Interview with Nikos Andrianakos (Australian Property Tycoon and Billionaire, Founder of Andrianakos Property Group)

Nikos Andrianakos was a Greek-Australian billionaire. He started from scratch to found Milemaker Petroleum and later successfully transformed it into a commercial property giant. He was passionate about charity throughout his life, supported the Greek Orthodox community, and was a legendary example of post-war immigrant struggle and contribution.

Nikos Andrianakos:

First, I must thank those who saved me. This religious leader, Namo Amituofo, and the human Buddhist teacher, Practitioner Su—these two are my most noble benefactors, and I must thank you first. Without you, I would still be suffering in hell.

Actually, I did not understand why I went to hell. Although I did not have any fanatical religious beliefs, I at least knew the concepts of right and wrong from the Greek Orthodox faith—that one should not go against one's conscience and morality, and that one should help others and give back to society. I had some concept of this. I came from a humble social background, so I knew the suffering of the grassroots, and I knew that I should cherish my current achievements and transform them into the ability to help others.

At the time, I also came to Australia with grand dreams, wanting to strive to build my own career. Later, I did indeed succeed and established my own plastics industry. In the process of starting that business, it was inevitable to compete with rivals, which is perhaps what most people consider a very ordinary matter.

However, for a spirit, every little thing created—as long as it harmed others or infringed upon the rights of others—would ultimately be borne by oneself. There is no excuse of natural or man-made disasters that can avoid this situation.

Throughout this journey, I went from having nothing to finally establishing my own empire. On the surface, this seemed like a simple and pure victory and success, and perhaps people thought I was very lucky or had a great business mind, but the truth is that I was very good at calculating what was beneficial to me. I knew how to expand my operations and how to make my company profitable; this is the most basic ability for doing business in this industry.

And because of this, after I died, I entered the heart-gouging hell to suffer punishment.

Most people can’t fathom what hell is truly like. It is a place of absolute, suffocating darkness where you can't even see your own hand in front of your face. You are tormented by a terrifying, unseen entity that continuously gouges your heart out, leaving you to endure unbearable, relentless agony. Even after you 'die,' you are brought back to life only for the cycle to begin all over again. It is an endless, inescapable loop of suffering with no end in sight.

I wonder if you are very surprised to hear this—that I, a dignified Australian billionaire, would end up in such a state. This is something I never expected myself. But in the process of business competition, I did indeed use a lot of scheming and calculation. This flaw in character is actually a form of malice—an evil intent. It’s a mindset bent on sabotaging rivals, driven by a desire to defeat, eliminate, and dominate others—all of which are the fundamental reasons for me to go to hell for punishment. However, the problems I created in this life and the deviations in my behaviour are more than just that. It is just that I am temporarily suffering punishment in this place, but as far as I know, there are many other punishments waiting for me.

People truly must avoid such deviations, but I did not think so when I was alive. I did not think I had such deviations; I only thought I was working diligently at my job. I did not expect that the result would be going to hell for punishment. This is the truth I only realised after I died and became a spirit.

And you might be curious, why can I convey messages to everyone at this time? I say this because I have already escaped hell. The reason I escaped hell is that there is a Buddhist temple in Australia called Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Located in a remote part of Goombungee within the Toowoomba region of Queensland, this site is far from any major city. However, its vast, flat terrain makes it a remarkably rare and hard-to-find geographical gem.

The most special thing here is not its location, but the fact that Namo Amituofo is truly present here. You might not understand what Namo Amituofo is, but in short, there is a very tall and bright Buddha above the temple, protecting this place twenty-four hours a day, radiating immense light. And this light shines on us sentient beings, instantly making us feel very warm and alleviating the pain from hell.

While I was in hell, constantly having my heart gouged out, suddenly a golden light shone down, and I heard someone calling my name. In a daze, I was brought into this place. This is a spiritual space within Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, known as the Dharma-Nature Land. Here, my spirit no longer has to suffer the pain of hell.

This is a very peaceful and stable place, and the surroundings are very bright. There are no terrifying monsters here that would harm me; there are only many, many spirits who have come here with me. These spirits come from all directions; some are Australians, and some are from other countries—people from every country are here. Everyone is sitting quietly on large lotuses.

And the Buddha’s teachings are actually not a superstitious religion; it is a truly powerful and bold executive organisation. It can truly help sentient beings escape the space where they were originally suffering. Just like me, I was originally in a very deep, pitch-black darkness, suffering the pain of having my heart constantly gouged out. And this kind of pain brought me a sense of despair. But now I have been saved, escaped from the original pain, and am now in a very relaxed and happy state. This proves that this temple truly has the ability to save sentient beings.

And please do not misunderstand; it is not just me alone who was saved. As I just mentioned, there are immeasurable and boundless sentient beings from all over the world and from all directions. This immeasurable and boundless number includes not only those from Earth but also sentient beings from outside the Earth, who have all been saved to this place. Everyone is the same, enjoying a pure and stable life here. This is indeed a situation I had never thought of, and I had never heard of this temple before, but now that I have encountered it, I am very surprised.

Until the moment I died, I never expected to encounter the Buddha's teachings. I had always assumed they were completely outside my path in this life.

I did not expect that at this moment, I would be saved by the Buddha’s teachings instead of relying on the Greek Orthodox faith I knew. It is truly inconceivable. Of course, I did not have any deep superstition about these religious beliefs in my life, but what really surprised me was that this Buddhist path, which I thought was just an Eastern religion, is actually a true education that can save spirits.

Actually, after listening to the teachings in the Dharma-Nature Land for a few days, I found that the Buddhist doctrines are quite similar to the philosophy I followed throughout my life.

I now understand that the Buddha’s teachings emphasise self-sacrifice for others, completely letting go of oneself, and putting aside one's own feelings and everything but to help others. I also firmly believe in this philosophy, which is consistent with what I learned in the Greek Orthodox faith about dedication and contributing to society. It is just that the Buddha’s teachings here are more thorough: it not only emphasises letting go of oneself but also being completely selfless for others. This so-called for others does not refer to one or two people, nor is it for one's own family, group, or company, but for the immeasurable and boundless number of all people and all sentient beings.

He wants to completely let go of himself and contribute to sentient beings; this point makes me feel very admirable. At first, I thought this was very difficult, but I saw a practitioner of the Buddha’s teachings here who truly practises what she preaches—people call her him Practitioner Su—and she truly executes the salvation.

When trying to save countless souls and spirits, you are bound to face obstacles. Take my own salvation, for example: when I was pulled out of hell and reached the realm of Dharma nature, I saw many spirits who knew me—or were connected to me in some way—suddenly appear at the temple, all waiting to take their revenge.

I had never seen these spirits before, but I now know that throughout my life, they were always on me seeking revenge, yet I never noticed. Most of my actions in this life were actually controlled by these souls and spirits. Among them were some darker and evil spirits who also used my body to do many things.

Of course, this was also because it combined with my personality and interests that they were able to drive my body to do so many things. Once these behaviours and mental notes deviate, and once there is a situation of harming others for one's own sake, or competing with others, it will result in me going to hell to suffer punishment later. This really surprised me; I had never heard of such teachings when I was alive.

Now I am working hard to listen to lectures in the Dharma-Nature Land every day. So far, I have listened for three days and have slowly realised that the Buddha’s teachings are truly incredible. What makes it so meaningful is that it isn’t just an empty slogan or a form of blind worship. It’s based on a deep understanding of the universe and the human body, showing everyone that there is a spiritual world beyond our physical forms.

Few people in their lives have been as successful as I have. Self-proclaimed success is, of course, a bit boastful, but I must say that in my life, at least in my career, I have indeed achieved very brilliant results. In the eyes of others, I am also considered a top billionaire, very wealthy, with a huge, successful business. My family is also quite good, and my children and grandchildren have inherited the family business, allowing the enterprise to flourish, which is also something I am quite proud of.

I never imagined, however, that without the guidance of these teachings, my life would end in hell instead of the heaven or better place that I, like many successful people, assumed I would reach. This is the result of lacking the Buddha’s teachings and lacking spiritual education. And now that I have learned the Buddha’s teachings in the Dharma-Nature Land, I am truly impressed that it can be explained so thoroughly, especially regarding the spiritual aspect. Many religions lack detailed descriptions of the spiritual aspect.

Had I only known sooner that a spirit world exists—that our physical bodies are so fleeting and the soul is what truly matters—I could have focused on elevating my spiritual life.

I am still exploring what this spiritual elevation means. But as far as I know, because this spirit does not die—just like me, although my physical body is gone, my spirit has not died—managing the spirit is the key. I can understand this; after all, achieving success with this spirit of mine allows me to be reincarnated in different places for many lifetimes. This is what Buddhism calls reincarnation.

While our physical bodies change from one incarnation to the next, the spirit endures forever. Every deed we commit—both good and bad—is permanently recorded within the soul. Therefore, by consistently performing good deeds, cultivating a pure heart, letting go of the ego, and selflessly serving others, one will naturally elevate their soul and increase their inner spiritual energy.

I came to understand this by looking at the massive statue of Namo Amituofo before me. His energy is so radiant and abundant that he can bathe all of us spirits in his warm, divine light. I believe this is the result of everything he has cultivated over a vast amount of time by faithfully following these teachings—it is the mark of a truly elevated spiritual being.

And I see the other person in front of me, called Practitioner Su, is the same. Although she has a physical body, her spirit also radiates powerful light. When she performs the Chao Du ritual during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, her countless manifestations can travel to various realms and dimensions across the universe to rescue sentient beings. She delivers them from the spaces where they suffer and guides them into the Western Dharma-Nature Land, just as she did for me. I only now understand that I was saved this way too.

By following the Buddha's teachings, this spirit gains the immense energy and capability needed to aid countless suffering souls. This is the core essence of the teachings, and it is what I currently understand.

If human beings do not understand the Buddha’s teachings, do not understand that they must let go of themselves for others, and do not understand that they must save people, then their end will surely be similar to mine. So, my dear family—especially my sons and my grandchildren—you are all involved in running our family business just as I was. Please, never forget how important it is to do good, to put others before yourselves, and to be selfless. This mindset is vital. And remember, when we earn money, it must come from the community and be used to support the community; we must always give back.

We are not seeking the title of philanthropist; in the operation of this universe, the human body is very limited, and wealth is even more so. The human body and limited money are not the true final answer. If these can be used in good places, they can indeed exert their value. However, if our efforts are solely to highlight personal achievements or indulge in self-enjoyment, they carry little lasting meaning. After all, once we pass on, such things are of no use to the spirit.

What’s worse is that if you hurt others along the way, or if your selfish intentions end up affecting many people, you will have to take full responsibility. The result, just like in my case, could be ending up in hell, suffering through endless torment. And don't for a second think this suffering is something light—having your heart ripped out, every single minute of every single day, is no joke.

As far as I know, there are many spirits in the Dharma-Nature Land who were top entrepreneurs or famous people in the world. In their lives, because they did not receive Buddhist education, their behaviour was biased and evil. They earned a lot of money and obtained high political and commercial status, but in the end, they all entered the hells to be punished. This is the consequence of living without the guidance of a Buddhist education.

Sons, grandsons, and family members, please pay attention to this point; pursuing worldly success alone is not the goal of life. If the final outcome is suffering punishment in the hells, this is not a cost-effective choice. So if you have the opportunity to come into contact with the Buddha’s teachings and have the opportunity to know the Buddha, please grasp this opportunity.

If you are willing to listen to what I say to you, you can try to understand this temple. This temple is located in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and it is called the "Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre". You can first look up this temple online and change the way you live your life and the direction of your life, and you will be able to get help from it.

If you're interested, you should definitely visit this temple. It is globally renowned, with billboards put up worldwide to spread awareness about the value of Buddhist education. There is even one along the highway from Brisbane to Toowoomba in Australia. They are an entirely legitimate organization, openly and genuinely sharing the importance of the spiritual realm with everyone.

You might be half-doubting this, but if you look deeper, you will realise that the temple’s work in saving spirits has been going on for a long time, and the scope of who they help is incredibly vast. Just look at this recent event: among the spirits who arrived in the realm of Dharma nature with me were billionaires, politicians, and celebrities from all over the globe. We were all brought up to this realm together, and it is thanks to this very connection that I was given the chance to be rescued from hell by this temple.

If you're interested, I encourage you to look into it. If you ever want to seek me out or speak to me, I am always here waiting for you. My life was reasonably successful, but it still ended. In hindsight, I really couldn't take a single thing with me. Money means nothing to my spirit now. And if you leave your wealth to others and they don't use it for good, they will end up just like me, unable to take any of it with them when their time comes.

So when you still have a human body and can still use this wealth, you might as well think about how to use it properly. Before that, the most important thing is to understand the spirit world and the importance of spirits. I am waiting for everyone at "Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre". If you have the opportunity to see this interview manuscript, as an entrepreneur, having an open and enlightened attitude and an unrestricted planning mindset is very important to create a new situation. That is all for now.

Nikos Andrianakos