The Malleable Soul: From Prison Guard to the Western Pure Land

Sun Weikong, a soul who endured lifetimes of suffering, sought deliverance through the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su. Having served as a prison guard in the hells, he now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This interview was recorded on September 30, 2023.

Sun Weikong speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My heart is overflowing with gratitude today. Under the compassionate guidance of Practitioner Su, I have arrived at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss along with fifty-nine other prison guards from the hells."

A Cycle of Endless Suffering

"I have reincarnated life after life, and this spirit of mine has been filled with such profound suffering—it is truly beyond words. If I had not been given this opportunity to come to the Western Pure Land, once my time as a prison guard ended, I would have been cast back into the cycle of rebirth once more. I had a sense that I would be born as a human again, but that was not what I wanted. Being human is filled with hardship. Without the Causal Conditions to hear the Buddha’s teachings, I do not know where my karma would have dragged me next. Therefore, all sixty of us prison guards are deeply grateful. We are thankful to Practitioner Su for compassionately leading us to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. We will certainly cherish this opportunity and engage in diligent practice."

The Prophecy of the Red Sky

"I was the well-known eldest young master of the Sun family, Sun Weikong. On the day I was born, it is said that the entire sky turned a deep, blood-red colour. Some people thought it was the colour of blood, while others believed it to be an auspicious omen. My grandfather and father were filled with doubt, unsure if it was a blessing or a curse. They quickly summoned a fortune teller to our home to calculate my birth chart and determine if this celestial phenomenon was linked to my birth and what it signified.

The fortune teller first examined my features and then calculated my birth chart. He said, 'Look at this child’s appearance and his birth chart; he will surely possess the aura of a great general in the future. This celestial phenomenon is indeed related to him. Whether it is good or bad depends entirely on how you educate him. There is no fixed destiny; it depends on what you shape him into. Just like a lump of clay, it has malleability. You can mould it into a precious object, or you can let it become waste, trampled underfoot. This child is just as malleable—he can become exceptionally good or exceptionally evil. It all rests in the hands of the Sun family.'

The Wisdom of Upbringing

"After hearing the fortune teller’s words, my family understood the gravity of the situation. My grandfather and father began to reflect on how to raise me to be a person of great goodness. At that moment, my wise grandmother asked, 'May I say a word?' My grandfather replied, 'Please, speak.' She said, 'The personal example of adults is worth more than a thousand words. As long as the adults act with virtue, the child will naturally learn well. From today on, we must all be mindful of our conduct. Whether it is the words we speak to the child or our daily actions, we must provide him with a good role model. I believe that in such an environment, he will never go astray. Furthermore, although our family is wealthy, no matter how much we dote on this child, we must not let him live in excessive comfort or dependency. If he does, he will never learn gratitude, nor will he learn to be a responsible person.' My family agreed with her, and they decided to follow her guidance.

Even though I was the eldest young master of the Sun family, the trousers I wore were discarded, tattered ones from an orphanage—they might have been worn by a dozen other children before me. By the time they reached me, the seat of the trousers was torn. My grandmother taught me how to mend the hole with a needle and thread, using a patch of cloth, before I was allowed to wear them."

The Burden of Conscription

"Wearing those ragged clothes was difficult at first, but my grandmother told me, 'Do you know that these trousers were part of a large batch of fabric I bought ten years ago? I made many clothes and sent them to the orphanage, and this is one of them. Look at these trousers; apart from the hole, they are still in good condition. You can see how much the children who wore them cherished them. You, too, must learn gratitude and how to cherish what you have.' After hearing her say this, I understood. Those children knew how to cherish what they had in the present moment, and I should be just like them.

I did not have more power than others just because I was the young master of the Sun family; in fact, I had to do more. I had no servants to wait on me; I had to do everything myself. My grandmother took me everywhere to do good deeds. She was very satisfied with my performance because I was not raised with an arrogant character; instead, I learned to see the suffering of others and to be grateful and content. Therefore, when helping others, I knew how to assist them effectively, which made my grandmother very happy.

When I was twenty, the country conscripted all the young men in town for military service. I was also drafted. The country intended to train a massive, powerful army to attack neighbouring nations and seize their land. I did not want to harm anyone at all. I was in immense pain in the military camp. The skills and martial arts I learned were all meant for taking lives. I truly did not want to do this, but I could not resist. Every night, I would cry, my mind filled with the words my grandmother had spoken to me—that I should be a good person who knows how to help others. Yet, I was about to become a murderer. I was in such agony; I truly did not know what to do."

The Price of Integrity

"I could not go against my conscience to harm others, so during every martial arts practice, I pretended to be a useless fool, as if I could not learn anything. In reality, whatever they taught me, I learned after seeing it just once. It seemed to be an innate ability, but I deliberately acted clumsy. Even when they beat or scolded me, I was willing to endure it, as long as I did not stand out and become a great general.

My body was covered in scars. Many people looked down on me, mocked me, and ostracised me. They even teased me deliberately because I acted like a fool who knew nothing. I did not care about anything they did to me, as long as I did not have to harm others. However, when my identity as a descendant of the Sun family was exposed, they suspected I was faking my incompetence. They decided to test me to see if I was truly a fool or just pretending. They brought a large piece of iron, heated until it glowed red, and prepared to press it against my face. They asked me if I would tell the truth. I still pretended to be dull and foolish, refusing to show my true self. Enraged, they pressed the red-hot iron directly onto my face. I let out a piercing scream.

Many people who saw my fate were so terrified that they dared not speak; they only focused on their martial arts training. I did not yield, continuing to act like a useless person. Without medicine, the wound on my face became infected in that harsh environment, and eventually, the entire right side of my face rotted away. Those people did not let me go; they continued to torture me, using every method to make me suffer because they believed I was deliberately putting on an act. I had only this one life and one body, and I let them do as they pleased. One day, they tied me to a large tree and let the soldiers practice archery. Their target was the space between my eyebrows. Whoever hit it would receive a great reward. Everyone was eager to try. My life was destined to end that day. My death was truly tragic; my body was riddled with arrows, and I died vomiting blood."

From Hell to Deliverance

"I did not hold a grudge over these encounters, but my heart was not at peace. I was troubled by why the country insisted on invading neighbouring lands and why they had to send troops to kill. Because of this, my heart harboured hatred, and that hatred grew day by day. After I breathed my last, because of that hatred, I was reborn as a snake. I was not a snake that harmed people, and I had no toxicity. I did not harm other animals in the forest. This was very similar to how I was when I was alive; I had simply changed bodies, from a human to a snake.

After nearly twenty years of life and death, I finally left the snake body. My spirit was brought before King Yama. They allowed me to see my past again and let me know that the reason I was able to leave the animal realm early was because my heart was fundamentally good—I did not want to harm others, and I had done many good deeds. Because of this, I was able to leave the animal realm early and enter the hells to serve as a prison guard. King Yama also showed me that my benefactor in that life was my grandmother. If it were not for her upbringing, which cultivated my goodness and compassion, given my innate abilities, I would have certainly become a great general and killed countless people, just as the red sky at my birth had foretold. In the end, it was my grandmother who changed me, so I did not become that general, sacrifice my life, and end it all.

Upon entering the hells, I saw all those who had harmed me; they were all suffering retribution. When I appeared before them, their eyes were filled with pain and helplessness. They seemed to be apologising to me and begging for my help, but at that time, I did not have the ability to assist them. When the sound of Practitioner Su’s teaching appeared in the hells, I was overjoyed. I immediately shared what I heard with the suffering criminals, teaching them to chant 'Namo Amituofo,' hoping they could soon be liberated and leave suffering behind. My heart was filled with absolute sincerity. I actively wanted to help them; I did not want them to continue suffering. These beings in the hells also had the blessings to hear Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks. They deeply repented for the sins they had committed in life and sincerely chanted the Buddha-name. When Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body entered the hells, they were rescued and liberated. Just recently, I was told that I was on the list for Practitioner Su to lead to the West. At that moment, I was truly filled with surprise and joy. Today, I have arrived in the West—the day I have long awaited. My heart is full of joy and immense gratitude.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo.

Gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo."