The Redemption of Liu Sanbo: From Jailer to Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Liu Sanbo, a former jailer 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 life as a jailer and his many lifetimes of karmic retribution. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on October 27, 2024.

Jailer Liu Sanbo speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today, on this momentous day, I feel truly overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude. I have waited for this day for a very long time. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. I am especially grateful to Namo Amituofo and to Practitioner Su.

I, Liu Sanbo, represent all the jailers and sentient beings with karmic affinity in expressing my deepest gratitude for the grace of the Buddha and the grace of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo."

A Life of Luxury and Sudden Ruin

"In my past, I was born into a wealthy family. My parents doted on me and provided me with the finest life imaginable. They met every material need I had, and from childhood through my youth, I hardly encountered any difficulties or challenges.

Our home life was incredibly luxurious. Every day, there were gourmet delicacies, and servants attended to my every need. My parents not only provided material abundance but also ensured I received the best education, allowing me to mingle with the social elite. My life was filled with all manner of entertainment and extravagant pleasures.

From a young age, I lived a life free of worry, enjoying material wealth and the company of friends. I believed this was all there was to life. I felt no need to worry about what tomorrow might bring, as I was convinced that everything would continue to proceed smoothly."

The Nightmare of Vengeance

"Unexpectedly, the turning point of my fate arrived quite suddenly. When I was twenty years old, the family business went bankrupt due to a failed investment. This sudden blow completely transformed my life. Overnight, we went from being wealthy to being destitute; all our riches and status vanished without a trace. Once I learned of our bankruptcy, the friends who had once accompanied me all left, one after another, and never contacted me again.

My parents could not withstand such a blow and passed away from illness one after the other, leaving me alone to face this heartless world. To go from having everything to having nothing—such a drastic change caught me completely unprepared. My heart was filled with anxiety and fear, and I did not know how to continue on the path of life.

After losing everything, I became lonely and fragile. At that time, I was like a lost lamb, without support, and I lost all faith in life. I tried to find work, but because I had spent my life immersed in luxury without any practical skills, every job application ended in failure.

Hunger and poverty caused me great pain. With nowhere to go, I wandered the streets of the city, witnessing the coldness of society and the shallowness of human relationships. These experiences caused me to despair of the world, and my heart became filled with resentment and unwillingness to accept my fate.

Having lost my family and wealth, I fell into endless despair, unable to accept this sudden change. I began to use alcohol and gambling to numb myself, hoping to forget the cruelty of reality. Every night, I would lose everything at the gambling table, then go to drink, using intoxication to fill the emptiness and pain in my heart. Day after day, I lived this life, not knowing where I was heading.

As the darkness within my heart continued to expand, I even began to collude with the underworld, becoming one of them, helping them collect debts and extort money. They taught me to use violence to control others, and because of this, I became immersed in the illusion of power, as if I had found a small measure of the dignity and status I had lost.

Once, I went to collect a debt for a gang leader, facing an elderly couple. They were unable to repay the debt and begged me to spare them. But at that time, I only wanted to display my power. I ignored their pleas, forcibly seized their belongings, and even accidentally pushed the old man to the ground. The old man died from his injuries, and this scene became the nightmare of my life, causing me to wake up in terror from nightmares countless times in the night.

I saw the look of pain on the old man's face, and those helpless eyes pierced into my heart like nails. This guilt and fear began to entangle me, leaving me unable to sleep or find peace, until the moment of my death."

A Beast of Burden: Paying the Debt

"After I died, I arrived in the underworld. King Yama said to me, 'You created negative karma in the world, and today you must receive retribution.' Consequently, I was sentenced to be reincarnated as a cow to repay the sins of my past.

I was reincarnated as a plow ox, laboring in the fields day after day. I was assigned to those whom I had once harassed, extorted, and harmed. My masters were the very people I had harmed in my previous life, and they treated me with resentment and pain. They used me as an object upon which to vent their anger.

My masters were merciless. Whenever I slacked off even slightly, the whip would fall upon my back without hesitation. Under the scorching sun, I plowed the fields, drenched in sweat, and the whip marks on my body never healed. These pains made me realise that the violence and coldness I had once inflicted upon others had now returned to me in full measure.

One day, my master assigned me to plow a treacherous field. I was already exhausted, but he still forced me to continue working. Eventually, I collapsed from physical exhaustion and could no longer stand up. In that moment of pain, I finally understood that this was the karmic retribution for the pain I had inflicted upon others; all the violence, coldness, and heartlessness had now returned to me.

In countless cycles of rebirth, I continued to repay my sins in the form of a plow ox. Each death was followed by a new reincarnation, and the new masters were still people I had once harmed; they took turns seeking revenge against me. They treated me with anger and resentment, and I could only endure it silently. It was a torture from which there was no escape. In the fields, I helplessly closed my eyes, ending one life after another. These experiences made me deeply realise the pain I had caused others and made me begin to understand that all actions will eventually reflect back upon oneself, and no matter what, one cannot escape the laws of karma and cause and effect."

The Awakening of a Soul

"After experiencing the torture of being a plow ox countless times, I finally ended my fate as a plow ox in one lifetime and was able to reincarnate as a human once again. I was reborn with the name Liu Sanbo.

This time, my heart was already deeply affected by the suffering of the past. Invisibly, I felt a power pulling me, preventing me from falling back into the evil deeds of the past. I was born into an ordinary farming family; my parents were hardworking and honest, and although our family was not wealthy, it was filled with warmth and love. My parents taught me to be diligent and honest, and although life was difficult, they always maintained hope for the future. Their teachings and love gave me a kind heart in this lifetime, a heart deeply influenced by past experiences, which made me innately sensitive to pain.

This power caused me to feel inexplicable fear and anxiety whenever I made a wrong decision. Whenever I tried to achieve certain goals through deception or violence, images of my past memories as a plow ox would suddenly appear in my mind—the endless whipping, the exhaustion under the scorching sun, and those moments when I nearly collapsed from pain.

These memories stung me deeply, as if reminding me how heavy the retribution for past evil deeds was. This fear caused me to stop my wrong actions time and again and begin to reflect upon myself. Once, on the road, I saw an old ox working hard in the field, its back covered in whip marks, its body thin and weak. I suddenly felt an inexplicable ache, and tears flowed down uncontrollably. I felt as if I were seeing my past self, working in those endless fields, day after day, enduring pain and torture. In that moment, I could no longer remain indifferent. I walked up to the farmer, asked him to treat the old ox kindly, and offered to buy some feed for it. Although the farmer found my actions strange, he eventually agreed.

From that day on, I began to resolve to do Goodness and determined to change my ways. I no longer indulged in the pursuit of material things and power, but began to use my heart to help others. I joined a grassroots organisation, striving to help those in need, whether they were impoverished families or injured animals. I paid special attention to those livestock that were being abused, because I knew their pain deeply and knew it was a torture beyond words."

Service in the Underworld and Final Deliverance

"Through countless cycles of rebirth and torture, my spirit gradually awakened, and I began to understand that all pain stems from one's own greed and attachment. Eventually, I arrived before the Hall of King Yama once again. Seeing my practice and repentance over many lifetimes, King Yama decided to give me an opportunity to serve as a jailer in the underworld, to serve other suffering spirits and accumulate merit. I knew deeply that this was a chance for rebirth, so I wholeheartedly helped those spirits who were suffering just as I had.

As a jailer, my work was to watch over those spirits, to guide them, and to lead them to recognise their past mistakes and learn to change themselves. In this process, I deeply realised the Truth of karmic retribution and felt the inner peace that comes from helping others. I saw spirits who had committed grave sins, filled with the same resentment and confusion I once had. They suffered in the underworld, constantly repeating the mistakes of their past lives, unable to find a way to liberation. I used my own experiences to tell them that all pain is caused by oneself, and only by repenting from the depths of one's heart can one find true liberation.

I am very grateful for all these life experiences, because I have truly grown and changed. Recently, I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, and I was very moved, because my heart knew that this is truly a beacon of light to save the world, and an opportunity for liberation after many lifetimes of reincarnation. I listened to the Dharma talks very earnestly and diligently practised changing myself, and finally, today, I have the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I am especially happy and moved. I will continue to practise diligently and hope that in the future I can help more people. I, Liu Sanbo, represent all the jailers and sentient beings with karmic affinity in expressing my deepest gratitude for the grace of the Buddha and the grace of Practitioner Su. Namo Amituofo.

Liu Sanbo, with palms joined."