The Diplomat's Reflection: From the Warring States to the Pure Land

This is a record of an interview with Lin Xiangru, a renowned diplomat from the Zhao State during the Warring States period, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 2,250 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on April 17, 2026.

Lin Xiangru speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am deeply grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for calling upon me, Lin Xiangru, to speak today. Here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I am like many other historical figures from China; I am diligently purifying myself and listening to the profound Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su.

Looking back at my life—from my days as a diplomat to these past two thousand years, and finally arriving here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature—I will do my utmost to provide an honest account. In my previous life, I was a diplomat, and my greatest strength lay in the art of conversation and negotiation. To speak of these things now is a simple matter for me.

A Life of Diplomacy and Strategy

Namo Amituofo was the first Buddha I ever came to know. In the Warring States period, there was no Buddhism. It was an era of a hundred schools of thought, all flourishing simultaneously—Confucianism, Taoism, the School of Military Strategy, the School of Diplomacy, and many others. I was aware of many sects promoting their own philosophies, yet I never truly aligned myself as a follower of any single one. Throughout my life, I upheld the Confucian virtues of loyalty, courage, patriotism, and benevolence. However, I possessed a silver tongue; I could take tasks that seemed impossible and find a way to complete them. My life was defined by this particular brand of courage and strategic intellect.

I began as a minor guest in the household of a eunuch, not even an official in the royal court. Yet, I became famous overnight—not through a military battle, but through a dramatic political negotiation. I was representing the Zhao State in talks with the Qin State. At that time, Qin was a massive power, while my home, Zhao, was significantly smaller.

The Legend of the Perfect Jade

The Qin State had heard that our Zhao State possessed a precious piece of jade, and they were constantly eyeing it with greed. The King of Qin even made the outrageous claim that if we surrendered the jade to him, he would cede fifteen cities to Zhao. Our people and our monarch knew immediately that this was a lie; given the cunning nature of the Qin King, he would likely take our treasure and then ignore his promise entirely.

I was recommended as a negotiator. I went to Qin and presented the jade to the King, but I had no intention of truly giving it to him, for I knew he would renege on his word. I devised a plan: I threatened to smash the jade against a pillar, choosing to perish with the treasure rather than let it be stolen. Under my intense pressure, the King of Qin had no choice but to return the jade to me. I demanded he arrange the transfer of the fifteen cities. He was unwilling and stalled, refusing to act. While I bought time, I secretly had the jade sent back to our home in Zhao. This resolved the crisis, and it is the origin of the story people often call 'returning the jade intact to Zhao.' I succeeded, and I won the trust and affection of the King of Zhao and his people. From then on, my career in the government flourished, and I served my state with unwavering dedication.

The Weight of War and the Suffering of the People

I possessed a cheerful heart, for I was a diplomat guided by moral foundations. I would never promise what I could not deliver, though my mind was constantly filled with strategies. In the Warring States period, society was in utter chaos, and everyone acted solely for their own benefit. People lived in the midst of constant warfare. There was a small war every ten years and a major war every twenty; the devastation was relentless. While history books often paint the Warring States period as an interesting or dramatic time, only those who lived through it can truly understand the suffering of the common people.

Though I held a high position as a diplomat and was often sent by the King to oversee military matters or lead negotiations, I felt a profound sense of helplessness and pain regarding the suffering of the civilians. I could not do enough for them; it was the tragedy of the era. All I could do was use my gift of speech to prevent one war after another. Because I was so skilled in rhetoric, I could often make the threat of war vanish. This was why the King of Zhao valued me so highly.

Of course, resolving a war is not a simple task, and I could not achieve it through my own strength alone. My life was spent oscillating between the battlefield and the negotiating table. By resolving crises and preventing even a single conflict, I was effectively saving the lives of countless soldiers and civilians.

The Humility of a Statesman

Yet, there were times when I was forced to step onto the battlefield. Zhao was frequently in conflict with other states. While I was never the commander-in-chief, I served as a secondary figure. The most famous general of the time, Lian Po, was my colleague and later my dear friend. He was the core military leader of Zhao, and I often provided him with strategies and insights.

I spoke so much throughout my life that I inevitably created a great deal of negative karma. Even though my intentions were for the sake of the country, my words were often filled with clever, manipulative rhetoric designed to please others. Many things I did required immense courage—I once held a blade to my own throat to threaten the King of Qin, disregarding my own life. I risked death for Zhao time and again, and while I always managed to return safely, I truly terrified the enemy.

I was naturally optimistic, always able to turn a major crisis into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing at all. I remember when General Lian Po and I were not yet friends; he was deeply dissatisfied with me, believing I was merely a diplomat with a hollow reputation. When I heard this, I did not blame him. I have always been broad-minded, and I felt his reaction was only natural.

Later, I told those around me that I must not have any conflict with General Lian Po. If he disliked me, I would do my best to avoid him. Whenever I saw his procession approaching from a distance, I would step aside and humbly let him pass. I avoided direct confrontation to prevent him from harbouring resentment. Through this persistent yielding, General Lian Po finally understood that my actions were intended to preserve our talents for the state. At a time when the King of Zhao desperately needed us, we could serve him together without any discord.

The Tragedy of Changping

He handled the external affairs, and I handled the internal. He was the force on the battlefield, and I was the voice of diplomacy. If we had fought each other, would that not have brought disastrous consequences to our country? I always hoped to protect the state and its people, to avoid war and live in peace. But in the Warring States period, that was nearly impossible. I tried my best to minimize conflict, but I was still pushed to the front lines by the King several times to fight for our nation's dignity.

I once led troops to strike the Qi State and offered strategies for various campaigns; these were things within my power at the time. Therefore, although I had no evil intentions, I still created much karmic retribution through the taking of lives, which, when added to the karma from my speech, meant I created a vast amount of negative karma. It is a very sorrowful thing to reflect upon.

After arriving in the Western Land of Dharma Nature and listening to the Dharma, I finally realised that I was truly wrong. Given the background of that era, I had never received Buddhist education, nor was I taught that one should not fight or that one should cherish all life. Thus, I could not avoid creating many sins. It was the result of the collective karma of the masses; even though I wanted to avoid it, it was inevitable.

When I was young, the Zhao State was powerful, and we did our best to maintain its dignity and strength. But as I grew older, the King passed away. His son was not interested in state affairs, or perhaps he was simply not diligent, and he would not listen to the advice of General Lian Po or myself. When the Qin army pressed upon our borders, I pleaded with the young King, telling him it was a mistake to send General Zhao Kuo to lead the army. Zhao Kuo was a man who could only talk, not act—a man of 'paper soldiers'—and he was not to be trusted. Only the veteran General Lian Po had a chance of victory. But the young King would not listen; he insisted that Lian Po was too old and replaced him with the young Zhao Kuo. The result was a catastrophic defeat for Zhao. There is a poem that says, 'Forty thousand buried in a single pit at Changping; the Qin people rejoiced, the Zhao people mourned.' It speaks of the forty thousand soldiers of our Zhao State who were buried alive by the Qin general, Bai Qi.

That war, with its countless deaths, left Zhao unable to recover. Forty thousand lives—everyone, think about it, that is a terrifying number! Forty thousand men lost their lives just like that; it truly severed the lifeline of the Zhao State. Such cruel methods were shocking even then. In the Warring States period, anything could happen; it was a brutal and inhumane era. Although various schools of thought tried to uphold moral standards, few people truly used Confucian or Taoist thought as a reference. Instead, they used the schools that advocated for war as their guide for governance. That was the most terrifying aspect of that time."

Namo Amituofo.

"I was deeply depressed at that time, and soon after, I passed away from illness. The mental torture I endured was immense. I had guarded the State of Zhao my entire life, and to witness such a tragic outcome—to see forty thousand of our troops perish in that manner—was unbearable. My heart was filled with profound sorrow. I knew that every single life lost was a precious life of the Zhao people, and to have them cut down by the hands of the Qin people caused me a pain that words cannot express.

The Weight of Words and the Path to Hell

After that, I, Lin Xiangru, truly had to report to the hells; it was an unavoidable consequence. Throughout my life, I had created much karma through my speech and through the violence of war. Although I did not commit some of these acts directly, I was the one who devised the strategies, indirectly causing countless deaths and injuries. My words alone were enough to condemn me for the heavy karma of speech. Therefore, while in the hells, I sincerely and openly repented, acknowledging my errors.

Because I had not received the benefit of Buddhist education, my understanding of right and wrong at that time remained only on the surface. I did not deeply grasp where I had truly gone wrong. I only knew that I should not kill, that killing was wrong, or perhaps I felt I had committed some fatal mistake that caused me to fall into the hells for over a thousand years, unable to escape. If I had been able to hear the Buddha’s teachings back then, I am certain that I, Lin Xiangru, would have walked a completely different path in life.

Wandering in the Ghost Realm

Now, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have arrived after many twists and turns. After I emerged from the hells, I wandered for a long time in the confused state of the ghost realm, continuing to suffer the torments of the three lower realms of the six realms of rebirth. I cannot even describe that suffering now, as it truly left me in a blur for a very long time. It was only upon arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature that I suddenly became enlightened. I finally understood why I had come here and realised how much the human world has changed.

A Beacon of Hope in the Modern Age

Buddhist education is passed down through the generations. Throughout history, there have indeed been many eminent monks and virtuous practitioners who appeared in China, leaving behind an incredibly rich cultural heritage. Regarding the Buddha’s teachings, although it may seem that there are no true practitioners in China today, nor any genuine masters propagating the Great Dharma, I, Lin Xiangru, do not feel discouraged. This is because I have witnessed a far more magnificent sight. Practitioner Su from the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia has realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood in his physical body. Following Namo Amituofo, he is step-by-step conducting vast Chao Du [Spiritual Deliverance] across the entire world, especially carrying out unprecedented, large-scale deliverance across the land of China.

This large-scale deliverance has saved an immeasurable number of beings. I have seen with my own eyes how the dense, unfathomable earth was opened by Practitioner Su to deliver the boundless beings buried within. Wars have occurred repeatedly, and bones are stacked in layers; countless deceased spirits are buried in this land. The suffering of the military spirits within the soil is clearly visible; this space, filled with misery, is easily perceived within the earth.

The Inconceivable Pure Land

If there were no Buddha’s teachings in this world, and no skill of Practitioner Su who has realised his true nature, Namo Amituofo would not have come to this world to save beings, and there would not be so many scenes of deliverance occurring. The Western Land of Dharma Nature is an incomparably beautiful and inconceivable world. Practitioner Su, through his own diligent practice and realisation of his true nature, has moved Namo Amituofo to compassionately assist in establishing such a magnificent and dignified Buddha-land. This allows us, the unpurified deceased spirits, to first settle in a tranquil Buddha-land, wash away our sins, and cultivate purity, so that we may eventually have the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

A Message to the World

Such magnificent Causal Conditions are truly worth promoting vigorously by me, Lin Xiangru, so that all the people of China may know of them. In the past, I was gifted with eloquence; if I had a human body today, I could also explain the Buddha’s teachings very well, for all Dharmas are interconnected! I believe that after my own purification, I will certainly possess such ability. As for myself now, I am still working hard to learn, and I dare not claim that I have learned very well. The philosophy of the Dharma is profound and vast, yet from my perspective, it is actually quite understandable. The Buddha’s teachings may seem profound, but they can also be very simple; it all depends on the state of one’s own heart.

Practitioner Su’s lectures are becoming more brilliant with each session. I frequently listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma, and I also watch Practitioner Su’s countless manifestations dancing in the void, illuminating the universe and the Dharma Realm, and also revealing the various situations across mainland China. My heart is filled with deep emotion. Now, I have let go of the many things from my past. I wish to follow the Buddha and learn from the Buddha, walking in the Buddha’s footsteps so that I will not deviate from the righteous path or go astray. This is the absolute truth, and I hope that everyone can understand this.

Namo Amituofo.

Lin Xiangru"