The Strategist's Final Calculation

This is a record of an interview with Zhuge Liang, the legendary strategist of the Three Kingdoms period, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his life and his eventual deliverance by Practitioner Su. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa-ru, on April 5, 2026.

Zhuge Liang speaks:

"The people of the world are the heart's blood of the ruler, and my Master was the enlightened sovereign of the Three Kingdoms. Three times he sought me out, and together we set out to build a world of peace. From our first meeting in Longzhong, the path was clear. Since my youth, I have been able to perceive the affairs of the world, a gift born from the cultivation of many past lives. When I met my Master, I knew I had found the one for whom I would exhaust my life's energy—it was a duty I had to fulfil. The map of the three kingdoms was drawn, and I focused on internal governance and the establishment of laws. My only goal was for the people to live in peace and prosperity; all those years of war were for no other purpose.

A Life of Service and Strategy

Yet, the great task of unification remained unfinished. When I was entrusted with the care of the young heir, I misunderstood my Master's true intent. I believed he desired a total unification of the land, and so I led the northern expeditions in his name. I exhausted the nation's strength and laboured the people, never fully knowing the true cost in the lives of our soldiers. Alas, the Cao Wei state remained unyielding, and those long years of northern campaigns ultimately came to nothing. Upon my death, I fell into the hells, where I suffered for two hundred years. It was within those depths of agony that I finally realised my errors and repented for my misguided path. I returned to the ghost realm, waiting for the causal conditions to ripen.

It was then that I was blessed by my Master, who returned to this world and delivered me into the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Now, looking back with the clarity of the Western Pure Land, I see my life for what it was—a dream of the Three Kingdoms. The true meaning of the trust placed in me remained obscured, and the fate of the Shu Han state followed its natural course. What was the purpose of a lifetime of strategy? The famous prime minister of Shu is now but a figure of laughter and conversation. People call me a genius who could calculate anything, but I could not calculate my own birth and death. If not for the deliverance of Practitioner Su, I would never have escaped the ghost realm.

The True Nature of the Master

Namo Amituofo. I am Zhuge Liang, also known as Zhuge Kongming. We meet again. I have been in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss for over a decade now. It was through the grace of my Master—who is now known as Practitioner Su—that I was saved and brought to this Western Pure Land. If I had not received the Master's deliverance, I would surely still be suffering in the hells or wandering in the ghost realm, would I not? The Three Kingdoms period, though it may seem long to some, passed in the blink of an eye. My life as Zhuge Liang, serving the Shu Han Empire, was my greatest honour and my sacred mission.

We each had our great ambitions, but our hearts were united in the desire to serve the country and ensure the people could live in peace. When I was in Longzhong, I already had a strategy and a plan for the state of the world. This planning was not merely intellectual; I felt a deep, intuitive connection to the flow of the heavens and the movement of the grand situation. I could foresee events before they occurred, sensing the shifts in the great trends that were difficult to alter. For situations that were more volatile and uncertain, I could perceive them, though I knew the future remained fluid. Now, here in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I understand that I possessed a degree of the power to know past lives, allowing me to glimpse the past and the future. I knew even then that my Master was no ordinary man.

Misunderstanding the Path of Unification

I observed his countenance, his face, and the celestial signs, and I sensed that my Master would one day rise to replace the Han dynasty and claim his own territory. I simply reported what I observed to him, and he recognised the truth in my words. This planning was in accordance with the natural laws of the universe, so when my Master heard my proposal, he accepted it naturally. He invited me to come out of seclusion, and I agreed immediately. I knew I was a part of the Shu Han Empire, a vital member of its destiny. I did not know I would become the Prime Minister, but I knew I would influence the rise and fall of the empire. People call me wise and resourceful, but there is no magic in it. It is merely a matter of paying close attention to the world, the hearts of the people, and the surrounding circumstances. With enough observation and sensitivity, one can deduce the outcome. Most great strategists throughout history have been the same. They rely on their keen insight to make the most reasonable calculations. My legend is simply the result of understanding human nature and the situation so thoroughly that I could act in harmony with the natural order. What I truly admire, however, is how my Master kept his own abilities so low-profile. You may not know this, but while Liu Bei appeared humble and simple, his insight into the human heart and his understanding of the world's situation were far superior to my own.

You might be surprised to hear this, as I was always seen as the State Teacher and Prime Minister, the one who orchestrated the complex plans. But in truth, while I offered many suggestions, the final decision always rested with my Master. I served him for a long time, and I knew clearly that if my plans did not benefit the people, or if they did not align with justice or the natural way, he would quickly reject them. He did not favour complex schemes; he preferred a direct, selfless, and bold approach to life. If my plans were biased or lacked integrity, he would immediately spot the flaw, the hidden personal agenda, or the favouritism. He could see through it all. At first, I was astonished by his ability, and I wondered why someone with such insight still needed me to assist him. But I came to understand: only I could translate his true vision and his deep care for the people into concrete action. Without specific methods, goals are just empty concepts. I was the one who turned his inner vision into executable policies and laws. The true focus of building the Shu state was never about unifying the three kingdoms, but about allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity."

I observed that my lifespan was not particularly long, and the heavy karmic debt incurred through prolonged military campaigns was significantly shortening it. Even though I knew this, for the sake of the civilians and the stability of the region, I felt I had no choice but to continue. After the failure of the third northern expedition, I realised that my time was truly running out. The sheer expenditure of financial resources, materials, and human lives had far exceeded my initial expectations.

The Inevitability of Fate

I pondered whether, in the mysterious workings of the heavens, the Shu state was destined to fall. Although I had perceived this trend, I was still making a final, desperate effort. With the failure of the third northern campaign, the trajectory toward the destruction of Shu became increasingly clear, and my heart was filled with lament. Perhaps it was simply that the people lacked the blessings to endure.

I did my utmost to carry out the tasks entrusted to me by my lord, but the ultimate outcome of the world's operation was not something I could control single-handedly. Foreseeing that my death was approaching, I gradually made arrangements for the aftermath. Regarding the operation of policies and laws, I tried my best to settle everything before I passed. As for my funeral, I instructed everyone to keep it simple. After all, I was merely a strategist, and I knew well that although my time serving the Shu Han was not long, I had exhausted my own strength to achieve what I could within that limited time.

A Final Request

I knew that the Shu Han would soon be destroyed, but I could not speak of it openly. I could only tell my descendants to handle my funeral simply, without excessive grandeur. For a nation on the brink of collapse, holding a state-level funeral would consume national strength and resources, which would be harmful and of no benefit to the people. If the Shu state was about to fall, why waste the people's hard-earned wealth on such extravagance? As I had anticipated, my illness worsened rapidly, and I passed away within the army camp.

Afterward, I arrived before the King of Hell. The King asked me what the meaning of my life had been. I reported truthfully: I had intended to stabilise the region and allow the people to live in peace and prosperity, but in the end, it was a failure. The King asked if I knew my sins. I had to repay the karmic debt created by the killing. I told the King that I understood that every enemy soldier killed in war, and every civilian who suffered or died because of me, was my responsibility. The King nodded and sent me to the hells to suffer retribution.

The Weight of Retribution

I went through the hells of heart-digging, brain-digging, strangulation, the wheel, and crushing. Regret truly arose in my heart; after all, I had failed to keep the Shu Han empire stable, and I had failed to assist the young emperor in becoming a capable leader. The years of war and conquest had harmed countless Cao Wei soldiers and civilians. This made me feel deeply remorseful. Not only did I fail to bring peace to the people, but I also caused the other side to suffer and die. I felt profound repentance.

After more than two hundred years in the hells, I was finally released. I stood before the King of Hell, who then assigned me to the ghost realm. I entered the ghost realm, where I remained for over a thousand years. My spirit remained relatively clear. Seeing the various states of the human world filled me with sighs. With my spiritual powers, I knew I had to wait a thousand years in the ghost realm for a 'connected being' to descend and lead me to the next stage.

A Reunion Beyond Time

Although the future was not entirely clear to me, I lived quietly in the ghost realm, waiting for the time to come. More than ten years ago, Practitioner Su invited me from the ghost realm to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss during a 'Celebrity Day'. I never expected that after such a long time, I would finally be reunited with my lord.

However, at the time of our reunion, my lord still possessed a human body, while I was already a spirit. This time, my lord had taken the form of a woman in Taiwan, studying the Buddha’s teachings and using Buddhist education to help all sentient beings and those connected by karmic affinity. My lord must have had a deep connection with me, for when she had achieved spiritual success and the ability to travel freely to the Western Land, she rescued me from the ghost realm and led me to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Burden of Regret

Seeing my lord again, my heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions and guilt. I had failed to protect the empire my lord had built, and because of the continuous northern expeditions, I had violated the core philosophy my lord had entrusted to me—to prioritise the lives of the people, treating even the people of Cao Wei as equals.

For my own selfish reasons, to help the young emperor maintain the Shu Han empire, I had initiated three northern expeditions and various large and small battles along the borders. I deeply regret this and felt I had no face to meet my lord. I did not want to be interviewed or speak much about these things. After all, I had just emerged from the ghost realm, my heart full of remorse.

I knew my sins were difficult to repay, and although I had served a shortened sentence after emerging from the hells, I still needed to repay the karmic debt to the beings I had harmed. I felt ashamed to face my lord.

The Magnificence of the Pure Land

Upon arriving in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, the scenery here astonished me. The mountains and rivers of China, especially in the Shu region, are famous, but compared to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, any beautiful landscape in China is far inferior to the vastness and magnificence of this place. It is extremely dignified; the ground is paved with gold, seven-coloured jewels decorate the halls and pavilions, and seven-coloured treasure trees are everywhere. Pools and springs are scattered throughout, where one can wander or drink at will. All food and drink appear as soon as one thinks of them.

Such a beautiful world was truly something I had never seen before. It made me sigh; I had tried my best to build the Shu Han empire to allow the people to live in peace, but within the limited environment and conditions, that was the absolute limit of what I could provide. However, this Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is incomparably magnificent; if the people could experience and enjoy this, it would be of immense benefit to them.

The True Path of Salvation

My lord has now taken a human body as a great practitioner, practicing the Pure Land Dharma Gate and the Buddha’s teachings of Amitabha Buddha. I immediately understood this truth: although my lord Liu Bei could not bring a stable and peaceful world to the people back then, this time, as a great practitioner in the human world, my lord is performing Chao Du for beings with karmic affinity, helping them enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and subsequently the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This perfectly fulfills my lord’s wish to help the people.

In the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I understood all of this in an instant, and I could not help but sigh: if I had encountered such a magnificent Dharma earlier, why would I have needed so many complex schemes and strategies? Why would I have needed to rack my brains to establish Shu Han among the three kingdoms? The price paid—the lives sacrificed, the national strength consumed, the suffering caused to the people, and my own descent into the hells—was simply not worth it. But without Buddhist education and with the limited abilities of the human world, that was indeed all I could do.

The Illusion of History

Watching the human world from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I see that changes happen quite rapidly. In the time of a single snap of the fingers in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, several years pass on Earth. Since I was led to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss over a decade ago, it has felt like only a few minutes to me. I never expected the two worlds to be so different. I watch the rapid changes of people in the human world—from birth to old age and death—all very fleeting.

I also look back at the later development of the Three Kingdoms. The scenes of my frantic efforts to maintain Shu Han, and its subsequent rapid destruction, flash before my eyes. The rise and fall of Shu Han were so brief, so incredibly brief, that it makes one feel that the rise and fall of a nation is as fragile as the life of a mayfly—born in an instant, dying in an instant, with the traces of its existence wiped away in a moment.

The value of life is truly ethereal. Without encountering Buddhist education and helping everyone come to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, what is the meaning of all the wars, the northern and southern expeditions, and the strategic planning? As the former Prime Minister of Shu Han and the head of military affairs, I am now just a spirit; everything is an illusion. The extra titles, the extra appellations, the extra memories, and the extra stories no longer hold any meaning for me. What is truly meaningful is what my lord is doing now—joining the Amitabha salvation team to perform large-scale Chao Du for the beings and demons of China.

A Debt Repaid

At that time, I had already been saved by Practitioner Su to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. If I had not been saved, seeing the many famous generals, soldiers, and even emperors of the Three Kingdoms, I would have had no chance to escape the suffering spaces until Practitioner Su performed Chao Du for the five-thousand-year history of China. Seeing the spaces of the Three Kingdoms being opened one by one, I was deeply moved in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss—what we could not do, my lord has now accomplished.

The spaces where the people of Shu Han were displaced, the spaces of the Three Kingdoms' years of war, the souls who died by the sword, the generals, soldiers, horses, and the mountains and rivers trampled by the armies—most of these spirits were still trapped in those times. Only by relying on the Chao Du of my lord, Practitioner Su, could so many spirits be rescued, leaving their original spaces to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

In the Land of Dharma Nature, the spirits listen to the sutras peacefully. If they are willing to chant Buddha's name and make a vow to be reborn, they have the opportunity to go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. My blessings were very great; when I was born, I knew I had been a monastic in past lives and had practiced, which is why I had such spiritual powers and wisdom to plan for the world and become a great strategist for Shu. Serving as Prime Minister was also due to the blessings I had cultivated in the past. However, in the end, because of selfishness and a deviation in my mental note, I paid the price. In the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, with a clearer spirit and more penetrating observation, I see all of this clearly.

I have come to realise that the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way do not permit even the slightest deviation. If one acts in violation of these, the Universal Principle continues its operation regardless, and it is the individual who will ultimately suffer the consequences. I am well aware that my name carries significant weight for those who came after me. From my vantage point in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have observed that modern people generally recognise me as a famous strategist and general from the Three Kingdoms period—a legendary figure, if you will. They believe I possessed the ability to communicate with the yin and yang, understood the heavens and the earth, and could predict events with divine accuracy. To a certain extent, this is true; it aligns with the manifestation of my psychic powers. However, if you were to delve deeper into my life and truly understand the role I played, you would find that, from beginning to end, I never actually calculated my own final outcome, nor did I foresee the true fate of the Shu Han Empire.

The Illusion of Foresight

Can one truly be called 'divine in foresight' under such circumstances? Throughout my life, I made many inventions, yet I also created a great deal of sins. I was a successful military strategist, a tactician, an inventor, and an effective administrator. But no matter how successful one's status, how brilliant one's talents, or how many abilities one possesses, one can never escape the fate of birth, aging, sickness, and death. One cannot escape the cycle of samsara, and certainly, one cannot escape the entanglements of karma and cause and effect.

I ask all of you who admire the character of Zhuge Liang, or Zhuge Kongming: what is it that you truly revere? Is it my status, my abilities, or the reputation I have earned among the people? I advise you all here: none of these things can be taken with you when you depart.

The Weight of Karma

If the abilities one employs are used for selfish gain, or if one's mental note deviates from the righteous path, what awaits is the torment of the hells and infinite suffering. Every sin created must be repaid, one by one, in future lifetimes.

If you gain a deeper understanding of my life, you will realise that being a legendary hero or a brilliant strategist does not equate to permanent victory or success. Temporary achievements are but a flash in the pan. In the days that follow, and throughout the cycle of samsara in future lives, if one lacks the guidance of Buddhist education, there is simply no way to find liberation.

A Path to True Liberation

In this lifetime, it was only by relying on the Buddhist education of Namo Amituofo and the Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su that I had the opportunity to break free from the cycle of samsara and arrive at the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Therefore, for those of you who enjoy historical novels, is it not time to wake up and give yourselves the opportunity to learn the Buddha’s teachings? At the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, Namo Amituofo abides on Earth right now, residing within the temple. Anyone who studies the Buddha’s teachings will come to understand that no matter how successful a life may seem, it cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death, nor can it escape the cycle of samsara.

Those who possess true Wisdom should know to come to the temple to study the Buddha’s teachings, join the salvation team alongside Namo Amituofo, and work to save countless suffering beings. Only then will you have the chance to turn your karma around.

A Witness to the Truth

Life is governed by the fixed laws of birth, aging, sickness, and death. If someone says they do not fear death, they are a very rare exception indeed. By learning the Buddhist education of Namo Amituofo, one can truly achieve a state where there is no aging, no sickness, and the spirit never dies. Watching the development of the salvation team over these past ten-plus years from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I have seen this truth verified countless times. I, too, stand as a witness for all of you from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

If there are those with karmic affinity who are willing to believe the words of Zhuge Kongming, then I invite you to come and verify the reality of Buddhist education for yourselves!

I am filled with gratitude to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving me the opportunity to be interviewed after all these years. I hope my words will awaken those who share a karmic connection with me.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo. Gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo.

Zhuge Liang