiang Zhaoxing speaks:

"Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, it is an honour to speak with you. My name is Jiang Zhaoxing. When Namo Amituofo called my name, the sound was so compassionate, so deeply moving. I never imagined that as my life in the human world reached its end, I would encounter such a monumental turning point—the chance to meet the Buddha. I am truly filled with gratitude. Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, I, Jiang Zhaoxing, bow to you both once again to express my deepest thanks. I am grateful for your kindness and for the grace of your guidance. This is the greatest blessing one could ever receive in this world, and it is my immense good fortune to have been led by you.

Today, as I reflect on my rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, my heart is overflowing with gratitude. I also want to say thank you to my family. The fact that you arranged for this Chao Du for your older brother is something I truly never expected. I never thought I would have the merit to be guided to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The beauty and peace I experience now are a world away from the suffering I endured in the hells not so long ago."

The Unimaginable Agony of the Hells

"The suffering in the hells is not something that people in the human world can even begin to imagine. It is absolutely, profoundly painful. Every single moment is spent in agony. At the time, I did not understand why this was happening. In the hells, I could only wail in pain, crying out to the heavens and the earth, but there was no response. It felt as though there was nothing around me but suffering—a vast, desolate emptiness. Before I passed away, I did not know how to cherish life. After death, I felt such deep regret for the things I had done. Although I was not a 'bad' person in the conventional sense, I had hurt people because of my stubborn personality, and I had caused pain with the wrong words. These memories filled me with such intense remorse.

My time in the hells was not long—compared to many others, it was quite brief, only a few months—but for someone living in the human world, even a single day would be unbearable. The physical pain, combined with the torment of the mind, and the feeling that this suffering would never end—that is what true suffering is. It is a state of being where you have no idea when, or if, there will ever be an end to the darkness."

The Reality of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss

"Today, I see everything from a completely different perspective. Having arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have found that it is exactly as I had imagined—beautiful, magnificent, and truly inconceivable. When I was previously in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I was already looking forward to this day. The Western Land of Dharma Nature is also a beautiful place, but it is not yet the ultimate perfection, so it is quite different from here. Namo Amituofo is truly so great to have established such a wonderful world, and to have helped Practitioner Su establish the Western Land of Dharma Nature, giving so many of us sentient beings a place to call home. If it were not for the compassion of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, so many of us spirits would still be wandering. When I think about it, it truly would have been an endless, aimless wandering.

We have lived in the spirit world for so long, but here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I can see everything with perfect clarity. I can see what I did in the past, what kind of person or animal I became, and where I suffered. Every single detail is clear. I no longer have much attachment to the identity I held in this lifetime; it is as if I have long since forgotten what my name was. After all, that name was only for that one lifetime. In all the many lifetimes I have experienced, none of those things were truly real. Only by being truly with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is everything real, and only here will I never suffer again."

A Message to My Family

"I want to say something to my family: everyone must seize this opportunity while you can. I am grateful for the Chao Du you provided for me, and I am grateful for all the beauty we shared in the past, but now, please try to let go of whatever you can. In particular, you must change your personality and your selfish habits. It was my own habits throughout my life that led me to report to the hells. The illness I suffered before I died was already painful enough, but the suffering after death was even worse. All of this suffering was actually created by my own actions; I cannot blame anyone else.

Here, I have learned what the Universal Principles and the righteous path truly are. Everything is natural. It is not that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas punish us by sending us to the hells to suffer retribution; rather, it is our own negative karma, combined with our refusal to change our personalities, that creates a resonance with the hell realms. Naturally, after death, we end up there. This is a very natural process, so please do not take it lightly. If you have selfish thoughts, a bad temper, or various views and opinions that contradict the Buddha’s teachings, you are going against the Universal Principles and the righteous path. There may be many subtle aspects to this, and I hope you will all slowly become aware of them. Do not waste this human life, which is a rare opportunity to learn the Buddha’s teachings.

I believe you all have great Wisdom. Having witnessed the fact that I have already attained rebirth, you must follow the path I am on now. Let go of everything from the old world, and your hearts will naturally open. In the future, you will live a completely different life. I am grateful to Namo Amituofo, and I am grateful to Practitioner Su for giving me this opportunity to share these words. My spirit is now very light, so my speech is also very light and free. This is completely different from how I spoke when I was alive. Everything I have said today is something I learned only after following Namo Amituofo; surely these are words of Wisdom, are they not? You can see that my Wisdom has increased significantly, and this is the power of the Buddha-light and the purification of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Thank you all. Namo Amituofo. I will end my words here."

Namo Amituofo.

Jiang Zhaoxing speaks."