The Heart of a Ruler: An Interview with Liu Bei
An Interview with Liu Bei of the Three Kingdoms
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Faru
Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Faru.
April 8, 2026.
I am Liu Bei, known by my courtesy name, Xuande.
The Nature of the Spirit and
In truth, the spirit itself encompasses all things. It does not change based on the passage of time, the constraints of space, or the circumstances of one's birth. Everything is contained within it, which is what we call the true self. When this spirit takes on a human form, it brings with it the collective karma inherited from parents and ancestors. Furthermore, the environment and education one receives in that lifetime awaken specific personality traits and karmic seeds. This is what we call the manifestation of karma. When I was born into of Liu Bei, I manifested the karma associated with that life. However, karma is merely the vessel of the body; if one possesses a sincere vow, one can still make the most of a limited life.
The era of the Three Kingdoms was a time of great turmoil and upheaval. The lives of the common people were far from settled. While the central Han government still endeavoured to maintain order, the environment was incredibly harsh. Local governments were not always obedient to the central authority, and the central government itself often failed to grasp the true conditions on the ground.
Understanding the Suffering of the People
From a young age, I possessed an innate ability to observe the human heart. I learned to be considerate and to think from the perspective of others. I could perceive what people were thinking and, more importantly, I understood the root of their suffering. This was a natural gift; I could see into the depths of a person's heart and understand what mattered most to them.
At that time, the common people were suffering deeply. They struggled daily just to secure their next meal. Most people could not find enough to eat, nor could they secure stable employment. They were simply trying to survive, and it was an exhausting struggle for them and their families. Although I was a descendant of the Han royal family, my own family had long since fallen into decline. I did not enjoy the life of royalty; I had to make my own way in the world. My personal requirements for life were modest, but I still had to work to survive. Because of this, I could truly empathise with the hardships of the common people. I watched them worry daily about their survival, their families, and the relentless fires of war. The people of that time were in great pain.
The Path of Compassionate Leadership
My heart was set on helping people. I wanted everyone to live in peace and prosperity, free from the interference of war. At first, I was young and did not know how to bring about such stability. I saw many civilian militias rising up to resist the government, but I could not agree with their methods. After all, the government was still the foundation of our nation. Even if the government treated the people poorly, it still provided essential services and protection against foreign invasion. These basic duties were fulfilled by the state, and one should not oppose the nation for any reason. To oppose the state is to invite internal chaos. This is not only disloyal to the central administration but also unfilial to the people of the nation, as it causes panic and insecurity. Such actions are not born of .
As I grew older, I saw the number of insurgent militias increasing. I deeply wished to restore the central Han government and its proper functions. I believed that if the central government could be restored, information could flow freely between the centre and the regions. If the centre could understand the needs of the people, and the people could understand the difficulties of the centre, then there would not be so many rebellions and uprisings.
The Call to Serve
Later, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, marking the peak of civil unrest. As a man of the nation, I felt I had to do my part to help the country and prevent further internal conflict. I was fortunate to meet friends who shared my ideals and generals who supported me along the way—namely, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. They were also men who cared deeply for the world. When I met them, I realised that in this chaotic world, they lacked a clear goal. They were wandering without direction, unsure of how to apply their talents. They desperately wanted to use their abilities to help people and serve the nation, but they did not know where to begin.
When they heard my vision, they were moved. I hoped to help restore the central government and act as a bridge between the central authority and the local regions. We would first help the government quell local rebellions, then join the administration to help manage local affairs, serving as a conduit for the voices of the people and the commands of the centre. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei fully agreed with this philosophy. They felt they had the ability to help the nation, so they officially joined my ranks, becoming a team working toward a common goal.
After I invited Zhuge Kongming to join my cause through three humble visits, it was as if a fish had finally found its water. I knew well that he possessed profound knowledge and expertise across many fields. While the world often assumes I relied solely on his military prowess, the truth is that the great generals of Shu Han were already extraordinary talents—geniuses in their own right. The true reason I entrusted Kongming with the role of Prime Minister was that Shu Han lacked a manager capable of overseeing internal affairs and coordinating the big picture. This was an indispensable link in our governance. My generals, who were long engaged in campaigns abroad, were undoubtedly gifted in warfare, but the planning of internal administration, the formulation of laws, and the empathy required to understand the needs of the people were tasks that only Kongming could master. My philosophy for recruiting talent was always fair: anyone who could truly benefit the people was welcome in my ranks.
The Weight of Responsibility
As Shu Han developed, the years passed, and the tripartite division of the world gradually stabilised. I knew that my lifespan in that life was limited and that my time was drawing to a close. Looking out over the world, my only worry was that those who came after me would not fully grasp my true vision, nor would they have the capacity to maintain the stability of the realm. Therefore, I entrusted Shu Han to the Prime Minister, hoping he could preserve that stability. At that time, I had no power to do more.
After leaving the body of Liu Bei, I drifted through the cycle of rebirth, taking on human form many times. Yet, no matter where I was born, my approach remained consistently simple: I sought ways to help people. It is a pity, however, that in the Three Kingdoms era, I never had the opportunity to encounter the magnificent of Namo Amituofo. Although I understood in every lifetime that I must help others, the extent of that help was limited. Without the Buddha’s teachings, even if people lived in peace and prosperity, free from disaster and educated in morality, they could not truly escape the cycle of birth and death.
A Journey Through the Realms
I have been born many times as an eminent monk, an emperor, a high-ranking official, and a commoner. I have experienced the animal realm, the hells, and the ghost realm; I have traversed all six realms of existence. Yet, regardless of where I was, my actions were always a demonstration of the truth, and I always sought to form good karmic affinities with everyone. No matter the realm, my only true goal was to help people. In the time of the Three Kingdoms, the concept of Buddha-Dharma did not exist, yet there remained the concept of the operation of the Heavenly Way and moral foundations.
In this current life, hearing the Dharma talks of Venerable Master Chin Kung and learning the great Dharma of Namo Amituofo resonated perfectly with my long-standing philosophy of serving the people. In every life, I could clearly perceive the suffering of others, and I sincerely wished to help them escape this endless agony. However, without Buddhist education, there is no way to truly help beings transcend the cycle of rebirth.
The of Memory
Throughout my successive lives, the memories of these spiritual experiences have been recorded in my . From birth, I have been extremely sensitive to these spiritual memories. Even as a child, I could keenly perceive the suffering of others, and I often pondered how to help them escape their misery. Yet, I found no answers. Life truly lacks deep meaning; no matter how glorious one’s achievements, one cannot take anything away after death. Even the most beautiful family will eventually be torn apart. Such is the impermanence of the human world, and it always vanishes so suddenly that we are caught unprepared. What is the meaning of such a painful world? This was the question I constantly asked myself. I believed there must be an answer; I simply had to wait for it to arrive.
I travelled all over the world. Though it might have appeared that I was enjoying life, I was actually searching for the answer. I visited famous mountains, travelled to different countries, and explored various religions and schools of thought, yet I still could not find what I was looking for.
The Supreme Path
Upon hearing the second lecture on the Infinite Life Sutra by Venerable Master Chin Kung, I understood immediately: this was the great Dharma I had been seeking for thousands of years. The magnitude of this Dharma is beyond words. I cherish it immensely. This is not the Dharma of the
The Illusion of the Physical Form
I often use the matters that human beings care about most as the basis for my lectures, hoping that the masses will awaken to the truth. People today are deeply attached to their physical bodies, their subjective views, and their personal . They are also deeply concerned about the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death. I explain to them that selfishness and stubborn personality traits are the root causes of this cycle. My intention is to help people become vigilant, to stop their habitual patterns, and to willingly seek the Buddha’s teachings.
The Heart of a
For those with great capacity who truly wish to save beings, one only needs to show them the suffering of this world. They will naturally want to help others and seek liberation. This aspiration must be cultivated from within. It is not something demanded by the Buddha, nor by the patriarchs and venerable masters. It is not done for personal achievement or to elevate one's own spiritual state. Instead, it is done with a heart that truly wishes to save the world—the Buddha-heart. To hold firmly to the six-character name of Namo Amituofo means to hold onto this Buddha-heart at every moment. It means to be in sync with the Buddha-heart at all times and to walk through this world with the sole intention of saving beings. Only in this way can you prevent your body from being controlled by the sentient beings within it.
The Universe Within
There is only one true self, yet the body contains fifty trillion cells. These cellular beings are immeasurable and boundless. The spirits within these cells are also full of their own personalities. They themselves cannot act as master, for they are also controlled by the fifty trillion beings within them. This is why personality is so difficult to change. Only by listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma can these beings become willing to seek liberation. When the true self understands the need to save these beings and leads the entire body with such a heart, it becomes possible to escape the six realms of rebirth and the pursuit and control of karmic debt.
The Boundless Reach of Compassion
Recently, a massive was performed for beings across all realms and spaces throughout China’s five-thousand-year history. The number of beings in those spaces is immeasurable and boundless. Practitioner Su’s has saved all those who have a karmic affinity with him. By entering the spaces of China’s five-thousand-year history, he opened those dimensions and rescued the beings trapped within. He also opened many Demon Realms and destroyed the demon palaces with Buddha-light. All of this is possible because of the great Dharma of Namo Amituofo and the Buddhist education provided by Namo Amituofo. By following Namo Amituofo and relying on his great majestic power, great meritorious power, and great fearless power, one has the opportunity to learn the technology of the body, to make the best use of this limited life, and to achieve the awakening of the Dharma Body. Breaking through various spaces and learning to use the Universal Buddha of Namo Amituofo to save beings in every dimension requires the Buddhist education and the Buddha's of Namo Amituofo. Only then can such great power be manifested.
My Buddha, Namo Amituofo, is extremely compassionate. Seeing the suffering of human beings, as long as someone is willing to cultivate the heart to be in sync with him, he will cross ten trillion Buddha-lands to come to this worldly realm to help immeasurable and boundless beings. The beings he has saved this time are not limited to those in this worldly realm; he has reached out to the ten directions, various spaces, demon palaces, and beings across time and space. Namo Amituofo saves them all with compassion and equality. This is the selfless dedication of Namo Amituofo to all beings, and it is something that everyone should learn.
Well, that is all for today. Gratitude to my Buddha, Namo Amituofo. Gratitude to Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju.
Namo Amituofo
Liu Bei
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Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
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