The Prison Guard's Awakening

This is a record of an interview with Gu Qianfang, 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 journey through the six realms of existence. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faxin, on February 14, 2025.

Gu Qianfang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today is the day my soul has finally and completely detached from this worldly realm. For me, and for so many other sentient beings, this is a monumental event. When I truly came to understand the Buddha’s teachings, I realised that I had been wandering aimlessly for eons. My soul had lost its direction within the six realms of existence and the vast Dharma Realm, spinning endlessly along the tracks of the laws of karma and cause and effect. Only now have I finally broken free from my original state, and my spirit has attained a true awakening.

All of these Causal Conditions are due to the grace of the Buddha and Practitioner Su. Without the Buddha and Practitioner Su, I know it would have been impossible for me to escape, for I carried far too many attachments and was burdened by the relentless pursuit of my own karma."

A Life of Wandering and the Laws of Karma

"I am now in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. I am grateful for every single Causal Condition that led me to this magnificent place. At this moment, my heart is incredibly calm, and I can see that my entire being is radiant and translucent. I have never seen myself in such a state before. To be transformed like this today fills me with profound thanks; I am grateful for everything.

I am Gu Qianfang. In the past, whenever I stood at the crossroads of choice, I always chose the path of being reincarnated because I still had so many things I wanted to do and achieve. Those desires were deeply etched into the memories of my soul. For many lifetimes, I have always possessed a heart that wanted to help others, so in life after life, the memories of my soul would awaken, calling me to pay attention to those who were in need.

My life as Gu Qianfang was no different, though my heart often felt heavy. My eyes were particularly sensitive, and I would constantly see many people and living beings suffering. Every time I witnessed such pain, I felt an overwhelming urge to help them. I could feel their physical agony and their inner torment as if it were my own."

The Burden of Emotional Entanglements

"I remember a woman selling vegetables on the street, accompanied by her young child. The child followed her side, constantly hoping for her attention, but the mother was always too busy. The disappointment on the little girl’s face and the helplessness of the mother were etched clearly for all to see. It broke my heart. But looking deeper, I saw that this mother was bound by the chains of emotional entanglements. For many lifetimes, she had been unable to let go of these emotions. Various forms of attachment were intertwined, and this inability to let go caused her to be caught up in these emotional entanglements throughout your many lives, playing different roles and settling various karmic debts.

I could see that she was already exhausted, yet more often than not, she was driven by the fear of loss, so she habitually clung on even tighter. The more she clung, the more her body and mind suffered. I saw that many people are trapped in this kind of pain, and it is not limited to family relationships; it is just as prevalent in romantic ones.

A deeply moving romantic relationship is often the hardest thing for a person to let go of. Within such attachments, there are all sorts of emotions: joy, happiness, love, hatred, sorrow, and grief. When people are happy, they forget the shackles that these emotions place upon them, sometimes even mistaking them for true happiness. But when they are unhappy, or even grieving, they fall into a pit of suffering from which they cannot escape. After I saw this clearly, I constantly reminded myself not to let go of my vigilance and not to fall into that trap."

A Heart Seeking Meaning

"I had a physical body, and I was known as Gu Qianfang, but many times, an inner voice would warn me: 'Do not be mesmerised by this world; you must see clearly everything that is happening within it.' When this voice within my heart kept urging me to see clearly and understand, it made me extremely sensitive to the external world.

In this lifetime, I was born into the Gu family, a very wealthy household. My father was a local official, and my mother was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Growing up in such a privileged environment, my life was very affluent, yet my heart did not feel rich. I knew there was a large piece missing from my heart, so I began to search—how could I fill this void? I tried many methods: satisfying my physical desires to make myself happy, or fulfilling the needs of those around me to make them happy. I tried these ways many times, only to discover that such happiness was always fleeting; it could never last.

One night, I heard a constant cry outside. I went out to investigate and saw a bird that had lived in a tree fall to the ground. It looked like it had fallen very hard. I picked up the bird, and it was already on the verge of death. Looking at the struggling creature, my heart ached. Instinctively, I used my mental note to communicate with it. I told the bird that I would help look after its family. I hoped it would no longer suffer, and I promised that I would help it and bury it properly. After I said these words, the bird slowly closed its eyes and departed in peace. I kept my promise and buried it. In that moment, I felt a profound sense of peace in my heart."

The Price of Compassion

"Being able to help a life in this way brought me great joy, and it was then that I realised that being someone who helps others complete their lives is a truly meaningful thing. At that time, I heard that many animals were being treated cruelly; humans, for the sake of their own profit and livelihood, were willing to harm the lives of animals. Upon hearing this news, I felt a deep sense of sorrow. I joined a local animal conservation organisation and began reporting areas where people were specifically profiting from harming animals.

When I did this, many people around me warned me that it was a dangerous path because I was stepping on the bottom line of the interests of unscrupulous businessmen. I knew what they were saying, but during one investigation, my colleagues and I disguised ourselves as buyers, and those merchants took us into their factory. I saw many animals locked up. Their cries made me feel as if they were begging for help. I was heartbroken. In that moment, I made up my mind to help them. I went everywhere, disguised as a merchant, to collect evidence, hoping to expose the truth at the best possible moment.

I had collected a significant amount of evidence to prove that this group was slaughtering animals to make leather products. To them, every animal had a different effect, so they spared no one. One day, I knew they were about to begin a mass slaughter, so I gathered the evidence and reported it to the local official, hoping he would help these animals. But to my surprise, after waiting for several days, the matter was suppressed. The animals that were meant to be slaughtered were killed anyway. My heart was in agony, and I later learned that the local official had long since been bought off by them."

From the Depths of Hell to the Western Pure Land

"After several failed protests, I was framed for slander and finally thrown into prison for over thirty days. I felt incredibly depressed. I was angry at myself for being unable to change anything, and I was angry at the injustice and lack of righteousness in this society. This anger caused my health to deteriorate rapidly; eventually, I could not walk, my whole body became weak, and I just wanted to leave this unfair world as quickly as possible. When I finally closed my eyes and breathed my last, I saw many animals coming to thank me—thanking me for sincerely wanting to help them.

I drifted away with a wisp of smoke and appears in the world again. The resentment I held toward the social structure before I left caused me to be reincarnated as a tiger—a tiger that protected various animals everywhere. I did not harm other animals; I lived mostly on plants, so I was very thin, but when I became fierce, I was strong enough to protect the other creatures. I died and was reincarnated; I lived through similar roles for three lifetimes before my soul finally reported to the Palace of King Yama after death.

King Yama showed me the scenes of my past lives and allowed me to see the laws of karma and cause and effect behind the animals that had been harmed. They, too, had heartlessly harmed others in the past, which is why they became those creatures to suffer the consequences. Only after truly understanding these laws of karma and cause and effect was I able to genuinely let go of the resentment in my heart. Once I truly let go, King Yama assigned me to serve as a prison guard in the hells. During my time as a prison guard, I saw the laws of karma even more clearly, and I finally understood the importance of every thought and intention.

As I lamented the cycle of reincarnation, I was grateful to hear Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks allowed the beings in the hells to understand that the cycle of reincarnation can be ended. Listening to Practitioner Su’s Dharma talks and chanting the Buddha-name, I longed for the day I could follow the Buddha and escape. I prayed continuously to the Buddha, hoping that one day I would be led by Him. I am so grateful to Practitioner Su. I am grateful that under these magnificent Causal Conditions, I could receive Chao Du and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I hope that more beings who are connected by karmic affinity and possess good roots can also be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss together."

Gu Qianfang, with palms pressed together."

Namo Amituofo.