The following was first posted on webelieveinsecondchances blog.
Yong Vui Kong is a death row inmate in Singapore. He was arrested at age 19 with 47.27g of heroin, convicted of trafficking and sentenced under the Mandatory Death Penalty. His final appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal on 4 April 2011. He can now only plead for clemency from the President (acting on the advice of the Cabinet).
If the President does not grant clemency to Vui Kong, these will be the last 12 letters he will ever write.
The following is the third letter:
第三章 :《改过的心》
野田：
我在这儿想说个小故事。
我在这里替一个人担心，而且担心了很久。
这个人的本性是好的。但在长大过程学坏了，而且很坏。他不孝顺父母，又学人玩（吸）毒品，又小气，容易发脾气，又傲慢，粗鲁，吝啬，又不会想别人的感受，因为他很自私也和自大。。。
但这个人现在想改过所有一切不好的习惯，不好的恶行为。他真的有心改过。
我就用一个比喻来说他改过的决心有多大。
比喻一个人在森林里看到了一棵长满苹果的大树，他贪心采来吃，因为自己不知道水果树有毒结果就中毒了。这个人很后悔自己吃了这个毒果，当下的那一刻，那一颗后悔的心是出自于第一的真心，对吗？
野田，如果你知道这个人中毒了，同时你又知道怎样医好他的毒，那么你会不会医呢？
这个人他现在有三十左右，没有家，没有车，没有钱，没有自由，没有家人，没有儿女，没有朋友，没有多少件衣服，没有见识，没有学问，没有正确的思想，没有出过外国见过世面，没有爸妈的关心，没有兄弟姐妹的疼爱。这一个人就是什么都没有。但是他还有一个小小的希望。。。希望家人社会原谅他让他重生。
我以前很坏，常常跟家人吵架，每天的生活没有目的，只想赚钱过好日子。我也想妈妈过得好。我贪心，中了毒。我向地藏王菩萨忏悔，我知道有100多千人签名原谅我，很感恩！我的生命是从读佛开始的。以前我没有真正的活过。
“自毁自身千古恨，不能孝亲无人管，造诸因缘皆有报，自造自业还自受”，造下任何因，就得什么果；一个人犯错了就是犯错了，一定要受到法律的制裁，这是一个不变的定律。在这个时候，能医好他的毒，就只有真心诚意向地藏王菩萨忏悔。
在这里，所有的人都中了毒。如果我可以，我要帮他们医毒。
说回我和毒品。
毒品，对我而言即是遥远，也很靠近；我知道哥哥运良在他写给总统要求宽赦我的信件里，提到关于我与毒品的事情。
当时，我真的无知的认为“被捉也罪不至死”，所以就把“礼物”送进了法治国 – 新加坡。这都得怪自己。
这两年来，多亏我的律师，对我说了有关毒品的法律这东西，我才知道它的严重性。我正在努力的学习英语，好让我可以读明白律师的陈词，了解多一点有关的法律。也多谢监狱局给我一本字典。
有很多青少年，因为毒品交易能够换来很大的金钱，所以妄自菲薄的去运毒！对，当下大家可能好像我这样，因为可以换来很多的金钱，所以就做了。
很多时候我们的脑袋是无知幼稚的，却没想到当你放手下去运毒的话，你换来的不只是一大笔的金钱，也因为送进监牢后，换来母亲的悲痛、家人的担心、社会的唾弃、国家的责备、甚至是全世界的放弃。
这情况，和我一样，我已经是个很活生生的例子。
在这里，我忏悔。还好，还来得及。还好，妈妈见到了我改过的一面。还好，家人都不用担心我了。
人之初，性本善；学好三年，学坏三天；该过自新，远比很多事情来得珍贵。
好了，就写到这里。这些信的刊登，让我对教育这一块更有信心，更想要继续的分享下去；我笑叹自己能够当上教育工作者，我还真的不知道是何年何月修来的福分呀。
感恩，阿弥陀佛。
伟光
1/5/2011
English translation:
The Third Letter – A Changed Heart
Yetian:
I would like to tell you a story.
I have been worrying about someone for quite a long time.
This person has a good nature. But when he was growing up he was led astray. He did not respect his parents and followed others to get involved with drugs. He was petty, bad-tempered, proud, vulgar and self-centred. He was very selfish and proud.
But this person has now changed all his bad habits, all his bad acts. He is sincere about changing.
I will use an example to prove how he is determined to change.
A person in the forest saw a big fruit tree, and was tempted to eat the fruit. He did not know that the fruit was poisonous, and was then poisoned. This person greatly regretted eating the poisoned fruit, and in that moment, that regretful heart would be his first sincere emotion, right?
Yetian, if you knew this person had been poisoned, and at the same time, knew how to cure him, would you cure him?
This person is now about 30, with no home, no car, no freedom, no family, no kids, no friends, not many clothes, no experience, no education, no correct way of thinking, no chance to leave his country and no love from his parents and siblings. This person does not have anything. But he has a small hope… that his family and society will forgive him, and let him change his life.
I used to be bad, and would always quarrel with people. I had no aim in life and only wanted to earn money to live a good life. I also wanted my mother to live well. I was greedy, and was thus poisoned. I have repented before the Buddha, and I heard that over 100,000 people have signed the petition to forgive me. I am very grateful. My life began when I started learning Buddhist philosophy. Before that I was not really living.
If a person has made a mistake, he must then suffer the consequences under the law. I understand that. So, if he wants to be cured of the poison, he can only repent to the Buddha.
In here, every person has been poisoned. If I could, I would like to help cure them all.
Let me go back to the topic of drugs and I.
For me, drug is something far way from me, yet it changed my life. I know that when my brother Yun Leong wrote to the President to ask for clemency, he mentioned my involvement with drugs.
At that time I was ignorant and really believed, “Even if I get caught I won’t die.” So I delivered these “gifts” into a law-abiding country – Singapore. I only have myself to blame.
Over these two years, thanks to my lawyer who explained to me the law in relation to drugs, I have finally understood how serious this is. I am now studying English, so I can better understand the lawyer’s submissions, and also the relevant law. I thank the prison department for giving me a dictionary.
There are many young people who are willing to deliver drugs because drugs can earn you a lot of money. They are like how I was; because I could get a lot of money, I agreed to do this.
At the time our minds are ignorant and naive. We did not realise that when you deliver drugs, you will not get money in exchange. When you get sent to prison, what you get in exchange is a mother’s heartache, a family’s worry, society’s judgement, the punishment from a government, and the world giving up on you.
This situation is the same as what I am in. I am a real life example.
In here, I am deeply repentant. Luckily, it is not too late. Luckily, my mother has seen the new me. Luckily, my family does not have to worry about me anymore.
It takes three years to learn to be good, but three days to be bad. Turning over a new leaf is more precious than anything.
All right, I will stop here. In writing these letters, I have grown more confident in my teachings, and I hope I can continue to share them. I laugh at myself for thinking that I can indeed be an educator, it must have taken a lot of “blessing” from others for me to do that.
Thank you. Amitabha.
Vui Kong
1/5/2011
