Interview: Robert Hung-Ngai Ho (Co-founder of Kadoorie Investment)

Interview Chief Writer: Venerable Fa Hui

3 July 2026

Ho Hung-hei:

Greetings to everyone, I am Ho Hung-hei.

In this lifetime, everyone knows that I have an extremely deep karmic connection with Buddhism. Initially, it was because of the manifestation and demonstration of the Dharma by my grandmother, Cheung Lin-kok, that my family, who were primarily Christian, was deeply shaken; having witnessed this entire process with my own eyes, I developed a profound faith in Buddhism.

To be honest, when I first encountered Buddhism as a child, I always thought it was merely what people called feudal superstition. It was not until I met the venerable Master Hong Yi that, through his virtuous conduct and his simple yet profound explanations, I realised how vast the Buddha's teachings were—a philosophy and science so comprehensive and thorough. From then on, I took refuge in the Triple Gem and became a true Buddhist.

Now, in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have truly come to understand that what Master Hong Yi said to me back then was actually directed at my situation at the time. Born into the Ho Tung family in Hong Kong, I inevitably carried a sense of arrogance that was difficult for ordinary people to perceive. Perhaps because I was nurtured by a good upbringing from a young age, I did not easily display my arrogance in daily life; however, the innate sense of superiority deep in my bones, and the belief that I possessed a higher perspective and vision than others, caused this deep-seated arrogance to manifest unconsciously.

It was this very arrogance that, when I encountered Master Hong Yi, prevented me from hearing the true meaning of his words, even though I was moved by his virtue. It turns out that the Buddha's teachings do not lie in any external form, nor in any discourse within the sutras, but in the cultivation of one's own heart.

The precepts are practical guidelines for how to adjust one's body and mind, yet the foundation of everything must return to this heart of ours. Only by placing the heart in the correct position can one understand the precepts in the correct way. If this heart has even the slightest bit of pollution, even if one studies the same precepts and sutras, the profound meaning grasped will already be distorted. In this way, the pure precepts that could have led to the attainment of supreme Bodhi become polluted, and how can the precepts one holds be considered perfect? The condition for rebirth in the Western Land is a heart that is pure and good, without even the slightest trace of defilement; if the heart has even a speck of dust, it will become an obstacle to reaching the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

In this life, everyone knows that I inherited a massive fortune from my family, including various properties, businesses, and even stock funds. This vast wealth supported my later charitable endeavours in propagating the Buddha's teachings.

After establishing the Ho Hung-hei Family Foundation, I vigorously promoted Buddhism in various aspects, using modern Western academic standards to promote Buddhist studies and cultural research, and established Buddhist research centres at prestigious universities such as Stanford, Harvard, and Columbia in the United States. I established specific professorships to ensure that those studying there could receive guidance from high-quality faculty, and I founded the world's largest English-language Buddhist digital platform, Buddha Door.

In this life, my beliefs were greatly influenced by my family. I have always followed the principle that "before learning how to receive, one must first learn how to give."

My method of propagating the Dharma was naturally to invest large sums of money in various places, prestigious universities, and institutions first, so that there could be subsequent cooperation and further promotion. This also included my later years when I moved to Vancouver, where I adopted the same approach for local hospitals and medical institutions.

This guiding principle had a great impact on my life. In terms of the Buddha's teachings, "only by being able to let go can one gain"; if one does not know how to give first, how can one obtain what one wants? This is a very basic truth.

Therefore, in this lifetime, rather than earning money, I learned more about how to manage the massive wealth given by my family and inherited from them, and how to utilise this wealth. Thus, compared to "accumulating wealth," I indeed had more experience and insights in the part of "distributing wealth."

Due to my personality, I was never able to truly grasp the essence of the Buddha's teachings. Therefore, in this life, I promoted what is called "Humanistic Buddhism" as a lay practitioner, focusing more on home practice and the academic research and promotion of Buddhist studies.

I had always been very satisfied with this way of learning and practice, thinking that I must have gained some benefits of the Dharma. In any case, at the very least, I used my abilities to make a certain contribution to the promotion of Buddhism and the elevation of the status of Buddhist studies in Western academia. I think in terms of "giving the Dharma," I could be considered to have achieved decent results.

Of course, I did not feel complacent about this, and I understood that the maturation of all these causal conditions came from the help of various parties. But regardless, I never felt that there was any problem with my practice, yet I never expected that after leaving the human world, I would enter the "Tongue-Ripping Hell." In hell, I suffered endless torture. My tongue was pulled out repeatedly, which was extremely, extremely painful. This torture was continuously inflicted upon my soul, and for some reason, I was never able to leave this place.

Every time I was tortured, I asked myself in my heart: what exactly did I do wrong? Why did I end up like this after a lifetime of propagating the Dharma? How could I ever escape the painful hell? Many questions arose in my heart, but the only thing I dared not let arise was resentment for being tortured in hell. Because I had studied the Buddha's teachings for many years, I knew that when suffering retribution, if there was any dissatisfaction in my heart, it would only make me suffer more. In such a situation, I would only continue to endure the painful punishment. In my heart, I prayed that the compassionate Namo Amituofo would help me leave hell.

Perhaps the Buddha heard my call; one day, a huge golden light appeared in hell, shining on my soul. In an instant, I felt as if I had returned home. I thought, could it be that the Buddha has come to take me to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? Unexpectedly, I had arrived at the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This place is a transit station for entering the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and it was established by the flesh-body Buddha who realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood in the human world—Practitioner Su.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, my soul slowly rested and recovered. Bathed in the Buddha light, my injuries healed quickly. After slowly regaining consciousness, I realised that on our Earth, in this very era, there is actually a person who has realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood as a lay practitioner, and is also the only flesh-body Buddha in the human world—Practitioner Su. It turns out that Practitioner Su made a vow to save wealthy people and celebrities who have died all over the world, hoping to use their influence during their lifetime to help propagate the Buddha's teachings, and hoping to help more sentient beings obtain deliverance. Out of such compassionate vows, many wealthy people and celebrities from various countries around the world have been saved by Practitioner Su from all over. Upon learning more, I found that most of them were suffering retribution in hell, just like me, Ho Hung-hei.

I am very fortunate to have been saved by Practitioner Su, to have escaped from the "Tongue-Ripping Hell," and to have come to the pure and bright Western Land of Dharma Nature. For me, having studied the Buddha's teachings for many years, the Western Land of Dharma Nature is very fascinating, because I had never heard of such a magnificent and special place. Later, I learned that the Western Land of Dharma Nature can accommodate immeasurable and boundless sentient beings.

Because the Western Land of Dharma Nature is achieved by the vow of Practitioner Su, and Practitioner Su's mind-capacity pervades the entire Dharma-realm and empty space, and Practitioner Su's vow is to save all boundless suffering sentient beings. Therefore, the scope of the Western Land of Dharma Nature is also as vast as the entire Dharma-realm and empty space!

The Western Land of Dharma Nature is truly a precious treasure in the Dharma-realm and empty space at this very moment. Because of the existence of the Western Land of Dharma Nature, while Practitioner Su still has a human body, he can use his countless manifestations to travel to all parts of the world, including mainland China and Hong Kong, to perform Chao Du for immeasurable and boundless sentient beings. I have been in contact with the Buddha's teachings all my life, but I never knew what true Chao Du was. Because my physical eyes could not see, I could not know what kind of effect Chao Du actually produced. Now, in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, as a spirit, I can clearly see that Practitioner Su's spirit can manifest into countless and even more manifestations, covering every inch of the Earth. This is not an exaggeration, but the truth! In fact, the scope covered by Practitioner Su's countless manifestations can extend even further.

In short, the immeasurable and boundless suffering sentient beings of the entire Earth, and the suffering souls trapped in the space of all things, have all been saved due to Practitioner Su's Chao Du. So this is the true Buddha's teachings; it turns out that the Pure Land Dharma Gate of Mahayana Buddhism is actually, after attaining Buddhahood, using one's countless manifestations, and this phrase "Namo Amituofo," to allow immeasurable and boundless sentient beings to obtain deliverance. I did not know before that the "power of mindfulness and wisdom" mentioned in the sutras was so magnificent. It turns out that when every thought is "Namo Amituofo," and is in sync with the Buddha's heart and vows, this Buddha-name can exert such a huge effect, opening up immeasurable and boundless space, helping sentient beings to escape, and causing Namo Amituofo to shine with great light, allowing immeasurable and boundless suffering sentient beings to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

If the Western Land of Dharma Nature did not exist, then a very large part of the magnificence of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre today would be difficult to achieve. Because the Western Land of Dharma Nature is indeed the key reason why Namo Amituofo is able to save so many sentient beings by descending to the world this time.

It is not only due to the compassionate vow and inconceivable majestic power of Namo Amituofo, but also because the Western Land of Dharma Nature allows immeasurable and boundless suffering souls who have not yet qualified for rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to be temporarily settled and taught, and when the causal conditions mature in the future, they can chant the Buddha's name and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is the most critical point.

Because there are too many sentient beings who cannot go directly to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss during Chao Du. If they were allowed to go to the human realm or heavenly realm during Chao Du, they would lose the opportunity to escape the suffering of the six realms of rebirth. Therefore, Practitioner Su, with a compassionate heart and vow, used "skillful means" to establish the Western Land of Dharma Nature, allowing the immeasurable and boundless sentient beings, and even demon crowds, saved by Practitioner Su to first enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature for purification and transformation; when they generate a true vow and are willing to be reborn in the Western Land, they are then sent to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

After arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I paid close attention to Practitioner Su. Because I was very eager to understand what the true Great Dharma of the Pure Land is.

As the true promoter of the Pure Land Dharma Gate, it can be said that Practitioner Su's heart and actions, and even everything he does, represent everything of the Pure Land Dharma Gate; because in Practitioner Su's heart, there is only this phrase "Namo Amituofo" forever.

What does a person who truly chants the Buddha's name and attains Buddhahood look like? In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have been observing with the most humble and modest heart. I see Practitioner Su's demonstration in the human world:

1. He sleeps less than two hours a day, and is constantly performing Chao Du for countless sentient beings to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature.
2. He sacrifices his own body to save immeasurable and boundless demon crowds.
3. He has the ability to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss at will, and to provide spiritual healing to people.

Even for cancer patients, as long as they have not yet undergone surgery, they can be saved by Practitioner Su upon coming to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. All these inconceivable merits are achieved by Practitioner Su's powerful vow to deliver sentient beings; at the same time, it is also under the compassionate blessing of Namo Amituofo that such a magnificent manifestation can occur.

At this moment, Practitioner Su has attained Buddhahood in the human world, and Namo Amituofo has already come to the mortal world. The two Buddhas of the human world and the spiritual realm are working together to save the countless suffering sentient beings on Earth, and even more so to save all the humans on Earth, hoping that everyone can obtain the true benefits of the Buddha's teachings, which is the benefit of "not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die." It turns out that aging, illness, and death have never been the only outcome for the human body; it is only because this heart has deteriorated, violating the universal principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

If everyone can accept Buddhist education, understand what the true Truth and Right Way are, and can keep this phrase "Namo Amituofo" in their minds at all times, when they can truly recognise their original face, as long as they generate one true vow and chant this phrase "Namo Amituofo," every sound of the Buddha-name can save all boundless suffering sentient beings. This includes not only the immeasurable and boundless suffering sentient beings outside oneself, but also the countless karmic creditors within one's own body, all of whom are objects one can save. Such a magnificent achievement is truly breathtaking. Such magnificent benefits are truly rare and hard to encounter. I, Ho Hung-hei, seeing the Buddhist education of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, truly felt a longing from the bottom of my heart, which is that I hope I can live again and use all the massive wealth I inherited for the Buddhist cause of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

What I propagated all my life turned out to be falling into the trap of Buddhist studies, and never brought people the true profound meaning of the Buddha's teachings. It turns out that the true Buddha's teachings are in this phrase "Namo Amituofo," in the true mental cultivation, and even more in the comprehensive education that covers the Body-Mind-Spirit. That is the Buddhist education of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre with the universal principle as the core concept. Such education is the Great Dharma that I, Ho Hung-hei, should get close to and propagate with all my might.

However, during my lifetime, I did not have the blessings to encounter such a Dharma Gate, yet after my death, I have encountered it. I truly do not know whether to laugh or cry. However, I think that since I have learned about Buddhism, everything should be faced with the most positive mindset. Therefore, I can only appeal to my descendants here: if you have the causal conditions to read this letter, you must as soon as possible invest all the resources you can utilise, especially the various resources of the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, into this precious land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

Regardless of the needs of the temple, everyone should strive to satisfy them. Because this place is truly a ray of hope in life, allowing everyone to not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die, and furthermore, it can help every suffering soul to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. At this moment, I must also speak more directly so that my descendants can be stirred within.

As for why I entered the "Eye-Gouging Hell" after my death? It was actually because my own mental notes and behaviours deviated from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. One cannot have even the slightest bit of improper vision, nor can one have even the slightest bit of negativity. In fact, every person in the family, while enjoying the benefits of immense wealth and vast resources, must also bear the karma generated by obtaining these resources and wealth.

Everyone should ask themselves: regarding every sum of money you use, every resource, and even every connection you call upon, how much positive influence has been created while obtaining these, or has it been negative? Has it produced good karma or negative karma? Can everyone clearly understand the karmic relationships involved? I think no one would dare to say with great confidence that they can clearly understand all the changes in causal conditions within them.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I truly see that immense wealth and resources actually represent the vast karma that follows; nothing comes from nothing. Behind the immense family resources and wealth, there is often a heavy burden of karma, and many of these may have already deviated from the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Good karma and negative karma cannot cancel each other out; no matter how many good deeds are done, they cannot compensate for the negative impact caused when this wealth was created.

On this point, I will say no more and will not provide further explanation. In short, a word to the wise is sufficient. If you have the good roots, blessings, and causal conditions to believe, then naturally you will be able to develop faith in the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. If not, then it can only be said that your blessings are insufficient.

Regardless, having said so much, it is my hope that my descendants, or anyone who sees this letter, will know that Namo Amituofo has now come to this world. Everything in the world is gained only through letting go. As long as a person is alive in this world, there is not a single moment when they are not creating karma. Because one's own thoughts have never truly calmed down; under the flying delusive thoughts, immeasurable and boundless sins are produced, and the fluctuations in the heart have never been able to truly stop.

Because deep down, one always thinks of oneself as a member of this worldly realm and has forgotten one's original identity as a holy being from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss who has descended to this world. Originally, one should never have been a member of this suffering world; one's true identity should be a child of the Buddha of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. If everyone truly realises this point, truly understands that one is originally a Buddha, a Buddha who has descended to the human world to save the world and deliver sentient beings, then you should understand that now that Namo Amituofo has come to this world, at this moment of causal conditions, all those with sufficient good roots should exhaust all their efforts and use all their resources to help Namo Amituofo save the people of the world, because the objects of Namo Amituofo's salvation also include oneself.

If at this critical point in time, one cannot truly let go of everything one has to accomplish Namo Amituofo's mission of saving the world, then it is actually oneself who suffers the greatest harm.

Only by being able to truly show boldness when coming into contact with the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, leaving no retreat and sparing no cost, and cooperating fully with the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to let such a magnificent Great Dharma blossom and bear fruit in every corner of the world, is it possible for everyone to be saved.

If this is not done, how can one resolve the conflicts with the countless karmic creditors within one's own body? If one fails to resolve the conflicts with the karmic creditors within, how can one walk the path of life smoothly and safely?

Old age, sickness, and death are absolutely sufferings that no one can avoid; not to mention the various levels of life, the torments that the body and mind must endure are in the hundreds and thousands, difficult to count. At this time, Namo Amituofo has come to this world to bring true peace of Body-Mind-Spirit to all beings. To accomplish all this, the key lies in everyone's willingness to follow the teachings of Namo Amituofo, learn to let go of attachments, truly empty oneself, and accept the teachings of the Buddha with a joyful heart.

It turns out that Namo Amituofo did not come to this world to speak of any faults in the human world, nor to pick on any child's shortcomings; it is simply to help everyone recognise their true appearance. That is the same dignified and auspicious characteristics as Namo Amituofo, and also the same brave and fearless compassionate heart to deliver beings as Practitioner Su.

Here, I also first hope that my descendants can use the funds of the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, or any resources they can utilise, to work together to build the Namo Amituofo billboards for the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This Namo Amituofo billboard can emit immense golden light, which can allow countless spirits to be saved by being bathed in the golden light; this provides very practical help to the people in the human world. Because how to coexist peacefully with ghosts in the spiritual realms has always been a core of the Buddha's teachings.

Namo Amituofo billboards can truly help everyone accomplish this. Golden light is the warm radiance that every soul longs for, because when being illuminated by the golden light, it also helps every suffering soul remember the true light within their self-nature; that is the pure gold that has never deteriorated, and it is also the pure light that has never been extinguished.

If everyone now sets up Namo Amituofo billboards on a large scale in mainland China, Hong Kong, or anywhere in the world, it will be able to help countless people and ghosts in the spiritual realms. The help to you yourself is also enormous, because in terms of the Buddha's teachings, sentient beings and oneself are actually one body. If everyone can do this, it is far more useful than the various Buddhist charitable undertakings and promotions I did when I was alive.

The former allows spirits to obtain true benefits, allowing the souls illuminated by the golden light to go to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, where they can wait for a future day to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The latter, however, only gives people more wrong perceptions of the Buddha's teachings, mistakenly believing that the inheritance of Buddhism has always been about textual discrimination and attachment, not knowing that the true Buddha's teachings are about putting in the work on one's heart.

It turns out that to be able to truly propagate the Great Dharma, one must first obtain the true benefits of the Buddha's teachings oneself; one must be like Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, truly realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood first, only then is one qualified to truly propagate the Great Dharma. Because the Dharma Gate one propagates is easily limited by one's own mind-capacity and one's own views.

If one fails to become an awakened being like Practitioner Su, and transform the Alaya consciousness into the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, then how can one truly convey the true meaning of the Buddha's teachings to the world? It turns out that to be a propagator of the Dharma who can truly help the Buddha's teachings flourish in the human world, the most basic condition is to find back one's original Tathagata virtues. It turns out that practice and spreading Dharma are two sides of the same coin; it turns out that the internal state and the external act of delivering beings are never discussed separately. Only by first delivering oneself can one deliver the immeasurable and boundless suffering sentient beings.

Now I know that there are still many people in this world who, like me, believed in the Buddha's teachings while they were alive. Now Namo Amituofo is at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, and I hope that everyone can come here to seek the Dharma. I also hope that after seeing this message, everyone can bring their children, or young children, to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to receive Buddhist education.

Because the Buddha's teachings are so magnificent, they can allow the people of the Earth to obtain true peace in Body-Mind-Spirit, helping everyone to not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die, and be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. However, the propagation of the Great Dharma truly requires the leadership of those who have realised their true nature and attained Buddhahood. Only by having more flesh-bodied Buddhas in the human world like Practitioner Su can the Pure Land Great Dharma truly exist forever in the human world. The cultivation of the next generation is a crucial point, which is why I, Robert H.N. Ho, am making this appeal here.

In short, having said so much, I just want to tell everyone that Namo Amituofo has now come to this world and is waiting for everyone to come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to seek the Dharma. I hope that everyone can come here as soon as possible to verify the magnificence and vastness of the Buddha's teachings.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Robert H.N. Ho