From the Depths of Hell to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Zhou Fengru, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her journey from the depths of the hells to the light of the Buddha. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on May 8, 2026.

Zhou Fengru speaks:

"Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo! I am calling out from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss with such joy! It is truly an incomparable happiness, a bliss that permeates every fibre of my being. Standing before the Buddha, I feel as though I have returned to my most original self—the most pure, transparent, and clear version of who I am. It is as if all my secrets have vanished, all my afflictions have dissolved, and my entire being feels wonderfully empty and light. In the presence of the Buddha, there is nothing left but this single, sacred phrase: Namo Amituofo."

"Listening to the music of Namo Amituofo here, my heart is filled with a profound, unshakable peace and joy. This state of mind is something I could never have imagined while I was in the human world; I had never experienced anything like it. Even when I was in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, though I had been purified to a great extent, it is truly different here. The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is indeed the magnificent Buddha-land of Namo Amituofo!"

A Debt of Gratitude to the Buddhas

"I kneel before the Buddha, my heart overflowing with gratitude. I cannot stop chanting, and I cannot stop expressing my thanks to the two Buddhas who have saved me: the great Namo Amituofo of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and Practitioner Su, who is a Buddha manifesting in the human world. Both possess hearts so vast and bright, viewing all beings with the same boundless compassion they hold for themselves. Because I spent so many years struggling in the human world, and then nearly twenty years suffering through the most excruciating tortures in the hells, I had never known true peace. My heart was always burdened, always clinging to something, always caught in the cycle of worry."

"In the human world, life is truly difficult! If one does not encounter the Buddha’s teachings—specifically the kind of education provided by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, which helps people open up space and attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land—then life is a truly bitter experience. I did not know of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre back then; it did not exist in my time. I did not have the blessings that my children have now—the blessing of being able to study the Buddha’s teachings and to perform Chao Du for me. What a magnificent, rare Causal Conditions this is!"

The Agony of the Hell Realms

"I am deeply grateful for my children’s filial piety. They did not forget their old mother, who was still suffering through the torments of the hells. Please, do not be shocked, and do not feel sad for me. Everything I endured was the result of my own sins—I deserved my fate. The karmic creditors accumulated over countless lifetimes had to be repaid; if they were not settled, they would remain with me forever. I am not the only one who has faced this, but my experience should serve as a mirror for all of you."

"Descending into the hells is a terrifying, bitter experience. It is a suffering that feels endless, a despair so profound it swallows you whole. No matter how much you weep or how loudly you cry out in the hells, no one listens. You have no idea when, or if, you will ever see the light of day again. It is a suffering without borders! I endured twenty years of this, and by the end, I was in total despair. I felt as though I would be trapped in the hells forever, with no chance of escape. I do not know how much time truly passed, as time in the hells is so incredibly long and distorted. Those twenty years in the human world felt like hundreds of years to me. I lived in a state of confusion, my mind constantly clouded, yet I was always in a state of excruciating, searing pain. My spirit was often torn apart, only to be forced back together again, just to continue the suffering."

A Warning to My Children

"I will not dwell on the details of that suffering; I only share this so that you may use it as a mirror. My main purpose is to tell you—especially my children—that since you have begun to study the Buddha’s teachings, you must do so with a sincere heart. You must genuinely change your ways, rather than just learning the superficial aspects. Anyone can recite the teachings and speak beautiful words, but it is only when you actually practise them that they will truly help you. The most important thing is to change your heart. You must start from the heart and transform it from within."

"Even if you do not speak a word or commit any overt bad deeds, if you harbour selfish thoughts in your heart—thoughts of protecting yourself or justifying your actions—these are all sins! These are the very things that can lead you to the hells! Do not think that these small, hidden thoughts are harmless. You do not realise that these same thoughts, carried over many lifetimes, are the very things that have harmed others. Those people are still waiting to seek revenge upon you! If you do not change your ways, they can still go before the King of Hell and lodge a complaint against you, causing you to suffer endlessly."

The Path to True Liberation

"I was just like that—I did not change my character, and my temper remained poor. Over a long period, this caused great damage to my body. You saw that I fell ill and suffered from a terminal disease, but the root cause was that the karmic creditors within my body had reached the peak of their dissatisfaction with me. This is a natural phenomenon. Those who study the Buddha’s teachings with a sincere heart will surely understand this principle."

"My children, all of you possess good roots and blessings. You must cultivate the goodness within your hearts, letting it grow and expand, while slowly purifying and removing your unwholesome sides. Only in this way can you ensure a peaceful end. Even with Practitioner Su guiding you to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, you must still rely on your own efforts to reach a state of no-ageing and no-illness!"

"Sickness is a bitter, bitter thing. I have walked that path, and I know it well. To be free from illness, to be as at ease as Practitioner Su—who, even in his eighties, has a mind so clear and bright, seeing through all things with such clarity—this is something only a Buddha can achieve. You must take Practitioner Su as your example. If you have the chance, come to the temple! No matter when you come, remember that even serving as a volunteer for a period of time is a wonderful thing."

"If you can truly let go of the self, and when the Causal Conditions are ripe, you can come here for long-term cultivation—that would be the best thing of all. Remember, no matter what, you must lower yourself, lower and lower, until there is no 'self' left. Only then is it possible to be free from afflictions and to be as happy as I am now."

"Today, I, Zhou Fengru, am no longer the person I once was. I am full of smiles, incredibly happy, and I remain in a state of perfect clarity at every moment. I am no longer bound by the physical body, and I no longer feel suffering or fatigue. I have said so much, and I hope my family can take these words to heart. You must truly implement what I have said; put the Buddha’s teachings into practice in your daily lives, and the benefits for you will be immense."

"I am grateful to everyone. I am grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su."

"Namo Amituofo."

"Zhou Fengru speaks."