Buddhism has never been short of stories involving the supernatural. To many modern people, such accounts are dismissed as products of imagination. We have been taught to trust only what can be observed and measured through our physical senses. In that view, ghosts, devas, and heavenly or hellish realms are regarded as superstition, while the stories of hungry ghosts and hell are reduced to metaphors created to teach simple people in ancient times.

But perhaps we should be a little more humble.

Can any of us honestly claim that humanity has reached the pinnacle of scientific knowledge? Even today, scientists continue to discover new particles, new worlds, and new mysteries about the universe and consciousness itself.

Perhaps these unseen realms do exist. Perhaps our instruments and understanding have simply not advanced far enough to perceive them.

With that in mind, I would like to share the following story—not as something that must be believed blindly, but as something worthy of contemplation.

The Woman Who Returned from Hell to Repay Her Karmic Debts

When people think of Wat Amphawan in Sing Buri Province, Thailand, they often think of its peaceful meditation retreat and the countless meditation huts scattered throughout the temple grounds. Few, however, know the extraordinary story behind the very first of those huts—a story that Luang Phor Jaran Thitathammo himself often recounted as a powerful lesson on karma, repentance, and the transformative power of merit.

A Temple Without Meditation Huts

When Luang Phor Jaran first became abbot of Wat Amphawan, the temple did not have a single meditation hut. Yet an unusual event involving a certain woman would eventually inspire the construction of the first hut and, over time, lead to the development of one of Thailand’s most renowned meditation centres.

At the heart of the story was a woman named Nang Sa-ing.

Nang Sa-ing: A Woman Burdened by Heavy Karma

Nang Sa-ing was the wife of a devout layman named Mr. Pun. He regularly chanted, made offerings, and faithfully observed Buddhist practices. His wife, however, was the complete opposite.

Although she lived comfortably and lacked nothing, she had a habit of stealing.

On one occasion, she stole gold during an ordination ceremony and falsely accused a poor relative of the theft, causing the innocent person to be beaten. During harvest seasons, she would secretly instruct her workers to steal crops from neighbouring fields.

Throughout their marriage, Mr. Pun remained entirely unaware of the grave misdeeds his wife had committed.

Death in the Rice Field

One day, while pregnant, Nang Sa-ing suddenly died in the middle of a rice field together with her unborn child.

According to the account, she was reborn in a hell realm, where she had to endure the consequences of her theft, deception, and the suffering she had caused others.

Yet even there, she said, opportunities existed to hear the Dhamma. On holy days, beings in that realm could listen to teachings, chant, and receive instruction from Phra Malai, the Thai manifestation of the Bodhisatta Ksitigarbha, renowned for his compassion toward suffering beings.

Filled with remorse, Nang Sa-ing devoted herself to prayer and meditation whenever the opportunity arose.

The Power of Dedicated Merit

Back in the human world, Mr. Pun did not know where his wife had been reborn. Nevertheless, out of love and compassion, he continually performed wholesome deeds and dedicated the merit to her.

He built a sand pagoda mixed with unhusked rice, donated their bridal house to the temple to be used as a monk’s dwelling, and eventually ordained as a monk himself, dedicating all his merits to his deceased wife.

According to the story, each act of merit gradually lightened Nang Sa-ing’s suffering. Although she still had to bear the consequences of her actions, her punishment was slowly eased.

Bodhi-Bowl Reflection: The Power of Sharing Merits

The dedication of merit is one of the most beautiful and profound practices in Buddhism.

First, we recognise that our wholesome actions carry karmic value. Then, instead of clinging to that goodness as “my merit,” we consciously share it with others—our departed loved ones, suffering beings, and all sentient life.

Over time, this simple practice transforms us. It encourages us to perform more good deeds, cultivates generosity of heart, and reminds us that our lives become truly meaningful when our goodness extends beyond ourselves.

Whether or not one believes that merit literally reaches departed beings, the act of dedicating merit certainly changes the one who gives it. It softens the heart and trains us to think beyond our own happiness.

A Chance to Return

After serving most of her karmic sentence, she was granted an opportunity to be reborn as a human being for 20 years.

However, there were conditions.

She had to observe the Five Precepts diligently, keep the Uposatha precepts on every holy day, chant and meditate regularly, and build a meditation hut for the Buddhist religion using a specifically determined amount of money.

Should she fail to fulfil these vows, she would have to return and face the remainder of her karmic consequences.

Bodhi-Bowl Reflection: A Second Chance in Samsara

In Buddhist communities, we often praise someone who naturally inclines towards the Dhamma by saying, “He must have been a great practitioner in his previous life.”

I have received such compliments myself, and if I am honest, they can easily inflate the ego.

Yet this story offers another possibility.

Perhaps some of us are drawn to the Dhamma not because we were saints in a previous life, but because we are being given a second chance.

Perhaps we have made mistakes before. Perhaps we have caused suffering in ways we no longer remember. Perhaps our love for the Dhamma is our opportunity to do better, to cultivate wisdom and compassion, and to avoid repeating old patterns.

Contemplating in this way can be deeply humbling.

Instead of thinking, “I must have been someone special in a previous life,” we may instead reflect:

“I am fortunate to have encountered the Dhamma again. May I use this opportunity wisely.”

Such a reflection deflates pride and nurtures gratitude.

The Girl Who Remembered Her Past Life

The child who was reborn under these conditions began speaking about her previous life when she was around eleven years old. She claimed that she had once been Nang Sa-ing and recounted incidents from her former life in remarkable detail, and even revealed the location where she had hidden the gold she stole many years earlier.

At first, no one believed her.

But when the villagers dug at the very spot she had indicated, they discovered the buried gold exactly where she said it would be.

The discovery left many astonished and convinced Mr. Pun that this girl might indeed be his former wife.

The First Meditation Hut

Later, the young girl, together with her family and Mr. Pun, came to Wat Amphawan.

They donated money to build what would become the temple’s very first meditation hut.

Luang Phor Jaran noted that the amount of money used for its construction matched precisely the sum that had been stipulated—neither a single baht more nor less.

After fulfilling her vow, the young woman continued to observe the precepts, make merit, and care for the elderly and paralysed Mr. Pun with deep gratitude and devotion.

A Peaceful Departure

When she reached the age of twenty, she prepared food offerings for the temple and made merit as she normally did.

Shortly afterwards, she suddenly collapsed and passed away peacefully.

Her death occurred exactly at the age she had previously spoken of, perfectly coinciding with the period she was said to have been granted in her rebirth.

For Luang Phor Jaran, this extraordinary event reinforced his faith in the law of karma and highlighted the immense value of creating places where people can practise the Dhamma.

Bodhi-Bowl Reflection: When Good People Die Young

This is an extraordinary story of a girl who remembered her previous life, foresaw the circumstances of her death, and spent her short human life fulfilling a wholesome purpose.

She was naturally devoted to Buddhism, morally upright, and remarkably mature from a young age.

Had she not remembered her past life, many people would probably have asked:

“Why would such a good girl die so young? Isn’t life unfair?”

Buddhism offers us a broader perspective.

The many lives we have wandered through in samsara are like chapters in a very long story. This present life is important, but it is not the only chapter.

From this perspective, even virtuous people may experience what appears to be an unfair fate—an early death, a sudden illness, or an unexpected accident. Without understanding the workings of karma across many lifetimes, we may easily conclude that life is unjust.

The story of Nang Sa-ing invites us to suspend our quick judgments.

Not everything can be understood by looking at a single lifetime.

Sometimes what appears unfair is simply a continuation of causes and conditions that extend far beyond what our present eyes can see.

This understanding is not meant to make us fatalistic. Rather, it encourages compassion and humility. We do not know the full karmic story of others, nor even of ourselves.

Therefore, instead of asking, “Why is this happening?” perhaps the wiser question is:

“Given the conditions before me, how can I respond with wisdom, compassion, and goodness?”

Karma Is Inescapable, Yet Merit Can Bring Relief

Luang Phor Jaran did not tell this story merely to frighten people with tales of hell.

Rather, he wished to remind us that our actions inevitably bear fruit. Good and bad deeds alike leave their imprint upon our lives.

At the same time, the story illustrates another important truth: acts of generosity, keeping the precepts, practising meditation, and dedicating merit to others can provide genuine support to departed beings and help soften the weight of past unwholesome karma.

Whether one accepts this account literally or sees it as a moral teaching, its message remains profound: our actions matter, repentance is possible, and even those who have fallen deeply into wrongdoing can still choose a path of transformation and goodness.

— Adapted from the teachings of Luang Phor Jaran Thitathammo, Wat Amphawan, Sing Buri Province.