The Healer's Legacy: A Lifetime of Compassion

Kuang Shi-kai was a prison guard in the hell realms who, through the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su, attained liberation and was reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This interview, recorded on September 10, 2022, recounts his past life as a dedicated herbalist who learned the profound connection between a selfless heart and the healing of all beings.

Kuang Shi-kai speaks:

"With hearts full of anticipation and joy, we sixty prison guards were guided by Practitioner Su to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss today. Every one of us could not stop smiling; we were so incredibly happy. After wandering in the cycle of rebirth for so long, we have finally returned to the West.

A Silent Bond of Understanding

From the time I was a young child, my grandfather and I lived together. Wherever he went, I followed. We had a house, but we did not stay there very often, so the villagers were not familiar with us. They never really knew what we were busy doing every single day.

From the moment I was born, I never once heard my grandfather speak a word. Our life together did not require speech. From childhood to adulthood, it seemed that we could understand each other’s intentions just by looking into each other's eyes. My grandfather understood me, and I understood him. This was the unspoken bond between us; through our eyes, everything became clear.

However, there was one thing I could never quite grasp: why did my grandfather insist on constantly travelling everywhere to collect various medicinal herbs, only to bring them home and stack them up in our house? I looked into my grandfather’s eyes many times, but he never told me the purpose of these herbs. Every time I asked him with my eyes, he would simply close them in front of me, which meant he was not going to answer my question.

The Secret of the Deep Forest

After asking a few times with the same result, I stopped asking. Instead, I just followed him every day to collect these herbs. He taught me which ones he needed and asked me to help him search for them. During our search, many things happened. For instance, once, deep in the mountains, we encountered a massive bear. Most people would be terrified upon seeing such a creature, fearing for their lives, but my grandfather showed no fear at all. He kept walking steadily toward the beast.

I did not know what he was planning. I watched as his heart remained perfectly still, holding a handful of herbs as he moved forward. The bear seemed to know what my grandfather was doing. It watched him approach, and the moment he got close, it immediately lay down on the ground. Only then did I see that the bear was injured; it had been struck by three arrows in its back, and it was bleeding profusely.

My grandfather carefully pulled the arrows out and quickly applied the herbs he had prepared. We stayed with the bear for three days. During those three days, he continuously changed the dressings. Very quickly, the wound healed—the speed was truly astonishing. The herbs my grandfather used were special, unknown to ordinary people, and possessed incredible healing properties.

Healing the Wounds of Nature

Once the bear recovered, it stood before my grandfather as if it were speaking to him. My grandfather waved his hand, and the bear turned and walked back into the deep mountains. We did not just encounter the bear; we met many animals that had been wounded by humans. They had endured their injuries and fled quickly to avoid being captured, but they were severely hurt. Whenever they had the chance to meet my grandfather, he was always able to heal their wounds.

These animals had long sensed that my grandfather was a kind being who could help them, which is why they were never afraid of him. Some of the more sensitive animals would even hide in the dark, waiting for him to arrive, and then come out voluntarily to seek help. When we walked along the mountain paths, I always followed behind him. Sometimes, he would suddenly turn around and point to the ground, signaling me to be careful. I would look down and see small ants or other insects crawling there. He was reminding me to watch my step and not to tread on them, for they, too, possessed life.

My grandfather treated these small insects and animals with such kindness. Even when the great trees in the forest were sick, he had ways to save them. He was completely at one with nature. Perhaps this is why he was so fast at finding herbs; it was as if the herbs themselves would reach out to be seen by him.

The Essence of the Healing Art

I followed my grandfather, silently learning from him. He would also use his eyes to teach me, so I slowly began to understand how to use these herbs. The most important secret was this: a selfless heart of Goodness. This heart of Goodness came from the very depths of one's being, wanting to help others, not for one's own sake. When one possesses such a heart, the herbs seem to have special healing power, and the effect is doubled. My grandfather used this heart to heal those animals and plants.

I also learned this heart of Goodness from him, so he allowed me to try healing the animals myself. Whether it was an external wound or an internal injury, he let me try. My performance satisfied him greatly because I truly relied on my own skills, using the herbs and the pure heart of Goodness within me to heal the injured animals before me.

My grandfather and I spent most of our time in the mountains, rarely coming into contact with people. The further we stayed from the crowd, the more pure our hearts remained, and many things became clear. Sometimes, we would encounter people entering the mountains. As we passed them, in that brief moment, I could immediately know their mental state. It was a kind of sensing, very clear. Although I knew, I would not react, because that was their own heart, and it had nothing to do with us. We did not need to pay attention, so as not to disturb our own purity.

The Great Epidemic

We visited many different mountains, all to collect herbs and save the animals and plants. For seventeen years, our life remained unchanged. We collected a vast amount of herbs, organized them clearly, and stacked them all in our home. In the summer of my eighteenth year, for three whole weeks, my grandfather did not go out. It was the longest time we had stayed at home. I was puzzled, wondering why he hadn't gone to the mountains. I did not ask, because I could see from his eyes that he was waiting for something, so I waited quietly with him.

Soon, in the fourth week, a disaster struck our village. Someone had brought an infectious disease into the area. It spread so quickly that almost every household had someone infected. Once infected, the skin would rapidly fester, causing immense pain, yet there was no medicine to cure it. The villagers were kind and simple, with very little money. No one could afford to go to the city to find a great physician, so they could only wait for the disease to take their lives.

At this moment, my grandfather gave me a look. I finally understood: all the herbs we had prepared over these seventeen years were meant for this very moment. My grandfather began to lead me through the village, using the herbs to treat the villagers. Under his care, everyone’s skin conditions healed rapidly. Many people were so moved that they knelt on the ground to kowtow in gratitude. My grandfather immediately used his eyes to signal me to help them up, letting them know that this was what we ought to do and that no thanks were necessary.

A Life Fulfilled

My grandfather did not just treat our village; villagers from other places were also infected one after another. The spread was so fast that he needed to prepare so many herbs to supply the many patients. During that time, we were busy every day because there were so many infected people—adults, children, men, and women—none could escape this calamity. Fortunately, with my grandfather’s help, everyone was spared from suffering too much and recovered quickly.

After this event, the people in the village finally truly understood who we were and what we were busy with every day. In the days that followed, we still frequently went into the mountains to collect herbs. After that epidemic, my grandfather prepared many empty buckets at home, each designated for a specific type of herb. The number of empty buckets represented the number of herbs we had to collect, and we slowly filled them up.

It took us several more years to fill them, until only one bucket remained. After that last bucket was filled, that night, I looked at my grandfather’s eyes, and they were different from before. It was a look I had never seen. A thought arose in my heart, and I walked over to hold his hand. He knew that I understood what was about to happen. That night, I lay on his bed and slept beside him, but I could not bear to close my eyes; I kept watching him. At the third watch of the night, my grandfather passed away peacefully before me.

From Hell to the Western Pure Land

Looking at the buckets of herbs piled up in the house, I knew they were all left for me. I understood clearly that he had prepared them for me. He had spent his whole life collecting these herbs, not for himself, but entirely to heal others. Having followed him for so many years, I had learned much knowledge, so after he left, I knew how to use these herbs to treat people. Most importantly, I kept that heart of Goodness—the selfless heart.

I did not fail his expectations. I used up all those herbs and healed many people. It is only a pity that no descendants wanted to learn, so this medical art was lost with me. At sixty-seven, I left the human world, and the villagers buried me. After my spirit left my body, I served as a prison guard in the hells. When I saw that everyone had so many indictments in hell, each one filled with the sins committed over many lifetimes, listed clearly one by one, I finally understood why people get sick. It is all karma; one cannot escape the laws of karma and cause and effect.

In hell, I was fortunate to hear Practitioner Su give Dharma talks. I came to understand more and more about karmic retribution and the suffering of the cycle of rebirth. Every day, I listened to the Dharma with great joy, hoping for the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I vowed that if I had the chance in the future, I would return to the human world to save beings. When I was placed on the list to be guided to the West by Practitioner Su, I was overjoyed. Every day since, I have not been waiting idly in hell, but actively sharing the Dharma I heard with the prisoners there. No matter how much they can take in, I share it, because I hope they can soon find liberation and leave suffering behind.

Namo Amituofo.

Kuang Shi-kai"