Interview with Dion Horstmans (A Renowned Contemporary Australian Sculptor)

Interview with Dion Horstmans in the Western Land of Dharma Nature

A renowned contemporary Australian sculptor, famous for his iconic geometric metal line sculptures created in Bondi, Sydney.

Interviewer: Venerable Fa Hui

June 3, 2026

Dion Horstmans:

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for saving me. I have always been an extremely disciplined person. I believe that through regular habits, one can stabilise their body and mind. The key is to have a grasp of one's state and increase one's level of control.

However, I could not control what would happen to my human body. I never expected to leave the world so suddenly, nor did I expect that after death, my spirit would uncontrollably enter the hell of copper pillars to suffer.

I was truly terrified at that time, because my spirit was quickly taken to hell to suffer. I saw the scorching copper pillars emitting extreme heat, and the people in hell whose lower bodies were being burned by these pillars. Hearing their shrill screams, my heart sank, and I thought that this was truly the end for me, as I was about to face the same fate as them.

As the high heat of the copper pillars burned my lower body, I could not help but let out a loud scream; it was so painful, so painful! This was definitely not a pain one could get used to through any ordinary training or preparation. Because what suffers in hell is the pure spirit state, without a human body, this pain arises from the depths of the spirit, leaving one with absolutely no way to resist.

I kept screaming and asking myself one question: Why did I come to the hell of copper pillars to receive retribution? But there was no one around to give me an answer.

The scene in hell at that time was truly terrifying. There were countless, seemingly endless numbers of people suffering, all repeatedly enduring the pain of their lower bodies being burned by the copper pillars; it was like a purgatory. Yes, isn't this exactly what is called purgatory?

I prayed for a chance to be saved, but I also knew that there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world, no good things that come out of nowhere, and no good luck that falls from the sky. At that time, I basically had no hope of leaving the hell of copper pillars, because I had never known that it was possible to enter hell after death, let alone make any preparations for such a situation, so how could anyone come to hell to save me?

I could only try to keep my heart as calm as possible while constantly wailing and undergoing the repeated suffering, at least not letting resentment or injustice arise due to the intense pain.

Because I had a feeling that if I felt resentment and injustice while suffering, it might prolong my time in hell. Therefore, in order to leave this painful place as soon as possible, I tried my best to face every immense pain inflicted upon my spirit with a more peaceful mindset.

I don't know how much time had passed when a huge golden light appeared in hell. I thought to myself, could this be the light of God that Christianity speaks of? This golden light shone into my spirit, and I thought to myself, could it be that God has come to save me?

After all, although I am not a Christian, I had heard of the name of God. So when I saw that huge golden light, I could only associate it with God.

As a warm voice appeared in hell, my spirit was instantly surrounded by a warm force. This force made my spirit intuitively feel that it would absolutely not harm me and was very friendly to me. My spirit could naturally recognise that this force wrapping around me was here to save me. I did not resist at all and was instantly brought to the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Gowrie Junction, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

Now, I am on a lotus seat in the Dharma-Nature Land, very peacefully reciting Namo Amituofo. The reason I keep reciting Namo Amituofo now is that after I arrived at the Dharma-Nature Land, I slowly realised that it was not God who saved me, but Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

Here, I can hear the content of the classes taught by Practitioner Su. In class, Practitioner Su always tells everyone to recite this Buddha-name. It sounds like as long as one recites Namo Amituofo, there are huge benefits, and it can save one's spirit. I even heard that if one keeps reciting until the end, there is a chance to be like Practitioner Su, having the ability to help other suffering souls.

I was very interested after hearing this. I have always felt that discipline and training are important; the important part is that active, hardworking heart that wants to help oneself grow. Now that I hear that reciting this Buddha-name can be of great help to the spirit, I hear that the specific effect is to improve the quality of the spirit. Although I am not yet very clear about what this means, I think in human terms, it should mean that reciting this Buddha-name can help my spirit become stronger.

Since that is the case, what reason do I have not to recite it? After all, I reasonably believe that not only do humans in the world need training, but spirits in the spiritual realms also need it. I think reciting Namo Amituofo is the best way to train my spirit.

So now I dare not slack off for a single moment, reciting this Buddha-name with very high intensity. And what I find very interesting is that, unlike when I had a body, now as a spirit, I don't seem to need rest or sleep, nor do I need to eat, so my training can continue without stopping.

In the human world, no matter what kind of training plan it is, there is always a need for a certain degree of rest and nutritional intake between two sets of training.

However, in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, my spirit does not need to eat, but I can feel that energy is very important to the spirit, probably as important as humans in the world need to consume food. In the Dharma-Nature Land, because there is a huge golden light 24 hours a day, when my spirit is illuminated by the golden light, it naturally receives a very powerful energy replenishment. So here, I can say that I have an inexhaustible supply of full energy, which is a piece of good news that I am very happy to know now.

Regarding the fact that I entered the hell of copper pillars, I think many people should be very surprised; in fact, I am also very shocked. I can only say that it turns out that high-intensity weight training will cause the human body to derive more intense desires. For me, family has always been an important reliance in my heart, which also means the strong feelings I have for my family. When this body has strong desires and contains strong emotions, if there is any deviation in the thoughts, reflections, or actions in the heart, contrary to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, it is possible for a person to enter the hell of copper pillars after death.

In this life, I once held positions related to prop making in some Hollywood productions. This experience was of great help to me later when I became a sculptor. I feel very grateful to be able to become an artist and use my own works to interact with people and society.

I am even more grateful that I could have a warm family. I have always attached great importance to family, and I have always believed that a sound family can allow everyone in it to have a healthy and positive growth.

I have always regarded family as an important reliance and a safe haven in life. When I returned home, my heart was always filled with a sense of security.

However, after going through the process of entering hell after death and then arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I deeply feel that the human body is truly very impermanent. You don't know when an accident will happen, nor do you know when your life will come to an end; everything is actually proceeding in unpredictable changes.

Now, after listening to the courses offered by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I have come to realise that a person's life is circulating in karma. When you meet what kind of person, say what kind of words, or even what kind of feelings you have in your heart, or when you die and in what way you leave the human world, it was actually destined when you were born.

In this process, people have no way to control their own destiny. And now, after receiving the Buddhist education from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I have come to realise that the most important key to being able to control one's human body is to have an understanding of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and to let one's heart, words, and actions be in sync with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

If one can do this, one can change one's destiny. For those who can truly control their life trajectory, we call them Buddhas, and at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, we are taught how to become a Buddha and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

This is a very important matter, because only after being reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss can the spirit possess infinite life and truly avoid the possibility of entering hell to suffer after death.

I want to say to my wife and two children that I hope you can come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and listen to the classes taught by Namo Amituofo. This body is very short-lived, and I hope you will consider as soon as possible where your spirit will go after death.

Coming to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre gives you the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, which is a very important matter. In short, I hope you can come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to see me and talk to me.

Before you come, you can go to the Brisbane highway and see the Namo Amituofo billboard of the temple. This billboard has saved many Australian spirits, many of whom are lonely wandering spirits, and some are spirits suffering in space. In short, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a place that helps people in the world and spirits to achieve liberation, and the most important thing is to help everyone have the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Because once you get there, the spirit can have infinite life, and then you will never have to worry about when your spirit will go to hell to suffer; this is a very realistic problem.

Alright, I don't want to say too much here. In short, I will be waiting for you in the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

Dion Horstmans