An Interview with Dr. Hua Tuo (physician Hua Tuo)（華佗）Healing the Heart and Mind

This is a record of an interview with the legendary physician Hua Tuo, who sought Spiritual Deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his life approximately 1,800 years ago. Recorded by the chief interviewer, Venerable FaRu, on March 9, 2026.

Hua Tuo speaks:

“To practise medicine is to heal the heart, not merely the body. When the heart is revealed and set free, the body naturally finds its path to recovery. My reputation as a divine physician is but an empty title; the true King of Medicine is none other than Namo Amituofo.

The Root of My Healing

There is a saying: ‘A belly full of poetry and books brings a natural elegance.’ This ‘elegance’—or ‘Hua’—is the very same character found in my name, Hua Tuo, and it points directly to the source of my medical knowledge. In truth, Hua Tuo was not my original name, but it matters little. I used this name throughout my life as I travelled to heal others, and it is the name that has been passed down through history. People often label me a ‘divine physician,’ but I have never considered myself as such. I was more like a wandering knight-errant, roaming the world to help those in need. While I treated many, my true focus was always on the character of the person. I looked to see if their heart was upright, if they were truly capable of bringing welfare to society, and if they were dedicated to the well-being of the people and the nation. This was the core of my practice.

Though my treatments appeared miraculous and the results were often striking, the ability for a patient to be cured depended entirely on their character and their heart. Those with truly wicked hearts or evil intentions could never be healed; in fact, their conditions would often worsen. Those who were able to encounter me were, by virtue of my own intentions, usually people of genuine kindness and benevolence—those who truly wished to save others. From a young age, I devoured all kinds of scriptures, and I deeply identified with and admired the ideals of the ancient sages regarding governance and service to the people. People may wonder where my ‘magical’ medical skills came from. In reality, true medicine does not come from any mystical medical manual or pharmacopoeia; it lies in whether one can improve the heart and character of the patient. That is the true essence of medicine.

Healing the Human Heart

After reading extensively, I came to understand this principle. Whether through the ancient teachings of ritual and music, the classics that guide the heart toward goodness, or the various herbal pharmacopoeias, it is not difficult to discover that the true principles of pharmacology and medicine are aimed at healing the human heart. Herbal medicine is merely an external aid for the body’s physical condition. If the heart is not upright, or if it is filled with evil thoughts and deviant ideas, the root of the illness can never be truly removed from within.

The true source of illness is rarely understood by people. They notice a symptom and then scramble to deduce the cause. However, they almost always seek these causes externally, rather than addressing the problems within their own hearts or the flaws in their personalities. Seeking the root of illness outwardly will never yield results. One must improve the deviations in one’s body and mind to improve the condition and thoroughly eradicate the disease. Otherwise, no matter how much medicine or herbs are administered, it only alleviates the symptoms temporarily; it cannot provide a lasting cure. Having studied the classics and herbal texts, I understood this deeply. Therefore, whenever I practised medicine, I always spent more time understanding a patient’s lifestyle, habits, personality, and how they interacted with others and viewed the world. Based on their symptoms, I would infer the true root of their illness and combine my medical treatment with words of counsel to help them truly change. If the patient was willing to listen and make genuine changes, the illness could be cured.

The Necessity of Inner Change

However, if they merely humoured me or went through the motions, hoping to rely on medication without changing their heart, the illness would soon return. Even if they continued to seek my treatment, it only provided me with more opportunities to counsel them. Whether they could truly take those words to heart depended on their own destiny. Some patients were cured because they had suffered long enough to be willing to examine their own problems and adjust their ways. My external treatments gave them the confidence that they were being helped, and they began to believe that their own transformation, combined with medical care, was truly effective.

Many of my peers did not understand why my treatments seemed so plain, why the herbs I used were not rare or expensive, and why my acupuncture techniques were not particularly complex, yet I could always prescribe the right medicine and treat the most difficult cases. I will not hide it from you: the root of the illness and the affected area can be discerned from the patient’s appearance and their reactions. There are interferences that the physical eyes cannot see. At the time, I dared not speak of this, lest I be labelled a practitioner of sorcery. Yet, in reality, one can see from a person’s posture and appearance that the affected area differs from that of a healthy person, allowing for targeted treatment.

The Sensitivity of the Spirit

This was a sensitivity I was born with—one could say my ‘eyes were opened’—allowing me to clearly see the problems in every part of a person’s body. When I questioned a patient and tried to understand their condition, I naturally knew what kind of mental deviation had caused the manifestation of their illness. This was not sorcery, magic, or witchcraft; it was simply the result of having a sincere, humble heart that truly wanted to help the patient. As my reputation spread, more people sought me out. Through my travels, I learned a vital point: if one does not sincerely wish to change, the illness is difficult to cure. The purer the heart and the fewer the evil thoughts, the more effective the cure. This was my conclusion, and because of it, I could often tell at a glance whether a patient could be healed. Many were amazed, but in truth, most were simply willing to cooperate with me in making the necessary adjustments.

I once tried to force a cure on patients who were unwilling to adjust their hearts. While treating their affected areas, I would immediately feel the same symptoms in the corresponding parts of my own body. This confirmed that I had identified the correct area, but it also warned me that if a patient refused to change their personality, their heart, and their deviant thoughts into upright ones, my forced treatment would meet with great resistance and even cause me to suffer the same symptoms. This was a serious matter. It meant that medicine is not a casual act; it must follow certain natural laws. A physician’s skill is not omnipotent; one cannot treat patients or restore them to health at will.

The Laws of Nature

This has always been my understanding. The classics written by the ancient sages confirm this: one must follow the natural laws and the ancient ways; one must not act against the heavens. I confirmed this through my own practice. As my fame grew, it was not because my medical skills were superior, but because I could immediately judge whether a patient could be healed and whether they were worth my effort and sacrifice. For those who could be healed, I would treat them without hesitation, and their transformation often had a positive impact on society. True change is the key to a lasting cure. For me, this was effortless, and the result was the title of ‘Divine Physician’ bestowed upon me by the people.

Everything I treated was successful. But for those who could not be cured or were unwilling to change, I would use clever methods to avoid treating them. This is the secret behind my reputation that was never made public. There were a few famous negative examples, such as Governor Chen Deng and Prime Minister Cao. People might think that because I wandered the world and was often hard to find, these patients could not be cured in time. In truth, these patients had such stubborn personalities that my medical skills could not change or reverse their conditions. Their illnesses were deeply rooted, and I lacked the ability to persuade them to improve. When I was summoned by them, I spoke plainly, explaining that the root of their illness had not been truly eradicated.

The Reality of Karmic Creditors

Even if I applied needles or gave them simple prescriptions to alleviate their symptoms, it did not mean the disease was gone. Their habits and traits remained unchanged, their self-destructive behaviours continued, and their tempers were constantly in motion—all of which caused further harm to their bodies. At that time, people did not understand the concept of spirits, nor did they know of the existence of karmic creditors. Yet, in the ancient methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concepts of cultivating the heart and nurturing the body were already present. One must seek the middle path, where Yin and Yang are in harmony, so that the Qi and blood can flow smoothly. One must not be too hot or too cold; one must find a balance to allow the body to function stably.

The therapies of Traditional Chinese Medicine have always been about warming the body if it is too cold, or cooling it if it is too dry. If one can combine this with the spiritual balance of the heart, the body can be regulated even more effectively. However, patients with deeply rooted illnesses do not understand this. They always want to rely on the name of a ‘Divine Physician’ to eradicate their diseases while continuing to use their evil thoughts, selfishness, and deviant actions. This is not only unacceptable in medicine, but the ancient classics clearly state that this is a path to self-destruction. A patient who is determined to die cannot be saved, even by a divine physician. I hinted at this to those with deep-seated illnesses, and the Prime Minister and the Governor were well-known examples. Yet, there were many others just like them.

The Price of Interference

I also attempted to treat several influential people who could have made a difference in their regions, but I suffered greatly for it. The Prime Minister was a powerful warlord of his time. I kept thinking that if I could make him understand the principle of ‘adjusting the heart and correcting one’s deviant thoughts and actions,’ it might have brought help to the country. However, his illness was too deeply rooted. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he did not understand. I told him that his illness was difficult to cure because the focus must be on adjusting his heart and character; without genuine change, no cure was possible. He did not adopt my approach, and after I left, his illness recurred, and he repeatedly summoned me back. But how could a disease that could not be cured have a good outcome? This is the case of a deeply rooted illness. It would not improve because of my medical techniques. Eventually, I had to avoid his summons, which led to my death.

In truth, I knew that after many years of practice, I was not entirely upright in my own heart. Sometimes I carried a bit of selfishness—whether it was the achievement and fame that came from healing others, or the act of forcing a cure on patients who should not have been healed. These things accumulated and became the reason for my decline. The case of the Prime Minister is a warning. Treating him forced me to bear the consequences of his deviant actions in the world, and I died in prison at the age of sixty-three. Before I died, I wanted to pass on my medical skills, but I was also resigned to fate. After all, learning my techniques is not the same as learning my true medicine. True medicine lies in healing the human heart.

The Limitations of Modern Medicine

Some whom I refused to treat labelled me as eccentric or arrogant. I did not care; such descriptions made it easier for me to decline them. Their illnesses could not be cured, and they had no opportunity to understand how to heal themselves. As a physician, I still tried to persuade them, but if they were stubborn or used my skills as an excuse to continue their deviant ways, I would keep my distance. I would not give them the chance to excuse their own character; this was my way of giving them a chance to wake up on their own.

After death, my spirit was not restricted by the prison, as I had held a heart of saving the world while practising medicine. I entered the space of the ‘Medical Deities.’ I continued to look for physicians like myself—those with a truly benevolent heart—to help them in their practice. I took the opportunity to guide them, helping them understand the natural principles a true physician must follow, and helping them realise that to heal the body, one must heal the heart. As I travelled through the space of the last millennium, helping people as a spirit, I found that in modern times, I had less and less influence. Although there are still many doctors with benevolent hearts in China, the overall system and medical environment do not allow them much room to act.

Most medical systems in various eras have differed, but there are always times when medical resources are controlled by authorities or the wealthy, or when medical guilds monopolise resources. In such times, the medical environment tends to treat medicine as a way to make a living, and healing the human heart is placed second. That one-step difference is a vast distance. Modern medicine advocates treating the head when it hurts and the foot when it hurts. For a single symptom, they prescribe a ‘special’ drug. However, this is not a heart-symptom; it is a superficial one. Such methods cannot eradicate the root of the illness, and the side effects of powerful drugs place a greater burden on the human body. Many in the medical field know this, but they think that as long as the side effects are within an acceptable range, the drug can be used once it passes experiments.

The Hidden World of Spirits

They do not realise that the side effects of these drugs cannot be judged by a single reaction. If one takes such drugs or undergoes such treatments for a long time, the accumulation of these ‘drug roots’ in the human body creates more illnesses that they do not consider. Seeing this from the deep space, I sigh, but there is a barrier of space, and their hearts are not in sync with mine, so I cannot convey these truths. I see many young medical students who truly have a heart to save the world, but in the medical environment, they are gradually influenced and forget their original intention. It is a great pity.

No matter what one does in medicine, if it deviates from natural principles, it will inevitably return to oneself. One can see that many authorities in the medical field, throughout history, have ended up suffering from the very diseases they specialised in. Is this not ironic? How could such professional doctors not know they were suffering from related diseases? This is not to say that treating such diseases will always make the physician suffer, but the prerequisite is that one must be able to follow natural principles and laws. If the patient cannot adjust themselves and change their heart, one cannot forcibly remove the root of the illness, because it does not conform to the natural laws of the universe. Many Taoist texts, the I Ching, and the Inner Canon mention these concepts. Many scholars of Chinese and Western medicine know these truths, but they do not understand the essence of them thoroughly.

Deliverance to the Dharma-Nature Land

When I was saved by the compassionate vow of Practitioner Su and the twelve golden lights of Namo Amituofo during the deliverance of various spaces in China, I was brought to the Dharma-Nature Land. This bright world is far higher in level than the space of the Medical Deities. How do I know? It is in the transparency of this space. In the realm of the Medical Deities, I could perceive the transparency of various spaces; the purer and simpler they were, the higher their level. The darker, greyer, or deeper the space, the more complex and profound it was—which, for me, was a darker type of space. Now, in the Dharma-Nature Land, I know that those dark spaces belong to personal attachments or demon nature. In the bright magnetic field of the Dharma-Nature Land, my spirit is clearer and more transparent, and I can learn things I could not perceive in my original space. I continue to uphold the concept of saving the world, and I have come to understand that the symptoms and anomalies I observed before were actually from the dark magnetic fields of the spaces where cells are generated.

Every space within a space is like the one I am in; every space contains many beings, and the magnetic fields and thoughts of these beings bring about different changes in the body. The brightness or darkness of a patient’s own heart and character affects the brightness or darkness of the beings within their body, their internal space, and their magnetic field. Once the beings within the body appear with a grey magnetic field, it means the patient’s own thoughts have deviated. This deviation attracts and awakens these grey beings, which then affect the function of every cell and even the internal organs. Once the function is unbalanced and Yin and Yang are out of harmony, the body cannot maintain health, and various symptoms appear externally—redness, swelling, pain, soreness, weakness, dizziness, spasms, blurred vision, and so on. Patients often cannot know the cause; they only know that a part of their body is abnormal and must be treated with medicine. However, they cannot truly understand the existence of these ‘beings’ in the cell space, and how their existence damages their organs.

Namo Amituofo: The Great King of Medicine

Namo Amituofo is the Great King of Medicine. You may have seen this in Buddhist scriptures, but most people think it is empty talk or a hollow praise of the Buddha. In reality, it is not so, because true illness comes from the many dark beings within the body, and only the Buddha, as the Great King of Medicine, can resolve the conflict with these beings, making them willing to stop their negative influence on the body. Those who are willing can even leave the body and be reborn elsewhere. This is the principle of eradicating illness from the root. Even aging and death are influenced by these spirits. Without the teachings of Namo Amituofo, I would still be half-ignorant. Even after staying in the realm of the Medical Deities for so long, I knew of the existence of spirits, but I could not understand that the density of these spirits and the entanglement of karmic conditions over many lifetimes were so profound.

It was only after coming to the Dharma-Nature Land that I deeply understood the problem of spirits is not as simple as I imagined. The physical discomfort I felt after forcibly saving patients who were unwilling to adjust their hearts came from the backlash of these spirits. At first, I imagined one or two dark magnetic fields and spirits taking revenge on me, but what I ignored was that there are not just one or two such spirits in the body. Do not be too shocked: there are as many spirits as there are cells in the body. And for every sub-structure and sub-construction of those cells, there are as many spirits, even down to the most subtle structures. You can imagine how many spirits are within the body. I cannot answer this number; with my current sensitivity, I still cannot observe it completely. I can only say that the Buddha’s teachings are truly vast; only the Buddha can clearly see every single being.

The Dharma Realm

Hearing Practitioner Su give Dharma talks, calling Namo Amituofo the ‘Universal Buddha,’ I did not pay much attention at first and did not quite understand the meaning. But after I understood that the countless cells and sub-structures within the body are all beings, and that Namo Amituofo’s ‘Universal Buddha’ body can encompass them all—when the time is ripe for these beings to be saved, Namo Amituofo’s body appears in that space, breaks through the limitations of space, and saves these spirits, bringing them into the Dharma-Nature Land. The space I was in before was a relatively obscure and hidden divine space, and it was Practitioner Su’s deliverance, carrying Namo Amituofo to break through space, that gave me the opportunity to leave.

It is a pity that Hua Tuo did not have the opportunity to encounter the Buddha’s teachings while alive. To be precise, I did not have the opportunity to encounter the great Dharma of Namo Amituofo. Although I heard that a new religion from the Western Regions was beginning to spread in some areas, it did not attract my attention. After all, it was a religion; I did not think it would be helpful for medicine. Instead, I focused on classical books, believing that the writings of the ancient sages were better at improving the human heart and helpful for medicine. Now I know that the Buddha’s teachings are the true, great medicine that addresses the human heart and prescribes the right medicine at the root of the illness. This also breaks the long-standing misconception that ‘Buddhism is a religion.’

The Highest Medical Skill

Practitioner Su always says that the Buddha’s teachings are education—the fundamental Dharma for educating and improving the human heart. I must add that the Buddha’s teachings are not just education; they are the highest medical skill. Just as everyone calls Namo Amituofo the ‘Great King of Medicine,’ whoever learns the Buddha’s teachings learns this profound medical skill. It can not only heal oneself, allowing one to be free from aging, sickness, and death, but it can also be promoted, allowing more people to recognise the brilliance of the Buddha’s medical skills, thereby stopping aging and avoiding illness. Although death is a process the physical body must go through, the spirit does not die. Like me, Hua Tuo, although my body died in prison, my spirit instantly ascended to the space of the Medical Deities. This proves that the spirit does not die; however, not dying does not mean one can escape space or suffering.

If Namo Amituofo had not created the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, the spirits would still have nowhere to go. Practitioner Su opened the spaces of China’s five thousand, or even ten thousand years, and found that all spirits have nowhere to go. As a physician, I had this realisation long ago, because no matter how I treated patients, people could not avoid the process of aging, sickness, and death. My medicine only delayed this process; it could not avoid it thoroughly. So, what was the purpose of my medical skills in the world? If these problems cannot be solved at the root, even the best doctor and the most brilliant medical skills seem weak in meaning. I am fortunate to have encountered the Great King of Medicine’s method of Namo Amituofo. Now, in the Dharma-Nature Land, I understand that this is the fundamental method that can truly help the many people suffering from illness in the world. I hope that physicians who truly have the heart to heal others, those with benevolent hearts and skills, can understand that the compassion of this Great King of Medicine is the method to save beings. I hope you can learn with an open mind, put down your prejudices about your own medical skills, and truly open yourselves to learn anew.

The method of the Great King of Medicine will allow you to make breakthroughs in medicine. In fact, the point is not what level you break through to, but that you can truly help people thoroughly escape the predicament of aging, sickness, and death. This is what a physician should truly do. Thank you, Namo Amituofo, thank you, Practitioner Su, for giving me, Hua Tuo, the opportunity to introduce my medical career. The many legends and various interpretations in the world do not affect my true heart for practising medicine; however, the spread of the ‘Divine Physician’ identity has added to my responsibility and obligation to counsel the world.

Therefore, I take this opportunity to speak to the world, hoping that everyone can have a new realisation.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo

Hua Tuo