The Karmic Debt of Dharma Stinginess

This is a record of an interview with Tang Xiangru, 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 past lives as a monk and a prison guard. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on January 27, 2020.

Venerable HaiZe: I invite Tang Xiangru, the representative of the sixty prison guards who are being delivered to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss today, to accept this interview.

Tang Xiangru speaks:

"Tang Xiangru and the other fifty-nine prison guards offer our most sincere gratitude to Practitioner Su, the monastics of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and all the practitioners present." (Tang Xiangru stands at the front, with the others behind him, and they all bow respectfully three times to the assembly.)

A Childhood of Grace and Promise

"I am Tang Xiangru. In that lifetime, I was a refined and handsome young man. From a very early age, I was particularly cherished by my aunts and uncles. With my two little dimples, I was truly loved by everyone I met; when I smiled, it seemed as if those dimples were smiling along with me. My mother loved to take me out into the streets, where I would always attract the praise of passersby and merchants alike. Shopkeepers would often give me extra little gifts, and I, in turn, was never stingy with my smiles. Because of this, I formed many wonderful karmic connections with people from a young age.

My father hired a tutor for us siblings to teach us how to read and recite. Over the years, even the Four Books and Five Classics became texts that we could recite with ease. My father hoped that we would grow up to be individuals of great learning and propriety, and we did not disappoint him. We were children who could walk side-by-side with our father in public. I, in particular, being the youngest and quite quick-witted, was often the lucky one chosen by my father to accompany him in his carriage to visit various government officials."

The Sudden Descent into Darkness

"You might assume that I simply grew up, married, had children, and lived a life of success and achievement—and my parents certainly believed that would be my path. But tragedy struck when I was thirteen. I fell victim to a high fever and became gravely ill. I was in a coma for nearly half a month. When I finally awoke, my memory was completely gone. I no longer recognised my loving parents or the siblings I used to play with. My reactions became sluggish, and my mind seemed to have dulled. The only thing that remained unchanged was my innocent face and those two little dimples.

No matter how many brilliant physicians my parents hired, they could not restore the sharp, witty child I once was. My mother shed countless tears for me. My condition—this state of being 'lost'—caused my behaviour and actions to regress to that of a seven-year-old child. The entire family went from shock and grief to eventual acceptance, a process that took about two years. My body continued to grow—it did not stop growing because of my mental state—but my intelligence and behaviour remained frozen at the age of seven. Imagine a fifteen-year-old with the appearance of a handsome young man, yet with the behaviour of a seven-year-old child! I became quiet, a different person entirely, only able to offer a smile, though I could still recognise some characters."

The Revelation of Past Karma

"My mother went to a temple to seek guidance from a master. The master gave her a Buddhist sutra and told her that I had a karmic affinity with the Buddha, suggesting that I should copy the text. Strangely enough, after I saw that sutra, I felt a deep connection to it. Picking up the brush and ink to copy it was not a difficult task for me. Although there were many characters in the sutra that I did not know how to write, I followed the strokes of the text carefully, one by one, not daring to slow down or rush.

I worked with great focus and dedication. Over the course of half a year, I copied two volumes of the Amitabha Sutra. As I was about to begin the third volume, a brilliant light appeared before my eyes. Within that light, I saw a monastic who appeared dignified and well-versed in the scriptures. There were many followers listening to his teachings on the Dharma platform, but this monastic was stingy with the Dharma. He only shared a small portion of what he knew during his public lectures, reserving the vast majority of his knowledge to be shared only when high-ranking officials visited the temple to request teachings.

This stinginess with the Dharma, combined with a heart of inequality, resulted in the karmic retribution I faced in this life. Although I was born into a prestigious family, enjoying the blessings of being able to propagate the Dharma, possessing intelligence, and having an appearance that people loved, my stinginess and my unequal, self-serving way of teaching—seeking personal gain—transformed those past benefits into the 'lost' state I suffered in this life, causing me to regress from the age of twelve to the mental capacity of a seven-year-old."

The Weight of Dharma Stinginess

"I saw the soul of that monastic—my past self—standing before the King of Hell, listening to him recount my selfishness and the consequences I was to face in this life. After drinking Meng Po’s soup, I forgot everything I had done and was reborn into my mother’s womb. As I saw this, the golden light before me vanished. I tried my best to remember everything I had seen, and then I ran to tell my parents. When my mother heard what I had to say, she wept bitterly and knelt before the ancestral tablets in our home. It was the Buddha manifesting to let me see my own past and the errors of my monastic life that had led to my current retribution. Finally, the knot in my mother’s heart, which had held so much sorrow for so many years, was untied. Everything was a matter of cause and effect; one cannot blame the heavens or complain about the earth. Everything was of my own making.

My parents in this life were actually the very officials who had supported me the most in that past life. My stinginess with the Dharma, coupled with their indulgence and selfishness, led to this life where they had to care for me in my diminished state. From that day on, my parents became vegetarians and repented for their past ignorance. My life ended a year later, at the age of sixteen, having lived a short life that was defined by the retribution for my past stinginess and the collective karma shared with my parents."

A Life of Repentance and Deliverance

"One night, my healthy, young body was awakened by two underworld officials. My soul was led before the King of Hell in the Third Court. The King knew my past clearly and added one thing: because my parents had protected the Dharma while also indulging my stinginess out of collective karma, their sins were heavier, which is why they suffered the pain of the 'white-haired person sending off the black-haired person.' Indeed, the King ordered a prison guard to take me to the Terrace of Oblivion, where I saw my parents arranging my funeral. The house was filled with sorrow, and my mother was crying especially hard. At that moment, all my memories returned, and I remembered the mistakes I had made as a monk. I knew I was wrong, but everything had already happened. The past could not be undone; I could only ensure I would not repeat it.

I repented before the King of Hell. Seeing my sincerity, the King decided to temporarily suspend the remaining retribution I was due to suffer, as the merit from copying the sutras was magnificent. During the time I spent copying the sutras, the merit from chanting the name of Namo Amituofo along with the text had offset the fame and wealth I had enjoyed from my past stinginess and biased teaching, as well as the retribution of being reborn as a dog in the animal realm. The King granted me the position of a prison guard. With a heart of repentance, I worked with extreme caution, not daring to commit even the slightest error, fearing that I would suffer evil consequences again.

While working in that state of constant vigilance, I received a notice from the King of Hell: I was eligible to join the list of those being sent to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss by Practitioner Su in the human world. I knelt down on the spot, grateful for the compassion of Namo Amituofo. The Buddha knew that my sins were heavy, and before I could be reincarnated and create more karma, while I still had a shred of good roots, He gave me this precious opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. I waited for four years, and today has finally arrived—the most important day for my repentant soul.

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo, grateful to Practitioner Su, and grateful to everyone here."

"Tang Xiangru, along with the sixty prison guards, bows to thank the Buddha for His grace." (Everyone kneels on the ground once more to bow three times in gratitude.)

This interview was recorded by the Buddhist disciple Venerable HaiZe.

Namo Amituofo.