The Fire That Burned Away My Life

This is a record of an interview with Hu O-xing, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. She now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon her tragic passing in an industrial explosion at Fu O Machinery Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa-jing, on November 1, 2024.

Hu O-xing speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Hu O-xing, and I have finally arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

It was so painful, so incredibly painful! I wept until I could no longer speak, kneeling before Namo Amituofo and bowing my head repeatedly. I am filled with gratitude for the great compassion of Namo Amituofo, who allowed us to return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and I am deeply thankful to Practitioner Su for her mercy in bringing all of us, who were suffering so profoundly, to this place. Even now, it feels as though I am still dreaming; I can hardly believe that I have truly left suffering behind. But it is real—it is truly real. We no longer have to reincarnate, we are no longer subject to the injuries of the past, and we can spend eternity in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, chanting Buddha's name. We have truly found liberation.

The Weight of the Past

Namo Amituofo instructed me to come forward and share my story, and I have many deep reflections. If I had not arrived in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and felt the compassion of the Buddha, I would not have realised that I had completely severed my ties with the human world. Had it not been for this, I know I would still be unable to let go of that past.

This event had a monumental impact on me. Even now, I cannot recall the specific details of how the explosion occurred—that was something my physical body experienced. But what about my spirit? The pain and the resentment I endured were etched into my soul, and they lingered, refusing to fade. It was only after I was saved, with the help of the Buddha's power, that I was able to slowly let go and find peace. Otherwise, I would have held onto that bitterness with a clenched fist, never letting it go.

The Darkness of Human Hearts

The terror of the human world lies in the 'human heart.' I believe that everyone who worked in that company could deeply feel how frightening human hearts can be. Why must being a person be so painful? Everyone acts for their own benefit, causing others to suffer. Why must it be this way? Why can we not make things easier for one another? I truly do not understand, and I carried so much resentment buried deep within my heart. It was not just me; I could see that the entire factory was permeated with this heavy, suffocating energy. There was so much of it—so much that people were forced to suppress, creating an atmosphere that was never calm. The explosion was not merely an accident; it was the inevitable result of that energy.

The Moment of Destruction

In the instant of the explosion, there was a force of immense magnitude. It was not an ordinary power; it was the collective energy of many, many spirits gathered together, mixed with our own karma. In that single moment, everything was destroyed. My physical body was obliterated, and my life was shattered—everything was gone. My spirit, this 'one spirit' within my body, emerged in agony because the vessel was destroyed and could no longer draw breath. I left my body quickly, and I could never return. In that moment, I was frantic and terrified. I kept trying to rush back into my body, but it was truly destroyed. I did not know which piece of flesh still belonged to me.

Looking at my broken body, I knew I was dead—truly dead—and there was no going back. The physical pain lasted only for a fleeting moment, but after the breath left me, the pain of the spirit was profound and deep. It was a suffering so intense that I could not find a way out. I will be honest: my suffering was intertwined with a very intense sense of resentment. If I had not been saved today, I would never have been able to let the boss know just how much my spirit was suffering.

A Space of Fire and Fear

I never imagined I would leave the human world so soon. It was entirely an accident, so I was not prepared for anything, yet my life was suddenly ended in such a miserable way. I existed in a space filled with complaints, injustice, dissatisfaction, pain, resentment, fear, and terror. The entire space was a sea of black and red fire, which was on the verge of completely incinerating my soul. I was screaming and roaring inside, yet there was no power that could help me.

Can you imagine how much I suffered in such a space, and how much I wanted revenge? There are too many things that people in the world will never know. No matter how capable my boss was, he could never overcome the power of the spiritual realms; that is a world he will never understand. Today, I speak of these dark things not to deliberately speak ill of anyone, but to give voice to the many spirits who are suffering. In truth, I am also helping the company, which is my way of expressing gratitude.

The Cycle of Suffering

I believe those reading this may not yet understand what I am saying. That is normal, because only after we die do we truly see how terrifying this situation is. It turns out there were so many forces within our factory that we could not see, yet they always existed, growing stronger and stronger. Many things do not happen just once; the root cause remains, and if it is not resolved, there will naturally be a second or third time. Each time the situation may be different, but the misery is the same. Human hearts cannot find peace; it is too painful and exhausting, and one cannot catch their breath. Even within the mechanical space, there were so many spirits trapped in the sea of fire, all wailing in extreme agony.

Beyond that, a massive, invisible force was always present. That force was incredibly dark—so dark it would make anyone afraid—and it was constantly suppressing everyone, making hearts even more restless and life even less calm. There are too many secrets hidden within that could form a very negative and powerful destructive force.

The Hope of Deliverance

Not long after the incident, I felt that the company had a slight desire to do something for us, but no matter what they did, we remained trapped in that space, suffering, and they were never able to save us from the sea of fire. However, reality is always cruel, and soon this incident became just something that had happened in the past. If we had not had the opportunity to be remembered and to receive Chao Du today, we would have long been a group of forgotten people.

My pain never diminished; instead, it kept increasing, as is the case for every spirit currently suffering. It was not just us; there were many other spirits in other parts of the factory who were all in the same state. We knew very well that the factory had to continue operating—that was inevitable—but what about us? Who ever thought of us? The heart filled with both resentment and pain continued to torture our souls over and over again.

Choosing the Path of Light

In the darkness, a force seemed to appear—a force that arose with our mental notes, giving us the choice to seek revenge. I never thought I would reach such a point, but I could not control the anger and intense resentment in my heart; my spirit felt as if it were rushing forward. I had vaguely sensed that we could all rush into a space of extreme vengeance, but we had not yet entered. Once we entered, we would have become spirits filled with resentment, entering the very blood of the boss.

Having said all this, I have no evil intent. I cannot go back to speak of the past; for me, that is already a very distant thing. However, I chose to speak today because I want to tell the boss and the company that we have finally been saved. In that sea of fire, which was so painful, we were destined to suffer forever. But at that moment, a warm light shone into the space where we were, and our names were called out one by one. We knew that we finally had a chance to be saved.

We were quickly brought out of that space. In that instant, the contrast between the sea of fire and the sudden return to peace made our spirits feel so deeply that the tears could not help but flow. Why was it so painful? If we had not been saved, we would truly have continued to suffer so much.

We were saved by Practitioner Su and brought to the Western Land of Dharma Nature—a place we had never known. We had not studied the Dharma, nor had we chanted Buddha's name, so it should have been unfamiliar to us. But strangely, my spirit did not feel like a stranger to the Buddha at all. On the Western Land of Dharma Nature, we listen to the sutras, chant Buddha's name, and often see Namo Amituofo. The Buddha compassionately gave us warmth, allowing our spirits to be purified and to return to our original state of peace. This feeling did not make us uncomfortable at all; we only felt the Buddha's infinite tolerance for us.

A Final Plea

We are ashamed—ashamed of the resentment we once harboured because of this event. We were truly resentful and bitter because it was so painful; the pain was so great that we could not help but resent the boss who caused us to suffer. I will be honest: the resentment was truly that strong. Under the compassionate purification of the Buddha, we chose to let go of that resentment, because resentment has no meaning. More importantly, we must find liberation and not reincarnate again.

Here at Practitioner Su's, because we have known such suffering, we understand even better the need to chant Buddha's name, so we quickly wanted to follow the Buddha to the Western Land. We were terrified—truly terrified—and did not want to be reborn again, nor did we want to become any other being, and we certainly did not want to fall into the hells. We wanted to find liberation quickly, so we all knelt and begged the Buddha to take us to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Today, we have truly arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I speak these words on behalf of everyone, and I am so grateful to Practitioner Su, grateful to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and even more grateful to the Greatly Compassionate Namo Amituofo. We kneel and bow continuously, and we are also grateful that the company was willing to save us; this is our greatest comfort. But I also hope the company will put in more effort to save the many spirits and beings still in the company and factory spaces. There are too many, and they are all still suffering. I can only use these words to help them, hoping they too will have the opportunity to be saved. Finally, I thank everyone who helped us once again. Thank you, and thank you again.

Hu O-xing bows in reverence.

Namo Amituofo."