The Deceptive Merchant's Redemption

This is a record of an interview with Chen Haiyang, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as a merchant and his subsequent time as a jailer in the underworld. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on April 6, 2025.

Chen Haiyang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am so incredibly grateful—truly, deeply grateful—that I have been granted this opportunity for rebirth. It is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity! I am so thankful that I encountered the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre; without it, I would never have reached this moment of liberation.

I offer my deepest gratitude to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su. On behalf of all the jailers in the underworld, I bow in thanks for the Buddha’s grace and the kindness of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

A Cold Heart in a Merchant's Home

"My name is Chen Haiyang. I was born into a merchant family in the water towns of Jiangnan. My father ran a fabric shop, and my mother was a skilled seamstress. While we were not wealthy, we never lacked for food or clothing. From a very young age, I was clever and quick-witted. My relatives loved to praise me, predicting that I would have a bright future. But even as a child, my heart was cold. While other children would greet people with warmth, I would first observe their clothing and their tone of voice, calculating whether they were worth knowing. I was only a child, yet I already understood how to manipulate and flatter others to get what I wanted. If someone gave me a sweet treat, I would smile for them—but it was all a performance.

When I was in school, my grades were good, but I was far more interested in studying human nature. I would deliberately stir up conflict to make classmates turn against each other, and I would use flowery words to make my teachers think highly of me. Gradually, I realised that the world is full of people driven by greed, fear, and desire. As long as you hold the strings to their hearts, you can control anything."

The Business of Deception

"At fifteen, my father allowed me to start learning the trade. The family fabric business was not enough for me; I wanted to create my own empire. At that time, I came across a folk remedy that claimed to prolong life and restore youth. I tried one pill—it tasted like nothing—but my mind immediately saw a business opportunity. I repackaged the medicine, hired an artist to design a luxurious box, paid a storyteller to weave a legendary tale about its origins, and bribed several local doctors to endorse it. And so, my medicine business began.

Suddenly, everyone was scrambling to buy it. People claimed it cured women’s ailments, dizziness in the elderly, and even promised to make them ageless and disease-free. My silver grew day by day, and my shops spread further and further. But I knew the truth: the medicine had no miraculous effect at all. In fact, for some, it was actively harmful. Yet, I told myself, 'If people want to deceive themselves, what does that have to do with me? I am just providing a dream.'

One day, an old woman carrying a small bag of rice walked into my shop, trembling. She had heard that this medicine would help her walk more easily. She placed the rice on the counter and asked if it could cover the cost of half a box. I didn't even look up. I just said, 'We only accept silver.' She left with a look of utter desolation. I remember her saying as she turned away, 'You young shopkeeper, you look like you have such good fortune.' I didn't answer her. At that time, I only cared about money, fame, and connections. I thought this was what success meant."

The Price of Indifference

"It wasn't until my mother fell ill with a wind-related sickness that I realised how far I had strayed. I didn't even have time to go back and care for her; I just sent a servant to deliver some medicine. I was too busy expanding my business, too busy drinking and discussing partnerships with the magistrate's son. When I finally returned, my mother had been dead for three days. Her face was withered, and in her hand, she was still clutching a note I had written to her when I was a child.

I felt a moment of sadness that day, but I quickly suppressed it. I had too many important things to handle. I treated that little bit of discomfort in my heart like a passing breeze—once it blew over, it was gone. But I did not expect that this breeze would soon turn into a disaster.

When I was thirty, my body began to show strange symptoms. First, I couldn't sleep. I kept dreaming of people drowning in water—men, women, the old, and the young. They would look at me, not crying out in pain, not blaming me, just sinking deeper and deeper into the water. When I woke up, I would be drenched in cold sweat, my heart palpitating with terror."

The Lake of Delusion

"Then, I developed an inexplicable repulsion to water. Drinking water made me nauseous, bathing made me dizzy, and even walking near a river made my heart race. The most bizarre thing was that I began to see a face in the mirror that wasn't my own—it was the face of a fish, bloated, rotting, with empty, hollow eyes, as if it were looking at me from beneath the water. I thought I was possessed. I hired Taoist priests, doctors, and shamans, but they all said I was perfectly healthy. Yet, I knew something was terribly wrong.

One night, I stood by the well in my backyard, staring at the water, and for some reason, I took a step forward... and fell in. I thought I had died. But when I woke up, I was not in the human world, nor was I in the underworld. I was in a place of boundless darkness, damp and foul-smelling. I was floating in water, surrounded by the stench of decay. Before me drifted one soul after another—some looked like humans, some like beasts. They had lost their voices and their language, but their eyes remained. I recognised those eyes—they were the people I had deceived and manipulated.

I looked down and saw that I was no longer human either; I was a fish. I had no scales, my body was rotting, and my wounds were oozing pus, yet I could not die. I could only drift in this filthy pool. This was the 'Lake of Delusion'—a place manifested by karma. It was the sea I had built through my deceptions, and now it had become a chasm from which I could never escape."

A Ray of Light in the Darkness

"Over and over, I saw my past words replayed before me: 'Just one dose will prolong your life.' 'Trust me, you won't go wrong.' 'This medicine is a secret family recipe.' These words cut through me like blades. Every time one appeared, the pain intensified. I could not argue, because I knew it was all true—I had said those things myself. I don't know how many years passed; perhaps a hundred, perhaps it was just a dream.

Then, one day, I heard a sound: 'Namo Amituofo.' That sound was like a thin thread lowered from the heavens, piercing the water and reaching into the depths of my heart. I don't know why, but I followed it and chanted, 'Na... mo... A... mi... tuo... fo...' The water remained black, and my body still ached, but for the first time, there was a flicker of light in my heart.

I kept chanting—for a day, a month, I don't know how long. Sometimes the sound would break, and I would start again. I had no other thoughts; I just wanted to escape this place, to atone for my past sins, to apologise to those I had harmed. One day, I dreamt of an old monk standing on the shore who said to me, 'Even a fish can chant the Buddha’s name. If you chant long enough, the Buddha will come to take you away.' I knelt in the water and wept like a child who had finally been heard."

Repentance and Service

"Later, I was reborn. In this lifetime, I was born into a poor farming family. We had nothing, but my parents were compassionate and treated me like a treasure. From a young age, I feared water, I dared not lie, and I disliked competing with others. I would always quietly listen to people talk about the Dharma, and my favourite phrase was 'Namo Amituofo.' I knew that was not the first time I had heard that holy name.

I no longer cared about success. I only wanted to live a stable life and be an honest, good person. Throughout my life, I tried my best to do my duty and learn how to help others. I know I may not have done enough, but I used my whole life to try my best to accomplish everything I could. I hope that after you read my story, you will remember this: 'Chanting the Buddha’s name is not superstition. It is a path of light for beings burdened with heavy sins to start over.'

After my life ended, my soul arrived at the Hall of the King of Hell. The King of Hell told me of many judgements, but in the end, out of compassion, he gave me a chance to change my ways, allowing me to stay in the underworld to serve other beings. I am so grateful for the King of Hell’s compassionate arrangement, and I vowed to work hard. Later, I had the opportunity to hear Practitioner Su give a Dharma talk here. I was suddenly enlightened, and I wept uncontrollably. I felt such deep regret for the mistakes I had made—how could I have created such immeasurable and boundless sins for the sake of this false body in the world? I truly repented, and I resolved to begin diligent practice.

I am grateful for the Buddha’s compassion, which does not abandon a single person, giving me the chance to learn again. I have made a vow to the Buddha that I will work hard, and in the future, I will help more sentient beings break through their delusions and attain enlightenment, finding the path to liberation. I am so thankful that today I can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. On behalf of all the jailers and all sentient beings with karmic affinity, I bow in thanks for the Buddha’s grace and the kindness of Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Chen Haiyang, with palms joined."