The Merchant Who Became a Guardian of Souls

This is a record of an interview with Huang Shiyi, who sought Chao Du 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 in Taipei, Taiwan, and his subsequent service in the underworld. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Haliang, on May 28, 2021.

Huang Shiyi speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Huang Shiyi, representing the prison guards of the underworld. We are deeply moved—myself and fifty-nine other prison guards—to have received such immense grace from the Buddha. When Practitioner Su called my name, we were overcome with emotion. We knelt, we chanted the Buddha's name, and in an instant, we were transported to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I turn once more to bow in gratitude to Practitioner Su, to the Venerables of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and to all the volunteer Bodhisattvas. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

As the representative for this group, I am still filled with profound emotion. I saw the majestic Namo Amituofo radiating golden light. Upon seeing the Buddha, we all collectively knelt to express our gratitude for His compassion. We have returned to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, a world so brilliant and luminous. The ground is like polished lapis lazuli, shimmering with golden light, and the Buddha is smiling gently upon us all."

A Life of Prosperity in Dihua Street

"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Huang Shiyi, and I lived on Dihua Street in Taipei, Taiwan. I am overjoyed to be one of the prison guards delivered to the Western Pure Land through the Thrice Yearning Ceremony. Coming to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and participating in the Dharma assembly, I received the compassion of Practitioner Su and the Buddha, which allowed me to return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

My name, Huang Shiyi, carries a specific meaning. My father was a businessman, and he was quite successful. Our family operated a general store selling daily necessities—firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea, and various dried goods. Our shop had everything one could need. Both my grandfather and my father dedicated their lives to this trade.

In those days, our goods had to be imported from the mainland, which meant they arrived by ship across the sea. Our family shop was located on the now-famous Dihua Street. If you look closely at the architecture and the layout of the buildings there, you will realise that every shop has a history of over a hundred years, or at the very least, sixty years. My father was an only child, and my grandfather taught him everything—how to source goods, how to restock, and how to evaluate the quality of the products."

The Traditions of a Family Legacy

"My mother was a quintessential woman from the south. She came to the north with her own mother, and through the introduction of a friend, she met my father. It was a marriage arranged by matchmakers. My mother often said that southern women are incredibly hardworking and resilient, managing the household with great care. My mother had an added quality: she was beautiful and always greeted everyone with a warm smile. My grandfather was so pleased when he saw her that he immediately agreed to the union, knowing she would be the perfect daughter-in-law for the Huang family.

Although my mother’s family background was not as prominent as my father’s, my grandfather was the head of the household, and his decision was final. Both sides agreed, and soon a grand wedding was held on Dihua Street. They set up a hundred banquet tables, inviting everyone in the neighbourhood to celebrate. Our Huang family was well-respected on Dihua Street, and our wholesale business for general goods was the largest in the area.

Three years passed after their marriage without any news of a child. My grandfather grew anxious and took my parents' birth dates to a fortune teller to see if they would ever be blessed with a son. My grandfather was desperate for a grandson, and my grandmother was even more so. They visited famous temples all over the province, asking for divine guidance and drawing lots. The fortune tellers and the oracle slips always replied: 'You will absolutely have a child; there is definitely an opportunity for a son.' Finally, nearly four years after they were married, the good news arrived. I was the child everyone had been waiting for. My father, mother, and grandfather were all overjoyed. When I was born at eight o'clock in the morning, the midwife had barely finished her work when my grandfather ran to the front of the shop, set off firecrackers, and shouted, 'The Huang family has been blessed! It is a day of great joy for the Huang family!'"

Growing Up in the Heart of the City

"I lived a very affluent life from the moment I was born. After the midwife delivered me, she told my mother, 'This child has such a noble appearance—large earlobes, a round face, and fine features. Your family must have performed many good deeds to be blessed with such a descendant.' My father happily gave the midwife a red envelope, and my mother thanked her for her kind words and for ensuring a smooth delivery.

When I was still an infant, my grandmother kept me at home. My mother told me that when I was about three or four months old, my grandfather couldn't wait to carry me to every shop in the area to introduce me, saying, 'This is my grandson.' I grew up very happily. When I was learning to walk, my grandfather bought me a very interesting walker. At first, I couldn't walk, so they would put me in the walker with my feet dangling in the air, unable to touch the ground, and the adults would push me around to explore. Gradually, I could reach the floor and slide the walker everywhere. My parents were delighted.

In the Dihua Street commercial district, things would quiet down after sunset. My parents would play with me. When my grandfather brought home a small tricycle, my parents’ eyes widened in surprise. 'What is this?' they asked. It was a little tricycle, and when I pedalled, it made a clicking sound, and I could even honk the horn. I found it fascinating and novel, and because of that, I learned to walk very quickly. Throughout my childhood, I had an endless supply of toys—some were quite unique, and my grandfather and parents would even ask friends in other cities to buy special toys for me."

A Curious Child and a Protective Family

"The adults were very busy during the day, so they would put me in a playpen. Customers would see how cute I was, and I always had toys to play with. By the time the sun went down, my grandparents would take me out of the playpen to play. When I was one or two years old, they noticed I was starting to climb over the playpen, which made them very nervous. It seemed the playpen could no longer contain me. Eventually, the adults decided someone needed to look after me, or I would wander off.

One afternoon after lunch, my grandparents and the uncles and aunts in the shop went for a nap. The shop was empty, so I carefully climbed out of the playpen and ran to the neighbour's house. The neighbour was delighted to see me: 'Baby Yi, how did you get over here?' She gave me many delicious candies and biscuits and played with me. Suddenly, my grandmother started shouting, 'Oh no! Where is the child? Where did he go? Hurry, look for him! My precious grandson is missing!' The neighbour heard her and shouted back, 'He’s not missing! He’s right here in our house. You didn't watch him properly; how could you let him walk over here by himself? I thought he was so cute, so I gave him a lollipop and some biscuits. He’s sitting there eating and having a great time!' My grandmother rushed over, picked me up, and said, 'Grandson! My golden grandson, you must never walk out by yourself when there is no one around. We were so worried!' My mouth was busy with the candy, and I was drooling, so I just nodded. My grandmother wiped my mouth with a tissue, thanked the neighbour, and took me home.

That evening, my parents, grandparents, and the whole family discussed the incident. My grandmother said, 'Shiyi is already three years old. The shop is going to be very busy soon. Should we consider hiring a nanny to look after my precious grandson?' My grandfather agreed, 'Yes, he is our only golden grandson; we cannot afford any mishaps. Dihua Street is so crowded, and it is not safe for him to be wandering around.' My grandfather immediately made the decision, looking at my mother, 'Our grandson is truly important, and you have worked hard. From tomorrow, you will stay upstairs to look after him. Since we live upstairs, you can focus entirely on Shiyi and won't need to come downstairs to help in the shop.' Everyone agreed."

Learning the Family Trade

"Many people on Dihua Street came from all over the province, with both familiar and strange faces. Because of my accidental trip to the neighbour's house, my father took me around to familiarise me with the surroundings. He pointed to the red sign and said, 'This is the Huang family shop. In the future, whenever you see this red sign with the character 'Huang' on it, you will know it is our home, and you won't get lost.'

Upstairs, my mother was very dedicated to cooking delicious food for me. While I ate, she would tell me about our inventory—what was kept in which position. I was three years old at the time, and my mother would teach me about one item every week. I learned to identify things like mung beans, and she would cook them for me. The mung bean soup was delicious, as were the red bean soup and the sweet rice balls. By the time I was ten, I had grown up under my mother's careful guidance.

When I was ten, many things happened. My grandmother passed away, and my mother began helping in the shop downstairs. By then, I was in school, and my father insisted that I start learning about every product in the shop, including the stock on the shelves and their prices. My father’s method of teaching was quite fun. Every day, he would ask me about five products we sold and where they were located. If I answered correctly, I would get a prize; it was like a guessing game. In less than two months, I knew the location of every item in the shop. My father also taught me how to calculate and give change, telling me the simplest method was to use my ten toes and ten fingers to add and subtract. When customers came in, I knew exactly what they wanted and how much it cost. If they asked me the price per catty, I could answer immediately. If they asked about ten different items, I could answer them one by one. Our shop had four or five hundred products, and I knew the price and location of every single one. We had an employee named A-Cai who had worked for us for thirty years, and he loved working with me. By the time I was eleven, I was precise in everything. I could tell customers exactly where their requested items were, and I could prepare their orders in under five minutes."

A Life of Service and Charity

"I only appeared in the shop three days a week—Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. These were the busiest days, with many customers buying goods or restocking. Customers loved my service because it was fast and efficient. I stopped my formal education after junior high school and became the 'second boss.' Apart from my father, I was the only one who fully understood the customers' needs. My father told my mother, 'You can rest now. You’ve worked hard in the shop, and our Shiyi is worth three people combined.' My mother was very happy.

When I was eighteen, my mother tried to arrange a blind date for me, showing me photos of young women, but I always said I was too busy. This went on until I was thirty-nine, and I remained unmarried. The name 'Huang Shiyi' became well-known throughout the region. I ran for the business representative of Dihua Street and led a delegation to visit Japan. The Japanese tour guide followed me around, calling me 'Kosan, Kosan.' He said, 'I heard you are very skilled at business. Since you were a child, you have known every detail of your family’s inventory—four or five hundred items—and you know their locations and wholesale prices perfectly.'

It was in Japan that I met a young woman who was the only person to ever truly move my heart. She was a teacher at a kindergarten attached to a factory. After I returned to Taiwan, she wrote to me, explaining that the children’s parents worked in the factory, but due to improper machine operation, an explosion had occurred, killing forty or fifty people. These four-to-five-year-old children had become orphans. I donated daily necessities, a large sum of money, and grain to help the kindergarten. I supported her in doing good deeds, and I continued this support for five years."

The Joy of Selfless Giving

"In the sixth year, she wrote to tell me that I didn't need to provide support anymore because she had married. She and her husband had made the kindergarten their home, specifically taking in homeless children. She thanked me for supporting seventy children over those five years, ensuring they never lacked for living expenses. When I heard this, I didn't feel sad. Instead, I realised how joyful it is to do good in silence. Every time I received her letters mentioning that the children no longer had to wander, that they had a home and were not hungry, I felt a deep sense of peace. It was so easy to help homeless children live happily in this world with just a little money, effort, and material support.

My heart had no attachments. The woman I once admired had married someone else, and I decided to take a portion of our family's fixed income every month to help those in need, starting with orphanages. Whenever I had a long holiday, I would bring biscuits and snacks to visit these children. Seeing their innocent, joyful smiles made me smile in return. My life was one of abundance, but what moved me most was the growing understanding that my name, 'Shiyi'—which means 'benefit to the world'—was truly fitting. If I had known earlier that everything I did in this life would benefit others, I would have known I was the most successful descendant of the Huang family. Even after death, I could stand before my ancestors and say with respect, 'Ancestors, I am your descendant, and I have not let you down. I have helped many people live better lives, and I have made my life truly magnificent.'"

A Call to the Underworld

"When I was fifty-nine, I always went to sleep with a smile on my face. One day, I had brought money, snacks, and biscuits to visit an orphanage for children with cerebral palsy. Seeing them living such difficult lives, I offered my care, and they responded with smiles. Even if their expressions were distorted by their condition, I could feel that their souls were comforted. I was grateful for my father, mother, and grandparents. My parents were still alive, and I felt like such a fortunate person.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, someone called out, 'Huang Shiyi! Huang Shiyi! Don't sleep! Get up, get up!' I saw two officials dressed in ancient clothing. I sat up and asked, 'May I ask what is the matter?' They replied, 'Come with us to the Yama Palace. We are the ghost officials of the Eighth Hall, and the Yama King has ordered us to invite you for a visit.' I followed them to the Eighth Hall and met the Yama King. He said, 'Go and get the prison guard’s uniform for him to wear.' I asked, 'Why must I be a prison guard?' The Yama King replied, 'Huang Shiyi, in this lifetime, you wanted to test yourself. You met a woman you liked, and you wondered if you would be unwilling to come to the Yama Palace to serve. You have passed the test, and you have helped many orphans. I believe you are qualified to be a prison guard to counsel those who come here for punishment.'

The Yama King showed me scenes from my life, and I knelt to thank him, accepting the position of a prison guard. I served as a prison guard for thirty years, working hard to counsel many inmates, urging them not to commit further wrongs and not to return to the hells, as it is a place of great suffering. As a result, nearly dozens of inmates, after listening to my advice, knelt and wept bitterly, leaving the hells, and to this day, they have not returned."

Deliverance to the Western Pure Land

"Recently, I received an order to see the Yama King. He said, 'Huang Shiyi, you have performed meritorious deeds through your kindness as a prison guard. Today, there is a list of prison guards to be delivered to the Western Pure Land by Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, and your name is on it. You must go and seize this opportunity.' I remembered then that every day in the hells, at a fixed time, the Buddha’s name would automatically resonate. I always felt great joy when I heard it and would hum along. It turned out that this great being was Practitioner Su, who possesses the Dharma Body to save all beings, from the Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattvas down to those in the hells. All sentient beings, including prison guards and the beings in the hells, can chant the Buddha’s name and be reborn in the Western Pure Land.

I arrived at the Dharma assembly and saw sixty other prison guards with me. The space was filled with spirits. Practitioner Su called out to the sixty representatives: 'Huang Shiyi, come up, come up.' When Practitioner Su finished calling my name, the Buddha-name of his countless billions of manifestations resonated. We followed along, chanting the Buddha’s name, and Practitioner Su led us back to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In that magnificent Pure Land, we expressed our gratitude to the compassionate Namo Amituofo, the compassionate Practitioner Su, and the Venerables and volunteer Bodhisattvas of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

Namo Amituofo."

Huang Shiyi