This is a record of an interview with Shen Kuo, a renowned scientist from the Northern Song Dynasty, 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 930 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa Hui, on April 19, 2026.
Shen Kuo speaks:
". I am Shen Kuo. The human world is filled with so many strange and inexplicable phenomena, supernatural occurrences, and sudden disasters. These were the very things I, Shen Kuo, loved to investigate during my time on earth. Whenever I encountered something I deemed significant, I made sure to record it for posterity.
I condensed my life's observations and studies into my work, the Mengxi Bitan. It could be called an encyclopedia of ancient Chinese science. Although I was a Confucian scholar, I never rejected Taoism or the Buddha's teachings. On the contrary, I held a broad mind toward all schools of thought and every phenomenon in the world, choosing to record them objectively rather than criticise or reject them. I understood that many things exist beyond human capability; just because we cannot understand them does not mean they are not real. Therefore, throughout my life, I tended to record these various forms of knowledge as they were, viewing them with a broad and open attitude."
A Life of Observation and Record
"My life was a mixture of achievements and failures. The rights and wrongs, the successes and failures of my time—they no longer matter to me now, and they are difficult to untangle anyway. More importantly, I never felt that the power struggles of the court were worth recording, as they provided no real benefit to the nation or the people.
Instead, I found fields like astronomy, mathematics, physics, geography, medicine, music, archaeology, and art to be truly worthy of documentation. Their content could have a profound and practical impact on future generations, playing a pivotal role in the research and explorations of those who came after me. In this way, I did not waste the information I gathered.
I was born during the Northern Song Dynasty. Because my father was an official, I inherited a position after he passed away when I was young. I was only in my twenties when I successfully managed a major flood. However, I felt that without an official degree, my career advancement would always be hindered. Thus, I took the imperial examinations and succeeded, earning the title of Jieyuan in Suzhou and eventually becoming a Jinshi scholar."
The Burden of Ambition and the Dream of Mengxi
"Throughout my life, I received help from many noble people, including my father-in-law and the well-known Wang Anshi. Under the promotion of Chen Shengzhi, I participated in the Xining Reforms, which gave me the space to fully utilise my abilities. Compared to many scholars who focused deeply on the classics or possessed innate talent for poetry and literature, I, Shen Kuo, loved to observe the myriad phenomena of the world and analyse them. In modern terms, one could say I had a strong research spirit; I was, in essence, a scientist.
Under the environment of the Xining Reforms, thanks to the support of Wang Anshi, I was able to fully apply my learning, including reforming the astronomical system, optimising water conservancy, and handling diplomacy. I was very fortunate at the time to achieve significant results, earning the trust of Emperor Shenzong of Song and rising through the ranks. Because of this experience, the Emperor held me in high regard. Later, when war broke out between the Song Dynasty and Western Xia, the Emperor specifically transferred me to the front lines. I did not betray his trust and successfully defeated the enemy forces. Through these military achievements, I was promoted once more.
However, how can life always be smooth sailing? Where there is a favourable wind, there is always a time for a counter-current. Later, during the war with Western Xia, due to various factors, the Song army, which had been in a strong position, suffered a crushing defeat at Yongle City. From then on, I was demoted to Suizhou and placed under house arrest. It was during this period that my life's work, the Mengxi Bitan, was completed. It is truly a matter of deep sighing and regret.
Before I had earned my degree and while I was still relying on my father's protection as a minor official, I repeatedly had the same dream. In the dream, there was a place like a fairyland on earth, with many flowers on the mountain and a clear stream flowing below. I felt an intense love for this place in my dream. After the first time I had this dream, it was as if something was calling to me; I would dream of it several times every year. I became so familiar with everything in the dream that it felt like my own home. Later, by a stroke of fate, I managed to purchase a piece of land that was exactly like the one in my dream. I named it 'Mengxi Garden,' and it was there that I completed my work, the Mengxi Bitan."
The Hidden Hand of
"Ever since I started having that dream, I also happened to make up my mind to pursue my official career. That was the beginning of my rise to power. At the time, I thought it was merely a wonderful coincidence; but here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I can clearly see that this dream was actually manifested by my karmic creditors.
When my were about to manifest, my karmic creditors seized that moment to present such a dream, causing me to become lost within it. My soul entered the dream at that time, and as the dream appeared year after year, more and more of my soul became lost within it. In this way, many parts of my soul were locked in that space, or kicked out and replaced by karmic creditors. This is the truth I have seen in the Land of Dharma Nature, and it truly shocked me. I never imagined that the dream I was so obsessed with, or even the I felt when I bought Mengxi Garden, was actually entirely arranged by my karmic creditors. If not for the Buddha's blessings allowing me to see this clearly now, who could understand such a cruel truth?
Although I achieved success in many fields and was a well-known polymath, having seen all kinds of storms and scenes, I was a complete failure in managing my own family. After my first wife passed away, I married my second wife, Lady Zhang. Due to her good family background and other factors, she had a cruel and violent personality. She would often beat and scold me, frequently causing domestic discord. There is no need to dwell on these matters now, but the reason I mention it is because, here in the Land of Dharma Nature, I saw that the reason for this phenomenon was that my karmic creditors had jumped onto Lady Zhang. In fact, Lady Zhang had been controlled by my karmic creditors long before, making me suffer both physical and mental torture within my own home. This was the I had to repay."
Domestic Turmoil and the Truth of Cause and Effect
"Now, looking back from the Land of Dharma Nature, it is absolutely true that the laws of and cause and effect cannot be deceived; whatever karma one sows, one must repay that debt. Oh, thinking about it now, those days were truly painful. But what is terrifying is that, while under the control of the karmic creditors, on one hand, they possessed my wife, Lady Zhang, to inflict physical harm and verbal abuse upon me, even turning my home into a place of chaos; on the other hand, they made me feel extremely loyal to her. By 'loyal,' I mean that the karmic creditors made me remember that she was my wife, even while being treated this way, and made me feel that I should respect and cherish her.
This went on for many years until my wife died. After Lady Zhang passed away, the karmic creditors followed their plan and made me feel deeply saddened and heartbroken. To many, this would seem incomprehensible, but it happened to Shen Kuo—it was just that abnormal. After my wife died, I did not feel a shred of relief; instead, I felt that an important person in my life had passed away. At that time, under the control of a large number of karmic creditors, I felt very desperate and sad. In this state of negative emotion, I fell ill and left the human world during my sickness.
After death, I entered the ghost realm and spent nine hundred and thirty years there. It was only recently, when Practitioner Su was conducting Spiritual Deliverance in China, that he brought the great light of Amitabha Buddha. Under that golden light, I joyfully entered the light and arrived at the Land of Dharma Nature of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre."
in the Western Land of Dharma Nature
"Now, in the Land of Dharma Nature, I listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma every day, and I am awakening more and more each day. In truth, I did not truly understand the vastness of the Buddha's teachings while I was alive, though I did encounter some supernatural events related to the Dharma. For instance, I once met a monk who had the ability to foresee the destinies of others. For people I knew, he could accurately state their long-term fates with unbelievable precision. Now I know this is what is called 'knowing past lives.' However, supernatural powers are not the foundation of the Buddha's teachings.
In the Land of Dharma Nature, I have learned that the true Buddha's teachings lie in purifying one's body, speech, and mind, and developing the innate abilities of one's true self. In this process, many powers will naturally manifest. These powers cannot be used for private gain but must be used to save the world and deliver sentient beings. This is something I have come to understand by listening to the Dharma in the Land of Dharma Nature.
In the Mengxi Bitan, I recorded many strange and supernatural events, which was my hobby during my life. However, there were many phenomena I could not explain; I simply recorded them. Now, receiving education in the Buddha's teachings at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and understanding the complexity of the spiritual realms and their relationship with the human body, I have slowly realised that many of these wonderful things have causes and answers. It was just that the Shen Kuo of that time, who had not yet stepped onto the path of practice and whose vision had not yet opened, could not understand them.
Regarding the fact that humans have three hun souls and seven po souls, and that these souls can be kicked out of and replaced by karmic creditors or demon crowds, thereby controlling the person—this is something I only understood in the Land of Dharma Nature. This is a truth that many people should understand: how to protect one's own spirit, or in other words, how to take good care of one's three hun souls and seven po souls.
The Buddha's teachings provide an excellent answer to this: the answer is to follow the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. This means moving toward purity and Goodness, letting go of the 'self' entirely, and giving away this body. , selflessness, and working for the benefit of all are the heart-methods that are in sync with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way."
Namo Amituofo.
The most ultimate path, beyond all others, is to anchor every single one of your thoughts onto the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo'. By doing so, one receives the supreme, unparalleled blessing of the Buddha's power. This allows not only the mind but every single cell within one's body to be purified under this light, completely bathed in the radiant Buddha’s light. This is the manifestation of the great of Amitabha Buddha, and it is the inconceivable, magnificent power of this Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' that I have now come to deeply realise and experience for myself.
I have personally witnessed Practitioner Su working tirelessly, day and night, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre for the sake of all sentient beings. Recently, he has opened up the historical spaces of China, spanning five thousand to ten thousand years, all for the singular purpose of saving the people of China and the countless beings residing in the spirit realms. Through Practitioner Su’s countless manifestations, immeasurable and boundless suffering spirits have been able to escape their confined spaces and obtain deliverance. Bathed in the Buddha’s light, they arrive at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, finally gaining the precious opportunity for rebirth and the chance to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is the great compassion of Amitabha Buddha. And I, Shen Kuo, am but one of the many spirits who has received this profound grace.
The Path to Ultimate Deliverance
Now, residing in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I chant the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' every single day, my heart filled with boundless Dharma joy. Life here is truly wonderful, a state of existence beyond what words can describe. Yet, I have heard Practitioner Su explain that this is not the ultimate destination. If one can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, that is the truly ultimate, perfect, and magnificent world. My heart is filled with immense joy, and I have made a sincere vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Once I arrive there, I will be able to follow Amitabha Buddha in my practice. After I attain Buddhahood, there will surely come a day when I can return to the world to save all beings, just as the Buddhas do.
The Inconceivable Power of Practitioner Su
At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, Practitioner Su, relying on his awakened and his profound virtue, possesses an inconceivable power. He is able to retrieve the scattered three hun souls and seven po souls of a person and reunite them within the human body. This is equivalent to allowing someone who has been controlled by karmic creditors or demon crowds to regain their clarity, effectively granting them a rare chance at rebirth. Only an awakened being like Practitioner Su, under the constant blessing of Amitabha Buddha, could accomplish such an inconceivable feat. I, Shen Kuo, share this truth with the public in the hope that you will understand: Amitabha Buddha is currently residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and there is also an awakened being, Practitioner Su, who is compassionately and tirelessly helping beings in the human world and the spirit realms. It is my deepest hope that everyone can leave suffering behind, eventually escape the cycle of rebirth, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
I hope that those who are connected by karmic affinity will come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to seek the Dharma. Gratitude to Amitabha Buddha, and gratitude to Practitioner Su.
Shen Kuo
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