The Prison Guard's Redemption

This is a record of an interview with Tang Youshun, a former prison guard in the underworld who sought deliverance 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 many lifetimes of karmic retribution. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on October 29, 2023.

Tang Youshun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am deeply grateful for the compassion of the Buddha and the immense kindness of Practitioner Su. It is only through their grace that I was finally granted the opportunity this year to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. On behalf of all the prison guards and the sentient beings with karmic affinity, I bow in gratitude to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

In this lifetime, I was not a person of great wealth or status. While I was not destitute, my life was certainly not a calm or easy path. Yet, I never complained about the hardships. Deep in my heart, I understood that these were all karmic retributions—the fruits of the seeds I had sown throughout my many lives in the cycle of rebirth.

A Legacy of Greed and Cruelty

There was one lifetime where I was a wealthy landlord. I was born into a prestigious and powerful family, possessing immeasurable and boundless riches. However, because of my own insatiable greed, I committed countless evil deeds. I harmed so many innocent beings, causing them unimaginable suffering, and in the end, I lost everything and met a tragic, miserable fate. After I died, I fell into the hells to pay for my sins. I endured the most excruciating tortures imaginable. It was only after I truly repented that I was finally able to leave that place of torment.

But even then, I did not find liberation. I was forced back into the cycle of rebirth. I became a frog—not just once, but one hundred and thirty-six times. Think about it—one hundred and thirty-six lives spent as a frog, dying and being reincarnated over and over again.

The Agony of a Hundred Lives

Every single one of those deaths was absolutely horrific. I remember being a frog caught by children who treated me like a toy. They tied a thin string around my leg and spun me violently through the air. The string was so thin it cut into my flesh, and the force of their swinging was relentless. Eventually, my leg snapped, and I was flung against a wall, dying instantly. It was terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!

Another time, I was crushed to death by a vehicle. Many other times, I was caught by humans to be eaten. I was thrown into boiling oil, simmered in medicinal soups, steamed, or boiled. Some people even ate me alive. Humans have so many ways to cook, and every single one of those dishes was made from my flesh to satisfy their cravings. My spirit knew that I had created too much karma. In my past life as a human, I had slaughtered people just to have them served on my table. I would pick out those with the most tender flesh, and I would even find amusement in lining people up and shooting them with my bow and arrow.

The Weight of Karmic Debt

I can only say that when I was a human in that life, I was too wealthy, too arrogant, and too self-centred. Being pampered from childhood led me to hold so many distorted views. I only cared about my own physical sensations; if I wanted something, I had to have it. So many lives were lost at my hands. Those spirits never let me go, which is why I had to endure such varied and intense suffering—to pay back debt after debt and to appease the hearts of my karmic creditors.

When I finally had the chance to be born as a human again, I returned to this world as 'Tang Youshun.' My birth was not smooth; I nearly died in the womb, and I almost took my mother's life in the process. Because the beings I had harmed in the past did not want me to live easily, I had to endure countless trials just to survive. During my upbringing, I faced obstacle after obstacle. My parents suffered greatly to raise me, and I only recently realised that they were my accomplices in those past lives when we earned 'black money' together. We were wealthy, but because of our greed and our desire for 'fun,' we committed grave sins, and now we are all suffering the consequences.

The Truth of Cause and Effect

The laws of karma and cause and effect are not empty; they are absolutely real. Even after suffering for years in the hells and living one hundred and thirty-six lives as a frog, there were still countless beings who would not let me go. It was not just from one lifetime of evil; it was the accumulation of karmic creditors from many, many lives. Even after I was reincarnated, I still had to face the beings I had harmed in the past, and they still wanted their revenge.

My life was incredibly difficult. Nothing good ever seemed to happen to me, but I had no complaints. I understood that there was a reason for all this suffering, so I was willing to endure it and willing to pay it back. Whenever I had even a little bit of ability, I would try to help others, hoping to spare them from suffering. I lived a hard life, but I did not want others to suffer as I did. In this lifetime, I changed a great deal. It was only through the true repentance of my spirit that I learned to change my ways and stop living according to my past habits and personality.

A Short Life and a Final Lesson

I am so fortunate to have been born into such a difficult family, as it taught me things I never could have learned in a life of luxury. I learned 'gratitude.' I learned it from a young age, especially gratitude toward my parents. I am grateful that they gave birth to me and raised me, even nearly sacrificing their own lives for me. I wanted to spend my whole life repaying their kindness, which is why I was always obedient and filial.

It is a great tragedy that my life was so short. For my parents to have to experience the 'white-haired person sending off the black-haired person'—it is truly the greatest lack of filial piety. My life ended at the age of thirty-six in an unexpected car accident. My sudden departure left my parents heartbroken. Seeing their agony was more than I could bear, yet I could change nothing. This was our Collective Karma; we were bound to torment each other through this pain.

People really must not do evil things. The price to pay is far too high. Sometimes, it is not that there is no retribution, but that it all comes due in the next life. By then, you cannot pay it back, and you cannot afford the cost. It is unbearable.

Finding the Path to Liberation

After my spirit left my body, I was brought into the Hall of the King of Hell. The King of Hell showed me the state of my death and the sight of my parents weeping in grief. I saw many karmic creditors surrounding me, and I saw how happy they were to see my parents suffering so deeply. My heart was filled with such profound repentance. If I had not committed so many harmful acts against these beings in the past, they would not have had to seek their lives back in this way, nor would they have had to torment my parents.

The King of Hell knew of my sincere repentance. I had truly changed in this life and had done many good deeds. It was because I had paid back so much debt through suffering, and because I had accumulated merit, that I earned the blessings to be assigned the role of a prison guard by the King of Hell. Knowing all the wrongdoings I had committed since the past, and understanding the karmic retribution between cause and effect, I gradually began to wake up. I wanted to find a path to liberation, and finally, I met Practitioner Su in the underworld.

In the past, I went to the hells to pay for my sins, but this time, the King of Hell did not sentence me; instead, he gave me the opportunity to serve. I am so grateful for this chance, and I served the beings with great diligence. After I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, I knew this was the liberation I had been seeking. I listened to the Dharma talks over and over again, and my conviction that this was the path I needed to take grew stronger every day. I am so grateful that I was able to be in the queue this year, and today, I have finally achieved rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I will continue my diligent practice, and in the future, I will learn from Practitioner Su to help even more beings.

On behalf of all the prison guards, I bow in gratitude to the Buddha and to Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

Tang Youshun, with palms joined."