The Prison Guard's Redemption

This is a record of an interview with Tang Yangming, who sought Chao Du 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 life approximately 1,500 years ago during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faru, on May 16, 2026.

Tang Yangming speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su. I am Tang Yangming, a former prison guard, and today I am truly honoured to represent sixty of my fellow guards in sharing our story. We have all successfully reached the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is a place of such profound beauty, serenity, and peace; the sound of the Buddha-name resonates everywhere you turn.

This realm is similar in nature to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, yet here, the chanting of the Buddha-name is exceptionally clear and resonant. It possesses a power that touches the very depths of one's soul, allowing the heart to spontaneously experience an incomparable, refreshing joy. This joy does not stem from physical or sensory gratification, but rather from the freedom and unobstructed state of having let go of the 'self' to serve all sentient beings. From here in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, I can still see the beings in the hells who are suffering. Many of them share a karmic connection with me—some were even my family members in past lives—but in the cycle of rebirth, we have been scattered and no longer recognise one another. Though I have reached this magnificent world, I was unable to bring them with me, and I truly hope that they, too, will have the opportunity to arrive in such a wonderful place in the future.

The Nature of True Joy

When I first began my service in the hells, I had no knowledge of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, nor did I know of Namo Amituofo. It was only after listening to the Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su that I gradually came to know this great Buddha. I learned that the world He established is fundamentally different from the human world or the hells. In the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is no suffering, no various forms of punishment, and no selfish, self-interested human hearts. Everything is focused on Goodness, on helping others, and on the complete absence of the 'self'. When I first heard of such a place, I found it almost impossible to believe.

A Life Lost in the Chaos of War

I was born during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a time of constant warfare and social upheaval. My family was not wealthy, and I was forced to join the army to earn a military salary to support them. In those chaotic times, the mortality rate was staggering. Many families saw their eldest sons and menfolk march off to the battlefield, never to return. My parents were deeply worried about my decision to enlist, but I saw that there was no other way for us to survive; the environment was so fractured that finding stable, normal work was nearly impossible. Joining the army at least provided a pittance to keep my family alive.

I joined the Northern Wei army as a lowly soldier. My only goal was to provide for my family; I had no desire to harm anyone. I knew that in such a turbulent world, the civilians were suffering immensely. After joining, I underwent training to turn ordinary civilians into soldiers with basic combat capabilities. However, I never had any interest in the art of war. Instead, I focused my attention on learning how to effectively retreat from the front lines to avoid injury, how to help my comrades avoid disaster, and how to form defensive lines to prevent a swift death. These were the things that interested me, as I only sought survival, not the conquest of other nations.

When we clashed on the battlefield, I saw that the soldiers of the opposing side were just as pitiful as we were. I knew they were not professional soldiers; many were just children, so young that I could not bear to strike them down. In one such engagement, I lost my life on the battlefield. I was only twenty-four years old. After I died, my spirit wandered the battlefield for a long time. I hoped to do whatever I could to help those young, untrained soldiers, wishing that they would not die so quickly. I believed that if they could just survive that chaotic era, they would surely have a chance for a bright future and a meaningful life.

The Long Watch in the Hells

Unfortunately, the war was relentless. Every person I tried to protect eventually fell in battle, becoming a lonely, helpless spirit just like me. I continued to lead them, joining the ranks of those who cared for the young soldiers on the battlefield, and this went on for several years. One day, I was summoned by an envoy from the hells and brought before the King of Hell.

Standing in the court of the King of Hell, I felt a strange sense of relief. I had feared that my life as a ghost would be an endless, aimless wandering. I only knew that I had to keep helping the young soldiers, but I had no idea where I was going or what the future held. Repeating the same actions every day had left me feeling lost. But thinking that saving even one life was worth it, I had simply kept going.

At the court, I realised that things were changing. I would no longer have to repeat my life on the battlefield. The King of Hell showed me my past life, and I finally understood that everything in life is governed by the laws of karma and cause and effect. I had participated in wars and killed enemies, and thus it was my destiny to die young on the battlefield. However, the King of Hell acknowledged my intention and my actions in helping others, and he invited me to serve as a prison guard. I served in that role for over a thousand years. In the context of the ghost realm, this was actually a relatively short time.

The Light of the Buddha's Teachings

When I first became a prison guard, I did not understand the Buddha's teachings, nor did I know how to help the prisoners. I could only counsel them not to be so attached, trying to change their mental notes by encouraging them to help others and move towards Goodness. But most of the prisoners were deeply entangled in their pasts, their causes of death, their resentment, their confusion, or their complaints about their own fates. These states of mind only increased their sentences. Even when the King of Hell showed them the deeds they had committed, and they understood their own mistakes, their internal resentment, their refusal to admit fault, and their feelings of injustice only served to lengthen their suffering.

I felt such compassion for them, but my words seemed to fall on deaf ears. I knew that such intense mental states and characters are not easily transformed; it requires long-term cultivation to turn them around. But they did not have the time to learn; they were soon to enter the hells to undergo their punishments.

After I had served in the hells for over a thousand years, a warm, golden light suddenly filled the space, accompanied by the sound of the Buddha-name. Later, I heard a practitioner named Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. At first, I did not pay much attention, but as I listened, I realised that Namo Amituofo was currently propagating the Buddha's teachings in the human world, and Practitioner Su was His representative. He explained the Buddha's teachings in a way that was simple and easy to understand, allowing people to grasp the essence of Buddhist education. As soon as I heard these teachings, I understood them immediately; this was truly an education that could improve the rigid and stubborn nature of people.

I began to pass these teachings on to the prisoners, which allowed some of them to awaken. I could see that they were slowly beginning to accept the truth. In the very moment they accepted these teachings, the punishments and pain inflicted upon them would diminish—it was truly miraculous. The suffering in the hells is a manifestation of one's own heart; all the pain comes from oneself. This confirms what Practitioner Su often says: 'This suffering is all self-inflicted.' In the hells, this is certainly true. The more intense a being's character and the more stubborn their personality, the heavier the punishment they attract. A lash of the whip or the cut of a blade causes pain, but the intensity of that pain comes from the strength of the heart. If the heart is filled with hatred, cruelty, and attachment, the agony is unbearable.

A Vow to Save Others

After listening to Practitioner Su's teachings, the prisoners' hearts softened. If they could let go of even a sliver of their attachment, their suffering would be reduced. The most effective method was the six-character name, 'Namo Amituofo'. Once they followed along in chanting, and even more so when they truly made a vow to become a disciple of the Buddha and save all beings, the transformation was profound.

Although these mental states are not easy for beings in the hells to achieve, if they truly repent, admit their mistakes, chant the Buddha-name, and recognise the Buddha's selflessness—while acknowledging their own resentment, personality flaws, and selfishness—they can transform their character, and the suffering of the hells can cease. If they can make an even greater vow and chant the Buddha-name, they have the opportunity to leave the hells. This is the inconceivable power of the Buddha-name.

Under the illumination of the Buddha-light, all suffering can be temporarily alleviated. However, if one does not truly resolve to chant the Buddha-name and seek liberation, the spirit must continue to endure countless punishments in the hells. I watched as Practitioner Su performed Chao Du for the beings in the hells with such speed and power, and I felt deep admiration. I hoped that I, too, could save the beings in the hells with such strength, otherwise, my own earnest counsel could only do so much. Thus, I made a vow to one day go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and learn from Namo Amituofo. Now, I have been included on the list with sixty other prison guards, and we have entered the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Although it has not been long, I am absolutely certain that this is truly a method to save the world. The purity and goodness here are exactly what this world lacks. If even a few words, a glimpse of the scenery, a fragment of the concepts, or even a tiny bit of Buddha-light from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss could be shared with the people of this world, it would be enough to transform their rigid and difficult characters.

I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving me this opportunity to reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and to learn from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas here about this magnificent Pure Land education. I hope that one day I can return to the world to help people understand and improve their stubborn natures. If I could be like Practitioner Su, achieving an awakened being status and directly helping sentient beings escape the hells, or be reborn in the human or heavenly realms, or even be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, that would be the greatest achievement of all.

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving me the chance to be interviewed. Tang Yangming, on behalf of the sixty prison guards, thanks Namo Amituofo, Practitioner Su, and the fourfold assembly of disciples at the temple.

Namo Amituofo.

Tang Yangming"