From Wandering to Eternal Peace: The Journey of Liu Yuan'er

This is a record of an interview with Liu Yuan'er, who sought deliverance 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 during the Southern Song Dynasty. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on June 6, 2025.

Liu Yuan'er speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My entire being is bathed in the light of the Buddha. At this moment, I no longer have a physical body; my spirit has truly and completely followed the Buddha.

Today is my great day. Finally, I have arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This world, filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers, makes me feel as though every single detail of the scenery is chanting 'Namo Amituofo.' Whether it is the precious trees I see, the flowing waters, or the birds of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, everything appears with such dignity amidst the resonance of the Buddha-name. I am smiling with such joy in this natural environment. I am so deeply grateful to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su for helping me reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. From head to toe, I feel a kind of refreshing, boundless joy. I believe that my spirit has finally found its true home and eternal peace from this moment on."

A Life of Duty and Conflict

"I, Liu Yuan'er, lived during the Southern Song Dynasty. That was a time when the era had descended into chaos, with constant strife between government troops and local militias. In the wake of such conflict, it was always the civilians who suffered the most.

At that time, I served as a commander of the government troops. I had soldiers under my command and held the trust of my superiors. It was a position I had spent thirty years of my life to attain. Over those thirty years, I witnessed the full extent of the deceit, calculation, and suspicion within officialdom and human nature itself. Friends could turn into enemies overnight. In such a turbulent era, finding someone you could truly trust was no easy task. That, in itself, was the tragedy of that age."

The Weight of Command and Compassion

"I knew that life was incredibly fragile, perhaps even vanishing in the next second. I had made all the preparations for the moment my life would end. When I left home at the age of twenty, I had already entrusted my elderly mother to the care of my younger brother. From that day on, I never returned home. It was not that I lacked filial piety; rather, I did not know when I might lose my life. I did not want to force my mother to endure the pain of parting with me again, so I simply chose to remain silent and cut off all contact.

I treated the generals and soldiers under my command with great kindness, for they, like me, were willing to sacrifice themselves for the country. Facing the slaughter of the battlefield, many of our brothers would never return. Therefore, ten days after every battle, we would drink together and pour wine upon the ground, as if to ensure that our brothers were always together with us.

In the face of life and death, I witnessed both heartless cruelty and the true feelings that emerge in times of hardship. I remember one particular battle where we were vastly outnumbered, facing thousands with only a few hundred men. We feigned weakness and then used the terrain to our advantage to win the victory. Standing on the hillside, feeling the wind and sensing the arrival of victory, I looked out and saw corpse after corpse of soldiers. My heart ached at the sight. If I did not help them, these bodies would slowly rot under the wind and sun. We were scheduled to leave in ten days, so the next day, I issued an order for all soldiers to mobilise and bury these lifeless bodies, without distinguishing between friend or foe. When facing the shell of death, I realised that everyone is the same.

In my dreams, I used to hear the sounds of wailing, which always left my heart feeling deeply unsettled. But now, those feelings have vanished, as if those spirits are finally thanking me for that act of mercy."

Retirement and the Hidden Protector

"After the country stabilised, I chose to retire. I found a quiet place where no one knew me. In the village, everyone regarded me as a kind, elderly man. However, I did not expect that several thugs would appear in the village, going around and extorting 'protection fees' from the villagers. The villagers were deeply troubled and terrified by this.

One day, while I was at the fishmonger’s buying some fish, those thugs appeared. They were behaving in a barbaric manner, kicking whatever they saw. The people on the street began to look anxious and fearful. Before long, they walked up to the fishmonger and said, 'Pack ten fish for us.' The fishmonger trembled as he prepared to pack them, but I stopped him with a look. Seeing the fishmonger hesitate, they prepared to smash his stall. Just as they were about to strike, I suddenly hit their hands with great force, causing their arms to go numb and immobile instantly. The onlookers, seeing this, rushed forward and subdued them. Caught off guard by such a sudden attack, they were completely unable to react. To escape, they promised never to harass us again.

I asked them, 'You have perfectly good hands and feet; why don't you earn your own living instead of threatening, stealing, and robbing?' Because they were afraid, they told me the truth: 'We are from the border tribes, and we are often looked down upon, so we cannot find any work to support ourselves. We have faced countless rejections, and in the end, we had no choice but to walk this path.'

I listened and said, 'I can help you, but I hope you can turn over a new leaf.' They could see that I was sincere, so they agreed.

I found an old subordinate of mine to help; he had since become a high-ranking official, and arranging a small job was a trivial matter for him. When he heard my request, he readily agreed.

The villagers were full of curiosity about my reactions and my ability to handle such matters during that time. They no longer saw me as an ordinary old man, but rather as someone with a significant background. That background was not just my past achievements, but the heart that sought to help others. Although I did not specifically reveal my past to the villagers, they all respected me deeply.

I had no descendants in that village, so I treated the villagers as my own family. Thus, when the moment of my death arrived, many people came to see me off."

The Long Wandering and the Hell Realms

"In my mental notes, I always felt that life was like ash, eventually returning to the earth or drifting with the wind. This deeply ingrained thought manifested after my death, and I found myself drifting within the ashes. It was just as I had imagined, floating from place to place. I do not know how much time passed.

Yet, in my heart, I always wanted to find a place where I could truly settle. When all my Causal Conditions finally came to an end, I arrived before King Yama. King Yama looked at my past deeds and saw that I had unintentionally helped many people, but because I had harmed beings during the war, I still needed to repay my debts. He told me that after repaying my debts, I could serve as a prison guard.

At the time, I did not understand what kind of tasks a prison guard had to perform; I simply followed the arrangements step by step. From the time I began receiving retribution to the time I took up my post as a prison guard, I do not know how much time had passed, yet it felt as if it had all happened in the blink of an eye.

After becoming a prison guard, I truly understood the laws of karma and cause and effect. These laws guide every person, and the cause and the fruit are tightly linked and inescapable. Many beings in the hells understand this, yet they still choose to let their own personalities dictate their actions, and in the end, they are the ones who suffer. I wanted to help everyone understand this more clearly, but the stubbornness of these beings was not something I could change."

Deliverance through the Buddha-Name

"Then, the sound of Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks reached us in the hells. Every word was telling everyone the truth and the way to liberation. Namo Amituofo and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss were explained so thoroughly during Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks that we all came to know the ultimate reality of rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Many beings were yearning for it in their hearts.

Finally, we waited for this day to arrive. By the power of the Buddha-name 'Namo Amituofo' and guided by Practitioner Su, immeasurable and boundless beings were led together to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The scene was magnificent, and my heart was filled with such gratitude.

I am grateful for all the good Causal Conditions that have allowed this disciple to no longer be reincarnated.

Liu Yuan'er, kneeling and kowtowing."