The Jailer’s Redemption: From Hell to the Western Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Tang Youshun, 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 past lives and his journey through the underworld. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on October 29, 2023.

Tang Youshun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Tang Youshun. I am filled with gratitude for the boundless compassion of the Buddha and the immense kindness of Practitioner Su. It is only this year that I was finally granted the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. On behalf of all the jailers and the sentient beings connected to me by karmic affinity, I bow in deep gratitude to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

In this lifetime, I was not a person of great wealth or status. While I was not destitute, my life was certainly not a smooth or easy path. Yet, I never complained about the hardship. Deep within my heart, I understood that these were all karmic retributions—the fruits of the seeds I had sown throughout my many lives in the cycle of rebirth.

A History of Greed and Suffering

There was a lifetime long ago when I was a wealthy landlord. Born into a prestigious and powerful family, I possessed immeasurable wealth. But because of my own insatiable greed, I created terrible karma. I harmed countless innocent beings and caused the deaths of so many people. In the end, I lost everything and met a wretched fate. After I died, I fell into the hells to pay for my sins. I endured unimaginable agony and torment. It was only after I felt a spark of sincere repentance that I was finally able to leave those hellish realms and escape the most brutal of the tortures.

However, I did not find true liberation. I was still trapped in the cycle of rebirth. I was forced to reincarnate as a frog—not just once, but one hundred and thirty-six times. I lived and died as a frog one hundred and thirty-six times over.

One Hundred and Thirty-Six Lives as a Frog

Every single one of those lives ended in a miserable, tragic death. I remember being caught by children who treated me like a toy. They tied a thin string around my leg and spun me violently through the air. The string was so thin it cut into my flesh, and the force of their swinging eventually snapped my leg. I was flung against a wall and died on the spot. It was absolutely terrifying!

Another time, I was crushed to death under the wheel of a passing vehicle. Many other times, I was captured by humans to be eaten. I was thrown into boiling oil, simmered in medicinal soups, or simply boiled alive. Some people even ate me raw. Humans could invent so many ways to cook me, and every single time, it was my flesh that was used to satisfy their gluttonous desires.

My spirit knew that I had created too much karma. In my past life as a human, I had also slaughtered people to serve as dishes on my own table. I would specifically select those with tender skin and flesh, just so I could eat them. I even found it amusing to line people up before me and use them as targets for my archery practice. I was too wealthy, too arrogant, and too self-centred. I was pampered from childhood, which led me to hold so many twisted views. I cared only for the sensations of my own body; if I wanted something, I had to have it.

The Cycle of Karmic Debt

So many lives were lost at my hands. Those spirits would not let me go, which is why I had to endure such varied suffering—to pay back debt after debt and to appease the hearts of my karmic creditors. When I finally had the chance to be reborn in the human realm again, I returned as Tang Youshun. My birth was not smooth; I nearly died in the womb, and I almost took my mother’s life in the process. Because the beings I had harmed in the past did not want me to live easily, I had to endure many trials just to survive.

Throughout my upbringing, I faced countless obstacles and tests. My parents suffered greatly while raising me. It was only recently that I realised they were my accomplices from that past life, the ones who had helped me earn 'black money.' We were both wealthy, but because we were greedy and thought it was fun, we engaged in illicit activities and created immense sins. Now, we are both suffering the consequences of those actions.

A Short Life and a Sudden End

The laws of karma and cause and effect are real; they are never empty. Even after spending years in hell and living one hundred and thirty-six lives as a frog, there were still countless beings who would not forgive me. These were not just grievances from one life, but from many, many lives. Even after I was reborn, I still had to face the beings I had harmed in the past; they were still seeking revenge.

My life was incredibly difficult. Nothing good ever seemed to happen to me, but I had no complaints. I understood that there was a reason for all this suffering, so I was willing to endure it and willing to pay it back. Whenever I had even a little bit of capacity, I would try to help others, hoping to spare them from the suffering I had known. I lived a hard life, but I did not want others to suffer as I did. I changed a great deal in this lifetime. Perhaps it was because my soul truly repented that I was able to change my ways and stop living according to my old habits and personality.

I am grateful that I was born into such a poor family, as it taught me things I could never have learned in a life of luxury. I learned gratitude. I learned to be thankful to my parents for giving birth to me and raising me, even nearly sacrificing their lives for me. I wanted to spend my life repaying their kindness, so I was always obedient and filial. It is a great pity that my life was so short. My death—the 'white-haired person sending off the black-haired person'—was the ultimate act of unfilial behaviour. My life ended at thirty-six in a sudden car accident. My abrupt departure left my parents heartbroken. Seeing their pain was unbearable, yet I could do nothing to change it. This was our collective karma; we were bound to cause each other such pain and suffering.

The Mercy of the Underworld and the Path to Liberation

People really must not do evil, because the price to pay is far too great. Sometimes, the retribution does not come immediately, but it will come in the next life. By then, you will find you cannot pay it back, and the suffering will be beyond words. After my spirit left my body, I was brought to the Hall of Yama. King Yama showed me the scene of my death and the sight of my parents weeping in agony. I saw many karmic creditors surrounding me, and I saw how happy they were to see my parents grieving so deeply.

My heart was filled with profound repentance. If I had not committed so many harmful acts against these beings in the past, they would not have had to seek my life in this way, nor would they have had to torment my parents. King Yama knew of my sincere repentance. I had truly changed in this life and had done many good deeds. It was because I had paid off so much debt through suffering, and because I had accumulated merit, that I was granted the blessing of being appointed as a jailer by King Yama.

Knowing all the wrongs I had committed since the past, and understanding the karmic retribution between them, I gradually began to wake up. I wanted to find a path to liberation, and finally, I met Practitioner Su in the underworld. I had come to the hells to pay for my sins, but this time, King Yama did not sentence me; instead, he gave me an opportunity to serve. I am so grateful for this chance, and I served the beings with great diligence. After I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, I knew this was the liberation I had been seeking.

I listened to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks repeatedly, and I became more and more certain that this was the path I had to take. I am so grateful that I was able to join the ranks this year, and today, I have finally been reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I will continue my diligent practice, and in the future, I will learn from Practitioner Su to help even more beings. Tang Youshun, on behalf of all the jailers, bows in gratitude to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

Tang Youshun, with palms joined."