The Teacher Who Became a Guardian

This is a record of an interview with Tang Ruide, 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 during the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Recorded by Venerable Haize on January 9, 2020.

Venerable Haize speaks:

I am respectfully inviting Tang Ruide, a representative of the sixty prison guards who were delivered to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss during today's Thrice Yearning Ceremony, to accept this interview.

Tang Ruide speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I, Tang Ruide, along with the sixty prison guards, offer our most profound gratitude to Namo Amituofo, Practitioner Su, and everyone present with three kowtows." (The sixty prison guards perform three kowtows together.)

A Life of Scholarly Pursuit

"I was born during the final years of the Qing Dynasty, and my later years unfolded during the early Republic of China. As you can imagine, it was a period of immense turmoil. Because my grandfather was a government official, my father followed the same path. It was not an easy time to be a public servant; government decrees changed from morning to evening, and the people lived in constant instability. Our nation was beset by internal strife and external threats. Although our family did not lack for food or clothing, my grandfather, my father, and their colleagues would often gather at our home to discuss the state of the nation and seek solutions. We children understood that the political arena was a difficult place, so while we studied the classics diligently, we all eventually distanced ourselves from official life. I, in particular, cherished my freedom. Seeing the adults return home every day with furrowed brows and heavy hearts, I felt powerless to change the course of the nation. Instead, I found solace in poetry and literature, memorising and studying the Four Books and Five Classics. My name actually has a slightly Western flair, as many foreigners were visiting our home when I was born, and they helped my mother choose it."

From the Mainland to Taiwan

"After the Qing Dynasty was overthrown, my entire family returned to our ancestral hometown, which was safer than the cities. We enjoyed a period of quiet life. However, my grandfather and father knew that the chaos had not truly ended. They arranged for the children to marry where possible and divided the family assets among us. Because I disliked being constrained, I never married. When a friend of my father’s decided to travel to Taiwan, he was entrusted with taking me along. Although I felt a deep ache at leaving my parents and my homeland, I obeyed my father’s wishes. After navigating many checkpoints with my father’s friend, I finally set foot on the soil of Taiwan.

At that time, Taiwan was more stable than my hometown. After passing a simple interview and examination, I secured a teaching position. From then on, my life was intertwined with my students. I taught from primary school through to junior high and eventually high school. I became a high school Chinese teacher, a role that suited me perfectly. With my deep foundation in classical Chinese, I passed every promotion test with ease."

The Teacher's Legacy

"Living the life of a civil servant provided stability. With my salary, I chose to sponsor three students who had been accepted into junior high but whose families could not afford their education. I wanted to ensure these children could study without worry and eventually reach high school. In the social environment of that time, being able to enter high school meant a student was academically gifted, with the primary goal being admission to an ideal university. Fortunately, all three students cherished this opportunity. They strove for excellence, were admitted to public universities, and earned scholarships; one of them was even sent to study in Japan on a government-sponsored program. By then, I was sixty years old, and I felt deeply loved and respected by my students.

After I retired, I felt a sudden, sharp pain one night. My spirit was pulled out of my body, and two ancient-looking officials escorted me before the King of the Seventh Hall of the underworld. There, I encountered the parents of one of the students I had sponsored. They thanked me for my kindness in nurturing their child, and they bowed to me three times. I hurriedly asked them to rise. Their child had been a diligent and proactive student—a truly good person. Because they did not have enough blessings to remain in the human world, and I still had some to spare, with the King’s permission, I transferred some of my own blessings to them. This allowed them to be reborn into the human world. Although they would live in poverty, they would at least be human, not spirits in the ghost realm. As for me, I accepted the position of a prison guard assigned by the King, while also taking on clerical duties. The work was incredibly busy."

A Final Deliverance

"I also learned that those three students had been my karmic creditors in the past, and my act of sponsoring their education in this life was a way of repaying that debt. One day, I received notice that I was on the list for Practitioner Su’s deliverance to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. My heart was filled with immense gratitude. I waited for three years, and today, I have finally fulfilled my wish to enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss with everyone. I am so grateful for the compassion of the Buddha, grateful to Practitioner Su, and grateful to all of you.

All of us prison guards know that to be included on this list, one must accumulate merit and possess sufficient blessings. Therefore, we all worked diligently, performing our duties as guards to the best of our ability, viewing the chance to be on this list as the greatest honour. We all understood that once we were sent to the West, we would be forever liberated from the six realms of rebirth and would no longer suffer the agonies of the hells."

"Tang Ruide and the sixty prison guards bow in gratitude for the Buddha’s grace. Namo Amituofo."