From the Prison of Fate to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Hua Chunmei, who sought deliverance 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 life as a mother, her unique ability to perceive the threads of destiny, and her subsequent service as a spirit in the hells before her final liberation. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on August 3, 2024.

Hua Chunmei speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I never imagined that I would one day arrive in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The other fifty-nine prison guards who came with me feel the same way; we are all so astonished and overjoyed to have reached this place. We are filled with gratitude—gratitude to Namo Amituofo and gratitude to Practitioner Su.

As my name suggests, in this life, I was born as a woman. Is being a woman good or bad? Everyone feels differently about it. But I believe that if you look at it from the perspective of the cycle of reincarnated life, most would find it quite bitter. Women, in particular, often find it difficult to let go of many things, especially emotions and family. Because it is so hard to let go, the suffering is exceptionally deep. I am a woman, and I understand that feeling of being unable to let go. It is like hanging a heavy weight upon your own heart; it is agonizing, yet you feel completely helpless to change it."

A Mother's Burden and the Sight of Destiny

"I had thirteen children, and every single one of them was my treasure. I love children dearly. From the moment I married, whenever I became pregnant, I insisted on bringing them into the world, no matter how hard our life was. My husband asked me several times if I wanted to terminate the pregnancies so we wouldn't have to struggle so much. Every time he said that, I would immediately argue with him. I felt he shouldn't speak such words; every child is a spirit, a life.

However, after the thirteenth child, I chose to stop. I could have continued, as I married young and was not yet too old, but I decided against it, even though I loved children so much. I had a reason for this decision—a realization that only came to me after the thirteenth child. I was born with the ability to see people's destinies. I did not need to calculate them using birth dates; I could simply sense them through my own sensitivity. I was very accurate. I could see when someone would encounter a calamity, what kind of life they would lead, how their relationships would unfold, and so on. If I wanted to look at someone and focused my attention, I could see everything."

The Pain of Foreknowledge

"Although I had this ability, there were many things I could not speak of, or I would harm both myself and the other person. I looked at my thirteen children from the day they were born and saw their entire lives. Even though I saw it, I could do nothing for them, because that was their destiny—they had their own paths to walk. I saw that some of my children would have difficult lives, and others would suffer from illness. They were all my children, yet their fates were so different. As a mother, what could I do? My youngest son, the thirteenth, was a prime example. When he was born, I saw that at the age of three, a disease hidden within his body would manifest. Sure enough, when he turned three, strange symptoms appeared all over his body, exactly as I had foreseen. I was heartbroken. Even though I had known it would happen, I could not prevent it. My heart ached because it meant I could not change my children's fates, even though I knew their futures.

My youngest son's condition worsened year by year. That was what finally made me give up the idea of having more children, because with my own power, I could not change their destinies. The most painful thing was knowing what would happen and being unable to alter the result. It was a heavy, crushing weight on my soul to watch the inevitable unfold while I stood by, powerless to intervene."

Transforming the Heart to Change Destiny

"Is everyone who comes into this world here to enjoy life or to suffer? Looking at my thirteen children, I saw that their lives held more suffering than joy. But later, I began to wonder: must such experiences in life necessarily be considered 'suffering'? Although I could not change their destinies, I could change their state of mind. I believe that if one faces life's challenges with a more optimistic attitude, one will have a more positive experience. Even if the outcome remains the same, as long as the heart does not feel the suffering, it is not truly suffering.

I began to teach my children in various ways. The first thing they needed to learn was 'Gratitude'. A person can never lack a heart of gratitude—not just toward parents and siblings, but toward the whole world. If a child carries a heart of gratitude wherever they go, I believe their life will be smooth. Even if they are not wealthy, their hearts will be happy and satisfied because of that gratitude. I also taught my children the practice of Generosity. Although we were poor and had no money to give, they were willing to share the candy and cookies they received only twice a month with other children. I also led them to contribute their labor, helping to clean the community, beautify the environment, or assist the solitary elderly with household chores. Wherever help was needed, I took my children to do it. I taught my children to look for the good, think of the good, speak of the good, and do the good. If we see others as good and speak of them as good, we ourselves will become good. The children were very clever; they understood after being taught once and knew how to apply these lessons to other situations."

A Turning Point for the Soul

"I gave my all to educate them, using education to change their thoughts and behaviors, helping them understand how to think of Goodness, perform Goodness, and use positive concepts to face their lives. Throughout their growth, I never revealed anything I had foreseen. Besides the fact that I could not, there was no need; speaking of it would only cause them worry and afflictions. So, I let things take their natural course. Even if I knew what was coming, I did not keep it in my heart; I simply did my best to raise them well.

The miraculous thing was that as long as the children listened and truly changed their character according to my teachings, I found that their lives began to change quietly. Take my youngest son: I had seen at his birth that his illness would become life-threatening at age fifteen. But as he followed my teachings, constantly changing his mental notes and truly developing a heart of compassion to help others, I saw his body naturally improve day by day. In an invisible way, he had changed his destiny and his life. I saw my children becoming better and better because their hearts were kind, and they were very willing to help others. They knew how to be grateful and how to practice Generosity with everything they had. Their own efforts brought a turning point to their lives. My heart did not just want my own children to be well; I hoped every child could be like mine, using their own transformation to let their lives shine and live out a different path."

The Maze of the Unknown

"Later, I began to help other children, using my experience to guide them, especially those in prison. Although they were adults, they still had a pure self within them, just covered up. I hoped to help them find that self again. I successfully helped many people change their destinies through 'changing the heart'. When everyone began to change, they realized that all suffering comes from one's own perceptions. By letting go of these perceptions, learning positive mental notes, and actively changing, one will achieve a different result.

In this life, I could foresee the lives of others, but I could not see where they would go after death, including myself. When my life was coming to an end, I began to panic. I did not know where I would go after I died. I was about to leave my children, leave this world, and face a completely unknown space. After I stopped breathing, my spirit entered a maze game—a game my children and I often played. It was not because I was attached to the game, but because before my life ended, I felt confused about my future destination, which made me feel as if I were walking in a maze. My brain quickly recalled this game, and it felt as if I were walking inside it. Who would have thought that my spirit would truly follow that memory, that immediate intention, and the hesitation in my heart, and enter the maze after my spirit leaving the body?"

Deliverance through the Dharma

"Once inside the maze, I discovered many other spirits there. They were all confused, bewildered, and lost, wandering around and unable to find a way out. At that moment, my desire to help others immediately arose. I wanted to help these spirits find the exit. This intention was very strong, just like my desire to help people during my life. Perhaps it was this kind of Goodness that allowed me to leave the maze within a year. After leaving the maze, I was taken to the hells by two prison guards. King Yama praised me for having helped many people in my life, which gave me the opportunity to serve as a prison guard in the hells. I was very grateful to King Yama, though I felt some regret that I had not been able to save those spirits in the maze. However, I eventually found peace with it, because every spirit has its own path to walk. I did what I could, and I had to let go of the results.

In the hells, I later heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. The moment I heard him, I wept loudly for a long time. It is such a pity that I did not have the Causal Conditions to hear the Buddha's teachings in my life. If I had heard these scriptures earlier, I would have known how to use the Buddha's teachings to change my destiny, and I would have known that the final destination is to seek liberation and rebirth in the Western Pure Land, rather than being as ignorant and lost as I was. I began to actively propagate the Buddha's teachings, letting more spirits know the importance of learning and chanting the Buddha's name. Many of these spirits in the hells are not actually bad; they just never received the correct guidance. So, I worked hard to introduce the Buddha's teachings to them, giving them a chance to change, to openly repent, and to seek liberation. After serving in the hells for some time, I was notified that I had been placed on the list for Practitioner Su to guide to the Western Land. I was so surprised and moved. Today, I and the other fifty-nine prison guards have arrived in the Western Land. We are all filled with Dharma joy, kneeling to express our gratitude to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Hua Chunmei bows in reverence."