The Guardian of the Lantern

Kun Chongjia, a dedicated public servant from the Ming Dynasty, shares his journey from a life of service in a local county office to his long tenure as a prison guard in the hell realms, and his eventual deliverance to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This interview was recorded on April 10, 2026.

Kun Chongjia speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am filled with gratitude to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. At this very moment, I, Kun Chongjia, have arrived in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Along with sixty other prison guards, I am here in this serene and radiant world, bowing my head to the Buddha, prostrating before Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and offering my most sincere thanks. We children have wandered in the human world for a very long time, and later, we entered the hells to serve as prison guards. That, too, was a period of time filled with profound experiences. I never imagined that when that chapter finally came to an end, I would actually be able to come to the Western Pure Land. This is something we never dared to dream of while we were serving as guards in the hells.

The Suffering of the Hells

Although we had begun to yearn for the Buddha’s teachings in our hearts, and we had heard the holy name of Namo Amituofo and the lectures of Practitioner Su while in the hells, the ability of the beings there to absorb the Dharma was incredibly weak. This is because life in the hells is truly, unimaginably bitter. We witnessed so many beings suffering with our own eyes. No matter how we tried to counsel them—urging them to chant the Buddha’s name, to listen to the sutras, and to understand that only by chanting Namo Amituofo could they attain liberation—it was never an easy task for them to take those words to heart. Only on the rare occasions when the Buddha came to perform Chao Du did the beings have a better chance to truly awaken a heart of repentance, to chant 'Namo Amituofo,' and to follow the Buddha. These moments did happen from time to time.

I, Kun Chongjia, served as a prison guard in the hells for what felt like an incredibly long time; I cannot even count how many years passed. Yet, I always performed my duties with the utmost diligence. Rather than calling it service, it was more like a role of guidance, leading them toward the execution grounds. The various indirect tasks involved were actually quite complex, but I never complained in my heart because I knew this was a sacred responsibility. Watching them suffer in such an environment, I had to remain strong, refusing to be swayed by the surroundings, and firmly leading them with the hope that one day I could guide them out of the darkness.

A Life of Service in the Ming Dynasty

That was how I thought while serving as a guard, and in truth, I was also a person who loved to help others during my time in the human world. I was born into a small family in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. I was the eldest son, and my parents had three sons and several daughters in total. Our family’s economic situation was quite good; my father was a merchant in the town, often travelling to conduct business with merchants from other regions. We were very filial to our mother, taking turns caring for her and keeping her company at home.

Throughout my life, I had originally aspired to pass the imperial examinations, to serve my country and the imperial court, and to provide a bright future for my family. This was the expectation I held as an older brother. However, fate is not always in one's own hands. I was not particularly gifted, and my memory was not very good. Despite my efforts to compensate through hard work, I was still unable to secure an official position.

Consequently, I went to the county office to assist the local registrar with some minor tasks. As I gradually earned the trust of everyone, I officially obtained a small position and settled down there. This job only required reading basic official documents and did not demand overly complex knowledge; I was responsible for writing and delivering documents. I knew that the county magistrate at the time was a very compassionate and helpful man, so I was very happy to work under him. I often followed in his footsteps, helping many people in need. Sometimes he would even listen to my suggestions, and whenever the civilians were in need, I would join him in extending a helping hand.

Traditions of Kindness

The place where we lived was quite remote, far from the capital, so many matters did not go through layers of reporting to reach the Emperor’s ears. Instead, we handled things locally, doing what we could for the people. Therefore, whether it was natural disasters or plagues, before the relief grain and supplies from the imperial court could reach our small county, we had already organized a large group of volunteers to assist with coordination. Often, we would coordinate with officials from surrounding towns, helping each other when needed. If other villages or towns suffered from similar disasters or plagues, we would quickly extend our help, gathering the men of the town to assist. This was the tradition of mutual aid in our simple, honest life at that time; this tradition continued for a long time, even until the day I died.

The simplicity of this place and the kindness in the hearts of the people are things I can never forget in my life. Although this service was not high-ranking and the salary was not generous, I had enough to eat and wear, and my heart felt very grounded and satisfied. I never married in my life because I was too devoted to my work at the county office; I didn't even have a moment to think about myself, let alone talk about marriage. My parents were very open-minded and knew that my emotional entanglements had been this way since childhood, so they did not force me. I served here for my entire life, maintaining excellent relationships with the officials and civilians of several towns.

The Final Journey

Once, a great flood occurred in the neighbouring village. That year, I had already been serving in the county office for nearly twenty years, and I was a middle-aged man of nearly forty. I heard that this flood was caused by the overflowing of a nearby large river, which led to a significant flooding event in the neighbouring village and town. We quickly gathered the men of our town, and everyone prepared adequate supplies and tools, wanting to rebuild homes for the people of the neighbouring town.

At that time, I knew that although I was not old, I had actually suffered from asthma since birth, a condition that had accompanied me my whole life. My asthma flared up again then, but I didn't take it to heart, knowing that this was a very meaningful act of helping others, and the neighbouring town was indeed in urgent need of everyone's help. So, I gathered many men overnight. Before dawn, we gathered in front of the county office, waiting for the county magistrate to say a few words to everyone, blessing and reminding us of this long journey.

Not long after we set off, I began to realize the problem with my body; my asthma flared up again. I braced myself, following the large group with strength until we reached the neighbouring town.

This journey was very long and difficult for me. Every step was taken with almost all the strength I had in my lungs just to survive. But I still did not give up. I was already without attachments at the time; if I really died on the road or in the middle of the journey, I would have had no regrets. My parents had both already passed away, and my siblings all had their own families. Being alone, I could say I had no worries. So, I summoned my final courage and strength to walk with the group to the neighbouring town. This journey took about two days to complete. This was not only because of the long distance but also because this flood had changed the terrain and landscape of many surrounding areas. Although the flood had receded, the disaster scene left behind was arduous at every step.

A Spirit's Vigil

Unfortunately, not long after I arrived on the other side, I collapsed while breathing and never woke up again. Before I died, I seemed to hear people rushing toward my body, seemingly trying to call me back. At that moment, my consciousness was no longer clear, and I felt my spirit leaving my body. Although it was not very painful, I was in a state of confusion. After a short while, my spirit floated directly into the air, and I could see my body lying on the ground. At that moment, I was certain that I had left the human world.

I wandered in space, watching everyone working hard to help the disaster victims. Although I could not participate, I felt a little regret in my heart, but I still cheered for everyone from the space above. This land was once the land I loved dearly; I had dedicated my life to it, and I had no regrets. However, I did still have that attachment in my heart; I could not bear to leave, nor could I bear to go elsewhere, wanting to continue guarding this land.

So, after the rescue operation ended, my spirit followed the group back to the county office, where I stayed. There was a large lantern in the county office, and I stayed inside it, following the lantern, thinking that it could light the way for everyone, which was something I had always wanted to do. So, I stayed in the lantern at the county office.

From the Lantern to the Hells

I am not sure how long I stayed there; it seemed to be until the time of the dynastic change. At that time, the Qing soldiers entered the pass, and even in our remote little place, we knew that the Qing soldiers had arrived and that the Great Ming Dynasty was about to become history. We knew what this dynastic change meant. Fortunately, the Qing soldiers did not cause any destruction or slaughter in our small town; they simply and peacefully took over the county office, and the Qing officials and the Manchus came to serve everyone.

I felt the weight of the dynastic change. Generations of people passed before my eyes, and it felt as if I had truly completed my task. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, I suddenly heard someone calling my name, 'Kun Chongjia. Your task has been successfully completed, and your life in the county office has ended. Why not come with us and continue your service?' I thought about it; I didn't know where these two officials came from, but they told me there was a place that needed my help, so I decided to follow them without hesitation or further thought.

It turned out that King Yama saw that my service in the human world had been very complete and devoted, and that I had performed my duties with integrity, so he gave me a position as a prison guard in the hells. I served in this position for two or three hundred years. It could be said that this was something I had originally wanted to do, only I never knew there was such a place where I could serve the beings of the hells. I served very diligently, and later, after learning about the Buddha’s teachings, I felt even more joyful in my heart. I often lectured on the sutras for them, telling them about the existence of Namo Amituofo and the Western Pure Land.

However, most of the hell-dwellers really could not listen; their lives were truly too bitter. Every second and every minute they were suffering immeasurable and boundless pain, and they could not even raise a single Buddha-name; this is a very natural phenomenon. But I did not give up; I chanted the Buddha’s name loudly to them, because I had learned in the lectures that 'once it enters the ear-root, it becomes a seed for the Way forever.' Although they could not chant the Buddha’s name at that time, the sound of the Buddha’s name had already been planted in their hearts. I truly believe this, and I was very happy to do it.

Deliverance to the Western Pure Land

Until this time, my name was included in the list of prison guards to be led by Practitioner Su to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. My heart was filled with joy, thinking that this day had finally arrived, and that it was finally my turn to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. This was truly a very complete and happy thing.

Haha, at this moment, Kun Chongjia has already arrived in the Western Pure Land, and my heart is very calm and peaceful. We already knew that Namo Amituofo was here, saving immeasurable and boundless beings, but now we can see Practitioner Su performing Chao Du in the human world, which has truly astonished us. We had listened to Practitioner Su’s lectures for quite a while, but we did not deeply understand how the Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su for everyone was conducted. This time, seeing with my own eyes that Practitioner Su has performed Chao Du for the whole world, especially for the beings in mainland China, many of whom have been liberated from spaces spanning thousands of years and have entered the Western Land of Dharma Nature—when this news arrived, we all clapped and cheered, feeling very happy. There are people in the human world who can realise their true nature and attain Buddhahood, saving immeasurable and boundless suffering beings. I did not understand this when I was in the human world; if I had known there was such a path, I would certainly have followed the Buddha.

But it is not too late now. Being able to come to the Western Pure Land is already very satisfying. My heart is full of gratitude, and we all bow and prostrate before Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, expressing our gratitude.

Namo Amituofo.

Kun Chongjia"