From Vanity to Redemption: The Journey of a Prison Guard

Dou Yangming, a former prison guard in the hells, sought deliverance through the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su. After years of diligent chanting during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, he was finally granted the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This interview, recorded on April 30, 2022, by Chief Writer Shi Fajing, captures his profound gratitude and the story of his transformation from a life of vanity to one of spiritual awakening.

Dou Yangming speaks:

"During every Thrice Yearning Ceremony, I would chant Namo Amituofo while in the hells, helping beings attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land. I never imagined that today, it would be my turn to be reborn there. My heart is filled with an indescribable joy, and I feel an immense sense of gratitude toward Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su."

"Our group of prison guards, all connected by karmic affinity, arrived in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss on the same day. We all wore smiles, our hearts brimming with delight. We had been waiting for this magnificent moment for so long, and now, we have finally arrived in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

A Miraculous Arrival

"Practitioner Su’s sixty Dharma Bodies each took one of us sixty prison guards by the hand. We all arrived safely—not a single one was left behind. Seeing the magnificent scenery of the West, I am filled with awe. This place is truly the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss; it is absolutely pure and dignified."

"Greetings to everyone. My name is Dou Yangming."

A Childhood of Adoration

"When I was a child, I was remarkably cute. My facial features were perfectly proportioned, creating a face that everyone found endearing. No matter which adult saw me, they couldn't help but want to hold me because I was just so adorable."

"When I was about five years old, an advertising agency wanted to hire me to appear in commercials. My parents refused them, no matter how high the price they offered. My parents did not want me to get involved in that industry. They worried that if I were discovered, I would become a star, fall in with the wrong crowd, and pick up all sorts of bad habits."

The Stage and the Spotlight

"Although television was already becoming common, in our remote village, we still had stage performances. Especially during special festivals, there would always be someone performing in front of the temple. I was the one audience member who would always appear on time; I never missed a show."

"As soon as the performers finished, I would quickly scramble onto the stage before they could dismantle it. I would mimic the performers, which always made the audience below roar with laughter."

"Everyone in the village, and even in the neighboring village, knew me, Dou Yangming. They knew I was a child who loved to perform. Many people would try to counsel my parents: 'This child is good-looking and loves to perform. It is a real pity not to let him act. Perhaps one day he could become a huge star.'"

"My parents were not the type of people to crave vanity. Even if I could have become a superstar, they wouldn't have cared. While they still had the authority to make decisions for my life, they were determined not to let me become an actor or a singer. They only wanted me to live a simple, ordinary life."

The Lure of the City

"Although that was my parents' wish, I did not seem like someone content with a simple, ordinary life at that time. I was pursuing a life that was extraordinary and complex."

"When this desire took root in me, I met my uncle, who was planning to go to Shanghai for work. He said he could take me with him. I was so happy when I heard this. I begged my parents for a long time until they finally agreed to let me go to Shanghai for a period of time."

"Before I left my hometown, many young girls were reluctant to see me go; they were all my 'little girlfriends.' I started receiving love letters from the age of six, and I continued to receive them until I was fifteen or sixteen. I have lost count of how many I received. It is clear how much my appearance and talent attracted the opposite sex."

The Shanghai Transformation

"I arrived in Shanghai when I was sixteen, the prime of my youth. It was my first time in a big city. Everything I saw was new; it was completely different from life in the countryside. It was like two different worlds."

"My wealthy uncle, who was also my godfather, not only let me study in Shanghai but also allowed me to learn many artistic skills, satisfying the desires of my heart."

"Although I couldn't keep up with the schoolwork of the other city children, I didn't care. My interests lay in the arts I was learning, such as musical instruments and stage performance."

The Illusion of Fame

"Because I learned these skills, I had many opportunities to perform on stage and often held public performances on campus. Every performance made many female classmates infatuated with me. They treated me like an idol and pursued me relentlessly."

"During that time, I fully enjoyed the taste of being a star. My inner vanity constantly manifested. Whatever I wanted, my godfather would satisfy me because he had no children of his own and treated me like his own son."

"In that environment, my character changed drastically. I felt the world was too wonderful; whatever I wanted, I could have. With so many people around me admiring me, I felt even more special and important. At that time, I didn't want to tell anyone I was from the countryside, fearing that if I said it, I would be mocked."

A Life of Selfishness

"I didn't return to my hometown for several years, nor did I ever call home. My heart seemed to be occupied by a demon. I was obsessed with becoming famous, wanting more people to be infatuated with me, and I even went through one girlfriend after another."

"I thought I could keep playing this game for the rest of my life, but things turned out completely contrary to my expectations."

"When I was twenty, my seventeenth girlfriend became pregnant. She wasn't the first girlfriend to get pregnant, but she was the first who refused to have an abortion and insisted that I marry her. Even her family insisted that I marry their daughter and would not allow me to toy with her so casually."

"At that time, all I could think about was: 'If I marry her, will my acting career be affected? Will fans still want to pursue an idol who already has a wife?' Being selfish, I only thought of myself and never considered her feelings."

The Reality of Responsibility

"The news reached my parents in the countryside, and they came to Shanghai. When her parents saw my parents looking like 'country bumpkins,' they all showed expressions of surprise. At that moment, I really wanted to find a hole to crawl into; I felt my parents had made me lose all face."

"My godfather, who had money and status, came forward to negotiate the marriage. And so, at the end of that year, I married my seventeenth girlfriend and began my married life."

"Originally, our living expenses were covered by my godfather. But now that I was married and had a family, and my godfather had already rented us a house in Shanghai, I felt embarrassed to keep asking him to pay for our living expenses."

"With a child on the way, I would soon need a large sum of money. I had to work to support this family. But what could I do? I was good at musical performance and stage acting, but my acting skills weren't enough to make people want to hire me. If I were to perform on the street, my income would be even more unstable. So, I had to find other work."

The End of the Idol

"I tried several jobs, doing each one to see which was most suitable. Within three months, I had changed jobs fifteen times. In the end, I ended up delivering newspapers. The pay was low, and I had to leave the house early in the morning."

"After delivering newspapers, I worked at a fast-food restaurant, doing odd jobs, so I could have two sources of income."

"Ever since I got married and started working, my acting career was declared officially over. Those fans who were infatuated with me all felt it was a pity. Some used to come to my house for autographs, but later, seeing my changes, they gradually stopped coming."

"The 'change' they saw was in my appearance. I wasn't as handsome as before. After running around for work, I looked more like a father with a child than a young, handsome man. Those fans naturally lost interest, and one by one, they left."

The Encounter with the Dharma

"In the third year of my marriage, I met a noodle shop owner. He was a practitioner of the Buddha’s teachings, and he sold only vegetarian food. I didn't go there specifically for vegetarian food; it was just that all the other noodle shops near my house were closed that day, so I went to his shop to buy noodles."

"As soon as the owner saw me, he greeted me warmly and chanted, 'Namo Amituofo.' This 'Namo Amituofo' was very unfamiliar to me at the time, and I didn't feel much when I heard it. But the owner told me: 'When you are in an emergency or facing danger, you must remember to chant this: Namo Amituofo.'"

"I nodded with a smile, not taking it to heart. But as soon as I stepped out of the noodle shop and walked to the other side of the street, a speeding truck rushed out of an alley. The driver didn't see me at all and headed straight for me. I was so scared that my legs went weak and I couldn't run. Fortunately, I suddenly remembered the 'Namo Amituofo' the owner had just mentioned. I quickly chanted it, and the truck driver slammed on the brakes. It stopped right in front of me, only fifty centimeters away from hitting me."

A Life Transformed

"The truck driver got out of the car and asked if I was okay. I was so shocked I hadn't yet regained my senses. I heard the driver say: 'It’s miraculous! I was really about to hit you, but suddenly a force slowed my car down. I quickly stepped on the brakes again, and the broken brakes suddenly worked, allowing me to stop.'"

"When the driver said this, I quickly remembered the 'Namo Amituofo' I had just chanted and told the driver what had happened. The driver also felt it was inconceivable."

"After that incident, I went back to find the vegetarian noodle shop owner. I listened to him introduce the Buddha’s teachings, and later I followed him to learn. Even that truck driver became a fellow practitioner with me. We often recited the Sutras and chanted Buddha’s name together, and we would go everywhere doing good deeds to repay society."

Filial Piety and Final Peace

"I couldn't go to a temple to focus on learning the Buddha’s teachings because I still had a family to support. However, since I started learning, my character changed significantly."

"After learning the Buddha’s teachings, I realised that the biggest mistake I had made in my life was being unfilial to my parents. I had indeed been very unfilial. Since moving to Shanghai, I had only seen them on the day of my wedding and had never met them again. It was truly unfilial."

"Feeling indebted and ashamed toward my parents, within a month, I moved my wife and child back to the countryside to live with them, so the two elders wouldn't feel lonely."

"When my parents saw us move back, they were overjoyed. Every day, they happily took their grandchild out to play."

"My return led my parents to start believing in and learning the Buddha’s teachings, because they saw miracles in me. They saw how the Buddha’s power saved my life, changed my personality, and transformed my heart, turning me from an unfilial son into a filial one."

"In the countryside, I fulfilled my duty to be filial to my parents and care for my wife and child. Besides that, I also introduced the Buddha’s teachings everywhere."

"My life ended at the age of sixty-one, when I passed away during an illness."

"For this life, I am grateful that the Buddha saved me, so I didn't continue to commit sins. Otherwise, with my pursuit of worldly desires, I would have definitely committed even more sins."

"In the hells, King Yama compassionately allowed me to serve as a prison guard, and I performed my duties faithfully. Nine years ago, I began to hear Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. My heart was filled with Dharma joy, and I had a vow to help beings. I was placed on the list to be guided by Practitioner Su to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Today, I have been guided by Practitioner Su to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

"Namo Amituofo."

"Dou Yangming"