The Gambler's Reckoning: A Soul's Journey from Hell

This interview was recorded on September 9, 2021, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. The subject is Ye Han, the father of Lay Practitioner Ye Qianxian. Having spent his life as a notorious figure in the gambling world, Ye Han found himself trapped in the hells after his passing. Through the compassionate intervention of Practitioner Su, he was saved and brought to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, where he now reflects on his past and the profound laws of karma and cause and effect.

Ye Han speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Ye Han. It seems you have quite an interest in me, calling me down here to answer your questions. I have become accustomed to this process by now. There are so many people in the hells who have filed complaints against me, and I am frequently summoned to confront those I harmed during my life. Eventually, I learned my lesson: if I simply admit my faults, I suffer a little less. Otherwise, even if I had ten lives, I could never repay the debts I owe. Everything we do while alive, every little scheme we hatch, cannot escape the eyes of King Yama. We are all spirits now; I no longer have a physical body, and I am powerless to do anything. Whatever I think in my mind, they see clearly. I cannot hide anything, nor can I deceive them. Therefore, I have to be smarter. I cannot act tough with them; I must be soft, because this is not my domain anymore. The dead are truly worthless, and we must pay the price for what we did while we were in the world of the living.

The Harsh Reality of the Underworld

In truth, I suffered a great deal in my youth. I had to endure the cold glares of powerful men and work as a lowly errand boy. It was only through my own wits, my own hands, and my own two legs that I gradually carved out a name for myself. Hong Kong is a place where dragons and snakes mingle; it is not an easy task to make a name for yourself there. If you do not have a few tricks up your sleeve, you would not even know how you died. If you do not make people respect you, even if you possess talents others lack, you will be spat upon or beaten half to death—that was a daily occurrence, something you could see at any moment. People like that, after being 'disciplined' a few times, would either learn to behave or, if they were useless, be kicked out. A kind-hearted boss might give them a few silver coins to get by, but those with bad tempers? They would kick you out before you could even blink, let alone care if you had money or not.

My life... sigh! Forget it! Thinking about it only brings more sorrow. I am a person of flesh and blood, too, but when you are caught up in the world of the underworld, you are not the master of your own fate. That is why I committed so many acts for which people now come to settle accounts with me! This is the laws of karma and cause and effect. It is not that I did not understand it; I just did not want to understand it. I was truly deceiving myself. The laws of karma and cause and effect do not have eyes, and they do not show favouritism. Once you are dead, you have no choice but to accept your fate.

From Human to Serpent

I only realise now that when you are alive, you feel you must show some personality and temper, otherwise, how would anyone submit to you? You have to be fierce. Sometimes, even if you have the boldness to act, you cannot be too fierce; you have to handle things according to the situation. When I was fifty-one, my soul was seized and forced to become a snake—a large, venomous snake. Even though I was poisonous, I was eventually beaten to death by someone. When the snake body died and my soul emerged, it was truly miserable!

After I died, I descended into the hells. There were several of them; I do not even know what they were called. One after another, it was so painful—truly, it was excruciatingly painful. Fortunately, I have now left the hells. It was Practitioner Su who saved me. I am a soul filled with sin, and to be saved now, I am truly grateful!

The True Cost of Gambling

If my attitude toward Practitioner Su was ever poor, I ask for her forgiveness. That 'boss-like' personality of mine nearly killed me, and the fact that it still lingers now is truly unacceptable! I must change! Change! Change! That is what gamblers say most often, but how many can actually change? If a person is truly possessed by a gambling ghost, or even a gambling demon—or to put it more politely, a 'God of Gambling'—it is truly disrespectful to the deities. Only those who teach people to be good and do good deeds deserve to be called gods! Anything that has to do with gambling is never a good thing! I have seen too many people who, once they touched gambling, lost their reputations, ruined their lives, and exhausted their family fortunes! All of that is connected to me, so I have nothing to say about ending up in hell. I was the villain in the hearts of countless families, husbands, wives, and children. I was a person of extreme evil. Ending up in hell after death is what I deserved. Even if I were sliced into a thousand pieces, it would not cleanse my sins. Even when I was older, enjoying wealth and fame, I felt a sense of repentance in my heart and felt I should do something for society to ease my conscience. So, although I donated money to build schools and washed my hands of gambling, how could the stench of gambling, the gambling aura, and the gambling nature be wiped away so easily?

I have no complaints about the retribution I had to endure. That I could have this day is something I never could have imagined.

A Message to My Daughter

Qianxian, my daughter, your father is very grateful that you still remember me and that you would help me with Chao Du. And to do it here, with Practitioner Su—you did the right thing! This is the first time in my life that I have truly and sincerely said 'thank you' to someone! Keep chanting Namo Amituofo! This is the only advice I am qualified to give now. Here, I have also been chanting the Buddha's name a little bit. I truly never expected that I would have a day like this!"