The Redemption of a Fallen Official

This is a record of an interview with Wang Jinlong, 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 subsequent spiritual journey across multiple lifetimes. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on February 16, 2025.

Wang Jinlong speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am deeply grateful that in this opportunity for rebirth, I have encountered the great Causal Conditions for liberation. This is something I never dared to imagine in my past, nor did I even have the courage to think it possible.

I am profoundly thankful to have encountered Practitioner Su here, whose Dharma teachings allowed me to awaken to so much and to finally understand what it truly means to seek liberation and leave suffering behind. I am grateful to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su. On behalf of all the prison guards, I bow in gratitude for the Buddha's grace and the grace of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

A Life of Greed and Cruelty

"In the final years of the Song Dynasty, I was born into a wealthy family. The political situation of the time was chaotic, and the civilians lived in extreme hardship. I served as a local official, yet I was notorious for my insatiable greed. I did not merely abuse my power to amass wealth; I actively conspired to frame loyal officials and brave generals, causing countless civilians to suffer.

To me, the life and death of the civilians were nothing more than statistics in my performance reports. Greed and tyranny had become my standard way of operating. One year, natural disasters were frequent, and the people had no harvest, yet I still demanded heavy taxes from them.

There was a poor civilian named Zhang Cheng whose young son had starved to death. His wife, clutching their last bit of grain, knelt and begged me for mercy. I merely sneered and ordered my bailiffs to drive them away. In his utter despair, Zhang Cheng hanged himself outside the government office, and his wife and infant child soon perished as well. The vengeful spirits of the Zhang family would not disperse; they departed this world filled with hatred."

The Haunting of a Guilty Conscience

"Though I appeared prosperous on the surface, my heart was constantly restless. I began to dream of countless weeping voices and vengeful spirits every night. In my dreams, the Zhang family always stood before my bed, covered in blood, accusing me of my evil deeds. I could never sleep peacefully.

I gradually became irritable and prone to outbursts of rage. I even began to suspect my own subordinates and confidants, fearing that someone was plotting against me. I tried to seek help from Taoist priests to suppress the spirits, but no matter how many high masters I invited to perform rituals, the vengeful spirits remained, clinging to me. I could even hear their wailing in broad daylight.

I began to fear the shadows. Even when entering my study, I had to light dozens of lanterns just to feel a modicum of safety. However, retribution eventually arrived. In the end, I died suddenly amidst terror and hallucinations. My soul plummeted into darkness, unable to break free, drifting toward the abyss of samsara."

The Burden of the Ox

"Because my negative karma was so heavy, I was not reborn in the human world. Instead, I fell into the animal realm, reincarnated as a plough ox. I was born into a farming family, and from a young age, I was fitted with a heavy yoke. I laboured day and night, exposed to the wind and rain, never allowed a moment to catch my breath.

The farmer was cruel by nature. If I did not perform to his satisfaction, he would whip and kick me. My body was covered in scars, and many of my bones were dislocated, yet I still had to drag my exhausted body, pulling the heavy plough. The physical pain was nothing compared to the torment of my heart, for my consciousness vaguely knew that I was enduring the fruits of my past life's actions.

I often dreamed at night that I was once an official. Fragments of my past life would surface, but upon waking, I remained a slave-ox. I gradually realised that this was the result of my past karma, yet at that moment, I could not escape; I could only endure it in silence."

A Moment of Awakening

"As the years passed, my body grew weaker, and my legs could no longer support the heavy plough. I had witnessed the other oxen I worked with collapse one by one, only to be sold to the slaughterhouse by our master. The fear in my heart grew with every passing moment. When the farmer no longer had use for me, I was sent to the market and sold to the slaughterhouse for a pittance.

In the slaughterhouse, I witnessed the fate of countless companions with my own eyes. Watching those fallen oxen, a powerful sense of remorse arose in my heart. I began to understand that all the suffering I endured was the very pain I had once inflicted upon the civilians; I was now repaying my karmic debts. Finally, as the butcher's knife was raised, my consciousness suddenly flashed back to my past life. I remembered how I had treated the people.

In that instant, I understood everything, filled with both remorse and regret. Just then, the sound of a monk chanting the Sutras drifted from afar. My spirit was shaken, and I let out a faint sound: 'If there is a future life, I wish to wash away my sins, return to the human world, and do Good to benefit the world.' This single thought of repenting allowed me, after exhausting the karma of the animal realm, to finally be reborn in the human world. I saw a light shine upon me, and with great speed, I returned to the human world."

A Life of Seeking and Service

"I was born into a poor family and named Wang Jinlong. From childhood, I was sickly and had an inexplicable fear of farmland and plough oxen. I often dreamed of being abused. I frequently felt a strange pain, as if I had once experienced extreme torture, though I could not explain the source of this fear. One day, I met an old monk at a temple. He said to me, 'You once fell into the animal realm due to negative karma and endured cruel torment. Now that you have returned to the human world, you must cherish this life, do Good, and accumulate virtue. Only then can you find liberation.'

At that moment, my heart felt as if it had been illuminated. I gradually understood that everything I had experienced was caused by my own karma. It was as if a fog had lifted. I began to understand the need to perform good deeds and give alms, accumulating merit to dedicate to the many karmic debts I had incurred. I also made a vow to follow a master to practice, to come into contact with the Buddha’s teachings, to chant the Buddha-name, and to learn the laws of karma and cause and effect. As I accumulated good karma, my nightmares gradually vanished, and my heart became increasingly stable.

However, I still had questions: why did the negative karma of my past life still affect my present? To seek a deeper method of liberation, I began to visit eminent monks everywhere, learning the deeper aspects of the Buddha’s teachings. I travelled to famous mountains and ancient temples, debating with high masters and practicing meditative concentration. Gradually, I grasped the way karma operates and how it can be transformed.

After decades of practice, I finally realised: past negative karma is like a shadow; it is not a punishment, but a reminder of how to walk the path of Goodness. I understood that only by truly letting go of the past and vowing to do Good can one truly resolve karmic retribution. In my later years, I was ordained as a monk, focusing on spreading Dharma and saving beings, using my own experience to warn the world that the laws of karma and cause and effect are never mistaken, and that reincarnation is real. I travelled far and wide, telling people of my awakening through reincarnation, allowing more to understand the truth that good and evil have their rewards.

Finally, I sat in meditation in the Dharma hall, slowly pressed my palms together, and with a serene expression, I departed this world."

The Final Opportunity

"Suddenly, a light flashed, and my spirit arrived in the Hall of the Yama King. The Yama King told me that this time, I would be given an opportunity to serve, and if I could grasp it actively, I might have a better destination in the future. I took the Yama King's words to heart and felt sincere gratitude.

For so many years, I have been active and diligent, fulfilling my duties and striving to serve more sentient beings, because I know this is my blessing—only through this can I have such an opportunity to accumulate merit. Until recently, I finally saw my tremendous blessing manifest: I heard the sound of Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. For me, this was a tremendous opportunity for change, because I understood the meaning of 'liberation.' I finally understood that I should be seeking liberation and leaving suffering behind.

I am so grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su, which allowed me to have this opportunity to awaken and to have the chance to seek liberation and be reborn in the Western Pure Land. I am very thankful that today I can be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. On behalf of all the prison guards and all sentient beings with karmic affinity, I bow in gratitude for the Buddha's grace and the grace of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

Wang Jinlong, with palms pressed together.