Interview with John Marsden (Bestselling Young Adult Author)

Interview with John Marsden in the Western Land of Dharma Nature

An internationally renowned bestselling young adult author who has written over forty books, with works translated into more than fifteen languages and global sales exceeding five million copies. His representative work is the Tomorrow series.

Principal of Candlebark School and Alice Miller School

May 30, 2026

John Marsden:

A person's life is truly wondrous; one can never imagine what one might encounter. Who would have thought that I—John Marsden—would end up in hells after death, suffering punishments there. The days in hells were extremely painful; that kind of agony is beyond words, as the spirit endures the intense suffering of torture at every moment.

In these past few days, I have been very fortunate to be led by Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, thereby ending my painful days in hells. Now, the environment in the Western Land of Dharma Nature is completely different from hells; there is no suffering or sorrow, only a state of pure peace and joy.

This world of light, free from afflictions and suffering, is the Buddha-land established by Practitioner Su after becoming a Buddha. In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, the Buddha-light shines constantly, and one can hear the chanting of "Namo Amituofo" echoing from the sky at any time. When hearing this Buddha-name, the spirit feels as if it is being washed by cool, refreshing stream water—a deep, cooling sensation, yet without any feeling of coldness; and when the Buddha-light shines upon the spirit, it feels extremely warm, yet without any sensation of heat. It seems that this place is equipped with the highest level of temperature regulation, maintaining my spirit at the perfect balance between hot and cold at all times.

Here, I feel that I can completely empty my heart. It is no longer like in the world, where as soon as I was idle, many thoughts and ideas would emerge in my mind, or I would be thinking about work or trivial life matters. In the world, it is very difficult to truly empty one's heart and mind and have a period of rest without any interference; at least, I had never succeeded in doing so.

However, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, the feeling is truly wondrous. I think it must be the positive influence of the magnetic field here; I can enter a state of emptiness at any time and place, which is what is called being free from worries. It is as if there is nothing left to worry about, and nothing that must be thought about or done right now. I can truly let go of my body and mind without any concerns, allowing my spirit to receive true rest.

Here, each time I am bathed in the Buddha-light, I feel my spirit becoming increasingly clear and bright. I am very grateful for all of this; being able to come to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I feel that I am truly fortunate.

As everyone knows, the novels I have written are very popular globally, and some of the most popular works have even been adapted into films or series.

Among them, some novels describe war. In the process of writing, I often hoped to describe what hope looks like, hoping to use certain imagery to make people feel that it is full of hope. This was a question I deeply pondered years ago, and I felt the most reasonable answer should be bright light. Because when humans see the morning sun or bright daylight, they often feel admiration or a sense of vitality. I believe that such imagery is close to expressing what is called hope.

Now, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, watching Namo Amituofo radiate golden light, I knew in that instant what true hope is. When the bright and focused golden light fills the entire vast space, even down to every minute corner, and when I see sentient beings bathed in the Buddha-light, and see suffering souls bathed in the Buddha-light, revealing joy from the depths of their hearts and entering the light to seek Chao Du—when I see these scenes, I understand. It turns out that the Buddha-light represents hope, and the true light of hope is the Buddha-light radiated by Namo Amituofo. This light of hope shines in the entire space of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre 24 hours a day, without a single moment of interruption.

Not only that, I also see that the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre has been established in Australia, and three Namo Amituofo billboards have been set up on the highway in Brisbane, Australia. These three billboards are truly miraculous; they are not just boards with some images and text as seen by the physical eyes of people. The meaning they represent is definitely more than that. If someone has the ability to see the situation in the spiritual realms, they would be shocked to discover that these billboards actually emit a very huge and bright golden light—such beautiful, beautiful light. The immense light is released through the Namo Amituofo billboards, shining upon many spirits.

In the spiritual realms, I can clearly see vast numbers of lonely wandering spirits in Australia, like surging waves, and even spirits in the space of all things, all entering the light because they have been helped by the golden light. They have all come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to seek Chao Du, and with the help of my benefactors—Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su—they have been saved to the place where I am now, which is the Western Land of Dharma Nature. We can now say that we are all good children of the Buddha, or students of the Buddha, all sitting on lotus seats in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, loudly chanting "Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo," chanting with increasing joy and happiness.

So, Namo Amituofo is the embodiment of hope, and the Buddha-light is the true light of hope I have been searching for! And the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, which has golden light shining 24 hours a day, truly has immense golden light shining at all times, and Namo Amituofo has not left the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre for a single moment, staying firmly on this precious land. Therefore, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre can be called the true land of hope! This land of hope brings real benefits to people, which is the inconceivable benefit of "not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die." It truly allows people, through receiving Buddhist education and practising the teachings of Namo Amituofo, to be free from aging and decline, to be truly free from the torment of illness, and to truly allow their own spirit to take charge.

Regarding the benefit of the spirit being able to take charge, and the two benefits mentioned earlier, I think everyone in the world, and even every Australian, can clearly understand. Because everyone will age, and everyone will face illness; no one can avoid getting sick. Therefore, the concept of being free from aging and illness should be very clearly understood. However, regarding what is called the spirit never dies—that is, the spirit being able to take charge—I believe many people have not yet been able to truly grasp its preciousness.

What is a spirit that can take charge like? To give a simple example: I, John Marsden, ended up in hells after death, suffering and wailing in hells with no way to be saved. How I wanted to escape, how I wanted to go to a more comfortable and beautiful place, how I wanted to escape the punishments of hells! However, no matter how much I wanted to leave hells, I had absolutely no way to do so. This inability to let my own spirit leave the suffering of hells is something I could not do, and this is what is meant by not being able to take charge.

After the body dies, one has no decision-making power or control over where one's spirit goes; it is entirely determined by karma.

And what is a spirit that can take charge like? It means that this spirit can clearly know where it is going and can master the destination of its own spirit. It is not wandering in the six realms of rebirth, but is able to appear freely and autonomously in various places within the cycle of rebirth, and has the ability to save beings; this is actually what only a Buddha can do.

Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is the best example. He has truly attained the magnificent benefit of the Buddha’s teachings where the spirit never dies, which is being able to freely travel to and from the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The distance between the human world and the Western Land, for Practitioner Su, can be said to be no distance at all; Practitioner Su can return to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss in an instant, and can return to the human world in the next instant.

This inconceivable ability, if I had not seen it with my own eyes, I think I would not have been able to imagine that there is someone in the world who could reach such a level.

In the education and culture I received, the concept of karmic retribution was relatively weak. Furthermore, I did not have much understanding of where the spirit goes after death. I did not expect that I would actually go through it myself, only then to realise that if a person's mental note or actions deviate from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, it is possible to go to hells to receive retribution.

From this perspective, keeping one's heart pure and good is indeed very important. Of course, ensuring that one's words, actions, and mental notes do not have the slightest deviation is not an easy task; one must receive education and spend effort to learn.

In this regard, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre provides a very good environment for people in the world. I can see that there are the best teachers and the best learning environment here. As for the teachers, of course, it refers to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, as well as Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. These three Buddhas are the most powerful teaching lineup in the vastness of the Dharma Realm, the universe, and the Milky Way, and they are now gathered at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia.

The pure environment of the temple is located in Gowrie Junction, a small town in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Although it takes some time to purchase supplies, it has vast land and a high-quality environment, which can avoid many interferences.

My achievements in literature have also brought me immense wealth. Although I am very low-key, I actually have significant assets; using these funds, I founded the school of my dreams, because I have always felt that in my heart, education is a very important matter. And I have always believed that the current schools in Australia cannot provide the best moral education for children.

Now I am in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, listening to Practitioner Su’s lectures, explaining the crystallization of Wisdom (Prajna) taught to us by Namo Amituofo. The more I listen, the more Dharma joy I feel. This is truly the knowledge that every Australian, especially children, should learn. Moreover, I have observed what people at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre do in their daily lives. After understanding this, I deeply feel that this is the school and education that every child truly needs.

As someone dedicated to education, I have been thinking: what should children learn during their schooling to help them have the best development for their human body and future?

Regarding this question, everyone always has different opinions. And now I understand that the only thing every child truly needs to learn and needs to master during their schooling is how to be in sync with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and how not to violate the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

As long as a child can learn this during their schooling, their future will have true protection. This protection is not from the perspective of the world, nor is it the diploma or competitiveness that most people think of. This does not refer to letting children get better job opportunities or possess higher salaries, but refers to a child who truly understands the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and can truly have one hundred percent control over their own body and mental state.

This also means that such a child’s body is completely controlled by their own spirit, rather than being manipulated by karmic creditors or other spirits.

Speaking of this, I think many people will have a big question mark in their hearts and may not quite understand what I am talking about. After all, regarding who is in charge of a person's body, not many people have the ability to explore this issue, and not many people have even thought about it.

At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, the truth about the human body is revealed to us: as long as a person's beliefs deviate from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and there is a deviation, it will actually cause them to lose control of their body bit by bit.

If it is said that when one is just born, as a baby, one's spirit has one hundred percent usage rights over the body; then in the process of growing up, if mental notes deviate, or if words and actions violate the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, then the original one hundred percent usage rights of the spirit over the body will slowly decrease. And those who snatch away the usage rights of this body are the people this person has harmed in the past; the spirits of these people are this person's karmic creditors, or what are called demon crowds.

The Buddhist education at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is very important for every child. My greatest wish now is for all Australians to know that there is such a precious land in our country. I hope everyone will seize the opportunity to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre quickly and learn what the true Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way are.

Especially for children, if they can receive Buddhist education from a young age, it will be of tremendous help to them. Based on my current observations of the situations of children in the world from the Dharma-Nature Land, I have discovered that as long as a child's thoughts, speech, and behaviour deviate from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, their control over their own body will diminish.

The specific characteristics are: children often find it difficult to listen to good advice that is beneficial to them, including the care and guidance from parents, teachers, and friends; they often find it hard to accept. As the child's control over their own body gradually decreases, they become increasingly disobedient and rebellious. This is a phenomenon I have discovered, and I want to share it with everyone here.

In summary, I am very pleasantly surprised to have found the school of my dreams at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. I want to tell my wife and children that I am now living very happily in the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Do not worry about me; on the contrary, if you want to speak with me, you can come here to meet me at any time. I am waiting for you whenever you are ready.

I truly hope that you can come here in person to see what the people here are doing and how they are helping this world. The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre focuses on spiritual elevation, rather than obtaining physical satisfaction and various benefits. The education that people in the world generally learn teaches them to pursue various things and desires for the sake of this body.

I hope you can come here to see what kind of life the people here are living, and what kind of knowledge Amitabha Buddha has taught to the world to save all beings. After you understand this, perhaps you will have different thoughts on how to walk the path of life.

You can call the temple at any time to contact me. Of course, it would be best if you could come in person.

John Marsden