The Strategist's Regret: A Life of Calculation

This is a record of an interview with Guo Jia, a renowned strategist from the Three Kingdoms period, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,800 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Faru, on April 17, 2026.

Guo Jia speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Guo Jia. Before I begin, I offer this verse to reflect upon my past:

A thousand years of plotting in a single life, why the need for such endless calculation? With clear eyes and a discerning heart, there is nothing in this world I could not foresee.

The Lord of Wei held grand ambitions, seeking to claim the throne of the world. I, Fengxiao, gave my all to him, orchestrating the tides of fate for eighteen years.

We marched east to crush Lu and Liu, campaigned south to defeat Sun and Yuan, and struck north to annihilate the Wuhuan, laying the foundation for the Northern Kingdom of Wei.

With a single word, I conquered the world, but the souls of countless soldiers demanded their due. A heavy illness claimed my life just as the drums of victory sounded.

Straight into the hells I fell, unable to escape for a millennium. When my sentence ended, I was reborn as a clam, lost in a fog of ignorance.

A genius of power and strategy, reduced to a brainless shell. Without the Buddha’s teachings, it was impossible to understand the laws of karma and cause and effect.

Once I entered the Dharma-Nature Land, I finally awoke to clarity. The sharp blade of repentance cut through the darkness of the souls I had slaughtered.

Now that I can hear the Buddha’s teachings, I beg for the Buddha’s compassionate mercy. Pity this child who did not know the Buddha, and let me join in the Buddha’s work of saving all beings.

Though I am but a single spirit, I still possess the will to turn my karma around. I will exhaust my humble strength to follow the Buddha and save the masses."

The Weight of a Thousand Years of Calculation

"It seems that the ambitious figures and famous names of the Three Kingdoms have all gathered here. The true faces of many great generals and emperors are finally being unveiled one by one.

I often think to myself: I was neither an emperor nor a legendary general, yet I was arranged to be interviewed. It truly leaves me both shocked and overjoyed. When I left the human world in my thirties, I was filled with so much that I could not let go of. After all, my wife and children were still young, and my lord, Cao Cao, had not yet achieved his grand ambition. At the time, I harboured a sense of resentment; if only I had been allowed to stay in the human world for a few more years, perhaps the course of the war would have been different.

From a young age, I possessed the ability to peer into the hearts of men, and I was exceptionally clear about the shifting tides of the times. Unlike other famous generals and strategists of the Three Kingdoms, I did not need to spend my days buried in military manuals or obsessively studying the art of war. The grand affairs of the world were, to me, like choosing between different paths. How to execute a plan, how to act—I only needed to look down the road to see the final outcome. Choosing the right path was effortless for me."

A Mastermind in the Service of Ambition

"I held the common people of the world in disdain. They were selfish, driven only by their own petty interests, lacking the grand vision required to navigate such a chaotic era. My goal was not to scheme for personal gain, but to use my talents to bring order to the chaos, to establish a unified nation and stabilise the world. Only such a cause was worthy of my service.

When I saw the world in turmoil, I went into hiding. I knew that if the world discovered my talents, they would scramble to recruit me. Yet, I had no intention of serving a mediocre lord. The lord I served had to possess the vision to encompass the entire world map within his grasp. Only then could he be called the true lord worthy of Guo Jia’s service. I met many, probed their depths, and found that most lacked the necessary foresight and boldness. To truly utilise me, one had to trust in my insight and be willing to follow my counsel. Only then could my step-by-step planning achieve the goal. After meeting many such mediocre men, I found no one for whom I was willing to emerge from seclusion.

It was only after meeting Cao Cao that I confirmed his uniqueness. He possessed a truly formidable ambition, which aligned perfectly with my own philosophy. To make the best use of my talents, one had to look at the world as a whole and possess the vision to unify it. Only then could my strategies be fully realised. I was intimately familiar with the developments, talents, and situations of the Eastern Wu and Shu Han states. Even though those states had their own strategists, I believe their vision of the grand global landscape was still inferior to mine."

The Hidden Cost of Strategy

"They could only use clever little tricks to win small battles. My decisions, however, were on the scale of total war. I could precisely identify whether a battle had true value, and I understood the strategic significance behind every engagement and its effect on shifting the balance of power. This is not a realm that can be reached by simple military tactics; it requires a deep understanding of the generals and the human hearts of the Three Kingdoms, as well as the ability to foresee the future and analyse the consequences of different strategies.

What comforted me was Cao Cao’s ability to recognise talent. After a brief discussion about the state of the world, he determined that I could help him unify it, and my strength indeed proved that to be true. In the early stages, I pushed the Cao army to win numerous critical battles. Although I did not kill enemies on the battlefield myself, every decision I participated in and every campaign I launched—whether it was attacking, retreating, or pursuing—was based on meticulous consideration and held profound significance.

In my calculations, everything was clear and distinct. The overall situation of the Three Kingdoms was like a map in the palm of my hand. Everyone’s schemes, considerations, and mindsets were familiar to me, and I knew exactly how to break through based on their weaknesses. Whether it was the eastern expedition against Lu Bu, the crushing of Liu Bei, the defeat of Yuan Shao, or the later unification of the north, everything was calculated with absolute precision. Because of this, the Cao army occupied various regions so smoothly and solidified its status as the hegemon of the north.

My strategies were highly effective in breaking through various factions, defeating their generals, and capturing their cities. Because of this, I created an immense amount of killing karma. At the time, I did not know the severity of this. I had calculated everything, yet I could not calculate how heavy my own karma had become. During the northern expedition against the Wuhuan, my body began to fail—at least, that is how later generations understand it."

From the Hells to the Clam's Shell

"In truth, by the age of thirty-five, my body was already growing weak. At first, I did not understand why. I thought perhaps it was because I was careless with my daily life, but I did not change my habits. I believed these minor issues were not enough to affect my strategy. However, in the later stages, my physical strength gradually declined, and my thoughts became unclear. This finally made me alert.

After all, 'strategy and planning' were the most important abilities I relied on for my livelihood. If my thoughts were affected, I might make the wrong decisions. But fate did not give me time to guess. The situation evolved rapidly, and the northern expedition against the Wuhuan was necessary to stabilise the northern territories of the court. I followed the army, and during this process, my body continued to deteriorate.

At first, I thought it was just the harsh environment and the exhaustion of long-term campaigning. But now I know that the reason I died so young was that in just a few short years, I had actively advised the launching of too many wars. All the suffering and loss of life caused by these wars were counted against me. Immeasurable and boundless spirits clung to my head, interfering with my clarity, because it was this head that had orchestrated their deaths. Later, when the Cao army returned in triumph, I passed away due to illness and exhaustion.

Long before I drew my last breath, my spirit was already suffering in the hells of heart-digging, brain-digging, and amputation. After I died, I arrived before the King of Hell. He enumerated my sins, and I had no way to argue. It was indeed because of my schemes that my lord sent troops to attack many regions, and many lives were indeed lost. All this karma had to be repaid by me alone. The King of Hell sentenced me to suffer in the hells, and I endured that for fourteen hundred years. After I emerged from the hells, my mind was incredibly clouded and confused.

When it came time to be reborn, the King of Hell sent me to be a clam. I lived and died as a clam countless times, my mind never once clear. I did not know where I was or what I was doing; I only knew that every day I struggled to inhale and exhale water. I used my shell to protect myself, yet my body was often pried open, and I would lose my life.

This cycle repeated over and over, and I do not know how much time passed. Then, amidst a burst of golden light, I arrived at an extremely bright place. Later, under the warm Buddha-light, I slowly began to wake up. I gradually remembered that I had once been a strategist for Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. Although I did not live long, I helped Cao Wei win many battles. It was precisely because of this that I created immeasurable and boundless sins. This focus, this scheming, and the killing karma created by my thoughts and strategies forced me to suffer in the hells. Even after being reborn, I could not obtain a human body and had to continue in the form of a soft-bodied creature, carrying that clouded, brainless state through life after life, death after death. Having seen all of this from the Dharma-Nature Land, I have finally regained my past clarity.

Seeing my own arrogant and insufferable past, I now feel incredibly foolish. If I had such outstanding judgment and insight, why did I not use it to save and help the people of the world, instead of using it to harm beings and help one nation slaughter another?

Even now, I deeply regret making those choices. At the time, constantly winning countless battles with these abilities made me feel incredibly proud. The teamwork between my lord and me, where we were perfectly in sync, also gave me great satisfaction. My lord deeply appreciated my insight and vision, and I truly did my best to analyse and calculate, helping the Cao Wei camp secure its position in the world, and even plotting to annex the other two states.

However, this countless killing karma had long since attracted immeasurable wandering souls to me. They wanted to kill me every day, which is why I left the human world so quickly at only thirty-seven years of age. I left behind a wife and children I could not care for; thinking about this life is truly tragic. I harmed and killed immeasurable and boundless people, only to trade it for a short life and a sudden death. What kind of situation was that? And why could I not calculate my own miserable fate?"

"I have been observing quietly from the Dharma-Nature Land. I witnessed Practitioner Su performing a massive Chao Du for the ancient dimensions of China, effectively opening up the immeasurable and boundless dimensions of the Three Kingdoms period. It was only then that the generals, soldiers, and civilians I had harmed were finally able to escape from those trapped spaces. This sight filled me with profound admiration for Practitioner Su, and I am deeply grateful for his great compassion and salvation. I know clearly that if those beings I had harmed had not been saved by Practitioner Su, we would inevitably have met again within the six realms of existence. At that point, it would have been my turn to suffer, to be killed by them—this is simply how the laws of karma and cause and effect operate."

The Weight of Karmic Debt

"Practitioner Su possesses such an immense mind-capacity to perform Chao Du for the immeasurable and boundless beings of China, helping them to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is only because of his intervention that I have been spared from their attempts to seek revenge. Sitting here on my lotus seat in the Dharma-Nature Land, reflecting on the various events of my past, I cannot help but feel a crushing sense of regret. Who would have thought that a mere decade of strategic maneuvering would result in such indelible, unpayable sins? I am at a loss as to how I can possibly make amends for such grave errors. Even the initial retribution I have received so far is already more than I can bear. How am I to face the demands of these immeasurable and boundless lives I have destroyed?"

A Plea for Redemption

"I feel utterly helpless. After listening to the Dharma in the Dharma-Nature Land for some time, I now understand that only by setting my heart on following the Buddha and listening to the Dharma can I possibly begin to make amends for my immeasurable and boundless sins. I truly hope that the Buddha might grant me a small opportunity to put my talents to use. Here in the Dharma-Nature Land, I am unsure how to apply my intelligence and strategic wisdom to compensate for my past transgressions. If the Buddha could grant me a chance to change my ways, I am willing to exhaust every ounce of my ability. In every aspect, I hope to make amends for the mistakes I committed in the past."

"I pray that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su will grant us, the beings of the Dharma-Nature Land, a chance to turn over a new leaf. Let us have the opportunity to accumulate merit and virtue, and then dedicate these merits to the beings I once harmed, allowing them to escape their suffering. Let us stop devouring one another in the cycle of rebirth, living lives of endless, boundless pain."

The Demon Within

"My life could be described as one of calculated schemes and unbridled rebellion. Any number of labels applied to me would be meaningless now. I have come to realise that the many mental notes, the character I displayed, and that ambition to unify the world under my own banner, coupled with my arrogance—all of this was driven by my own demon nature. Beyond my own inherent personality, I also attracted many beings and demon crowds with similar traits who controlled me. This is what caused Guo Jia to lose his humanity and become a cruel, murderous strategist."

"Now, here in the Dharma-Nature Land, as I continue to be purified by the Buddha-name and the Buddha-light, I am gradually rediscovering the simple, peaceful nature of my original heart. If only I had not been so confident in my own abilities, and if I had not been consumed by such arrogance and ambition, perhaps the outcome today would have been different. However, all past events arose from confusion. I hope that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su can give me a chance. I sincerely make a vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and I vow to return to save the beings I once harmed."

A New Purpose

"I believe that with my abilities, I will certainly find a way to help them escape their original suffering. I no longer wish to abuse my wisdom and strategy to harm beings; instead, I hope to do the opposite and use them to save immeasurable and boundless beings. I am so grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for saving me. I wish to follow the salvation team to save even more beings."

"Namo Amituofo."

"Guo Jia"