The Prison Guard’s Journey to Liberation

This is a record of an interview with Duo Li Jia, who sought deliverance 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 service as a prison guard in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on July 20, 2024.

Duo Li Jia speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Duo Li Jia. I am so incredibly grateful to the compassionate Practitioner Su for leading us—all sixty of us prison guards—to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am so happy that I feel like dancing! Every one of us has a smile on our face, and some are even weeping with joy. We are truly, deeply happy. I am so grateful to Namo Amituofo, grateful to Practitioner Su, and grateful to everyone who helped us.

I was born into a life of profound scarcity in a remote, underdeveloped region of Africa. It was a place where the very concept of material wealth was entirely foreign to us. From the moment I entered this world, I was not accustomed to wearing clothes. Aside from the sweltering heat that permeated our days, it was simply because we had almost nothing to wear. Our home was empty; we did not even have four walls to call our own. We just had a piece of cloth draped up as a partition, which served as a barrier against the elements but offered no real protection or privacy.

A Childhood of Pure Simplicity

When I was born into such a backward place, it seemed destined that I would be a person of little consequence. People in our village would never achieve great things or see the world beyond our borders. We lived together, trapped by our circumstances. We were so incredibly poor that we did not even have the means to leave, and no one wanted to help us, so we had to rely entirely on ourselves. It was a life of stark, unyielding simplicity.

There were no thieves in our village because there was nothing to steal. If you looked around, you would only see one dilapidated house after another. You would never find gold or silver treasures in those homes; you would only find simple farming tools, seeds, and a few tattered clothes. Yet, despite our poverty, we appeared happy. The secret to our happiness was that we had no desires. Life was simple and plain. No one had cravings because the environment did not foster them, so our hearts remained remarkably pure and untainted by the complexities of the outside world.

When I was a child, my world was defined by the raw, unadorned beauty of the earth. My toys were not manufactured playthings, but the simple, honest gifts of nature: smooth stones gathered from the dry riverbeds, handfuls of fine, sun-warmed sand, brittle twigs that had fallen from the sparse trees, or the vibrant, veined leaves that I would pluck with such care. For us children, these simple things were enough to make us play with such joy that even when our parents called us home, we were still reluctant to leave. You can see how incredibly simple and innocent we were.

The Awakening of a Compassionate Heart

Among the children of my age, my heart was not only as pure as theirs, but I also possessed an innate desire to care for others. I do not know why, but it was natural for me to want to help people and be kind to them. I did not care about my own comfort; as long as others were well, I was content. My parents were always amazed by this nature of mine. Although I had nothing material to give, a simple helping hand, a word of comfort, or a caring look was often enough to lift someone’s spirits and restore their positive energy.

When I was five years old, my innate abilities suddenly awakened. My eyes began to see spaces and dimensions that others could not. At first, I was confused. I would see many images and ask those around me if they saw them too, but they would always say no. After asking my parents repeatedly, I realised that I was the only one who could see these things. Furthermore, what I saw were not the immediate surroundings, but images of the past or the future. It was a strange, silent burden to carry alone.

The Vision of Impending Doom

I did not know why I had this ability when my parents did not. I did not know what to do with it, so sometimes I would deliberately ignore what I saw, pretending it was not there so it would not interfere with my life. Then, when I was seven, I woke up one morning to find the world plunged into total darkness. It should have been sunrise, but the sky was pitch black—so dark you could not even see your own hand in front of your face. I felt puzzled, sat up, and walked outside in the dark.

Standing outside, looking at the vast, starless sky, I felt an omen. It was as if the universe was telling me that something terrible was about to happen. No one could give me an answer, so I relied on my intuition. As I calmed my heart, I began to see images. At first, they were blurry, but as I became quieter and quieter, I saw it clearly: our village was about to be destroyed. I was shocked and heartbroken. I saw the entire village vanish in an instant, as if a great force had swept it away. I did not want this to happen, so I decided to find a way to prevent it. Even though we were poor, everyone was kind-hearted, and I had to protect our simple village.

The Power of Collective Goodness

For ten consecutive days, I saw the same pitch-black scene, which convinced me that this tragedy was inevitable. I did not tell anyone, not even my parents, because I did not want to cause fear. I believed that if I could handle it before it happened, we would be safe. To understand what was happening, I stopped sleeping at night and observed the sky and the energy fields, searching for clues. By the third day, I understood. I saw that our world was a sphere—what we now call Earth—and it was rotating. In three months and fifteen days, our region would be rotated into a void of darkness. It was not just our village; it was a massive area.

I wondered: what kind of space were we being rotated into? Could we ever escape? Why was this happening? I needed to find answers to save everyone. I discovered that our collective life here and the impending disaster were linked to our past. We shared a common karma, and it was now catching up with us. I realised that my sacrifice alone would not be enough; we needed everyone to work together. I began to guide everyone to change. Our method was simple: every day, we would radiate thoughts of Goodness. If an evil thought arose, we would immediately repent and change our ways. This changed our magnetic field, and the entire village became incredibly peaceful. I even saw benevolent spirits, celestial beings, and flower deities appearing to support us, drawn by our collective Goodness.

The Miracle of Transformation

These spirits were only visible to me, so I welcomed them on behalf of everyone. As we continued to radiate Goodness, incredible things began to happen. An elderly woman who had been bedridden for years began to recover as soon as she learned to keep her heart pure and free of evil thoughts. Her rapid recovery gave the villagers immense confidence in the power of Goodness. For three months, I watched the sky change, becoming brighter and more auspicious every day. On the day before the predicted disaster, the energy was perfectly calm. I knew we had changed our fate.

The next day, the sky was beautiful, and everyone was happy. No disaster occurred. I was overjoyed; our own kindness had saved us. In the years that followed, I encouraged everyone to maintain this state of mind. Miraculously, flowers that had never been seen before began to bloom in our arid land, and trees started bearing fruit. These wonders strengthened our faith in the power of Goodness. I felt that my mission was to guide everyone to think and act with Goodness, and I fulfilled that mission. After training successors to continue this work, my life came to an end.

From Guardian of the Land to Prison Guard

My spirit did not leave the village; I remained in the land to protect it. For five hundred years, I stayed, even when I had opportunities to leave. But after five hundred and fifty years, I finally let go. The village had changed too much; outsiders had come to develop the land, and the original purity was gone. When I finally let go, my spirit emerged from the land, and two officers from the hells immediately took me away. Standing before the King of Hell, I felt regret, but he advised me to let go, explaining that everything is a matter of Causal Conditions. I listened and began serving as a prison guard in the hells.

I served there for over a hundred years. In recent years, I began to hear the voice of Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. I had never heard such teachings before. I listened intently, filled with joy, and realised this was the true Buddha’s teachings. I was amazed by the Dharma—it was pure Goodness, but it went further, aiming for ultimate liberation. I began to actively promote the Dharma, urging everyone to listen to the talks, repent sincerely, and chant Namo Amituofo to seek liberation. Being placed on the list to be led to the Western Land by Practitioner Su is something I never dared to imagine. I am so happy and grateful. Today, all sixty of us prison guards have successfully arrived in the Western Land. I am grateful to Namo Amituofo, grateful to Practitioner Su, and grateful to everyone who helped us.

Namo Amituofo.

Duo Li Jia bows in reverence."