The High Price of Fame

This is a record of an interview with the late Korean actress Jung Da-bin, 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 life and the karmic causes that led to her tragic end. Recorded by the chief writer, Lay Practitioner Li Jia-xian, with data assistance from Lay Practitioner Lai Bo-ya, on June 15, 2017.

Lay Practitioner Li Jia-xian speaks:

"I perform ten bows to the Buddha and respectfully invite the Korean actress, Miss Jung Da-bin. Through the compassion of Practitioner Su, Miss Jung Da-bin has been delivered to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Please explain the Causal Conditions that brought you to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and the process of your rebirth. Namo Amituofo."

The Illusion of Stardom

Jung Da-bin speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Jung Da-bin. During my life, I entered the television industry with a heart full of passion for acting. I was chasing the beautiful dreams that every young girl pursues. I held onto the dream of performing, hoping to stand out on screen and wishing for a smooth career path. I had such great hopes and expectations of becoming famous, of starring in many dramas. When I received the script for 'My Little Bride' and became famous, I hoped for even more scripts that would allow me to interpret different roles. Because I loved acting, I loved this work, and I hoped my career would continue to flourish.

"However, the path of show business is not as easy as one imagines. To become famous, one must pay a heavy price. The unknown struggles of the star-studded path stung my heart. In order to continue on this path, I had to sacrifice my own purity as a condition for success. If I did not compromise, my career would often be interrupted. Caught in this dilemma, wanting to be famous but unwilling to destroy myself, I was often forced into situations that were truly heart-wrenching. I regretted ever stepping onto this dark path. No one in the outside world knew the bitterness of the entertainment industry. I chose to end my short life by suicide. In that space, I was trapped, repeatedly performing that final scene over and over again.

A Light in the Darkness

"Suddenly, I heard someone calling the name 'Jung Da-bin.' I followed a ray of Buddha-light and arrived at the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land. That compassionate smile left a deep impression on me. It was only after Practitioner Su compassionately invited me to the Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Buddha-land to listen to the sutras that I realised the pursuit of fame and profit is entirely illusory. Only by letting go of the Five Desires and the Six Dusts can one attain a pure heart. I realised that everything in this world is false. My vanity and my blind pursuit of that illusory fame and profit only brought me harm and pain. Having seen through the fact that everything in the world is false, during the Dharma assembly, Practitioner Su compassionately led my spirit to rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

"In the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, everyone has a compassionate countenance. Their hearts are calm and peaceful. There is no fighting, only peace. One can do as one wishes. Coming to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss has allowed my heart to be calm and peaceful, without afflictions or worries. That is why this place is called the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am so grateful to Practitioner Su. If you had not sent me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, today, Jung Da-bin would still be at the scene of the incident, repeating that foolish act over and over again. I am infinitely grateful for your life-saving grace. I am grateful beyond words. Namo Amituofo."

The Weight of Past Karma

Lay Practitioner Li Jia-xian speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. May I ask, Miss Jung Da-bin, was the incident that occurred to you caused by the interference of karmic creditors from your past lives?"

Jung Da-bin speaks:

"In my eighth past life, I was a pirate. I committed killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying. In order to forcibly seize wealth, I would sometimes stop at nothing. If others knelt and begged for mercy, I would still insist on taking their money. If they refused to let go, I would kill them with a single strike. If I saw a beautiful woman, I would force myself upon her. Many women and children were raped by me; some committed suicide because they could not bear the trauma. In order to seize wealth, my companions and I would burn down villages. At that time, my methods were cruel; one could almost describe them as devoid of conscience. The number of people I robbed and killed was countless. Especially those women and children—they were even more pitiful, having been defiled by me.

"Looking back, I see that because I was so cruel and committed such acts of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct in my past lives, receiving such retribution in this lifetime was deserved. Because my mood was low and I lost my rationality, my karmic creditors found me at the same time, causing me to commit such an unwise act. It was also my karmic creditors who covered my entire head, causing my thoughts to become chaotic and leading me onto that path of no return. I am repenting and repenting again for the ignorance and the harm I caused to those karmic creditors I killed. I did not know how to make up for the negative karma created in past lives. Yet, I have received the compassion of Namo Amituofo, and Practitioner Su was able to send me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Jung Da-bin begs Practitioner Su to compassionately save those sentient beings I have harmed. I am infinitely grateful. Namo Amituofo."

Lay Practitioner Li Jia-xian speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Thank you, Miss Jung Da-bin, for accepting this interview."