The Conscience in the Darkness

This is a record of an interview with Li Weiqian, 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 and his time as a prison guard in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Jing, on June 14, 2025.

Li Weiqian speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I never imagined that we would truly arrive at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Without Practitioner Su, we would never have had the opportunity to return to the Western Land. As for whether we will have such a chance again in the future, we cannot know. No one can say how many more lifetimes of being reincarnated one would have to endure before encountering the Buddha again; no one can be certain of such things.

We cherish this magnificent Causal Conditions, and our hearts are filled with gratitude. We are deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su.

A Childhood Stolen by Debt

I am Li Weiqian. From a young age, I loved to read, though I lacked the blessings to pursue it fully. My father had originally intended for me to study hard, hoping that I would one day secure a good job and rise above our circumstances. Unexpectedly, after only a few years of schooling, our family went bankrupt. To escape their debts, my parents fled, leaving me behind in the countryside under the care of an old friend of my father.

My fate was not a kind one. That old friend treated me with great care when I first arrived, allowing me to regain a sense of hope. Unfortunately, his health was poor, and he suffered from frequent illnesses. Within a few years, he passed away. I became a child with no one to look after me; I was about eleven years old at the time. To survive, I had to find work. But what could I do? I was so young, and no one was willing to give me a chance.

Trapped in a Web of Deceit

Later, I met someone who appeared willing to help me. I truly believed he had my best interests at heart, but I did not realise it was a meticulously crafted trap. He brought me into a drug organisation and forced me to sell their products—to peddle narcotics.

At that time, I was naive and ignorant. I actually believed those substances were 'miracle drugs' that could benefit the human body and cure all illnesses. In the beginning, I was very diligent in my promotion, introducing them to everyone I met and even encouraging them to take some home to try.

It was not until one day, when a customer experienced a violent reaction after using the product, that I suddenly realised something was terribly wrong. I secretly tried to uncover the truth and discovered that I had been selling drugs all along. I was harming people, not helping them. I once tried to escape, and I actually took action to flee, but they caught me very quickly.

The Silent Rebellion

After being captured, I was subjected to extremely brutal punishment. Not only was one of my legs broken, but I was also forced to consume the drugs myself. They administered a massive dose, and I nearly lost my life the very first time. From then on, I became a slave to the drugs and a prisoner of the organisation. Those days were unbearable; without the drugs, my body would suffer in agony, a state truly life worse than death. Yet, my heart remained clear. I knew that I could not continue to harm others.

These people made vast fortunes through drugs, and their methods were incredibly vicious. They would even set traps, specifically luring wealthy young people into addiction or deceiving helpless girls, leading them step by step toward destruction. Seeing this, my heart was filled with immense sorrow. I vowed to protect those who were caught in their web. Although I was young and had no power to change the organisation, I could do my best to reduce the number of victims.

I was sent to many shopping malls, hotels, and nightclubs to promote the drugs. They taught me how to secretly slip the substances into drinks and food so that people would become addicted without knowing it. However, I did not use the actual drugs; instead, I used a harmless powder I had concocted myself. After consuming it, people would at most feel a bit drowsy, but they would never become addicted. I used this method to protect many people. I knew that such actions would eventually be discovered, but I did not care. As long as I was alive for one more day, I would save one more person. This was my final shred of conscience and value.

The Final Price of Integrity

I managed to survive until I was twenty years old. That year, my actions were discovered by the organisation. The one who exposed me was a senior brother I had trusted. I had thought he was a true friend, and I had told him many things without reservation, even believing that we could work together to help more people. I never expected that I had been completely deceived. Not only did he have no intention of working with me, but he also wanted to harm me because he had long disliked me. Later, in order to earn merit for himself and gain a higher status within the organisation, he presented all the evidence to the boss. At that moment, I knew my time had come.

That day, the boss's eyes were filled with murderous intent. I did not struggle, nor did I feel any fear. I simply told him, 'Stop harming people like this. The money you earn is stained with the tears and blood of countless families.' I said these words not for my own sake, but for those I had saved. Although I knew the boss would not repent, I had to speak, otherwise, I would have betrayed my own conscience.

I had been destroyed by drugs, and I knew what kind of hells that was. After the fleeting pleasure, there is only endless degradation and suffering. That is not living; it is a slow death. I have seen too many girls self-harm, go mad, or lose their dignity after becoming addicted, and some were even sold to unknown countries. They never returned. I could not do much, but I could delay things and protect some people from being implicated. Even if the final price was my own life, I was willing to pay it.

A Guardian in the Dark

When the boss dealt with me, I had my fingers broken, my legs shattered, and finally, I was dismembered. The pain was beyond description; I felt as if I were no longer in the human world. My spirit did not enter the underworld directly; instead, it attached itself to a speedboat I had often used for smuggling drugs. That was the space I was most familiar with.

I stayed on that boat for I do not know how long, striving to use my thought power to interfere with its navigation. Whenever they were about to conduct a transaction, I would disrupt the equipment, causing the wind direction to change or the boat to rock violently. Some people said the boat was cursed and always had accidents, and eventually, it was abandoned at the harbour. From then on, I kept watch on that boat day and night, guarding that dark stretch of sea, hoping that no more lives would be lost to the cycle.

I also often dreamed of the young people I had saved—some had successfully quit drugs, some had changed their ways, and some had returned to thank me. I do not know if these were real messages or merely the deep longings of my soul, but these dreams allowed me to persevere. Until one day, the harbour underwent construction, and the boat was scrapped as waste metal. In that instant, my spirit was released from its attachment.

The Call of the Buddha

Two prison guards appeared before me. They wore black robes, but their expressions were filled with dignity, without a hint of coldness. They said to me, 'Li Weiqian, come with us.' I followed them through the dark mist and arrived in the hells. King Yama looked at me and said in a calm tone, 'Although you were trapped in a dark web throughout your life, you never forgot your conscience, and you repeatedly risked yourself to protect others. This is hidden virtue. I now appoint you as a prison guard to guide the spirits in the hells who are repenting.' And so, I became a prison guard of the hells.

The suffering in the hells is a hundred times more terrifying than drug addiction. I saw too many people fall into the hells because of greed and ignorance, repeatedly suffering the pain of their punishments. Some spirits were filled with resentment and anger when they first arrived, unable to understand why they were being punished. I would then crouch down and say, just as I did in the past, 'You actually still have a choice. Turn your heart toward Goodness, and you can leave suffering behind.' I was no longer just a bystander. I would guide them during their most painful moments: 'Repent, there is still a chance.'

Until one day, I heard the sound of the Buddha's voice; Practitioner Su was giving Dharma talks. It was a clear sound I had never heard before, like light emerging from the depths of the ocean. When I heard the words 'Namo Amituofo,' my whole being trembled, and tears flowed like a spring. I began to chant Buddha's name, and I guided those spirits to chant as well. Countless suffering spirits made vows to be reborn in the Pure Land. I also began to listen to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks every day; every word and sentence reminded us and educated us. I shared these teachings with the beings in the hells, helping them to better understand their mistakes and to openly repent.

I hope that more beings will listen to the Dharma, so that more will understand how to repent and leave suffering behind. As long as they are willing to chant Namo Amituofo and are willing to repent with a sincere heart, they have the chance to be liberated from the hells and no longer need to continue suffering. Today, we sixty prison guards, under the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su, have arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I bow to the Buddha, grateful to Namo Amituofo, and grateful to Practitioner Su. I vow that in the future, if the Causal Conditions arise, I will ride upon my vows to return and help more beings who are trapped in the darkness.

Namo Amituofo.

Li Weiqian bows in reverence."