The Prison Guard's Redemption: A Life Without Regrets

This is a record of an interview with Wang Heyan, 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 life and his time serving in the hells. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on February 15, 2025.

Wang Heyan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. This week is a monumental day for us—the day of our rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. We have been waiting for this for a very long time. Even while we were still in the hells, we remained diligent in our duties, performing the tasks we were assigned. It was only when we finally reached Practitioner Su that we were able to set down our burdens.

A Transition to Peace

We changed into white robes and began to chant Namo Amituofo in silence. This feeling is so vastly different from the atmosphere in the hells. Especially in the moments just before Practitioner Su was to guide us upward, my heart was filled with a complex array of emotions. Scenes from my connections to the world kept surfacing, and I saw many different versions of myself from my past lives. All these images appeared quite naturally. At that moment, we had to maintain our focus on chanting, keeping our hearts calm and not allowing them to scatter, as we waited for Practitioner Su to lead us to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

We have arrived. The feeling of being in the West is completely different. It is truly beautiful, so incredibly beautiful. My entire body is filled with a sense of liberation and lightness. It is so comfortable, so pure, and so joyful. I have been smiling, and I simply cannot stop.

I am deeply grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su, which granted us sixty prison guards the blessings to reach the West. Right now, we are making prostrations to the Buddha, kneeling and bowing in gratitude. Namo Amituofo. Namo Amituofo, and thank you, Practitioner Su."

A Childhood of Wisdom

"Everyone, I am Wang Heyan. I was very fortunate in that life. From a young age, I was cherished by my parents. They cared for me in every possible way; they were wonderful parents, and many people envied me for it.

My father was a teacher, and my mother was a housewife. But if you were to ask me which of them possessed more wisdom, I would certainly say my mother. This often surprised people. Although my mother had not read many books, she had realised so many truths through her daily life. These experiences were enough to help her grow in wisdom, and she often held unique insights and perspectives that others lacked. She was exceptionally efficient in everything she did, living every moment of her life with profound wisdom. As for my father, he had read many books, but in the end, those were merely knowledge—they were not truly his own. That is why I say my mother’s wisdom surpassed my father’s, while my father’s knowledge surpassed my mother’s.

The Discipline of Responsibility

My parents had only me as their child, and our family was quite wealthy. Yet, my parents never spoiled me. I was not like a pampered young master. On the contrary, my parents insisted that I learn everything and do everything. My mother often said, 'If you are living this life just to enjoy yourself, then you might as well not have come.' From a young age, my mother kept me by her side to learn how to work. So, while other children were out playing, I had to stay in the kitchen to help my mother. Only when she said I could go play was I allowed to join them.

I cannot say that I never complained. Of course, I did, especially when I heard the laughter of the children playing outside. My heart would be stirred, and I would desperately want to go out and play. But I had to finish my work first. At those times, I would feel dissatisfied, wondering why I had to do so much when the children of other families did not.

Did my mother not know what I was thinking? Of course she did; she understood better than anyone. However, she would not let me out just because of that. She insisted that I finish my tasks before I could go play.

In the past, my heart was truly filled with complaints. But later? It was filled with nothing but gratitude. If not for my mother’s careful guidance, I would never have learned how to be a responsible person, nor would I have learned to be steady. Even the meditative concentration within my heart was forged during those times.

In the end, I am truly grateful. I am grateful for my mother’s dedicated teaching, which allowed me to learn more than others from a young age and to be more sensible than children of my own age."

The Turning Point of Impermanence

"When I was twelve, I went out to play with some friends. We went to a stream to play in the water. That stream was a place we visited often, and I never imagined that danger could occur. On that day, we were all standing in the water playing when suddenly the current became increasingly rapid. Everyone began to lose their footing, and some started to fall into the water, nearly being swept away. I quickly told everyone to get to the shore. They climbed up one by one, but one person had injured his foot and could not climb up. I rushed back to save him, grabbing him and struggling to move forward. Just as his hand was grasped by our friends on the shore, I suddenly lost my balance. My feet stepped onto a slippery stone, and with a slip, I was immediately swept away by the current.

As I was being carried away by the stream, I had absolutely no strength to help myself. I could only surrender entirely to fate. In that moment, I was surprised to find that I did not feel much fear; instead, I was abnormally calm.

My body was being swept downward at great speed. My mouth and nose were choked with water, and I was nearly out of breath. I did not struggle much. My mind was racing, and at that time, I was thinking of gratitude—gratitude for my parents and for everyone and everything that had appeared in my life. I was not afraid of death because my mother had instilled in me the concept of impermanence from a very young age. Therefore, I had always cherished every day of my life, living each one as if it were my last.

I did not know if this would be the time I would leave my parents. I stopped thinking about it and just let the stream carry me away.

I was swept rapidly to a certain place, and my head struck a large rock in the stream. All memories after that were gone. When I opened my eyes and woke up again, I was lying on a bed in someone’s home."

A Life of Hidden Virtue

"I had been saved by a couple who were bandits. They asked me whose child I was, but I could not remember at all. I had lost nearly ten years of memory, and for those ten years, I lived with this bandit couple.

They had a schedule every day and planned their routes well. They went everywhere to steal and rob. Several times, they tried to teach me these skills, but I insisted that I did not want to, which made them very unhappy.

One time, they asked me again if I wanted to learn. This time, I did not resist as I had before; instead, I nodded and said yes. I saw that the couple was momentarily shocked, but soon they broke into smiles and told me to follow them that very day to learn.

My mind was sharp, and I quickly learned their methods and all their route planning. That day, they did indeed succeed in robbing a wealthy merchant of his money. Fortunately, the merchant kept his life and was not harmed by them. I watched as the couple returned home, very proud of themselves, counting their money. That night, I stole the money they had robbed that day and took it back to the merchant. I knew where the merchant lived because, at the time of the incident, I had secretly asked him, and he had quickly told me his location before fleeing for his life.

The couple did not immediately discover that their money had been stolen because they had already stolen so much that they kept it all in one place; they did not know exactly how much was missing.

After that, I continued to go out with them. They would have me guard one of the paths, and the place I guarded happened to be just ahead of where the couple was positioned. So, whenever someone was about to appear, I would quickly give the couple a signal, allowing them to capture the person from behind.

I guarded the path with great focus. As soon as someone appeared, I would immediately tell them, 'There are bandits ahead, run quickly!' When these people heard me say this, they would certainly turn back, thereby preserving their wealth and their lives.

After this had been going on for some time, the bandit couple naturally began to grow suspicious. They wondered if I was intentionally letting people go; otherwise, why had no one appeared on that mountain road since I joined them? I did not admit it, but they were already deeply suspicious of me.

Later, I was told I did not have to go every time; once or twice a week was enough. I listened to them and only went once or twice a week. On the days I did not go, I would secretly follow them. Whoever was robbed by them, I would intercept that person on the road further back and ask them where they lived so that I could return their money.

Of course, such a method could not be sustained for long. The couple soon discovered that not only was their money not increasing, but it was actually decreasing more and more.

I anticipated that they would soon discover that I was the cause of all this, but I was not afraid. I only knew that I was doing something that did not violate my conscience.

Sure enough, the truth was soon discovered. That day, as I walked out of my room, a mountain knife was held to my throat. The couple angrily questioned me, and I admitted everything—it was indeed all my doing. They were furious, saying they regretted saving me and that I was nothing but trouble. I sincerely expressed my gratitude to them and said I was willing to give my life to repay them, hoping that they would stop being bandits and live a normal life.

After I finished speaking, I grabbed the mountain knife and slashed it across my own throat. I quickly lost my life and left the human world.

My spirit entered that mountain, and I continued to protect every traveller within it.

For me, this life was a journey of gratitude for everyone I met. They all taught me many things.

Deliverance from the Hells

My spirit remained in the mountains and forests for a very long time. Then, one day, two hell officials came to find me. They took my spirit out of the mountains and brought me into the hells, where I began to serve as a prison guard.

Every day as a prison guard, my heart was actually filled with sadness. I was sad that so many people had to come here to receive their retribution. I wished so much that everyone would not have to suffer such pain, but it seemed very difficult.

When I started hearing Practitioner Su give Dharma talks in the hells a few years ago, I was so happy. Every spirit that had the Causal Conditions for me to share with, I shared. I hoped that they could change themselves by listening to the Dharma and not enter the hells to suffer again.

Regardless of how many spirits could benefit from this, I worked hard to do what I had to do, using all my strength to share the Buddha’s teachings.

Later, I also received the opportunity to be guided by Practitioner Su to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. My heart is so full of gratitude.

Today, we have truly arrived in the West. My heart is now filled with Dharma joy, and I keep chanting Namo Amituofo, chanting with such happiness.

Thank you, Namo Amituofo. Thank you, Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Wang Heyan bows in prostration."