The Mung Bean of Good Fortune

Chiang Li-hsin, a spirit who served as a prison guard in the hell realms, sought deliverance through the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This interview, recorded on April 28, 2023, details his extraordinary journey from his past lives as a symbol of good fortune in the form of a mung bean to his eventual rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, guided by Practitioner Su.

Chiang Li-hsin speaks:

"My life has always been so fortunate. I have always felt that good luck would eventually find its way to me. Now, that good fortune has truly arrived, for today is the great day I have been notified of my rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Before this moment, I had imagined many different scenes of how the Buddha might come to lead me, but I never expected that Practitioner Su would personally manifest to guide me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The light before my eyes made my entire body feel so comfortable and at ease. I shouted aloud, 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' A beautiful melody resonated in my ears, purifying my very heart. I knelt to express my gratitude to the Buddha, and also to Practitioner Su for the immense kindness and virtue shown to us sixty prison guards."

A Life Within a Seed

"I am Chiang Li-hsin. I was once a human being, but before I became a prison guard, I was a mung bean. I was a mung bean capable of bringing good fortune and peace of mind to others. For a long time, I resided within a Japanese temple. I was one of many mung beans placed inside a fragrant sachet, serving as a token of good luck. Whenever someone received this sachet and truly believed in the power we carried, that person would go through their days smoothly.

When I was contained within that sachet, there was no conversation between us mung beans. Even so, I could feel that everything radiating from our surroundings was a positive magnetic field. Although I existed within the space of a mung bean, I was often smiling—a smile that came from the depths of my heart. I felt that everything could be restored to beauty.

Even while I was a mung bean, I always served as a token for peace and safety, never the kind of bean that would be boiled for food or discarded on the ground. Every time I took the form of a mung bean, I grew to be quite plump and pleasing to the eye. In my heart, I was always blessing everyone, hoping they could walk out of the darkness and toward the light."

The Human Experience and Karmic Debts

"When I had been a mung bean for one thousand and five lifetimes, a force guided my spirit out and brought me before the Hall of King Yama. King Yama had already foretold that he would arrange for me to tell my story one day, to bring a positive magnetic field to the world and society. I never imagined that today would be that opportunity.

When I was human, I always loved to laugh heartily. Many people were drawn to my smile, and everyone assumed I lived a life free of worries, but the reality was quite the opposite. My parents were both beggars. They did not know each other; it was merely the force of desire that led to their union, and thus, my arrival.

From birth until I was six years old, I was always by my mother's side. She would sigh and lament all day long. She even felt that I was a great burden and treated me with great harshness, though I was never physically harmed. Even though I was still too young to understand, I could feel the suffering in my mother's heart—a suffering that was profound and deeply sorrowful.

There was always a voice beside me speaking to me. It said it had come to look after me, so I trusted everything it said. Regarding my mother's attitude toward me, this inner voice would always tell me that this was a debt I owed her. I was told to repay it willingly and not to form any negative karmic ties with her, so that she might no longer suffer. Once I understood this, I treated my mother with my whole heart and soul.

Six years later, having finished repaying my mother's debt, I was adopted by a kind-hearted couple. They were a Japanese couple who held their faith with great sincerity. At that time, Japan was launching a war against other nations. They did not wish for any harm to come between people, so they would always take me to kneel before the temple to pray for a long time, even though, in the end, everything was unavoidable."

Acts of Compassion and the Final Sacrifice

"There was so much death and injury across the international community. My adoptive parents would earn money and then donate it, sending supplies to the front lines. They even gave generously to provide medical supplies and to cover the costs of burying the deceased. Many years passed, and they helped with many post-war processing matters internationally. My adoptive parents did not teach me through words, but they allowed me to learn through their own conduct.

Gradually, I grew up, and they grew old. They handed their wealth over to me, hoping I would use it well to help others. I listened to every word they said. I gathered a group of like-minded people and established an international organization. Every year, we held many prayer assemblies, hoping to maintain peace in the world. One year, I went to the front lines of the battlefield. Many people told me it was very dangerous, but I knew this battlefield was particularly difficult, so no matter the hardship, I wanted to deliver the supplies.

When I entered the battlefield, many people cheered loudly, for if I had arrived even one day later, they would have run out of food. The next day, after distributing the food, I also handed out peace amulets, hoping that peace would return quickly once the war ended. My heart was always filled with infinite hope.

However, as many expected, once I went on this journey, there was no guarantee I would return. A shell exploded, and before my eyes, there was only a sea of fire. I lost consciousness, yet in my heart, I was still praying for peace and safety."

From Prison Guard to Deliverance

"After my life ended, I became a mung bean, symbolizing peace and good fortune. I wandered through major temples, either being offered to the Buddha or serving as a peace amulet. How I longed for everything to be peaceful and happy! I became a mung bean, but that intention of mine always remained. I am grateful for that force that helped me; later, I learned it was a Master who saw my spirit, gave me teachings, and chanted the Buddha's name for me. Only then did I emerge from the body of a mung bean and arrive at the Hall of King Yama. Because of my good intentions, King Yama allowed me to serve as a prison guard.

During my time as a prison guard, I saw countless suffering spirits. At first, my heart ached terribly, but later I gradually understood that all of this is the result of the laws of karma and cause and effect. Only when beings wake up themselves can they change their situation. Holding onto a glimmer of hope that I could help the beings in hell, I listened to Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. Every word and every sentence of the sutras allowed me to contemplate and realise the truth in silence. I understood the importance of seeking liberation, and I began to chant the Buddha's name in my heart. If there was an opportunity, I would try to counsel the hell-beings who were about to be punished, but usually, their attitudes were extremely rigid. I know this is what Practitioner Su calls 'personality.' The more intense and stubborn the personality, the more easily one inadvertently creates the karma of hell.

Having served in hell for twelve years, I received the notification that I could be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I knelt in gratitude to the Buddha. Today, I have finally achieved liberation. I am so grateful—grateful to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and grateful to Practitioner Su."

※ The adoptive father of the prison guard Chiang Li-hsin, Chiang Hsiu, and his adoptive mother, Hsia Lijing, were led by Practitioner Su from the space they occupied—the mother being beside Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva—into the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.