The Integrity of Jia Yucheng

This is a record of an interview with Jia Yucheng, 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 and his subsequent service in the underworld. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on June 13, 2021.

Jia Yucheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am deeply grateful to Practitioner Su for helping me today, along with the sixty other prison officials who are also being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I cherish this opportunity immensely, for I know that such a chance is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. I am profoundly thankful for the compassionate heart of Practitioner Su, who works tirelessly to save countless suffering beings. Seeing the manifestation of Practitioner Su, I aspire to achieve the same, learning to emulate that heart of saving beings. I am grateful for this karmic affinity that allows for our rebirth today. On behalf of the sixty prison officials, I bow in gratitude to the Buddha’s grace and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

A Humble Beginning in the Textile Trade

Today, I wish to share my own story. I never imagined I would have such an opportunity to share my life experiences with everyone; this is truly a special occasion. In my past life, I was born into a family of weavers. For generations, our family had been engaged in the textile industry. Starting with my father’s generation, he decided to expand our family business beyond our local borders. He organised merchant caravans, and every so often, he would transport our finest fabrics along these routes to neighbouring countries. This decision by my father elevated our family’s textile business by several levels. Gradually, my father exported almost all of our fabrics abroad, which brought a great deal of wealth into our home. Because of this change, our living environment improved, and our social status rose accordingly.

From a young age, I followed my father to learn the trade. My father was a very pragmatic man. He often taught me that one must be 'down-to-earth' in life and that in business, one must be honest and sincere. He insisted that there should be no greed, for only then could a business be sustainable and successful. If one only chases short-term gains with a narrow vision, the grave mistakes born of greed will eventually leave one with nothing. He taught me that in everything I do, I must not be greedy for speed or quantity. Instead, I should be clear about my own capabilities, do my best, and grow step by step to achieve breakthroughs. Only in this way can one truly succeed.

The Lessons of Integrity and Quality

My father taught me so much. From the time I was small, I watched him teach me how to weave, how to select fabrics, and how to sell them. He never took any task lightly; he worked in a steady, step-by-step manner. My father would tell me, 'Every step of the production process is essential. If you are lazy or greedy today and compromise the quality of the work, then that business is not honest, and it will not lead to success.' He taught me many details, warning me that these were crucial points that must be observed. If I were to ignore them or prioritise my own personal interests, such negligence would lead to business failure, and the final loss would far outweigh any temporary gain. One must be cautious and careful.

My father often used real-life examples to educate me. For instance, there was one month when an entire batch of fabric showed impurities. After a thorough investigation, we discovered that the raw materials for that month had changed, which led to the poor quality of the finished fabric. At that time, my father told me, 'This batch of fabric must not be sold, no matter how much money we lose. We can afford to lose money, but we cannot afford to lose our reputation. Reputation is the most important credit in business.' That month, I saw my father’s very busy figure. Because of that fabric error, we lost nearly half a year’s income from the workshop. I even saw my father compensate the customers with the high-quality fabric we had in reserve. Even so, I still saw a smile on my father’s face. Although he was busy all month, I did not see any fatigue or worry.

Turning Setbacks into Strength

I asked my father, 'Father, why are you still smiling when the workshop has lost so much money? Is there something worth being happy about?' My father smiled and replied, 'Silly child, can’t you see that our workshop is about to transform? When we discover such a major problem, I see an opportunity for change. As long as we can rectify it, the greater the loss now, the greater the achievement will be in the future. This is the power of treating setbacks as experience. The warning of failure will help us achieve a more solid foundation for the future.' My father explained to me how he found the source of the problem and how he devised ways to prevent such issues from happening again. By effectively avoiding such fatal and serious losses, the workshop could deliver fabrics more reliably in the future, and we would have the opportunity to improve the quality of our products. Just as my father taught me, these processes of setback are opportunities to temper and elevate oneself.

I was very happy to learn these things from my father. After I grew up and took over the management of the workshop, I followed my father’s example in most of my actions. The business grew larger and larger; many customers placed long-term orders, and we often had large clients from abroad contacting us. Over the years, the workshop underwent many expansions, adding more manpower and weaving tools. Even though the workshop changed repeatedly, the steps and processes of weaving remained the same, and we insisted on a certain quality of fabric. This allowed the workshop to have stable development and success.

Acts of Kindness and the Path to the Underworld

After my father handed the workshop over to me, the business continued to grow. Although I was busy with daily affairs, I never forgot the details of the work or the subtle points that required attention. I am very grateful to my father for teaching me so much, allowing me to have great breakthroughs and development in both business and my own life.

I gained a great deal of growth in the workshop. Before I achieved success, I made many efforts, including learning in a down-to-earth way, facing mistakes, and correcting them. I kept working hard, never daring to slacken, because I knew that every process was important and that I could not afford any errors. After managing the workshop for several years, I began to notice the fabrics that were discarded because they did not meet our quality standards. I felt it was a pity, so I gathered a group of workers to specifically produce clothing from these discarded fabrics. I had them made into garments of various sizes and then distributed them to poor families in need, so that these families could have warm clothes and new outfits for the holidays. I did my best to help as many people as I could. Seeing everyone put on new clothes with happy and satisfied smiles on their faces made me smile from the heart as well.

I am very grateful that I had the ability to help others. I am thankful for everything I encountered after coming into this world. I was very content and grateful, and I cherished every day, especially taking every experience seriously.

Deliverance and the Light of the Dharma

After my life ended, I initially entered a space where I was still working on weaving. Later, King Yama sent someone to bring me out of that space. King Yama said that during my years in the world, I had been a simple and honest person and had performed many meritorious deeds. Many times, I did good without seeking recognition, which had accumulated very solid 'hidden virtues.' Therefore, King Yama gave me an opportunity and assigned me to work in the underworld, managing the artefacts in the Yama Palace. I am very grateful for the opportunity King Yama gave me, and I actively completed every task he assigned.

During my hundreds of years in the Yama Palace, I learned a lot and saw a lot. I am very grateful for everything. In recent years, I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. When the sound of Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks first reached the underworld, I was very surprised. Someone beside me introduced Practitioner Su to me, and I was deeply moved. From that day on, I have been following the sutras explained by Practitioner Su, and I have always taken Practitioner Su as my role model for learning.

Having listened to Practitioner Su’s explanations for many years, I have understood much about life. I am very thankful to Practitioner Su. Today, I have obtained this opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am immensely grateful. I, Jia Yucheng, will practise diligently to repay the Buddha’s grace in the future.

I am grateful to my Buddha for his compassion, and I thank Practitioner Su. On behalf of the sixty prison officials who are being reborn today, and all beings connected by karmic affinity, I bow in gratitude to the Buddha’s grace and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

Jia Yucheng