This is a record of an interview with Chang Yuchun, who sought at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as an official during the Song Dynasty and his subsequent service as a prison guard in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on April 4, 2026.
Chang Yuchun speaks:
". I am Chang Yuchun. I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for leading sixty of us prison guards to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Everyone, the beings in the hells have all endured countless hardships and cycles of samsara before they could ever encounter Namo Amituofo. It is only through this rare opportunity that we could meet a great practitioner like Practitioner Su and be delivered to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
A Life of Privilege and Indifference
When I lived in the human world, I was the son of a scholarly family during the Song Dynasty. We were considered a prominent, wealthy clan. You could say I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, living a life without a single worry. My parents and grandfather were always watching over me, expecting me to follow the family tradition and become a future star in the imperial court. However, I was more interested in leisure. I loved wandering with friends, losing myself in poetry, painting, and various forms of entertainment. I did not take my studies seriously at all. While my parents expected me to achieve official rank, I had absolutely no interest in serving in the government.
The education my parents provided did ensure I learned the Four Books and Five Classics, and I gained a basic proficiency in calligraphy, music, chess, and painting. I believed I learned these things quickly simply because I was naturally gifted and talented. I never thought these skills were meant to help me serve in the court or assist the common people. I lacked the grand ambition and the spirit to serve the world. Nevertheless, my parents pressured me into taking the imperial examinations. After failing repeatedly, my father eventually bought me a minor official position. At first, I had no interest in the work, but my father often promoted and assisted me, providing me with the space to exert my influence.
The Amidst Disaster
Eventually, I was promoted and sent to serve as a magistrate in a small district. At the time, I didn't think much of it; I just figured it was a job to earn a living. But one year, disaster struck. First, there was a massive flood. After the waters receded, a prolonged drought followed, and infectious diseases spread everywhere. Then, because of the crop failure, a famine began. These successive disasters caught me completely unprepared. I had never learned in any book how to handle such a situation.
By then, my father had already passed away. Serving in the court, I didn't have any close friends; those I associated with were merely 'wine and meat friends' who could offer no substantial advice. Being far away in Guizhou, I had no one I could rely on. Seeing the common people suffering in such dire straits, my heart could not bear it. It was then that I finally realised the true importance of being an official. It was not merely about earning a living, approving documents, or seeking personal achievements.
To truly fulfill one's duty—to ensure the people in one's jurisdiction are spared from suffering and can survive natural disasters—that is the most fundamental and essential task of an official. Seeing the people suffer, I was deeply saddened. I took the initiative to petition the imperial court to open the granaries and distribute food. I also travelled everywhere to borrow grain, medicine, and medical supplies from regions unaffected by the disaster, and I requested the loan of other officials to assist in the recovery. At first, no one wanted to pay attention to a minor official like me; they thought the life or death of my district had nothing to do with them.
However, I personally visited each of the neighbouring counties, one by one, to plead for their assistance. Seeing me arrive in person, exhausted from the long journey, they began to look at me differently. They realised I was truly different from before and was genuinely willing to toil for the sake of the people. Because of this, they were finally willing to provide the help needed to help my jurisdiction overcome the crisis.
The Responsibility of Service
After this event, I deeply understood that an official is not just responsible for management; one must shoulder the responsibility of maintaining and protecting the survival and stability of the people's lives. I served the local people to the best of my ability. Later, due to the imperial court's rotation system, I was transferred to different places. But no matter where I went, I did my utmost to fulfill my duty, always preparing for the arrival of natural disasters so that the people would not suffer again.
Some officials saw me becoming active and assumed I had ambitions to compete with them for higher positions, so they spread unfavourable comments about me. But in my heart, I knew these were not worth worrying about. Perhaps it was because I had not been very polite or friendly in the past, and my lack of interest in officialdom had led many to misunderstand this change in me.
Regardless, none of that mattered to me. After that lesson, I knew that human life was of the utmost importance. If one cannot truly help the people escape their suffering and live in peace, then even with the highest status or the most empty ideals, it is all just an illusion. If the basic needs of the people cannot be met, what is the point of any construction? I lived the rest of my life with such diligence, but eventually, the central court listened to the unfavourable rumours and demoted me to an even more remote area.
From the Carriage to the Hells
I passed away from illness during one of these long, arduous journeys. After I died, I entered the space of the sedan chair and carriage I had been travelling in. My mind was still focused on rushing to the next district I was assigned to govern, to continue serving the people on the frontier. However, I remained trapped in that space, constantly on the road to my appointment.
As the carriages changed, the people sitting inside were always other officials on their way to their posts. I always tried my best to ensure they could travel comfortably, so that the exhaustion of the journey would not affect their health, their mood, or their spirit for governing. After hundreds of years in this carriage space, one day, the carriage I was in hit a bump and overturned. The wheels snapped, and the entire carriage flipped onto the ground. In an instant, my spirit was ejected from the carriage space, and I saw beings leading me to another place. I followed them until I arrived before the King of Hell.
The King of Hell asked me for my reflections on my life. I repented before him, admitting that in my youth, I was ignorant. Born into a wealthy family, with a grandfather and father who were both officials, I thought being an official was such an ordinary thing. My father buying me a position made me feel that being an official was nothing special. I had originally thought that imperial positions could be bought and were not worth mentioning. Only later did I realise that in the places where I had not governed with sincerity, I had caused much harm and inconvenience to the people. For this, I felt deep remorse.
The King of Hell nodded slightly, but he told me that the suffering in the human world was far greater than that. He hoped I would serve as a prison guard to better understand the suffering of samsara. I agreed, though I only half-understood what he meant.
The Power of Practitioner Su’s Teachings
During my time as a prison guard, I maintained my desire to help the people. I tried my best to empathise with and understand the situation and attachments of every prisoner, and I would counsel them, hoping to help them change their mindset and recognise their mistakes. However, most of the prisoners in the hells have stubborn personalities and are unwilling to listen to advice. After undergoing punishment, their is often clouded, making it difficult for them to take in any reasoning.
Just in the last few years, Practitioner Su’s lectures have been broadcast loudly throughout the hells. This has given many prisoners the opportunity to truly understand the truth, to take it into their hearts, and to develop genuine repentance and remorse. I have seen many prisoners follow along in openly repenting, which has shortened their sentences.
However, the suffering of the human world, as the King of Hell said, is truly arduous. Although beings can briefly escape the hells, if they do not have the opportunity to encounter Practitioner Su’s lectures while in the human world, they often quickly return to the hells. Now, with Practitioner Su’s lectures, if people in the human world have the chance to hear the Buddha’s teachings, their lives can be transformed. Otherwise, most people will eventually return to the hells to report for duty.
I continued to serve in the hells, constantly counselling the prisoners. One day, the King of Hell told me that my persistent service had earned me the opportunity to be placed on the list to be led by Practitioner Su to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I was absolutely overjoyed. I knew of the beauty of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, but I had never imagined that, in my capacity as a prison guard, I would one day have the chance to go there.
I am grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for their great vow to save us beings and prison guards of the hells. On behalf of the sixty prison guards, I express our gratitude to Namo Amituofo and to the great of Practitioner Su.
