Interview with Fang Daining (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering)

Summary: A renowned Chinese expert in materials and structural mechanics, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering. He has long been dedicated to the research of advanced materials and structural mechanics and is one of the pioneers in China's advanced structural technology field.

Interviewer: Venerable Fa Hui

July 19, 2026

Fang Daining:

Namo Amituofo.

I am Fang Daining. As a scholar deeply involved in the field of advanced materials and structural mechanics in our country, my research results have contributed to China's weapons development, national defence equipment construction, and aerospace engineering.

Becoming an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I have taught at Peking University and Tsinghua University, and later served as Vice President of the Beijing Institute of Technology. Looking back, I am grateful for the help of noble people from all sides, which allowed me to have a good development in both scientific research and my educational career.

In my later years, while participating in an online video academic conference, I accidentally let the public discover that besides my wife, I also had other women with whom I was deeply involved, which caused a huge uproar.

At that time, because of this incident, I received severe punishment. All the leadership positions I held were suspended or removed, and I also lost my qualification to recruit graduate students. The Chinese Academy of Sciences also took a series of corresponding disciplinary actions against me.

After the incident, although I desperately wanted to remain calm and maintain my consistent image, I was actually deeply tormented in the depths of my heart, which led me to develop a mental illness.

This human heart seems to have a very strong connection to one's physical health. After this incident broke out, I was under immense mental pressure, which could be said to have led me to develop depression to some extent. This depressed heart caused my physical condition to deteriorate day by day, and unknowingly, the roots of illness were planted. It seemed as if my entire vitality was slowly draining away after this event.

Just like that, once while I was attending a conference in South Africa, my body suddenly became abnormal, and I passed away. Before this, I actually felt full of regret in my heart, regretting why I had indulged in lust for a moment, bringing such great harm to myself. For the sake of the pleasure and sensations of this body, I had committed such unwise acts.

Recalling the various moments when we first met, and that strong attraction, I do not know where I got the courage to commit such wrongdoings that did not befit my status and corrupted social customs. Even later, if it were not for the exposure of this incident, perhaps I would have continued to indulge in it.

Between men and women, there is naturally an attraction that may not be very directly apparent in ordinary times. But as long as both parties begin to feel pleasure in their hearts, it may cause them to gradually lose the boundaries that should exist. And once this boundary disappears, it is truly very difficult to rebuild this line of defence. After all, to be able to do so, both parties must truly and thoroughly understand the etiquette or rules between men and women, and they must also truly let go of that improper thought between them; only then is it possible.

This is also what I, Fang Daining, realised only after starting this inappropriate relationship with this woman. Once a step is taken wrongly and one is deeply trapped, it truly requires boldness and determination to pull away. While I was alive, I did not truly manage to turn back in time; it was only due to the sudden exposure that I ended this relationship under social pressure.

However, in the time before I died, I was very surprised to find that I had never let go of this past in my heart. It seemed I was still thinking about the other person's good qualities, thinking about the bits and pieces we were familiar with, and recalling the various ways we spent time together. Perhaps this state of mind is what is called attachment. Just like that, with a complex state of mind filled with attachment and deep regret, I took my last breath.

After death, my soul entered the heart-gouging hell. In hell, I suffered endless torture; my heart was constantly being gouged out. It was very, very painful and very, very cruel. This process was repeated over and over again, making my heart truly hurt so much.

I do not know how long I suffered in hell before I was finally guided by Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to be settled in the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

At this moment, in this pure, bright, and beautiful world, I am deeply inhaling the fragrance of the lotus flowers drifting in the air and loudly chanting the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo," indicating that I, Fang Daining, have truly been reborn here.

My heart is filled with such gratitude and Dharma joy. I am grateful that I could encounter Amitabha Buddha and Practitioner Su, allowing a sinner like me to be saved.

I am also very joyful, because only by coming to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can one understand what the true Truth is. I never imagined that although I have had many breakthroughs in scientific research in my life, and my research results have been highly valued by the state due to their practical applications in many important fields, I had always believed that science was a way for us humans to approach the Truth. But I never thought that the real Truth is never obtained through any research or analysis, let alone various theories, but is entirely about the cultivation and adjustment of one's own heart. What does this mean?

That is to say, just like how we conduct scientific research—first proposing a theory, then verifying it through experiments, conducting analysis based on experimental data, and further confirming the theory. When we pursue the Truth, it is actually the same principle.

On the lotus seat in the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I learned that the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a school that teaches what the "Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way" are. The Buddhist education is so magnificent, telling us how to move forward on the path of Truth without deviating.

As for what the true Truth is, one must put in the work on one's own heart to truly understand it. Because even if Practitioner Su has explained what the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way are countless times during the Dharma talks, if a student cannot personally practise it step by step and gradually verify it, they will not be able to truly and thoroughly understand what the real Universal Principle is.

From a theoretical perspective, I, Fang Daining, have come to understand that the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way are what is called "pure and good." That is to say, within the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, there is not a single bit of evil, nor any pollution. This actually also means that any research, analysis, thinking, or any mindset and behaviour that is negative or carries any negative nature, is actually already contrary to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

The practice and implementation of this lesson on Truth lies in the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo." Because the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo" is the most pure and good energy in the universe. When people chant this Holy Name, they can slowly allow their hearts to naturally align with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

Why did I enter the heart-gouging hell after I died in this life? It was actually because my heart became ill, becoming selfish and self-protective, and it also carried various complexities and evil natures. When a bad thought arises in one's heart, it is actually causing harm to oneself and others.

Within the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, it is always completely "seeing the good." This "seeing the good" is not about having any degree of obsession with specific people or things, but simply not seeing all the negativity and evil in the world, and completely seeing the compassion and goodness inherent in all sentient beings. This is the true meaning of seeing the good.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have come to understand that as long as one's heart and actions are even slightly contrary to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, it is possible for one to enter hell to receive retribution after death. I, Fang Daining, am such an example.

In fact, in China, how many people can avoid entering hell to suffer punishment after death? I must honestly tell everyone here that many Chinese people are actually very close to hell. Because everyone has created immeasurable and boundless sins since beginningless time, if one cannot keep one's heart in a state of purity and goodness, even a tiny evil thought will actually plant the seeds for oneself to enter hell.

The lesson on "Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way" is truly too important, and every Chinese person should come to learn it. Because only by learning what the true Truth is can one's soul have enough defensive power to defend against attacks from demon crowds outside, and also defend against attacks from karmic creditors or demon crowds within the body.

After arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I realised that there are so many people in the world who suffer because of emotional entanglements between men and women.

I, Fang Daining, was a clear example of this while I was alive. Due to a moment of carelessness, I made a mistake and suffered severe punishment.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I clearly saw that when I first met this woman, it was entirely under the control of karmic creditors and demon crowds, leading us step by step deeper into each other's lives. When the two of us met in this life, the gears of karma were already quietly turning. This invisible yet powerful force pulled us both to commit mistakes.

At first, the two of us did not know each other and strictly observed the etiquette and distance that should exist between us. However, I do not know who started it first; a slight transgression, facing the unusual meaning in the other's words or tone—whether one should step back or let things take their natural course—just that little bit of hesitation allowed the karmic creditors and demon crowds within my body to seize the handle, making me gradually obsessed with it.

The feeling of love and the mutual reliance back then, looking at it now from the Western Land of Dharma Nature, is so absurd and ridiculous, or one could say terrifying. I never imagined that everything was just a farce performed by us being played around by karmic creditors and demon crowds.

I clearly saw countless karmic creditors and demon crowds within our bodies, darting back and forth. It seemed that as this situation kept happening, the connection between us became even tighter.

How many people in the world are like me, having made mistakes under such circumstances?

In fact, now that I am in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I clearly see that most men and women in the world, in the process of getting to know each other and falling in love, are to a large extent influenced and controlled by the karmic creditors and demon crowds within their bodies. Many people might not be able to accept this statement because most men and women believe that they are united due to love or that they rely on each other because they are like-minded. But in fact, all of this has never been free from interference from the spiritual realms.

If one cannot see it with one's own eyes as I do now, it is really hard to believe that countless decisions and important choices in everyone's life have never been free from the interference of karmic creditors or demon crowds within their bodies.

Therefore, why is it so important to receive the Buddhist education from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre? It is because only by learning such a great Dharma can one have the opportunity to be the true master of one's own body. If one cannot be the master, then it is difficult to avoid letting one's body become a puppet for other spirits in the spiritual realms.

Emotional love is something that people in the world generally need and like, but in reality, it is a potent poison in one's life. Because once one is contaminated with the poison of emotional love, perhaps it will take a lifetime to remove this toxin, and it may still be difficult to eliminate it completely.

Why does emotional love have such powerful strength? It is because each of us, since beginningless time, has actually formed inseparable emotional entanglements with countless sentient beings, or we have had emotional dramas of hurting each other.

Regardless of what kind of past it was, these karmic creditors are all in the cellular space of our bodies, or some have entered the Demon Realm, waiting for us to reincarnate as a human in this life and waiting for the opportunity to seek revenge.

If everyone understands the truth of this fact, then emotional love is truly something that should not be touched at all. Because as long as there is a little bit of emotional stirring in the heart, it actually represents the triggering of immeasurable and boundless sentient beings.

How can one thoroughly eradicate the potent poison of emotional love? After arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I discovered that there is only one way, and that is to surrender one's whole body and heart to Amitabha Buddha, follow Amitabha Buddha to save immeasurable and boundless suffering beings, completely forget oneself, dedicate oneself entirely to the cause of saving the world, and let one's heart rest completely in the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo." If one can do this, there is a chance to eradicate the poison of emotional love. This process may not be easy, but as long as one can firmly believe in Amitabha Buddha, one will surely be able to overcome it.

Most importantly, whether one is truly repenting in one's heart, truly willing to let go of these worldly emotions and love, truly willing to let go of the sensations of this body, no longer being selfish, being selfless for the sake of all beings, and truly acting selflessly for the sake of all beings.

If you truly make a vow, you should ask yourself whether you are willing to keep your mind anchored in the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo" at every moment. If your answer is no, or if you find yourself unable to do so, this may indicate that your vow still contains a portion of insincerity.

Those who are truly willing to let go and truly repent will inevitably continue to recite the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo" one phrase after another. Only in this way is it possible for your vow to transform the heavy karma that has been as deep as the ocean for immeasurable eons.

The Buddha’s education instructs people to adjust their personal habits and ego. One must reduce the "self," personal ego, and selfishness to zero before one can resolve the conflicts with the karmic creditors within one's own body. It turns out that personal ego causes such great harm to oneself; if the Buddha had not revealed the truth of this fact to us, I would never have known that any indulgence of oneself is absolutely impermissible.

Everyone's deeply rooted personal habits actually represent their own heavy and complex karma. It could be a small habit while doing things, a specific gesture, a habitual way of speaking, or a habitual reaction when interacting with others; these are all parts of one's personal ego. There are hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of types of personal ego. Why does the Buddha teach us to reduce our personal ego until nothing remains? It is because every type of personal ego in a person actually contains countless other types of ego within it. Perhaps what is manifested in this moment is a specific type of ego, but deep down, there are countless others within it. If one cannot thoroughly reduce the personal ego to zero, then it is equivalent to not having changed it at all. Even if it appears that there has been some adjustment in outward appearance, in reality, these deep-seated habitual thoughts and habitual reactions are still present.

The Buddha is so compassionate, telling us not to dwell on our personal habits and ego, but only to make a vow to follow the Buddha to save the world, and to believe in the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo." Naturally, in the process, this will help you resolve these personal habits, because personal habits, just like this body, are all illusory existences. There is never a need to cling to them; one only needs to see through and let go.

Why is emotional attachment the most terrifying poison in the world? Because within emotional attachment, all aspects of personal habits and ego are contained. What kind of person has emotional attachment in their heart? It turns out that anyone who still has a personal ego cannot avoid being poisoned by emotional attachment. I saw the truth of all romantic love between men and women in the world while in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and only then did I understand: as long as a bit of personal ego remains unchanged, it means that a portion of emotional attachment has not been let go. Only by reducing the personal ego to zero, and no longer having the personal habits and ego of this body, can one truly eradicate the poison of emotional attachment.

At this moment, I, Fang Daining, also appeal to all the people of China from the Western Land of Dharma Nature: the most important thing in a person's life is to reduce one's personal ego to zero. As long as there is still a "self" in the heart, it actually means that one will inevitably have to endure the process of aging, sickness, and death in this life.

Now, Namo Amituofo has come to the world to help people in the world attain the true benefits of being free from aging, free from illness, and your spirit never dies, and to help everyone be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This opportunity, which is difficult to encounter in millions of years, is something every Chinese person should truly grasp well.

The Buddha’s education is needed by every Chinese child, because only by learning the Buddha’s teachings can one truly be the "master" of the heart. All the suffering in life actually comes from this heart that cannot be the master.

Now the Buddha has come to the world to teach everyone the true Dharma of the heart, which is to truly dedicate one's heart completely to all beings, to replace one's heart with the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo," to truly no longer be addicted to the secular world, and to be willing to depart and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. In the future, everyone will have the opportunity to lead themselves, as well as the countless karmic creditors and spirits within their bodies, to be reborn together in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

I am very grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for allowing me, Fang Daining, to be reborn in the Western Pure Land in the future. I hope that everyone will also be able to meet me in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Fang Daining