Releasing a Millennium of Attachment to Nation and People

This is a record of an interview with Fan Zhongyan, the renowned Northern Song Dynasty statesman who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Having spent nearly a millennium as a guardian spirit for scholars, he now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account, recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on February 21, 2026, captures his profound reflections on his life, his long-held attachments, and his ultimate liberation through the compassionate guidance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

Fan Zhongyan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Fan Zhongyan. At this very moment, I am sitting upon a lotus platform in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, offering my most sincere and grateful prostrations to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. As a figure well-known to every household in China, I have been fortunate enough to be guided by Practitioner Su to this magnificent Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. As the events of my past surface before me, I wish to share them with the world. I feel both immense gratitude and deep reflection; I have finally encountered the Truth—the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way spoken of by Practitioner Su. This is the momentous news that Namo Amituofo, residing here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, has brought to the world."

A Life of Duty and Unresolved Attachments

"My life was one of many ups and downs. Yet, sitting here on this lotus platform before Namo Amituofo, I realise in an instant that whether during my brief human life or throughout the millennium I spent guarding the scholars of China, I was never truly clear-minded. Everything is a matter of Causal Conditions. Arriving in this Buddha-land today is the result of having sufficient blessings and conditions. People call me a great, virtuous man, but I am unworthy of such praise. It is true that during my life, I sought welfare for the civilians, shared the burdens of the monarch, and cherished talent as if it were my own children. This was because I received moral foundations from my mother and teachers from a young age, and I followed the teachings and philosophies of Confucius and Mencius throughout my career, never daring to deviate from them."

"During the Northern Song Dynasty, the political situation was more stable than in the later Southern Song. I lived my life with constant vigilance, always thinking of the needs of the people. Whether serving as a local official or rising to the rank of a high minister, I never dared to slacken in my duties. My life was full, and I felt a deep connection to the people. My heart was always moved by the suffering of the civilians. The words I wrote upon ascending the Yueyang Tower—'to be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures' and 'not to be swayed by external objects or personal gains or losses'—became well-known. Yet, in the political arena, things were often unsatisfactory. My advice was not always heeded, and my actions, though done for the people and not for myself, were often overlooked. I spent many sleepless nights worrying over these matters, feeling the weight of the world upon my shoulders, yet unable to find a true solution to the suffering I witnessed."

The Limits of Worldly Wisdom

"I never had the opportunity to encounter true Buddhist education. At that time, meditation and concentration were popular, and although I had heard of them, my official duties were so demanding that I rarely had the chance to read Buddhist sutras or understand the Dharma deeply. In my mind, studying Buddhism was not a necessity; it was merely a pursuit for one's leisure time to cultivate one's character. It is clear now that I did not understand the profound and vast nature of the Buddha's teachings. I only saw the Dharma as one of many paths in life, something needed by some for the elevation of their own spirits, rather than the ultimate path to liberation."

"I had little time for rest. After passing the imperial examinations, I participated actively in government, serving under several rulers. Whenever I faced disappointment or injustice, I encouraged myself to continue bravely for the welfare of the people and the stability of the nation. I also had my moments of leisure—playing the zither, writing poetry, and educating my children. These things defined my life. People praised me for having a heart that encompassed the nation and for my great magnanimity, and I accepted these praises with humility, never daring to be complacent. Yet, beneath this veneer of success, there was a persistent, gnawing anxiety that I could not shake."

The Truth Behind the Guardian Spirit

"However, at this moment, I want to tell the world the truth I have realised while looking back from the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Although I dedicated my life to others, I had no certainty about death. I did not know the path ahead, nor what awaited me. As I grew old, the long-term worry over state affairs led to illness, and my health began to decline. Despite my high principles, I could not achieve what the Dharma calls 'not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die' at the time of my passing."

"At that time, I still had many unfulfilled wishes regarding the people, politics, and education, all of which weighed heavily on my heart. Even while dragging my sick body, I remained stubborn. I could not let go of the things I had not finished, or the younger generation who followed me. I felt regret for not having provided them with a complete education or a full transmission of my ideals. This state of mind caused me to lose my clarity in my final days. The illness and attachments in my heart were not truly resolved or released, and so I left the human world with a lingering sense of sadness and regret. Before I died, I had a vague sense that my time was short, but when the end finally came, I was no different from anyone else—I arrived in a rush, left in a rush, and could take nothing with me."

"After death, I soon arrived at the Yingtian Academy, which I had been invited to lead during my time in office. Looking back, this was because I cherished talent and valued the education of the nation's youth. This attachment had a profound influence on me. I was very happy to teach what I had learned and to see talent emerge for the country. I held the people, the nation, and every individual scholar deeply in my heart. I suppose this was the best outcome! I could continue to guard the scholars after my death, silently protecting their minds from bias and their pure, kind character from being polluted. I remained in the space between the academy and various lecture halls, and my traces can even be found in the universities of modern China. I became the guardian spirit of scholars. Later generations mostly worshipped me as 'Master Fan,' erecting monuments and memorial halls to commemorate my integrity, honesty, and patriotism. Many scholars would think of me during examinations, praying for good results. This is what I did for a thousand years after my death, a long, weary vigil of attachment."

A New Mission in the Western Pure Land

"China is vast, and the generations of students are countless. I tried my best to do my duty, setting the best example and spirit as encouragement for those who came after me. My spirit diligently imparted positive, selfless thoughts to them. Seeing that the students of China were becoming less focused on morality, I felt frustrated but powerless to change the result. When people offered prostrations to me, I would return the gesture in the ancestral halls and silently plant a seed of Goodness in their hearts, hoping that they might one day find the path I had missed."

"Just a few days ago, I suddenly heard the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' resounding in the sky, and a golden light enveloped the earth. At that time, I was at Hunan University in Changsha, transmitting positive and good energy to the local students. In an instant, I followed that golden light and arrived in another world—the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Here, on the lotus platform, looking at Namo Amituofo before me, I gradually became clear-minded. The Buddha seemed to ask me, 'Fan Zhongyan, do you remember your past life?' I remembered. But was I still that same Fan Zhongyan? I have come to the Buddha's world, following Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. This is my new identity, representing the beginning of a new mission."

"I gradually calmed my heart, chanting the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo,' and began a different life of practice. Listening to the compassionate Practitioner Su give Dharma talks, the darkness in my heart gradually cleared. The good deeds I had performed in the past were not purely good, and the things I worried about were not the Right Way. While a life dedicated to the nation and the people is commendable, in the face of the vast Buddha's teachings, and in the presence of the true great compassion and no-self of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, I know that I did not achieve true no-self or selflessness. All my attachments vanished in an instant. True purity and compassion are the realm of the Buddha, something I had never truly experienced while alive."

"Watching Practitioner Su perform countless acts of Spiritual Deliverance, I realised that there are people in this world who possess such skills. This act of saving the world deeply moved me, and I am eager to learn. Such a life—attaining Buddhahood to save all beings—is the true act of compassion. My eyes brightened, and my heart was filled with joy. I know this is the true Truth, the true Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Only by learning such skills can one save people from danger and save spirits from within the realms of space. I offer my prostrations to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and I express my deepest gratitude for the Buddha's grace. Namo Amituofo."