Interview with Candy Raymond (Famous Australian Actress)

Interviewer: Venerable Shi Fa Ru

May 31, 2026

Candy Raymond:

Thank you, great Namo Amituofo, thank you, Practitioner Su, thank you for saving me from the hells. If not for you, I would still be unable to escape the space of the hells.

I never knew that everything I did in the human world would determine the destination of my spirit after death. I never thought there would be such serious consequences.

At first, I was considered to have a talent for acting, partly because of my bright and attractive appearance, so I was chosen to be an actress and engaged in a series of performances. At that time, I simply thought this was a profession I could rely on for a living; it was not stealing or robbing, but a normal job. But I did not expect that the responsibility of being an actress was so great; if I had not gone to the hells to suffer punishment after death, I would not have understood this.

Now that I’ve been rescued from hell and look back on my life, I realize that from a very young age, I was never really in control of myself. The root cause was the massive influence of being an actor. Whenever you perform in a work that reaches a large audience—especially if it’s a hit—the impact is huge. I starred in several very famous productions, and I often played characters that people found incredibly captivating and seductive, which held a lot of sway over the public

At first, I felt quite proud; after all, this was a proof of my appearance. But now I understand that these series of works that tempt people and make them addicted have serious consequences. While I was performing one work after another, the mental note in my heart to show my proud and seductive side had already attracted many demon crowds to control me, making my performance more distinctive and charming, so that more people would be fascinated by me, and be infected and influenced by me, and like these matters between men and women even more.

After suffering punishment, I realised that all of this was incorrect. This is not to belittle the profession of an actor or deny all of this, but as an actor, having a high degree of exposure and influence on the masses, the behaviour itself will be magnified and scrutinised. This is also true in the calculation of the universal principle and the laws of karma and cause and effect: the more people influenced, the greater the reward received, whether good or bad.

Listening to the sutras on the Dharma-Nature Land, Namo Amituofo is very compassionate and constantly shines light on me, making me more sober. I also saw many sentient beings who came to the temple to find me, who had hatred for me; they did not seem willing to let me go. I also understand that this is everything I have done over many lifetimes and must be repaid; just for being an actress in this life and performing these works, I had to go to the hells to suffer punishment.

If not for the temple and Namo Amituofo saving me from the space of the hells, at this moment I would still be continuously roasted and burned on the terrifying, scorching iron bed, and would also be continuously having my heart gouged out in the heart-gouging hell. Why can I exist in two hells at the same time? In fact, this world of spirits is far more complex than imagined, and it is also quite magical. This spirit is not limited to being one spirit; a spirit can have many avatars. Rather than calling them avatars, it is better to say that it is the appearance of a spirit in different spaces, just like a person at home can watch two or three televisions at the same time, and the different televisions are playing in the same room, the images presented are different, and the feelings for the spirit are also different.

Although I am a spirit, I am suffering great pain in two hell spaces at the same time, which is a very terrifying experience for me. I never thought I would encounter these painful processes after death.

My life seemed bright and beautiful, but in fact, I could not be the master of myself very early on. From my teens, my true self was locked in space, and what replaced me and used my body were sentient beings who had grudges against me, as well as demon crowds who used me to tempt people's hearts. Because of them, I committed many things that tempted people's hearts, and therefore went to the hells to pay the price.

Now that I have been saved to the Dharma-Nature Land by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, I can finally stop these painful punishments. I sit quietly on the lotus seat; it is very clean, bright, spacious, and beautiful, truly a world I have never seen before. On the lotus seat, I feel that this life was truly very short and sad. The seemingly long 75 years were actually only a dozen or so years that I could use.

And on the Dharma-Nature Land, I observed that my former colleagues and many people engaged in the performing arts have encountered the same situation as me; everyone's fate is the same as mine, and no one understands that this is the price behind the bright and beautiful appearance. Even though one can attract the public's attention, evoke concern, and become a topic of discussion, in reality, one cannot be the master of oneself; all are under the control of sentient beings and demon crowds. In this wave where one cannot be the master of oneself, drifting up and down, letting fate be manipulated, while one has to bear all the consequences, it is truly very sad.

This also highlights the importance of the role of an actor: in school, it is the Teacher who educates people, and in society, it is us performers who educate people. Everything we perform has a subtle influence on people's hearts. Good content will make people imitate it. Wrong plots, concepts, and directions will also be learned by people to commit wrong behaviours.

Such influence is too great. The works I performed promoted and advocated matters between men and women, making people yearn for them, leading many to be unable to extricate themselves. If I could have learned Buddhist education earlier and recognised this cause and effect earlier, perhaps my life would have been different.

Of course, perhaps my achievements in this life would not have been as outstanding as they were, perhaps everyone would not have known me, but at least I would have had more peace of mind, at least I would know that I would not have caused many people to suffer and affected their bodies and minds because of this wrong knowledge and information.

Now I still have many works circulating in the world; in fact, the only thing I want to do is to destroy all these works. However, because I am an actor from the previous generation, these works are slowly being forgotten by the world, which can be considered the greatest fortune in misfortune.

Taking this opportunity, I must also let young actors know that they must be careful when choosing to perform in every work. If it is just for the sake of an acting career, to make their reputation louder, or to have more popular or world-famous international works on their resume, then everyone must be careful.

The more famous the work, the greater the influence. If it is not just popular for a while, but continues to be famous for several eras, and people later still remember this work, then the influence is even more far-reaching. Although for an actor, this is the highest achievement and honour, if the content of the work is wrong and does not promote Goodness and correct views, then the karmic retribution attracted will be even more serious. In fact, my spirit did not just go to the hells to suffer punishment after I passed away; as early as when I was young, there were spirits suffering punishment in the hells. The time my spirit spent suffering punishment can be said to be quite long, which is why I am so grateful to Namo Amituofo. I did not just suffer punishment in the hells for a few months, but many of my souls and spirits had already been suffering punishment in the hells for decades.

I wonder if everyone will feel fear when hearing this? In fact, when the body shows signs of ageing and disease, it corresponds to the fact that some souls and spirits in the body are already suffering punishment in the hells. And I am the same, having suffered punishment for decades. In fact, for this human body, it seems that there is no feeling, it is difficult to detect, only knowing that there are some minor and major illnesses and chronic diseases on one's body, but one does not pay special attention to these spiritual situations. But this does not mean that this spirit does not have to suffer pain. Once you are that spirit itself, that soul suffering punishment in the hells, it may be unbearable for even a moment. But there is no way to wake up the body to stop committing wrong behaviours; instead, one has to continue to commit these sins under control and continue to suffer punishment in the hells.

This life is so short and so sad. Without Buddhist education, one simply does not know what behaviour is correct and what behaviour is wrong. After losing the body, one suffers punishment in the hells, and then is saved[阿禪1]  into the Western Land of Dharma Nature. It is only when one is truly on the Dharma-Nature Land that one meets the so-called Buddha and understands the so-called Buddha’s teachings. I did not expect that these Buddha’s teachings are truly hard to come by; this cannot be replaced by ordinary religions. Many people always think that the Christianity, Catholicism, or other religions they believe in are irreplaceable, but if they cannot actually help the spirit or this body, then believing in these religions, if what is sought is only idol worship or a kind of spiritual comfort, the actual help is not great.

And the Buddhist education promoted at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia is truly a great Dharma that can help people change their lives and change their fate. This power comes from the fact that it can truly reverse situations that cannot be reversed. There are too many karmic creditors and demon crowds[阿禪2]  controlling oneself in a person's life; if one cannot resolve the conflict with them, one cannot reverse this so-called karma. This fate is like being destined, like putting on shackles that one cannot break free from at all.

But with this Buddhist education, with Namo Amituofo, and with the Pure Land He created, there is an opportunity to help the spirits on one's body go to a beautiful world. And after being separated from the body, one can truly liberate this body, stop the control of the body, and give oneself a chance to truly follow the Buddha's teachings to help others and help other spirits in this world. How many spirits are there in this world? It is truly hard to describe.

I participated in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies at the temple and saw sentient beings as dense as the stars in the sky coming from all directions and from all over the world, most of whom were seeking help. Which of these spirits in space is happy? In fact, it is difficult. The fundamental reason is that even if one is not suffering punishment in space, one still has no goal and no exit. In a space, it is difficult for a spirit to leave that space by its own ability. And a spirit that cannot leave space is like being imprisoned in a closed world, unchanging and without a goal; this is the most painful torture. Everyone can imagine being locked up in a closed spiritual world; that is truly enough to drive one crazy.

And the Buddhist education and the Buddha-light of Namo Amituofo are unravelling these spaces, allowing everyone to roam freely in a bright and spacious world without being restrained. And the most important thing is to cultivate a kind of ability to break away from attachment, and this compassion to help other sentient beings achieve liberation together. This is an important principle that Namo Amituofo wants to help sentient beings with and wants to teach people.

To my good friends and family members I know, if you are willing to believe me, I am truly a spirit now, and I am talking to you as a spirit. If you are willing to come and meet me again, you are welcome to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to find me. Although my state before I passed away was not too good, at this time I have escaped those pains, there is no illness on my body, there is no suffering from any disease, and my mental state has returned to what it was when I was young.

If you are not very clear about the situation and location of this temple, you can actually search for the words "Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre" on the internet first. It is not difficult to find; the temple is promoting Buddha’s teachings all over the world, and everyone is learning through the internet. And besides the internet, the temple has also set up large billboards all over the world to promote and introduce Buddha’s teachings to everyone. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a public large-scale charitable organisation, so you can rest assured.

There are also temple billboards on the highways in Brisbane and Toowoomba, and many people come to the temple only after seeing the billboards, so you can come to the temple with peace of mind.

I have been on the Dharma-Nature Land for several days now, and I have relatively stabilised, and there is no pain in my body. So, dear family members and good friends who know me, do not worry too much about me.

I stopped my acting work many years ago, and now in my later years, my interest has turned to charity work; perhaps it is because of this that I had the opportunity to come into contact with the temple. But no matter what, my life has ended here, and the next stage of life will continue as a spirit and as a heart.

To those with whom I share a karmic affinity—I welcome this opportunity to reveal the true path of deliverance for the soul. Should your heart feel called, I invite you to seek me at the sanctuary.

 [阿禪1]rescued

 [阿禪2]Demonic masses