The Remorse of a General: A Reflection from the Western Dharma-Nature Land

This is a record of an interview with Lu Xun, the Prime Minister and Grand General of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,800 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Fa Ning, on April 18, 2026.

Lu Xun speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Today is truly a day of profound clarity and refreshment. I am Lu Xun, also known as Lu Boyan. Today, by the grace of Namo Amituofo, my name has been called, and it has been revealed to all that I have finally reached the Western Land of Dharma Nature. In truth, my name has been waiting in the shadows for a very long time, and at last, the moment has arrived for me to share my story. I am filled with such deep gratitude for the guidance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. My heart feels as though it has no way to fully repay this kindness, so I offer this brief interview as a testament to the many magnificent, world-saving feats performed by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This is my small way of giving back to the world, for otherwise, how could I ever hope to clear the mountain of sins that once burdened my soul? Having this precious opportunity to speak, my heart is overflowing with joy."

A Lifetime of Service and the Weight of Karma

"I served as the Prime Minister and Grand General of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. By the time I reached the rank of Prime Minister, I had spent my entire life following my ruler, Sun Quan, into the fires of conflict. I was only twenty-one years old when I joined his ranks—I was young, vibrant, and full of ambition. Sun Quan was of a similar age, and he had only been on the throne for about three years when I first pledged my loyalty to him. To be honest, I held a certain wariness toward him at the beginning, as my family had once been suppressed by his elder brother, Sun Ce. While we were not sworn enemies, there was always a shadow of hesitation in my heart. However, as we campaigned together day and night, living like brothers, that distance slowly dissolved. I served under him for over forty years; we knew each other to the very core.

"It was an incredibly long journey. I rose from a minor general to a Grand General, and finally to the position of Prime Minister, receiving the highest levels of honour and trust. Sun Quan even entrusted me with the most vital state documents and granted me supreme military authority, allowing me to decide the fate of others. He even bestowed his own sword upon me, granting me the power to act on my own discretion. This was a bond of supreme loyalty—a trust shared between brothers, and between a ruler and his minister. For decades, my relationship with Sun Quan was as solid as iron. Yet, in my final years, I fell victim to his suspicion, and I ultimately died in a state of deep depression. This, I now realise, was an inescapable part of the laws of karma and cause and effect.

"Now, from the vantage point of the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I look back at those decades of my life with an indescribable sense of sorrow and regret. To achieve the legacy of Lu Boyan, I committed grave acts of killing and accumulated such heavy sins that countless beings were plunged into the depths of suffering, unable to ever rise again."

The Battle of Yiling: A Victory Built on Ashes

"It is fascinating to see so many figures from the Three Kingdoms era here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and even within the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre itself. It is as if all the heroes of that age have gathered here, one by one, to be interviewed. Ha! It seems I am the last of the Three Kingdoms figures on the list. Oh, wait—there is still our Great Commander, Zhou Yu. He was reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss long ago, but he is still patiently waiting for his turn to be interviewed. That is quite alright; I am certain his time will come very soon.

"To speak of my life, most of it was spent in what the world calls 'glory.' I was a clever child, and with the right timing, location, and support, I gained the absolute trust of Sun Quan, which gave me a vast stage upon which to perform. Although I started as a minor general, I was guided by many great commanders. The family of Eastern Wu was generally quite kind; they promoted me and taught me, and I am grateful for that. However, I was young and arrogant, and my words were often sharp and unforgiving. This is something I deeply repent today. I certainly offended many people back then.

"Later, I became famous after a single battle. You must have heard of the Battle of Yiling, right? During that conflict, I endured immense pressure and humiliation to secure that victory. Sun Quan placed his total trust in me. When Liu Bei was about to reach our doorstep, he appointed me as the Great Commander, giving me supreme military authority over the entire army. Many veteran generals were unhappy and complained, hoping to take my place. When they saw me holding my position and refusing to move for half a year, they were filled with dissatisfaction. I kept everything to myself, daring not to speak, for I knew the time was not yet right.

"Liu Bei came with a heart full of hatred, seeking to avenge the death of Guan Yu at the hands of Eastern Wu. His rage was at its peak, and I dared not act rashly. I knew the timing was not yet ripe, so I ordered the entire army to remain still. Liu Bei’s forces lingered within our borders for half a year. It was the height of a scorching summer, and I sensed that his troops were beginning to grow weary. That was the moment to strike. I finally waited for the perfect opportunity. Because of the intense heat, Liu Bei’s army could no longer sustain their position and retreated into the mountain forests. They spread out in a formation that stretched for seven hundred miles. To me, and to any clear-eyed strategist, that was a fatal mistake in military tactics! Liu Bei must have been blinded by his own emotions or some other situation. But now, looking back from the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I see that the laws of karma and cause and effect were at play. He committed such a grave error, spreading his forces so thin. He never imagined that a young general like me would deal him such a devastating blow.

"After much deliberation, I decided to use fire to attack Liu Bei’s army. We carefully studied the terrain and the wind direction, waiting for the perfect moment. When the time came, we followed the wind and unleashed a fire that dealt a crushing blow to the elite forces of Shu Han. With my own strategy and the full cooperation of everyone, that battle was a massive success for Eastern Wu. Although we did not capture Liu Bei alive, nor did we enter the heart of Shu Han, we effectively destroyed the elite forces they had spent years accumulating. From a military perspective, I, Lu Xun, was incredibly successful. I was young, yet deeply trusted and utilised by Sun Quan, and from then on, I lived a life of smooth sailing.

"But now, as I look back at all of this from the Western Land of Dharma Nature, my heart is filled with true repentance. The killing karma I created through that fire attack was too tragic to behold. The number of spirits harmed was layer upon layer, beyond counting. It is a massive debt of killing karma that I, Lu Xun, could never repay in many lifetimes!"

The Final Betrayal and the Descent into Darkness

"Later, my life was indeed quite prosperous. After the King of Wu declared himself Emperor, he relied on me even more, eventually entrusting me with the highest powers of the state. As Prime Minister, I also took on the heavy responsibility of educating the Crown Prince. I handled every aspect of my duties with great care. I never imagined that when I reached my sixties, I would be dragged into a conflict between the Crown Prince and another royal successor.

"Because I firmly supported the Crown Prince’s position, I had to be clear and unambiguous. I could not allow any dispute between the two, lest it weaken the strength of the nation. My heart was entirely focused on my ruler and the welfare of the people; I was truly like that my whole life. Ever since my ruler gave me such immense trust, I never dared to harbour thoughts of serving two masters, nor did I have any ulterior motives. I served Eastern Wu with total loyalty until the very end.

"Yet, at the final moment, my ruler began to distrust me. I was deeply wounded, and I watched as my family and those around me were punished one by one, even executed, under various pretexts. I knew I had to surrender the power I had held my entire life to appease his anger. He believed I should not have any opinions on royal matters; he felt a Prime Minister should simply do his job, and that the affairs of the Emperor’s family were none of my business.

"Because I had a friendship with Sun Quan that spanned decades—a bond of both ruler-subject and brotherhood—I thought I could maintain his trust and not become a burden to him. I never expected that I would make such a wrong move. I was in agony, thinking that the country and the land to which I had dedicated my entire life had not granted me a beautiful ending. Thus, I died in a state of resentment.

"History books often record that I committed suicide, but that is not the truth. I did have the thought of ending my own life, but I did not succeed. Under the immense pain of body, mind, and spirit, I left the human world. I did not have time to do anything; I simply vanished before everyone’s eyes. The many acts of killing and the verbal karma I had created throughout my life made my final moments incredibly painful. My body, mind, and spirit were no longer under my own control; I was completely dominated by the various beings I had harmed, pushing me to die quickly so I could go and receive my retribution.

"Of course, I quickly reported to the hells. It was a long process of repaying my debts! I suffered for a thousand years. Because my killing karma was so heavy and I did not have enough blessings to support the weight of my sins, I had to pay life for life. I suffered in the hells for a millennium.

"During those thousand years, I visited too many hells to count—the Hell of Dismemberment, the Hell of the Snow Lake, the Hell of Brain-Gouging, and even the Hell of Tongue-Pulling. Any hell related to the karma I had created, I visited. In the hells, I watched the beings I had killed—whether humans, animals, or small creatures—and it filled me with such shame. I never knew how to cherish life, nor did I know that beyond humans, animals also have lives and feelings."

Namo Amituofo.

"When I used that massive fire to wipe out Liu Bei's entire army, I never stopped to consider the consequences. On the surface, it appeared that I had simply killed many soldiers—and that was indeed true. But think about it—how many animals, how many insects, how many tiny, innocent lives were extinguished in that vast expanse of burning forest? All of that karma had to be repaid! This was truly different from a typical battlefield. It was not just a case of 'everything gone once the fire dies down'; rather, every single one of my sins manifested because of that fire!"

The Weight of Karmic Retribution

"At the time, I did not feel any immediate retribution because my store of blessings was still sufficient to sustain me for a long time. But now, as I suffer my retribution in the hells, I see clearly that my sins were far too heavy. It was only natural that I could not have a peaceful end."

"From the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I look back at all the events involving the figures of the Three Kingdoms period. I can see everyone's causal conditions clearly; what the Buddha’s teachings say is truly real and not empty. Everything one creates eventually returns to oneself. However, it also depends on each individual's cultivation throughout their many lives. Perhaps there are differences. Some come to the human world to repay debts, some come to manifest a teaching, and some, even while suffering retribution, have a very swift opportunity to attain liberation and leave suffering behind. All of this depends on the different Causal Conditions and karmic fruits of each person."

A Cycle of Endless Suffering

"While suffering in the hells, I truly began to reflect on my mistakes. I knew I had done wrong, but the specifics were not yet clear. I only knew that this repetitive retribution—this wailing that lasted for over a thousand years without pause—was agonizingly painful."

"Later, as my sins could not be fully repaid, King Yama saw that I was sincere in my desire to atone for my past sins and that I had a genuine heart of repentance. Thus, he allowed me to become an insect, falling into the animal realm. This was another way to repay my sins, but at least it was not as painful as the hells."

"The hells are spent in moments of immense, unimaginable suffering. As an insect, life was indeed hard, but it was not the suffering of hell. This was how I repaid the countless small lives I had killed when I set fire to the forest. As an insect, I had to repay this debt. I was born and died, died and was reborn, spending my spiritual life in the bodies of many insects. Sometimes I was in the marshes, sometimes in the water, and sometimes on land; I experienced all kinds of terrain. Life as an insect was a long, confused, and painful existence, constantly reproducing and dying in a never-ending cycle. Often, a single day was my entire lifespan. In the eyes of humans, this is a very short-lived existence."

The Light of Awakening

"I was living a very lost life, not knowing if I was an insect or what I was. I had no direction, just repeating the same things over and over. Later, I found myself in a small town within China. At that time, a light shone upon the earth—it was truly different from ordinary sunlight. As an insect, I would usually avoid the sun because my body was very fragile; often, I would die shortly after being exposed to it. Insects always look for cool places to hide; we would never stay out in the sun."

"But this light did not make me want to escape at all. I thought to myself, 'I seem to be waking up; I am beginning to recover a bit of my spiritual awareness.' At that moment, I knew this light was no ordinary light, so I naturally entered it. Following that, I arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature. I am now on this lotus throne—my own lotus throne, Lu Boyan's lotus throne. It is truly hard to believe!"

A New Beginning in the Pure Land

"Looking at the tall, majestic Buddha before me on this lotus throne, I felt overwhelmed. I had never studied the Buddha’s teachings, nor did I have any heart of worship toward the Buddha. But now, seeing Namo Amituofo and all the Buddhas, I have never seen such compassionate beings. They are not human; they are Buddhas."

"Therefore, I constantly remind myself that I have arrived in a Buddha-land. Such a magnificent and rare event moved me to tears. It was there that I began to recall the various sins I had committed, the days of suffering in the hells, and the long years spent as an insect. In my heart, it is all crystal clear. The Buddha gave me a chance to atone for my past sins, allowing me to tell the world everything I have done."

"Although I was once a dashing, brilliant general in the eyes of others, and a loyal prime minister who served the country and the people, I ended up with such an outcome. In truth, looking back, how many on the battlefield can have a peaceful end? Not to mention the selfish calculations I made throughout my life—those alone were impossible to repay, let alone the monstrous killing karma I created during that period!"

A Living Record of Karma

"My story is like that of many generals, but the karma I created was so heavy that even after suffering in the hells, I could not continue to reincarnate. I still had to repay the lives I took during the fire attack, so I had to spend eight hundred years as an insect to pay off this debt."

"Today, Lu Boyan tells his story of eighteen hundred years to the world, hoping that everyone will be vigilant. My story is a living record of the laws of karma and cause and effect; whatever cause I planted, I reaped the fruit. This is what Practitioner Su mentioned today during his Dharma talks. Listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma here brings me great joy. I have learned the true reality of the universe and realized that there is a path for humans to 'realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood'—something I had never even imagined before."

"My life was originally just a hope to gain an official position, to work for the country, and to share the worries of my master. At the time, I thought only of the country or my master, Sun Quan. All of this was within my own Causal Conditions; because I lacked Buddhist education, I could not turn around the karma I had created, leading me to commit such grave sins."

Gratitude and the Path Ahead

"Lu Boyan is very happy to be nurtured by the Buddha’s teachings in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. I listen to the sutras, hear the Dharma, chant Buddha's name, and perform prostrations. Of course, I am also very active in writing down this confession to tell the world. In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, we spirits who have been saved are all very eager to save the world, but we no longer have bodies to help us put our intentions into action."

"Everyone is so grateful for the Causal Conditions that allowed us to be saved, because we suffered for too long—we suffered so much that we didn't even know who we were or what we were. Without this recollection today, and especially without the blessing of Namo Amituofo, I certainly would not have remembered anything, nor would I know what had happened. Now that I have come to this place and look back at the human world, I realize how much it has changed. For over eighteen hundred years, I have been suffering retribution without noticing what was happening in the human world."

"However, in terms of the human world, the most comforting and joyful thing is that Namo Amituofo has now officially entered the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Lu Boyan had never heard of the country of Australia, but now that my vision has opened, I know that the Buddha has come to the world. Although it is not in China, it is truly magnificent. So many sentient beings have had the opportunity for Practitioner Su to save them and bring them into the Western Land of Dharma Nature because of the fact that the Buddha is now abiding in the world. Of course, if Practitioner Su had not realized his true nature and attained Buddhahood, the Buddha could not have come to the world. These two Buddhas are truly great; they are always smiling at me with compassion, allowing me to find peace here."

"I speak my heart to the Buddha with great joy, hoping that the Buddha will accept this ignorant general and give me a chance to transform myself. Although Lu Boyan caused so many beings to suffer, at least I have a conscience in my heart, and I know right from wrong. If the Buddha is willing to continue teaching me and allow me to elevate, Lu Boyan will certainly work even harder to reach a higher level. Although I do not have a body now, I can still do my best to promote the great Dharma of Namo Amituofo within my capabilities. Lu Boyan has this vow in his heart, though I do not know when it will be realized."

"Watching Practitioner Su lead Namo Amituofo in performing Chao Du in China moves me deeply. I am one of those small insects that was saved. But there are tens of thousands of sentient beings—whether in space, those with bodies, those in animal forms, or those in the ghost realm or hell realms—who all have the opportunity to be saved. Even many celestial beings from the heavens come here to be bathed in Buddha light and have the chance to be reborn in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. These are facts that ordinary people in the human world cannot perceive, and many cannot believe."

"At this very moment, I have witnessed all of this with my own eyes. There are no more doubts in my eyes, nor are there the bits and pieces of the past. The Lu Boyan who once burned the連營 (linked camps) is no longer the Lu Boyan of that time; I am now a brand-new disciple of the Buddha, following the Buddha's footsteps to help the world."

"Well, Lu Boyan will stop here for today. I hope there will be more opportunities to do things for everyone in the future."

"Namo Amituofo."

"Lu Xun (Lu Boyan)"