The Pen That Learned to Serve

This interview was recorded on May 26, 2023, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. The speaker is Guang Yuanpin, a spirit who, due to deep-seated attachments, spent multiple lifetimes trapped in the form of a pen. After being delivered by Practitioner Su, he now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Guang Yuanpin speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today, as I prepare for rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I am filled with profound gratitude. I am especially thankful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. I am grateful that, throughout the process of my cycle of rebirth, I was allowed to see the truth of the human world, which made me realise the vital importance of seeking liberation. Once I understood these truths, I often practised chanting the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' aloud. When I chanted without any wandering thoughts, I could truly feel the Buddha blessing me.

Today is the day of my rebirth in the Western Pure Land. I chanted the Buddha-name with particular intensity, and finally, Practitioner Su led me directly to the Western Pure Land. The dignity and clarity of the West give one a feeling of refreshing coolness that penetrates the very heart. My heart is filled with immense gratitude."

The Burden of a Historical Name

"I am Guang Yuanpin. Because of my own attachments, I became a pen. In my past life, I was always obsessed with achieving success and climbing to high positions. I wanted to use the most luxurious pen to sign my name, to prove to everyone that I was a person of great stature and influence.

Even before I had achieved any real success, I had already bought such a pen. Every day felt like a dream; I would hold this pen and imagine myself dressed in a sharp suit, surrounded by people who treated me with great respect. In my mind, I held important company documents, and as I signed my name with that pen, I felt radiant and full of spirit."

A Sudden End to a White-Collar Dream

"Of course, these were merely dreams within my own consciousness. I had this grand ambition, but it never came to fruition. I was in the process of building my capabilities, and my ambition and drive were fully prepared for future development. Who could have known that a sudden accident would occur? A speeding car crashed into me, striking my head with such force that I suffered brain death on the spot. At that very moment, I was rushing to attend a self-improvement course to hone my skills. My head was filled with daydreams of success, and my hand was busy stroking that pen. I never expected that I would end up becoming a pen myself.

I have been all sorts of pens. At one point, I was a pencil held in the hand of a child; at another, a ballpoint pen used by a student about to take an exam. Before I became a prison guard in the underworld, I finally got my wish and became a high-quality, premium pen. This time, I held my head high, my body gleaming, standing in a display cabinet in a store, waiting for someone with a discerning eye to choose me."

A Reunion Through Service

"After waiting for several weeks, a well-dressed man finally chose me. When I was picked up, I was overjoyed. But when I looked up, I was shocked to see that it was a long-time friend of mine whom I had not seen for years. In the past, I had constantly urged him to have goals in life and to think seriously about his future, to which he had always replied with indifference. I never expected that, after only a few years, the aura he radiated would be completely different.

He bought me. After becoming his possession, I observed him closely and felt his presence. Gradually, I realised he was an insurance agent who had been in the industry for several years. From what I knew, this industry was highly competitive, requiring high performance to make any real money."

The Heart of a True Practitioner

"I watched him from morning until night, arranging numerous client visits. Sometimes he was there to offer genuine care, and other times to help them plan their insurance policies. He did everything with great sincerity and heart. To design the most suitable policy for each person, he would diligently study their family background and financial planning. I was kept in his breast pocket every day, accompanying him everywhere. I saw that many of his colleagues or other insurance agents would use flowery, persuasive language, constantly chasing higher achievements for the sake of commissions. But my friend did not do this. He truly wanted to use his profession to help people. This initial intention of his moved me deeply."

A Change of Heart

"Many times, he sincerely planned what he hoped would be the best protection for his clients, only to be misunderstood as being greedy or just chasing sales. He faced clients who cursed at him and distrusted him. There were times he fell into deep despair, even going without a salary and living on bread. I thought he would sink to the bottom and give up, but to my surprise, he always stood back up with great effort. When he received an order, he was happy, but he would quickly head out again to serve his clients. Once, he received a phone call from his cousin. She was crying, saying that her uncle had suddenly collapsed. The uncle was divorced and was the only adult in the family, so the cousin was desperate. My friend went to pick her up, took her to the hospital to see her uncle, and urgently applied for insurance claims for him. Without that help, they would not have even been able to afford the hospital stay, let alone survive."

The Final Lesson

"The uncle stayed in the hospital for a week and was incredibly grateful to my friend. If not for my friend helping the family apply for those funds, they truly would not have been able to go on. Seeing them so moved and thankful, I completely changed my view of the insurance industry. Many times, those insurance claims provided timely help to families in need. Following my friend, watching every family and observing the changes in society, I had many reflections. My heart, which had originally been obsessed with quick success and profit, gradually calmed down. My friend's sincerity influenced me to become sincere as well. Every time I accompanied him on a task, I hoped that we could truly help someone. Of course, the feelings involved were complex. If insurance was needed, it meant a family had suffered an accident or illness, so in my heart, I still hoped that everyone would be safe and sound. But there are truly many people who are ill in this world, and I shared in my friend's sorrow as we helped them.

This pen accompanied my friend for a total of twelve years. One day, twelve years later, my friend bent over to help an elderly lady who had fallen. As he leaned down, the pen in his breast pocket slipped out, fell to the ground, and broke into two pieces. At that moment, my spirit reached out as if to grab something, but it still fell."

Deliverance and Gratitude

"After hitting the ground hard, my spirit instantly detached from the pen body and entered the underworld, lining up to enter the Yama Hall. When I knelt before King Yama, he asked me, 'Do you know why you are here?' I shook my head. King Yama said, 'Originally, because of your own attachments, you were destined to be a pen sixteen more times. However, because of the causal conditions of this lifetime, you followed this friend and helped many people who were truly in need, genuinely changing your destiny. You and this friend were together in past lives; it was agreed that you would help people together, but fate arranged for you to drift apart. This lifetime, you met again and cooperated in a different form.' Hearing King Yama say this, I was quite surprised. But it was true; my state of mind was completely different from before. A voice kept appearing in my heart, a desire for people to no longer suffer.

King Yama said, 'Only you can turn your own destiny around. By changing your heart, you have changed your fate.' The Yama Hall offered me the position of a prison guard, hoping I could serve the masses well. I was deeply grateful after hearing this. After becoming a prison guard, I served in the execution grounds of retribution. I heard wails everywhere and saw the stubbornness behind the nature of every being. Everyone's stubbornness was different, but they all had to pay a price for it, which served as a warning to me. While serving as a prison guard, I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks in the hells. I discovered that the scriptures of the Buddha’s teachings are meant to guide everyone to transcend life and death, to end the cycle of rebirth, not just to help this body awaken, but to help the spirit achieve liberation. It allows one to transcend the various sufferings of the human world and provides the spirit with a destination in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Once I knew these things, I kept praying in my heart, and I am grateful for the existence of the Buddha’s teachings that can lead everyone to leave suffering behind. I sincerely hoped that I would have this opportunity for liberation. Finally, today has arrived. I am grateful to Practitioner Su for leading us sixty prison guards to rebirth in the West. I can feel the coolness and beauty of the Western Land. I am grateful to the Buddha, grateful to Practitioner Su, and I hope to ride upon my vows to help all beings in the future.

Namo Amituofo.

Guang Yuanpin bows in gratitude."