The Astronomer's Journey to the Western Pure Land
An Interview with the Spirit of Guo Shoujing, Astronomer of the Mongol Empire
Recorded at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre on May 9, 2026
This is a record of an interview with Guo Shoujing, a renowned astronomer and water conservancy expert from the Mongol Empire, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 710 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on May 9, 2026.
Guo Shoujing speaks:
"Namo Amituofo. At this moment, I, Guo Shoujing, am in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. My heart is filled with profound peace and . I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to be interviewed by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre—a moment I have been waiting for, for a very long time.
During my life in the human world, I was known as a prominent astronomer and an expert in water conservancy. But the Guo Shoujing of today has shed the heavy shackles of worldly knowledge. I am now bathed in the Buddha-light of the Western Land of Dharma Nature, chanting 'Namo Amituofo' with a heart full of laughter and liberation.
A New Direction: The Path to the Western Pure Land
My aspirations today are vastly different from those I held during my earthly life. They are no longer clouded or ambiguous; they are crystal clear. My singular goal is to advance toward the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. I have heard Practitioner Su explain that here in the Land of Dharma Nature, if one simply chants 'Namo Amituofo' with sincerity, one can attain rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. For me, this is the most important pursuit of all.
Yet, my desire to help sentient beings remains unchanged. It is not that I wish to go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to indulge in comfort or enjoy . Rather, I hope that once I reach that supreme environment of practice, I can elevate my spirit. Once I attain Buddhahood, I wish to be like Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su—to save countless suffering beings.
Witnessing the Power of
Watching Practitioner Su work day and night, travelling across the world, the galaxy, the Earth, the Dharma Realm, and the vastness of space to deliver immeasurable beings and demon crowds, my heart is deeply shaken. Such compassionate action, such immense vow-power, and the practical ability to help beings leave suffering and gain happiness have truly broadened my horizons. I never knew that the Buddha’s teachings contained such power—the power to liberate so many. Once I realised this was the true Great Dharma, I resolved to learn these skills myself.
It is a pity that I have lost this precious human body. However, I understand the principle that misfortune and fortune are intertwined. If I were not a spirit without a body, I would not have been able to receive deliverance when Practitioner Su performed the . This is a fact I see clearly.
Therefore, the Guo Shoujing of today has no regrets. I have found the goal I have been searching for all these years; I have found what I am truly meant to do. In the language of the Buddha’s teachings, this is a vow born from the heart: to save the world and deliver beings.
Defining the Mission of Saving the World
This was a concept I was unfamiliar with during my life. Although I was a man of great learning, I understood that one should use one's knowledge and abilities to serve the country and the people. But the true meaning of 'saving the world'—I had never truly contemplated or understood it.
If I were not here in the Land of Dharma Nature, observing Practitioner Su’s deliverance work firsthand and coming to understand the vastness and magnificence of the Buddha’s teachings, I would have struggled to grasp what 'saving the world and delivering beings' truly entails. For someone like me, who valued empirical evidence and precision in my academic work, the concept was simply too vague.
But now, seeing the immeasurable suffering spirits across the vast lands of China, and the countless beings across infinite layers of space, all receiving deliverance as Practitioner Su manifests the , I finally understand. 'Saving the world' is not limited to beings in the human realm; it encompasses the spiritual realms as well. All sentient beings are included in this great vow.
This great vow is not about giving beings superficial benefits or temporary improvements in their lives. It is about piercing through to the truth, understanding the Universal Principles, Truth, and the Right Path. Under these conditions, we help beings gain the opportunity to leave suffering, gain happiness, and escape the cycle of rebirth.
The most compassionate act is to help beings be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, for that is the ultimate home for every spirit. In that most beautiful world established by Namo Amituofo, there is no pain, no affliction, and no sorrow—only pure, ultimate bliss. It is truly unimaginable, yet here in the Land of Dharma Nature, I can catch a glimpse of its essence, for this land is the transit station to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss."
Helping to improve the lives of the people or resolving the complex challenges of national development has always been a heartfelt wish of mine. After all, there is the concept of 'applying what one has learned.' Since I had acquired this knowledge, if I could not provide practical assistance to the country and its people, would that not render all that learning useless? Therefore, I have always been diligent in my studies. Of course, this diligence was not born from a desire for greater personal achievement, but rather from a continuous process of learning, hoping to better understand how to help others and serve society. In fields like astronomy, mathematics, and water management, much of the content requires practical application and operation. If one applies what they have learned and puts it to proper use, I believe it can manifest the power of 'Goodness.'
The Heart of a Scholar
I place great importance on the mindset behind learning. Is the heart that pursues knowledge hoping to be different from others, or to appear more prominent? Is it focused on writing papers within obscure theories, or on developing practical applications? Everything depends on this heart. As a Han Chinese, I have always believed that as long as one pursues knowledge with a heart for the country and its people—embracing kindness and a compassionate desire to help others—one will certainly be able to put their learning to good use.
Throughout my life, I have adhered to an unchanging principle: any knowledge must be able to help the country and its people to possess true value; otherwise, it loses its meaning.
A Gift for Structure and Order
In this regard, I am very grateful for what I have learned, as it mostly manifested in concrete engineering or the manufacturing of instruments. From a young age, I displayed exceptional talent. Even as a child, I had a high aptitude for assembling objects, analyzing the parts and structures within them, and understanding how they fit together. Under the cultivation of my grandfather and the guidance of my teachers, these talents were allowed to flourish.
During that dynasty, the Mongol Empire stood in opposition to the Southern Song in the south. As a Han Chinese working wholeheartedly for the Mongol Empire, I felt no internal conflict, nor was it a difficult thing for me to do. From beginning to end, I was very clear about what I should do and what the nature of my work was.
If the task at hand had been to help the imperial court harm the people of another nation, I would never have agreed to it. But if my work had nothing to do with the wars between the two nations, I could proceed without hesitation. As long as it was helpful to the country and the people, it was a virtuous act.
The Principle of 'Choosing Goodness'
Allowing the people or the country to achieve positive development and change was something I could pursue with my abilities without any reservations.
These principles, beyond my own realizations, were largely derived from the teachings of my grandfather and my mentor. Under their guidance, I not only built a solid foundation in my studies and made significant progress, but I also established a firm base for my character. This 'firmness' refers to the steadfastness in 'Goodness,' or what is known as 'persisting in choosing Goodness.' Of course, as a human being, it is inevitable to sometimes misjudge right from wrong or lose one's footing; that is unavoidable. But at least I was very clear about the grand principle and the overall direction in my heart: what my grandfather and mentor had always taught me—to use my knowledge to help others, rather than turning it into a tool to harm them.
Therefore, after I became an official in the court, I quickly set my resolve: I would never participate in any war, I would never participate in harming human lives, nor would I take part in strategies for annexing other countries. To me, such things were cruel, and given my Han Chinese heritage, it would have been difficult for me to justify to myself.
A Life of Simple Purpose
In truth, I lived a very simple life, and one could say I lived quite happily. Of course, in a human life driven by , it is inevitable that there is a mix of joy and suffering. But fortunately, because I always held onto the principle of 'Goodness' in my heart, I was able to turn many dangers into safety.
'Water management' and 'river repair' were indeed the achievements for which I am most known in this life, but I do not dwell on them. I simply did what I had to do. For these things to succeed, it did not rely solely on my own efforts; it required the assistance of many, the right timing, the right location, and the right people—all were indispensable. Therefore, although I made very thorough preparations, I still believe that the success was due to the blessings of Heaven, or perhaps the good fortune of the common people. Ultimately, it was the blessings accumulated by everyone over many lifetimes that saved them; if the people had not possessed such blessings, it would have been impossible for me to successfully complete these projects.
I do not attribute the achievements of my life to my own talents, but rather to the cultivation provided by my grandfather and my mentor, which led to the accomplishments of Guo Shoujing. The 'achievement' I speak of here is not the worldly perception of high status and power, or the accumulation of great wealth, but rather how much substantial help one can provide to the country and the people. I have always believed that every bit of good I have done should be credited to the teachings and cultivation of my grandfather and my mentor.
The Path of Dharma and Morality
At that time, my teacher was highly regarded by Emperor Kublai Khan and was a monk who had returned to lay life. Influenced by him, I had some understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, but it was very superficial, as that was not the focus of his instruction.
My mentor primarily taught me practical knowledge and the principles of being a person—the actual knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and water engineering. Beyond that, he taught me how to cultivate one's morality. At the time, I did not understand the intention behind these lessons, but now I understand: morality is essentially the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.
Of course, in terms of the Buddha’s teachings, the content is more thorough and ultimate, but the foundation never departs from the concept that 'at birth, human nature is inherently good.' A pure and kind heart is essential on the path of practice, because within the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, there is not a single trace of evil; it is purely and completely Good.
The True Meaning of Saving Beings
At that time, my knowledge of Buddhism was limited to 'meditative concentration,' as my teacher was a great master of the Chan school before returning to lay life. However, now that I have seen the great Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su in China, I have finally realized that the true Buddha’s teachings are not about being a 'self-liberated individual,' but about actively saving beings. It is not just about seeking the liberation of one's own spirit, but about sacrificing oneself, forgetting death, taking on the suffering of beings, and after achieving one's own liberation, using one's inherent spiritual abilities to save immeasurable and boundless suffering spirits.
Under the Chao Du of Practitioner Su, too many suffering spirits have been saved. They have all been transformed; many of them, like me, are now bathing in the Buddha-light in the Dharma-Nature Land, happily chanting 'Namo Amituofo.' Most importantly, we can now hear the sutras explained by Practitioner Su, we have the opportunity to learn the Buddha’s teachings, and many of us have vowed to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
The Blessing of the Demon Realms
Beyond the many lonely wandering spirits on the vast land of China and the spirits in the various spaces being saved by and Practitioner Su, there are also immeasurable and countless demon crowds that have been saved. These demon crowds were densely scattered across the entire land of China; one could say that they existed everywhere. To help the Chinese people awaken and have the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, Practitioner Su made a vow to save the demon crowds that were controlling the Chinese people. This is a blessing for the Chinese people, and also the good fortune of these demon crowds. After being saved by Practitioner Su, they arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, transforming from their original dark and ugly appearances into pure, bright, and dignified forms. Under the bright magnetic field of the Dharma-Nature Land and the illumination of the Buddha-light, they have all become completely different.
Because I persisted in the principle of 'Goodness' in my heart, and because I was very fortunate that my primary field of work was in astronomy and water engineering, I was essentially able to stay away from the political struggles of the imperial court throughout my life. Although I served as an official, I did not engage in scheming with others. I had no real experience of the dark side of officialdom because it had nothing to do with me.
A Journey to the Western Land
From beginning to end, my heart only wished to do a little more good for the country and the people. I am very grateful to have lived to the age of eighty-five without any major illness, and to have naturally and peacefully departed from this world in the capital. After death, I was very surprised to find myself in the first level of the heavenly realms, which was something I had not expected. In the heavenly realms, I lived a very happy life. Unlike the heavy afflictions of the human world, I felt my heart was very stable and peaceful, yet I always knew this was not the ultimate destination.
Fortunately, I was very lucky to encounter Practitioner Su, who is saving immeasurable and boundless spirits, and through this opportunity, I entered the light and arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature. In fact, in the Dharma-Nature Land, I have also seen that at every , many celestial beings and deities come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to seek deliverance. Most of them are different from me; they are not celestial deities of the first heaven, but high-level celestial beings with extremely high spirituality.
These celestial beings also came to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to seek deliverance, and I saw how joyful they were; under the Chao Du of Practitioner Su, they also arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Now, like me, they are members of the Dharma-Nature Land, and one could say that we are all students of Amitabha Buddha.
I am very joyful to have had this experience, from the human world to the heavenly realms, and finally to the Dharma-Nature Land. Now, I am constantly chanting 'Namo Amituofo,' looking forward to the day of my rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. One day, I will return to the human world just like Practitioner Su to save the sentient beings with whom I have karmic affinity.
Gratitude to Amitabha Buddha, gratitude to Practitioner Su.
Namo Amituofo
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library