Recorded by 法寧
Date recorded 22 May 2026
Record of Interviews with Deceased Modern Chinese Celebrities (Preface)
Teacher Introduces the Namo Amitabha Buddhist Hall
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Turmoil: Chinese Leadership and Sentient Beings with Karmic Affinity
Rectifying Body and Mind
Interview with Dr. Helmut Sohmen (Former Chairman of BW Group)
Interviewer: Fa Ning
May 22, 2026
Xie Junliang:
I have arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am grateful for the of and the compassion of Practitioner Su. I am Xie Junliang, and today I represent sixty prison guards, including myself, to share some of my insights and reflections with everyone. Today is a wonderful day for the sixty prison guards in this assembly to reach the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Today, the sky above the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre is very blue and has remained in a very clean state, just like our hearts—clear, bright, and filled with . Although we come from all corners of the world, we all hold a heart of gratitude and purity as we step onto the land of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss together. All of this happened very quickly; in the snap of a finger, Practitioner Su led all sixty of us prison guards to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Everyone holds a heart of equality, and now that we have arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, there are no more discriminations. We are all the same; where could there be any nations, families, "you," or "me"? They are all gone. It is just a sincere heart, a heart that wishes to become a Buddha, and a heart that wishes to save beings; that is all.
Why did I become a prison guard in the first place? In the human world, I was also a good person, but I had my own ego-attachment. I was born in Singapore in the 1930s. At that time, the country of Singapore did not exist; this land was under British colonial rule and was managed by the British, just like Malaya at the time. My grandfather came from Guangdong Province, China. Because he was in business and wanted to find a place to settle in the Nanyang region, he set his sights on this precious land of Singapore. Thus, my grandfather brought the whole family to this place to put down roots. My father was very young at the time and did not remember much, and I am a native-born Singaporean.
When I was in my twenties, we broke away from British rule and officially merged into Malaysia. Soon after, Singapore was forced to become independent again, establishing the small nation of Singapore. My life's destiny was like that of the small nation of Singapore—full of ups and downs, living a life of separations and reunions. The so-called separations and reunions refer to the fact that I once longed for a good relationship, but it never went as I wished. I had two wives and spent my life in these separations and reunions; this was where I had ego-attachment and also a part of my regrets. Fortunately, when I reached old age, I saw through this "emotion" and let it all go. By the time I was in my fifties, I was able to live a very joyful life in my later years, no longer bound by past emotional ties.
What I did for most of my life was different from my grandfather and father; I did not like doing business, I preferred teaching. To me, teaching was the happiest thing in my life. On the podium, teaching mathematics and science with great enthusiasm was something I truly loved, because that was where my interests lay, and I could explain things very thoroughly and clearly so that the students could have a good understanding. This podium allowed me to forget many afflictions, especially the emotional turmoil I experienced with my two wives through all the separations and reunions, which always made me suffer greatly. But when I returned to the podium and saw the innocent and joyful eyes of the students, I could temporarily let all of that go.
At that time, I did not study the Buddha’s teachings, so when I was involved in education, I did not know that the education of the Buddha’s teachings was so important. My first contact with the Buddha’s teachings was in the hells, when I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, and only then did I realise the profoundness of the Buddha’s teachings. When I was a teacher, although I did not understand the Buddha’s teachings, I held a sincere heart for nurturing others, and I was still able to teach the children many good principles, guiding them onto the right path.
I did not just teach mathematics and science; I was also always the students' homeroom teacher. Being a homeroom teacher meant that I was responsible for many aspects of their school life, and if they had any issues, they would report to me, their mentor, first. I could help them solve any problems they faced in their studies, families, or daily lives. I did my best to give everything, and every child in my eyes was like my own child; there was not much discrimination.
I always upheld the principle that teaching must be done with a heart of equality, and one must not have any discrimination towards students. No matter what kind of student they were, I treated them all equally. The school where I taught at the time was a very common multi-ethnic school in Singapore. The Chinese population in Singapore was relatively high, but there were also many Malay and Indian children, and everyone gathered together. I always instilled the principle of equality in the children, telling everyone that no matter what race, religion, or background a child had, everyone was equal; we were all human, just with different destinies, and in reality, there was no difference. Under my guidance, the children all made great progress, and most of them held a heart of gratitude.
My teaching career at the school lasted for thirty or forty years, which was quite long. Especially after I was free from all emotional entanglements, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to giving everything to the children. Although I did not have children of my own in this life, many children treated me like their father. Some children, even after entering society, often thought of me, this old man, and would return to the school to visit me, bringing many good things for their younger schoolmates. Everyone had a heart of gratitude and knew that good things should be shared through Generosity (Giving), which brought me great comfort. This was also because when I was a teacher, I viewed my money as something external. I often used it to help students in need, regardless of race or religion. Children in need would carefully explain their situations to me, and I would help them according to the circumstances.
By the time I was in my seventies, my health began to decline. At this time, the country was very prosperous and gradually moved to the forefront of the world. Although everyone's life was getting better and better, and technological development was getting faster and faster, I could see that people at this time already lacked the simple heart of the past. There was also a lot of competition among children in society, or the heart of began to slowly emerge.
I also tried hard to tell the students: for generation after generation of children, if any of you become teachers, you must teach them well and do not let the children go astray. Even though I had retired from my teaching position, I still often thought about everything that happened at the school. I liked to recall all the things from the past, and they were hard to shake off; this was also the reason why I often entered the space in my later years.
I often recalled things from the past, and although I was very happy and would laugh involuntarily, I did not realise at the time that I was living in the past and always had attachments in my heart. At the age of seventy-four, I left the human world due to pneumonia. At that time, my spirit, following the mental note of teaching and nurturing that I often had, returned to the school and entered the space of the whiteboard. I seemed to have stayed in this place for several years, I cannot count. Anyway, perhaps it was decades; every day in the classroom, I used my thought power to spread positive energy to the children.
Until one day, two officials from the hells found me and said, "Xie Junliang, there is a task for you in the hells, and we hope you can handle it." I thought to myself at the time, there is still a task in the hells? This is truly strange! Well, if I could do some good deeds, I was willing to leave this whiteboard; at least I would have the opportunity to contribute. So I reported to King Yama, and I was immediately sentenced to be a prison guard, continuing to serve the masses in the hells as a prison guard. This time, the objects of my service were no longer the innocent children of the past, but the suffering beings in the hells, each filled with pain or resentment. Seeing their miserable states one by one, I felt very sad and distressed, hoping to bring them some comfort.
Fortunately, not long after, I actually came into contact with the Buddha’s teachings in the hells, heard the six-character name "Namo Amituofo", and met Practitioner Su, learning of Practitioner Su's deeds and skills as an awakened being. Some of the beings in the hells gradually became clear-minded after hearing it; although their bodies were still suffering great pain, they could always listen to a few words or a sentence or two. I always maintained a heart of service, constantly reciting "Namo Amituofo" in my heart, hoping that one day I and they could achieve rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Sure enough, not long after, my name was called, and I was even chosen as the representative for this occasion to tell my story; this made me ecstatic. My heart was filled with gratitude, and I waited patiently for this day to come.
Very quickly, this morning, after Practitioner Su struck the large singing bowl, we sixty prison guards were instantly brought to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. We were all very joyful; besides gratitude, there was only more gratitude, because I knew that encountering such an opportunity was truly rare, so we all cherished it deeply.
My heart was filled with the heart and vow to learn the Buddha’s teachings, and after achieving success here, I would return to the human world to save more beings. Finally, everyone, filled with joy, made prostrations (bowing) to the Buddha.
Grateful to Namo Amituofo, grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su.
Namo Amituofo
Xie Junliang
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This is a record of an interview with Zhao Shuwen, 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 as a scholar and official during the Tang Dynasty, and his subsequent service as a guard in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable Fa Hui, on May 10, 2026.
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