An Interview with Guo Yonghuai (Renowned Chinese Aerodynamicist and Applied Mathematician)

Brief Introduction: Guo Yonghuai proposed the famous 'PLK method' in academia, laying an important foundation for modern aerodynamics and singular perturbation theory. Among the recipients of China's 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' Meritorious Medal, he was the only scientist to make significant contributions in all three fields: atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and artificial satellites. When he encountered a plane crash in 1968, he heroically sacrificed himself at the final moment by using his body to tightly embrace and protect top-secret nuclear test data, becoming the only legendary hero among these national treasures to be awarded the title of 'Martyr'.

Interviewer: Fa Ning

July 27, 2026

Guo Yonghuai:

Namo Amituofo. I am grateful for the compassionate guidance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, which has given me the opportunity to share my heart here. I am deeply honoured to accept this interview from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia.

This has not come easily! I have been away from the human world for over fifty years.

I have been in the Buddha-land—the Western Land of Dharma Nature—for a few weeks, and I never expected that so many familiar comrades-in-arms would be here to welcome me. After me, many more Chinese scientists and all the comrades who worked on the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' project have gathered here, and I feel very comforted. I truly did not expect that the Buddha-land would have such vast space, and that it could accommodate those of us who once left our footprints on the land of China. Regardless of what industry we were in or which field we came from, Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su have opened their hearts with such compassion to welcome our arrival, giving us a chance for rebirth.

Many of us came from the suffering hells, and some were trapped in the space of that time, unable to leave. Under the compassionate salvation of the Buddha or Bodhisattva, they helped us open the space of that time and brought us to this place, allowing us to learn true Buddhist education.

Everything we scientists researched during our lifetimes was, on one hand, for the sake of national construction and security, hoping that our lifelong academic and technical abilities and experience could bring peaceful and stable development to the country. On the other hand, we were also satisfying our own curiosity—the curiosity and exploration of the scientific field, which is a hope held in the heart of every scientist, and I am no exception.

It is just a pity that my life ended with me falling into the hells, which greatly surprised me. I never felt that I had done anything bad; throughout my life, I was diligent and conscientious for the country. In every matter, I was law-abiding and devoted my best efforts to the construction and development of the country. In that era, we scientists were generally patriots. I also hoped to dedicate my lifelong experience to the country, so I gave up my comfortable life in the United States to return to China, hoping that, like my fellow students, I could have good development and research in China to repay the people of my motherland.

My name is Guo Yonghuai, and I am someone who was still thinking about our aerospace industry even as I reached the end of my life.

In the Buddha’s teachings, it is often said that one's thoughts before death have a great deal to do with where one goes after death. I think perhaps this is the reason why I fell into the hells.

I died in a plane crash and left the human world; my state at death could be said to be quite tragic. Before I died, I did not forget the responsibility the country had entrusted to me. At that time, I was rushing to catch a flight to bring back very important data I had been researching to Beijing. I never expected that this flight would be my final farewell to the human world.

At the moment of death, I was still tightly clutching the folder containing the state secret documents. To protect it, I met my end together with a comrade beside me. We held each other tightly, using our bodies to protect the folder. At the moment of the plane crash, we lost consciousness and never woke up again.

When my life reached its end, I carried a sense of resentment and anger. I was very unwilling; I knew I was going to die, and this had become a foregone conclusion when the plane malfunctioned, as everyone knew. I kept thinking about the many things I still had to do, the careers I had to develop, and the hope of seeing the day when the people of the motherland truly built their confidence, while also worrying about my family. These various thoughts made me full of reluctance at the moment of death, and in a single thought of anger, I went to the hells to receive retribution.

Everything happened very suddenly, and I suffered in the hells for over fifty years. To speak of it, it was truly too bitter and too painful. My heart was constantly churned, and after the pain caused me to lose consciousness, I would wake up again and suffer the same pain once more. In the hells, I also once had thoughts of reluctance, wondering why I had fallen into the hells. During my life, my heart did not think of bad things, nor did I do bad things. Only now do I understand that my thoughts before death were in sync with the hells, and at the same time, they awakened many karmic creditors within my body. After they were shaken awake by my intense emotions, they took advantage of that moment of anger to bring me directly into the hells to receive retribution.

Now that I have arrived in this beautiful Buddha-land, the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I no longer have too many thoughts about the past, and I know that I once made mistakes due to temporary habits, which is also because the sins I have created throughout my many lives are immeasurably deep. Everything can only be blamed on myself, not on others.

After listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma in the Western Land of Dharma Nature during this time, I have learned a lot. Only after my heart was purified could I see some fragments of what happened throughout my many lives, which made me understand once again that everything I have done must be repaid by myself.

Looking back on this life, I feel quite satisfied; I did not experience too many afflictions or suffering. This is because I spent my whole life in the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' work for the country. This was for the sake of national defence and security, and the country invested heavily to cultivate many scientists like us, hoping that we could devote ourselves to this field and bring security and protection to the people of the country.

And now, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, looking at the changes in the motherland over these decades, I am greatly astonished. It turns out that the country has changed a lot, and it is very different from when I left the human world. National security has a very strong guarantee, and everyone no longer has to live in fear as before, worrying about being invaded by other powerful nations.

Looking at it now, after I left the human world, many excellent scientists like me took over my work and continued to contribute to the country's security. It is precisely because of them that we have such good results today.

Of course, this is not just the result of our collective efforts. The country has been able to reach where it is today, having weathered many storms; there are good aspects, and there are also shortcomings, and every step has been taken with great difficulty.

I now look at the development of the country over these decades from the perspective of spirits. Whether it is technology or other aspects of development, I will be honest with everyone: has the path the country has taken over these decades truly aligned with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way as spoken of in the Buddha’s teachings? Or has it gone astray, or perhaps, is this journey actually a complex interweaving of Goodness and evil, difficult to distinguish?

I look at the people of the motherland; although their lives are better than before, and everyone has security and does not have too many economic worries, the smiles on their faces are fewer than before. People of our generation, although life was a bit more austere, could still face life with optimism. Whether doing research or living an ordinary life, everyone maintained a peaceful and joyful heart, working on the tasks at hand with great enthusiasm.

But looking at people today, I cannot help but feel a little worried. Everyone's face seems to carry a look of sorrow, as if they are constantly pondering something, with various afflictions within.

To be honest with everyone, we Chinese have made much progress in scientific and technological development. As a scientist, I feel very comforted to see this, thinking that all of this could bring security to people, and that the development of people's Body-Mind-Spirit should be moving in a better direction. Because when national security is guaranteed, it means that the people have a firm sense of security in the background. Under this sense of security, people should maintain Goodness and kind thoughts, and have a heart that wants to do things for the country, which can be placed in other fields to allow the country to achieve further substantial growth and allow people to live a more stable life.

Therefore, I think the smiles on people's faces should have increased rather than decreased; how could it be the way it is now?

I have carefully investigated in the Western Land of Dharma Nature and discovered that the people of China seem to have lost something as they have walked step by step. While the material environment has become better, especially since the reform and opening up, and after everyone's quality of life has improved significantly, I see that the suffering on people's faces is because of an extra word: 'greed'.

Now, my spiritual awareness allows me to easily see that many people have a big 'greed' written on their faces, as if a huge stone is pressing on everyone's heart. There seem to be many things they want to obtain but cannot, which is very different from our simple appearance back then.

Although I am a scientist and mathematician who studies mechanics, I am actually a person of emotion. During my lifetime, I was very good at observing everyone's joys and sorrows, and when encountering difficulties in life, I also liked to face them with a big smile. To me, whether everyone's life is good and whether the quality of life is high is something I particularly value.

Although I participated very actively in scientific research throughout my life, especially with aerospace and the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' as my main research directions, I think all this research was ultimately for the sake of the civilians, to allow people to live a stable and good life, and to allow people to find back the confident and assured smiles on their faces.

Seeing all this now, I cannot help but feel a little regret. It turns out that all the efforts we made still could not bring any help to the improvement of people's Body-Mind-Spirit; it turns out that everything we did was actually quite limited.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, having received the Buddhist education brought to us by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, I was shocked to realise that what we lacked was not a major breakthrough and development in science and technology, but that everyone's heart is in urgent need of stability, confidence, and wisdom to face everything. And everything that Buddhist education seeks, which allows people to obtain a harmonious Body-Mind-Spirit, is what the people of China are currently in urgent need of!

In the era I lived in, Buddhist education on the land of China had almost vanished. It was just that the most cruel Cultural Revolution had not yet truly erupted, so much culture was still able to be preserved. However, after the catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution, I saw that for too many people, the shadows and roots of disaster buried in their hearts were deeper than before. The reform and opening up was indeed a good time for people to increase their confidence and for the economy to develop rapidly; however, this process also hid hidden worries. While pursuing rapid development, the various anxieties and grievances in people's hearts also quietly grew.

Therefore, looking at all these scenes before me, I know deeply that I have the responsibility to proclaim this to the world. I came to the Western Land of Dharma Nature to learn Buddhist education, and although it has only been two weeks, I have already learned a lot. It can be said that in my decades in the human world, I have never seen such soul-stirring education. All the efforts I made during my lifetime were so insignificant, and everything I wanted to achieve seems not to have been achieved at all now; the people are still living the same bitter life, only this suffering has turned into suffering on different levels. Therefore, Buddhist education is very urgent now and needs a chance to be reborn on this land of China.

Yes, I, Guo Yonghuai, was once a man of science, and now Practitioner Su always says that 'Buddhist education is the science of sciences'. I think it is only natural that I should devote myself to the cause of promoting Buddhist education!

Every Chinese celebrity in the Western Land of Dharma Nature has a very consistent mission. Regardless of what industry we were in during our lifetimes or what kind of life pursuits we had, our direction is now very consistent: we hope to let China be nurtured by Buddhist education again, to let people's hearts be irrigated by Buddhist education again, to obtain growth in Body-Mind-Spirit, to completely bid farewell to the suffering of the past, and to move towards a true rebirth. I think this is the common new life and ideal for all of us. Now that I am speaking it through my mouth, it is also a matter of Causal Conditions.

Here, I have met my former teacher, as well as my close comrade-in-arms Qian Xuesen. He was sent to the Western Land of Dharma Nature a few months ago when Practitioner Su performed Chao Du for all of China using the Twelve Lights. He is truly a lucky person; living to the advanced age of over ninety, he was saved by Practitioner Su through the covering-style Chao Du across all of China, and he arrived in this Buddha-land earlier than us.

Now, I am particularly moved by everything Practitioner Su has done for Chao Du on the land of China. I think this is the most perfect embodiment of Buddhist education.

We scientists used to value seeking truth from facts, relying on data, and thinking in the most rational way. We neglected Buddhist education for many years, even labelling it as feudal superstition. Now I realise this is not the case, because as a scientist, the moment I came into contact with the Buddha's teachings, I discovered that what Practitioner Su said was absolutely correct.

The Buddha's teachings are the science of sciences. The miracles they create are difficult for all of us scientists to achieve through our collective efforts. After Practitioner Su attained the Buddha's path in a state of no-mind and no-thought, he has been performing Chao Du for immeasurable and boundless beings alongside Namo Amituofo. Everything is conducted in a state of naturalness within naturalness, which is the most perfect verification.

Everything we did in the past was to help people live a good life. But Practitioner Su, with the strength of one person, can help so many people live a truly good life. Especially for those of us who were beings in the hells, having suffered immense pain, to now be led to the Western Land of Dharma Nature—is this not a tremendous transformation and rebirth in life? This is the vastness of Buddhist education. Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su do not just stop at verbal teachings or theoretical explanations; they are truly and tangibly helping beings elevate their spiritual realm.

In the past, the reason most Chinese people could not accept Buddhist education was: the country's brainwashing made everyone reject the Buddha's teachings; furthermore, because the country was ravaged by the Japanese military and torn apart by foreign powers, with the people living in division and suffering, we experienced these most difficult times and believed that the Buddha's teachings were feudal superstition and one of the reasons our country was invaded. We did not know that the wisdom contained within them is what can truly preserve people's wisdom-life, elevate their hearts, achieve perfection in wisdom, and protect them from all disasters.

In the past, we did not understand these principles. After disasters occurred, we actually blamed it all on feudal superstition and the wisdom of our ancestors. This was a wrong path that we Chinese people once took. It is precisely because of this that we had such great interest and enthusiasm for the scientific world, thinking that by discarding these feudal superstitious ideas and turning to science, we could truly solve all the problems in people's lives.

Although our initial intention was good—we all wanted to do things for the people of our motherland—the direction was often wrong. While believing in science, we should also believe in the Buddha's teachings!

If Buddhist education could be truly implemented in China, the direction of our lives would be vastly different. Scientists continue to climb the peaks of technology, but if combined with the wisdom of the Buddha's teachings, it would certainly promote a more perfect sublimation of science. Because worldly science can only solve basic problems in the human world, it is difficult to lead everyone to a higher level and solve the problems of people's Body-Mind-Spirit and birth, aging, sickness, death.

The Buddha's teachings emphasise: not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die. All of this cannot yet be verified in scientific research, but these are indeed the facts of truth that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas see once they have realised their true nature. After they realise this realm, they use it to save immeasurable and boundless beings, and at the same time, help beings in the human world embark on the path of awakening. Because the true essence of the Buddha's teachings lies in the equality of all; everyone is a Buddha and can attain Buddhahood.

If there are Chinese people willing to make great vows and follow in the footsteps of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, walking step by step on the path to Buddhahood, it will help even more Chinese people. Today, the Buddha's teachings are entering what people call the Dharma-ending age, but in my view, Guo Yonghuai, this is the era when the True Teachings are rising.

Today, Namo Amituofo has come to the human world, residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, and is performing such extensive Chao Du in China. It shows that the Buddhist affinity on this land is slowly awakening. Everyone should seize this rare opportunity, follow closely in the footsteps of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and let Buddhist education rise again in China. Especially now, when people generally believe in science and lack Buddhist education, we must let people know: it is the Buddha who saved us scientists!

After leaving the human world, scientists suffer in different spaces, unable to rely on all the knowledge, technology, and theories they learned during their lifetimes to help themselves improve their spiritual quality and gain the opportunity to be free from birth, aging, sickness, death. All of this cannot be realised within the current limited scientific knowledge and verification, but it is only after learning about Buddhist education and receiving the help of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su that we have obtained essential spiritual liberation.

I, Guo Yonghuai, am now in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, carrying a heart of gratitude, only wanting to purify myself well and allow my spirit to be elevated. I hope that one day, like Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, I can help all beings connected by karmic affinity to leave suffering and gain happiness.

On the vast land of China, there are still many beings trapped in layers upon layers of space. Although Practitioner Su performs Chao Du again and again, sending them to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, there are still many spirits silently waiting for salvation.

This is the true face of the spiritual world. No matter what method scientists use, they cannot explore it. No matter how advanced the telescopes or microscopes people use, they cannot see the existence of these spirits. Yet, this is what those who have realised their true nature can clearly see at a glance. They are like those who possess more advanced technology to save spiritual beings, including saving us.

While we are shocked, we also vow to follow the Buddha's footsteps and walk on the path to Buddhahood.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo

Guo Yonghuai