The Long Road Home

This is a record of an interview with Lin Wenshan, who sought Chao Du 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 service as a prison guard in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa-xin, on February 3, 2023.

Lin Wenshan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am deeply grateful to the Buddha for creating such a magnificent Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, providing our spirits with a place of eternal peace and rest. As I look upon the beauty before me, my heart aches for those still suffering in the world. I truly wish they could have the Causal Conditions to learn about the Western Land, to find a way out of their suffering, and to eventually escape the cycle of reincarnation.

I know that this is exactly what the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is doing, and my heart is filled with immense gratitude. I am also profoundly thankful to Practitioner Su, who reached out a hand and, in a single instant, delivered me and fifty-nine other prison guards to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am truly, truly grateful."

A Childhood Defined by Chaos

"I am Lin Wenshan. I was born into a time of great turbulence, a period marked by both civil war and foreign invasion. By the time I was eight years old, we had already moved five times just to escape the chaos. We finally settled in a remote little town, hoping that this distance would keep our family safe.

However, I never expected that by the time I was fifteen, even that small town would be targeted and gradually fall into enemy hands. In such an unstable era, I had almost no opportunity to receive a proper education. I only managed to learn a few basic characters and how to do simple arithmetic.

Our family had once been a prominent and wealthy household, but after the war, our home was destroyed, and our family members were scattered. Eventually, it was just my mother, my younger brother—who was seven years my junior—and me, clinging to one another for survival. My father, my uncle, and my sister had all perished or gone missing during our desperate attempts to flee.

Every time I lost another family member, my heart felt as though it were being torn apart. I cherished every single day we had left together, holding onto those moments as if they were the most precious treasures in the world."

The Cruel Reality of Conscription

"One night, a group of soldiers arrived at our home. They looked at my brother and me, and without a word, they dragged me away. As I was being hauled off, I looked back to see my mother crying in agony. She was kneeling on the ground, begging the soldiers not to take her son, but they pulled me along without a single glance back. She slowly faded from my sight, and I knew that might be the last time I would ever see her.

I was taken to a military camp, forced into a uniform, and subjected to a relentless series of training exercises. We had to rise before dawn every single day, beginning a grueling routine of physical training that lasted until nightfall.

The recruits who arrived with me were a mix of boys my own age and men twenty years my senior. We had all been snatched from our homes by soldiers going door-to-door, all in the name of loyalty to the nation. It was said that our base was constantly under threat from foreign enemies, and so many soldiers had already sacrificed their lives that the military was running out of men. In such a desperate situation, they had no choice but to train new recruits like us.

In the army, they bombarded us daily with the idea of protecting the nation. In truth, I did not need them to tell me that; if I could do my part to help, I was more than willing. We received news from the front lines every single day. Whether the news was good or bad, we pushed ourselves even harder in our training, because we all knew in our hearts that it would not be long before we were sent to the front to fight."

The Battlefield and the Near-Death Experience

"The day arrived sooner than I expected. Just over a year after I entered the army, I was deployed to the front lines. I held a rifle in my hands and had several grenades strapped to my body, ready to use them at the most critical moment.

I observed the shifting tides of the battlefield, sometimes attacking, sometimes hiding, trying to avoid a direct confrontation to keep myself alive. During that massive battle, so many people lost their lives. When I finally made the decision to launch an assault on the enemy, I threw myself into the fray with everything I had.

In an instant, there was a deafening explosion. I was thrown high into the air and then slammed heavily onto the ground. I lost consciousness, and I truly believed that my life had ended right there on the battlefield.

To my surprise, fate allowed me to wake up. My entire body was covered in wounds, and for the first three days after I regained consciousness, I could not move a single muscle. I thought of my brothers-in-arms, I thought of my mother and my brother. Although I did not know where they were, I prayed with all my heart that I would live to see the day when peace returned, when the people could live in prosperity, and when I could be reunited with my family.

Driven by this sheer force of will, I struggled to lift my body. I saw a house with a light on and used every ounce of my remaining strength to knock on the door. When it opened, I saw a woman, and I used my final breath to say, 'Please, help me.' After those words, I collapsed into darkness."

A New Purpose in the Midst of War

"When I woke up, I was lying on a simple wooden bed, and the woman was offering me a bowl of water. I looked at my clothes; they had been washed and replaced with clean ones. The woman said, 'I know you are a soldier—you were wearing the uniform—but how did you end up here?' I told her everything that had happened from the moment I was taken from my home to my time in the army. As she listened, she began to weep. I stopped speaking, and she finally said, 'If my son were still alive, he would be just your age.' It turned out her son had also been lost to the chaos of the era.

I comforted this mother who carried such heavy grief in her heart. I called her Aunt Zhu, and under her meticulous care, I gradually recovered. Once I was strong enough, I bid farewell to Aunt Zhu. I felt I had to leave because I wanted to continue protecting the people while I still had the strength to do so. Aunt Zhu nodded and smiled at me.

As I left, I gave her my blessings, though I dared not promise we would meet again. In such a chaotic world, it was impossible to say who would survive for how long.

I traveled from the south toward the north, hoping to return to my hometown. Along the way, everyone was living in misery, filled with fear and anxiety. As I walked, I heard that the town I was approaching was about to be invaded. Many people were frantically packing their belongings, not knowing where to go to find safety.

Seeing the situation, I calmed myself and thought deeply. Finally, I made a decision. I gathered the men of the town and found a spot on the outskirts. We began to dig into the earth, preparing to build a massive cellar that could house all the civilians. I told them it needed to be large and deep to be truly safe. I convinced them, telling them this was the only way to protect everyone without having to abandon their homes.

At first, they were suspicious of me, an outsider. But I kept telling them, 'There is no time left; your lives are in danger!' After I said this many times, all the men in the village finally began to work. We dug day and night for two months before we finally finished it.

Not long after, the enemy army arrived. The villagers covered for each other and entered the massive cellar, which had already been stocked with two months' worth of food. The enemy searched the village for a long time, confused as to why all the valuables and the villagers had vanished. In their rage, they burned a few houses to vent their frustration before leaving.

Inside the cellar, several men kept watch, observing the situation outside. Only when they were certain the enemy had retreated did they lead everyone out. Seeing the burned houses, we all worked together to rebuild.

I stayed in that town for five years, but I knew there were other places suffering, so I decided to leave to help others. When I said goodbye to the villagers, they were very reluctant to let me go, and as I set off, they prepared plenty of food and clothing for me. As I traveled north, I encountered enemy forces again, and I helped the people in that region build cellars to keep everyone safe.

After ensuring the safety of the people, I continued my journey home. My heart was filled with trepidation. What had become of my family and my home? Finally, I arrived at the familiar streets and stood before my house. Inside, I found a young mother and her child. I asked about the previous owners, but she shook her head, saying she did not know. She had heard they left shortly after the war broke out, but no one knew where they had gone.

Although I had anticipated this result, hearing it still broke my heart. Yet, I had already decided that I would return to my hometown and stop wandering. Since I could not find my family, I treated everyone in the town as my own. If they had any difficulties, I would help them to the very end. I lived out the rest of my life there, passing away at the age of sixty-one from a lung disease.

I did not worry about whether anyone would discover my passing. This body was old and sick, and that was enough. I had always told myself to face it with a calm heart."

The Lessons of the Hells

"After I died, I stood before Yama, the King of Hell. My life had been filled with displacement and suffering, which was the result of the many fish I had harmed and caught in my past, causing them to be separated from their own families. I should have died in that explosion, but because I had a kind heart and performed good deeds—like building the cellars to save so many lives—my fate was balanced. I was given the position of a prison guard, and I have served diligently in the hells ever since.

In the hells, I witnessed many scenes of karmic retribution and the laws of karma and cause and effect. It left a deep impression on me. The laws of karma are clear and precise in the hells; they cannot be ignored.

During my time in service, besides my duties, I also listened to Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. I saw the true pain of the cycle of reincarnation and made a vow that one day I would seek a way to leave it all behind.

Finally, today, I received the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. My heart is filled with such gratitude. I thank the Buddha and Practitioner Su for their compassion. Practitioner Su works tirelessly every day to perform Chao Du, which I find truly admirable. I am so grateful to Practitioner Su.

Lin Wenshan, with palms joined in reverence."