From the Hells to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Shi Guizhong, 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 life and his service as a jailer in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on July 30, 2022.

Shi Guizhong speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today, sixty of us jailers were guided by Practitioner Su to achieve rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. We are all kneeling before the Buddha to offer our prostrations. I have been chosen to represent these sixty jailers to express our deepest gratitude to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su.

I was an orphan. From the moment I was born, I was abandoned by my mother in a small temple. It was a tiny, humble structure, barely large enough to hold three or four people. It had been built by a kind-hearted local resident because this area had once been a place of great turmoil. Many travellers who passed through had died there, unable to leave. This kind soul built the temple so that the lonely wandering spirits could have a place to stay, and every month, people would come to offer food and clean the grounds.

A Foundling in the Small Temple

I had been born for less than a few hours when my mother left me in that temple. If no one had discovered me, I surely would have starved to death right there. But, less than half an hour after my mother departed, a woman walked into the small temple. She found me under the offering table, picked me up, and began speaking to me with such warmth. Soon, she took me back to her home. This woman became the person who raised me; I called her 'Mother'.

When I was five years old, Mother finally told me that I was not her biological son and recounted the entire story of how she had found me. She had been a follower of Taoism since she was fourteen, and at seventeen, she began worshipping a statue of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva in her home. By the time she found me, she had been devoted to that statue for ten years.

The Guidance of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva

Mother told me that the day before I was born, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva manifested to her and said: 'Tomorrow at noon, go to the small temple and bring back the newborn baby you find there to care for.' Mother had always been obedient to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. Whatever the Bodhisattva asked of her, she would do without hesitation, doubt, or overthinking. The next day at noon, she arrived at the temple exactly as instructed and found me. She was so amazed by the Bodhisattva's spiritual efficacy that she took me home without a second thought.

From the time I was two and a half years old and began to speak, I would often utter strange things. Mother consulted Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, who explained that my body was like that of a medium—it could be easily used by spirits. Mother was terrified. She feared that my body would be possessed by spirits and that I would no longer be myself, as I would speak in various voices throughout the day, clearly indicating that different spirits were speaking through me.

A Life of Hidden Service

Mother asked Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva how to reduce this interference. The Bodhisattva told her: 'Let him be my adopted son, and let him act on my behalf.' Mother immediately followed these instructions and held a simple ceremony. From then on, I was the adopted son of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and I followed his commands. As long as I listened and acted accordingly, the Bodhisattva would help protect my body from external spiritual interference.

As a young child, I could not do much, and the Bodhisattva did not demand much of me. Every day, I would simply follow Mother in her practice, listening to her chanting and chanting along. Most of the time, I had to stay at home and was not allowed to wander off. By doing this, the interference I experienced was greatly reduced. As I grew older, the Bodhisattva asked me to do more. I could hear him clearly, and every task he gave me was an act of kindness and help for others.

For instance, when I was five, the Bodhisattva spoke to me in the middle of the night. Half-asleep, I heard him say: 'Go outside.' I obeyed, putting on a thick coat and stepping out into the freezing night. To my surprise, there was an elderly person sitting at our doorstep, shivering and near death. I quickly helped him inside, gave him a cup of hot water, and asked Mother to cook him a warm meal, which saved his life.

The Burden of the Spirit World

Later, as various events unfolded in the village, the Bodhisattva would have me help in secret. I could clearly foresee what was about to happen, but I was strictly forbidden from speaking of it. If I did, I would surely be harmed, and even the Bodhisattva could not save me then. Under these circumstances, I could only help silently, guiding many villagers through crises and preventing many avoidable disasters.

Eventually, more people in the village learned of my abilities and sought my help. I consulted Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, who agreed to use my body to help them. The money received from these services was never kept for myself; the Bodhisattva instructed me to set up a 'merit box' and deposit all the money into it. He never told me what the money would be used for in the future.

The tasks the Bodhisattva gave me were always within my capabilities, and we never acted against the Truth. If we could do it, we did; if not, we were honest about it. The villagers who came to us understood these rules and knew that the Bodhisattva was teaching us to be good. No matter what they asked, the Bodhisattva used ingenious methods to teach them to perform good deeds and accumulate merit, naturally turning major problems into minor ones and minor ones into nothing.

A Turning Point in the Hells

I served as a medium for Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva for over forty years. One year, a great disaster struck the village—a fire that burned down many homes. The Bodhisattva had known about it, but due to the laws of karma and cause and effect, he could not interfere. When the village desperately needed relief funds, the merit box I had been instructed to set up proved its worth. All the money collected over forty years was taken out and used to help the villagers survive the crisis.

When I was nearly fifty, my body began to suffer from various illnesses. No matter how much I chanted or performed good deeds, I could not find relief. At fifty-three, an elderly practitioner who was a close friend of my mother's visited us. She had been practicing for many years and had a very pure heart, allowing her to see spirits from other dimensions. When she saw me, she told my mother that I was covered in spirits—densely packed, with no space left, which was the cause of my constant pain. I was shocked, but I believed her.

She taught me to chant Namo Amituofo. I was worried this might go against my adopted father, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, so I asked him what to do. His answer put my heart at ease; he said this was my causal condition for this life and encouraged me to learn to chant and teach the villagers to do the same. I was deeply moved by the Bodhisattva's mind-capacity. Later, I arranged for a Dharma assembly to help my adopted father, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, have the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. After that, I spent my time in the temple chanting, and in my later years, I served as a jailer in the hells.

While serving in the hells, I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, and my heart was profoundly shaken. Every time I listened, I felt the same inspiration, and I developed a single-minded desire to be reborn in the Western Pure Land so that I could return to the human world to save beings. This vow gave me the chance to be on the list for Practitioner Su to guide me to the West. Today, I have finally arrived in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I am so grateful for the compassion of the Buddha. I am so grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Shi Guizhong"