The Hidden Virtue of a Quiet Life

This is a record of an interview with He Cunmin, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as a farmer and his subsequent service as a jailer in the volcanic hell. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on June 7, 2024.

He Cunmin speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I offer my most sincere gratitude to Practitioner Su and to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre for granting me the Causal Conditions to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. It was only after listening to the Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su during this time that I truly realised that the most painful thing in human existence is the cycle of reincarnation. When I think of the immeasurable and boundless sentient beings suffering in the hells, and the many wandering spirits who have no one to rely on, I finally realise how vital it is to escape this cycle.

In the past, I held onto my own stubborn convictions. But now, I understand that many of those concepts and ideas were only useful for life in the world. Once you transcend this world, you have absolutely no need for them at all.

A View from the Golden Lotus

I am deeply grateful for the realisations I have gained during this time. Right now, I am standing on a golden lotus, gazing out at the boundless Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Everywhere I look, there is magnificent beauty, and my heart is incredibly peaceful. I truly hope that more people who have a karmic affinity with the Buddha can let go of their inner attachments and seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I am He Cunmin. First, I kneel and bow to the Buddha, and I kneel and bow to Practitioner Su, for helping me and allowing me to be reborn.

The Simple Life of a Farmer

My life was actually not complicated at all; one could say it was quite simple and pure. Looking back now, it seems that it was my own attachments that clouded me, which eventually caused my physical body to become deformed. When I was a human, I spent my days working with an ox-cart. When the cart was in use, I felt as though I had merged into one with the ox. I could sense the ox's moods. Sometimes, the ox would complain that it was truly exhausted, or that the load on its back was too heavy and it could barely endure it. I would empathise with the ox's feelings and comfort it, imagining myself stroking the ox and patting its back. Beyond that, I could also sense the feelings of the humans around me, who always wanted to harvest just a little bit more.

Every day, the work my ox-cart did in the fields was very strenuous. Sometimes, we carried so much that the load seemed incredibly heavy, and I would feel so tired by the end of the day. But I was tired, and the ox was even more tired than I was, so I never dared to complain. Sometimes, my ox-cart would get covered in filth and mud, and when my master washed me down, I felt so comfortable all over.

While I had these sensations, I actually had no idea that I had already become an ox-cart.

A Bond with the Oxen

When I was a human, I cherished the oxen we raised. My father used to say that the oxen were our good partners in work, so we should cherish them well. I saw how my father treated the oxen with great respect and care. Our family ate meat, but we never ate beef. Because the oxen helped our family survive and allowed us to have food on the table, we felt we should never harm them.

Our family's fields were very large, and whether we were ploughing or harvesting, we needed the oxen to help us. The happiest times for our whole family were during the harvest. Everyone, young and old, would head out. Some would pull the corn, others would carry it, and the ox, harnessed to the cart, would be responsible for transporting the harvest. Our family was so happy and harmonious together.

From the time I was a child until I grew up, our family went through three oxen. Each one, after it retired, would be kept in the barn to live out its final years. These oxen could be said to have watched us siblings grow up together.

A Solitary Path

As we grew up, everyone had ambitions to develop their own careers, but I was the only one who wanted to stay at home. I had absolutely no interest in the outside world. I never found a partner to marry; I just stayed with the oxen and the fields, living my life that way. I did not have much contact with people. As I grew older, my temperament became increasingly reclusive, and no one wanted to get close to me. When someone spoke to me, I was often expressionless, appearing quite cold and indifferent. Sometimes, it would take ten sentences from them before I would answer with just one. So, gradually, everyone felt that I must not like to talk. When they saw me, they would sometimes just nod, or sometimes they would act as if they did not see me at all.

I did not really care how others felt about me; I was just living my life steadily and securely. Aside from having a rather strange personality, I had a habit of asking the village head every month to distribute the crops I had harvested to those in need, and I would ask him not to tell anyone that it was me. The village head would nod and say gratefully that these crops could help many families. I did not express much, just offered the village head a faint smile.

Acts of Hidden Virtue

One year, there was a terrible rainstorm. Everyone's harvest was poor, and some had almost no harvest at all. Life became very difficult, and you could see worried faces everywhere. I knew that many people were struggling. Even though I did not have much of a harvest myself, I still took everything I had and gave it all away to help everyone get through the hardship. As for myself, I took some money and walked several miles to buy some dried goods.

One day, I walked from morning until noon to get back home. The moment I sat down, I suddenly thought that since I had prepared these dried goods, others might need them too. So, I got up again and started walking toward the neighbouring village, this time setting off with an even larger basket. When I returned from the neighbouring village, the entire basket was packed full and felt incredibly heavy. But I did not focus on the weight; I just hoped to bring these things back to share with everyone. When I returned to the village, I went straight to the village head's house and handed over everything I had carried back. The village head held my hand and thanked me.

By this time, it was already dark, and I only then remembered that I had not eaten lunch before I left. I did not think too much about it and started preparing dinner, feeling a sense of solid satisfaction in my heart.

The Transition to the Hell Realm

Sometimes people would say that I was truly a strange person, and when they spoke to me, they would accidentally make me angry. In truth, I was not always really angry; I just did not know how to get along with everyone. Because of this, everyone was very cautious around me. Only the village head would jump in to speak up for me, saying that I was actually a good person, but no one believed him, and I did not care.

Throughout this life, I lived in my own world. A few old oxen were my companions, and that is how I simply lived out my life. When I reached sixty-seven, my whole body ached, and my body began to deform. When I knew my body was failing, I entrusted the two oxen to the village head, hoping that he could look after them when I was gone until they passed away naturally. The village head agreed, and I was able to rest in peace.

Not long after, I passed away, and the village head handled my funeral arrangements. After my spirit left my body, I felt light and airy, and I returned to the place I was most familiar with. I drifted and drifted until I floated to the ox-cart I used most often, and my spirit entered the ox-cart. In my consciousness, I knew I had experienced a life and death. I thought I had not died and was living the same life as before. When my ox-cart was washed clean, I thought I had washed it myself.

Serving as a Jailer

As times changed, people no longer used ox-carts, so I was parked in one place, becoming an old relic. I stayed in that space for a long time, just like my temperament when I was alive—once I decided on something, I would not change. I do not know how long I stayed in that ox-cart. When the Impermanence spirits brought me to the Yama Hall, I knelt and waited for the judgment of King Yama.

King Yama said, "He Cunmin, when you had a human body, you performed good deeds silently and accumulated quite a bit of hidden virtue. However, because of your personality, your karmic creditors found you, and you suffered the retribution of your body becoming deformed. Now, the various Causal Conditions have matured. You have come before the Yama Hall to receive the position of a jailer. I hope you will use a good heart to serve the sentient beings in hell."

After hearing what King Yama said, I thanked him and began to learn. After taking office, I was responsible for administering punishment in the volcanic hell. I discovered that many people with bad tempers fall into this hell. People in the world sometimes just sulk, or get angry for a short time, or are easily provoked. No matter what kind of anger it is, they gradually create the factors that lead them to the volcanic hell.

A Final Awakening

After seeing this law of cause and effect, I felt it was terrifying, but I could not help them; I could only fulfil my duties. Many times, when I saw the beings in hell suffering, my heart would ache, and I did not know how to counsel them or help them. It was not until I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks in hell that I understood the laws of karma and cause and effect, and I finally came to know Namo Amituofo. I realised that seeking rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is the final home for the soul.

Beyond wanting to seek rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss for myself, I also hope that all spirits can awaken from this and stop being deluded. Finally, the Causal Conditions matured, and I had the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to see the Buddha. After seeing the Buddha, I knelt in gratitude. In this process, I also saw that I still owed many karmic creditors, and my heart was very sad and full of repentance. I made a vow to the Buddha that I would follow the Buddha's practice well, so that in the future, I can save the sentient beings who have a karmic affinity with me and also repay my debts to my karmic creditors.

I am grateful for the magnificent Causal Conditions of the Buddha, Practitioner Su, and the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

Namo Amituofo.

He Cunmin bows in reverence."