The Jailer Who Chose Death Over Betrayal

This is a record of an interview with Han Richeng, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life as a child soldier during the anti-Japanese war and his subsequent service as a jailer in the Third Hall of Hell. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 10, 2020.

Han Richeng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Han Richeng, representing sixty fellow jailers in bowing to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su! We offer our deepest respects. We are filled with infinite gratitude to Practitioner Su for his great compassion in guiding us sixty jailers to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, allowing us to be forever free from the six realms of rebirth. We shed tears of gratitude and emotion, thanking Namo Amituofo of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and thanking the world for the presence of Practitioner Su. Without his benevolence and universal love, we might have struggled for a hundred or even ten thousand lifetimes, never having the karmic conditions to reach the Western Land. Once again, we bow to Practitioner Su in gratitude."

A Childhood Scarred by War

"I am Han Richeng. I was born in a backward, impoverished village in China during the twentieth century. I was an orphan from the very beginning, knowing neither father nor mother. Before I turned four, I was taken in and cared for by an elderly woman living alone. She was like a grandmother to me. However, when I was five, she passed away due to illness, leaving me entirely alone in this world. To survive, I had to beg for food everywhere, living like a common beggar. From a young age, I looked strange; there was a large, disfiguring scar on the right side of my face, as if I had been burned by fire. It looked absolutely terrifying. My grandmother used to say that this scar came into the world with me—perhaps something happened while I was still in my mother's womb. No one knew why, and I could not change it; I could only accept this ugly face of mine. Because of this appearance, every time I begged for food, I would frighten passersby. Everyone thought I looked monstrous, and often, I could not even get a scrap of food. Whenever I huddled in a street corner, feeling miserable, I would think of my grandmother. She was the only person in the world who did not think I was ugly. She accepted me and cared for me as if I were her own flesh and blood. During the days she was alive, I felt so happy and content. Even without parents, I did not feel lacking, as long as she was by my side. Who could have known that she would leave me when I was only five? Thinking of this, I would sit by the roadside and weep bitterly, my heart heavy with sorrow. Just as I was crying at the top of my lungs, someone suddenly patted me on the shoulder. I looked up and saw a soldier in uniform. His stern expression was softened by a faint, gentle smile."

The Recruitment of a Five-Year-Old

"'What is your name?' the soldier asked. I replied, 'My name is Han Richeng; my grandmother gave it to me.' He asked, 'Who was this grandmother? Why are you crying here all by yourself?' I told him, 'I am an orphan. My grandmother took me in when I was born and cared for me, but she passed away three months ago. Now I am all alone. I have nothing to eat, so I have to beg on the streets.' The soldier asked again, 'You are an orphan, how old are you this year?' I answered, 'Five.' He repeated my words, lost in thought: 'Five...' Then he asked me, 'If you didn't have to worry about your next meal, but you had to sell your body to the cause, would you be willing?' I agreed without a moment's hesitation. The thing that troubled me most was having to beg every day. I was ugly and small; I had tried to find work in many factories, but no one wanted me. If I didn't have to worry about food, I would do anything. The soldier stood up and said, 'Then come with me!'"

The Hidden Training Camp

"Along the way, the soldier told me, 'You live in this backward village and probably don't know, but wars are frequent between nations now. Our military needs to expand to have the strength to defeat other countries. Therefore, the nation is vigorously training young, promising youths for the military. The youngest are like you—five-year-old boy scouts.' I asked, 'So I am being taken to be a boy scout?' He nodded. We walked for a long time until we reached a remote area where a vehicle was parked on the grass. He said, 'The car is here, get in!' I jumped in immediately. The driver was also wearing a military uniform. Throughout the journey, there was not a sound in the car; the two soldiers did not speak to each other. The atmosphere was incredibly heavy. I felt something was strange, but I didn't know what would happen. We drove for a long time to a very secluded area where a building was constructed. Its outer walls were painted in colors that blended with nature—a deliberate camouflage to prevent discovery. The car stopped in front of this building, and the soldier said, 'We are here, get out!' I jumped out quickly and followed him inside."

A Secret Resistance

"Once inside, I saw many children my age, their faces twisted in pain, undergoing intensive training. The dozens of children nearest to me were carrying heavy stones on their backs, squatting and jumping repeatedly. They looked completely exhausted, yet they had to continue because the soldiers nearby held long whips, waiting to strike. Many of their clothes were in tatters, and their bodies were covered in scars—the marks of their beatings. Just as I was about to move forward, someone was suddenly struck on the head with a gun. It was a boy of about ten. He collapsed to the ground immediately. The soldier shouted, 'Bakayaro!' Someone splashed water on him to wake him up, dragged him from the ground, and forced him to keep jumping. They were all speaking Japanese; I could only understand their actions, not their words. The soldier who brought me here was also speaking Japanese to the others! I was shocked. He spoke Chinese so well that I had no idea he was Japanese! Although I hadn't started training yet, I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep."

"That night, lying on the cold floor, I kept thinking, 'Is what I am doing right? What are these Japanese people trying to do?' Just as I was deep in thought, someone patted my shoulder from behind. I jumped up in fright. He whispered, 'Shh! Lie down quickly!' I lay back down and turned to ask him in a low voice, 'Was that you?' He said, 'Yes, I saw you couldn't sleep. What is your name? Why are you here?' I whispered my name and told him how I had met the soldier. He introduced himself as Jin Yunxian, seven years old, two years older than me. He told me, 'Do you know that we Chinese are resisting the Japanese?' I had no idea about the war. Living in a remote, backward village, I knew nothing of what was happening to the country. Jin Yunxian said, 'The Japanese have invaded our country. This place has been completely occupied by them. Many civilians have been killed. You must have seen the bloody scenes on your way here. The Japanese shoot our people on sight. It is incredibly cruel and unbearable to watch.' I asked, 'Then how were you brought here? What are they doing with us?' He replied, 'Three months ago, I got lost from my parents in the suburbs. While I was frantically looking for them, I ran into these Japanese soldiers. They took me away immediately. I was powerless to resist. I am so worried about my parents; they must be looking for me everywhere.'"

The Final Choice

"'These Japanese people are brainwashing us every day. They teach us to rebel against China, saying how bad China is and that only Japan is the best country, and that Japan must rule China.' I asked, 'Do all the children here think that way?' He said, 'Many are still too young to understand. They have never received an education, so they think what the Japanese teach them is correct. Their thoughts and ideas have changed; they are becoming just like the Japanese.' I said excitedly, 'How can this be!' He nervously whispered, 'Shh! Keep it down! If we are discovered, we are done for! They will kill us! Don't be careless!' I covered my mouth and whispered, 'What should we do? I am Chinese; I cannot betray my country!' He said, 'There is nothing we can do now. We have to take it one step at a time. With your ability, how can you fight these Japanese soldiers? They would shoot you dead in an instant.' I fell into silence, telling myself, 'These children are innocent; I must not let them be harmed!'"

"In this army, I was trained and brainwashed every day, but I remained unmoved. I knew clearly that my motherland was China, and I could never betray it. Fearing that these children would be corrupted by the Japanese education, I asked Jin Yunxian to write for me since I was illiterate. I taught the children: 'We must defend our country. We cannot let the Japanese harm it. We cannot let our country fall into the persecution of war. We cannot be traitors! No matter what the Japanese teach us, we must not listen, not believe, and not think about it. Do not let their wrong ideas shake us! Otherwise, we would be failing our ancestors and our country!' I secretly passed this belief to the children every day. Jin Yunxian supported me and helped me write notes for them. If a child couldn't read, others would secretly whisper the words to them when the Japanese weren't looking."

"Ten years passed. I grew into a fifteen-year-old boy, and all the children grew up. The Japanese were satisfied with our training and began to order us to the front lines to attack our own Chinese people. Before we were released from the camp, I signaled to the children, and they all understood my meaning. When we reached the streets, there was chaos. Civilians were living in fear, and there were casualties everywhere. But after ten years of resistance, the Chinese forces were growing stronger, and the Japanese were declining. The Japanese soldiers ordered us: 'Kill! Kill every Chinese you see!' We stood expressionless, making no move. They asked, 'What are you doing? Kill!' Our refusal completely enraged them. They put guns in our hands and ordered, 'Fire! Shoot the Chinese!' I ignored them. All the Japanese soldiers surrounded us. They realized we had betrayed them. They raised their guns, aiming at our heads. Before they could fire, we grabbed our own weapons and killed ourselves. I held a gun to my own heart and pulled the trigger. Bang! I died instantly."

From Hell to the Western Pure Land

"To defend my country, I chose to harm myself. Only by killing myself could I avoid harming the Chinese people. After I stopped breathing, two officials appeared beside me. I thought they were Japanese soldiers coming to order me around, so I resisted. They told me, 'Look closely, we are jailers from hell. Don't be nervous.' I opened my eyes wide and saw they were not the Japanese soldiers. I breathed a sigh of relief. They said, 'The time has come, let's go!' I looked back at the world one last time. There was nothing in this world worth lingering over—only 'suffering' and 'sorrow.'"

"I followed the officials to the Third Hall of Hell. The King of Hell told me, 'Although those children could not escape death, you saved them, preventing them from committing the sin of murder. If they had all killed, the streets would have been a bloodbath with countless casualties. The merit you have established allows you to become a jailer of the Third Hall, helping me manage the sinners in hell.' For decades in hell, I stood firm at my post, diligently maintaining order in the execution grounds. Every day, I watched the prisoners—young, middle-aged, and old—all unable to escape the retribution of hell. My heart was filled with sadness. I wanted to save them, but I was powerless. It was not until Practitioner Su came to hell that I saw the light of hell—the Buddha-light brought by Practitioner Su. He saved those who had repented and were willing to change, helping them escape the suffering of hell and go to a place of light. Every time I saw Practitioner Su, I knelt and thanked him. I never expected that four years ago, I would be included in the list of those Practitioner Su was guiding to the West. I was overjoyed to have such great blessings!"

"Today is the joyous day of my rebirth in the Western Pure Land. I have long been prepared, dressed in solemn attire, kneeling to receive the guidance of Practitioner Su's Dharma Body. He is leading me and the other fifty-nine jailers, one by one, to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, forever free from the suffering of the six realms of rebirth. Gratitude to Namo Amituofo for his great compassion. Gratitude to Practitioner Su for his great compassion. Namo Amituofo."

Interview recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing.

Note: The grandmother of the jailer Han Richeng became a bird after death. She has already been liberated from the bird body by Practitioner Su and guided to the Western Dharma-Nature Land to listen to the Sutras.