Interview with Hua Guofeng (The only leader in the history of the Communist Party of China to hold the highest power of "Party, Government, and Military" simultaneously)

Brief Introduction: An important political figure in the history of the People's Republic of China, who served as Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. He is the only leader in the history of the Communist Party of China to hold the highest leadership positions of Party, Government, and Military simultaneously.

Interview Chief Writer: Venerable Fa Hui

July 27, 2026

Hua Guofeng:

Namo Amituofo, I am Hua Guofeng.

At this very moment, I am on the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, and deep repentance arises in my heart.

"Repenting for all the negative karma created in the past,

Actually,

All actions in the world are karma,

Only because I did not know Namo Amituofo, and did not understand the Truth and the Right Way,

The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is a magnificent place, difficult to encounter in millions of years,

I only hope that China will recognise this place in the future, so that there will be a time to leave suffering and gain happiness".

I, Hua Guofeng, as the only leader in the history of the People's Republic of China to hold the highest leadership positions of Party, Government, and Military simultaneously, indeed hold a certain position in history.

Actually, my comrades within the Party knew that I firmly upheld the decisions made by Chairman Mao; I followed Chairman Mao's instructions unswervingly. Chairman Mao also gave me, Hua Guofeng, some affirmation and recognition, which was of some help to me later when I was entrusted with the responsibility during that political vacuum, allowing me to serve as the top leader; this can be considered as me receiving the grace of Chairman Mao.

The Cultural Revolution was indeed a great catastrophe for China. Too many people died in this revolution, including many comrades who had made high contributions to the Party and the country, who were persecuted during this period for various reasons. I do not wish to dwell too much on the rights and wrongs of that time now, but I can only say that my decisive action to unite with like-minded comrades within the Party to crush the Gang of Four and end the ten-year Cultural Revolution is a decision I still consider correct today.

I am actually quite an honest person at heart, and I do not like to engage in exaggerated, false displays or cunning schemes. I always felt that if I had the opportunity to serve, contribute, and do something for the Party and the country, I should do my best and work in a down-to-earth manner. I feel this is much better than constantly calculating in one's heart.

After all, the opportunities in a person's life are always so impermanent and changeable. Many people think they are calculating everything or are extremely clever, but whether they can have a stable ending later is not certain. It is better to think less, ponder less on everything, and just work honestly. As for what the outcome will be, I think I will leave that to Heaven to decide; this is the path I have always followed.

I know in my heart that during the Cultural Revolution, I had already deeply perceived that the high degree of worship for Chairman Mao in China (including within the Party) was, to a certain extent, causing great harm to both Chairman Mao and the worshippers themselves. This is not to say I did not respect Chairman Mao, but being in such a fanatical atmosphere of worship, decision-makers often had to go with the flow. Being trapped in this atmosphere for a long time, it was inevitable that one would lack a bit of rationality, and many obvious wrong decisions or behaviours were thus produced. Therefore, during my time in office, I ordered the prevention of excessive worship of Hua Guofeng personally. After stepping down, I have also lived a very low-profile life.

Regarding the "Foreign Leap Forward" that I personally guided—that is, the large-scale introduction of advanced equipment and technology from Western countries or Japan—at the time, I viewed this as a very important and necessary thing to do. However, since arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have finally understood: actually, what China truly needed was not advanced equipment, nor technological innovations different from the past, but the power of stability within people's hearts.

This power of stability does not come from the outside, but from the Buddha-nature that is inherent in everyone's heart. It only requires an opportunity to awaken the Buddha-nature within each person, and this opportunity is the simple Holy Name "Namo Amituofo". These six characters contain the power of the universe; the Vow of Amitabha Buddha and the Wisdom of Amitabha Buddha are all condensed within this Holy Name. As long as every Chinese person can chant this Holy Name "Namo Amituofo" every day, they can naturally awaken themselves and awaken the Buddha-nature in every Chinese person's heart.

What exactly is the power of the Buddha? The people of China are still very unfamiliar with this. Now, I, Hua Guofeng, am reporting to everyone here: it turns out that the "power of the Buddha" is a power that brings peace of mind, and at the same time, it is a power of salvation. That which can stabilise the hearts of sentient beings and save them is what is called "Buddha-power".

Just like at this very moment, I, Hua Guofeng, am on the Western Land of Dharma Nature, receiving the illumination of the golden light of the Dharma-Nature Land. When the Buddha-light shines upon my spirit, this Buddha-power causes the compassion and goodness in my heart to continuously unfold.

I am very surprised; I have never felt so surprised in my life. Because before coming to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I never felt that I could be so soft and so transparent.

Later, I slowly understood that the great transformation I experienced on the Western Land of Dharma Nature is not actually a particularly surprising thing. Because everyone is originally a Buddha; when the Buddha-light shines from the outside in upon my spirit, my inherent Buddha-nature, which had been covered by worldly matters, was revealed.

In this life, I reached the peak of power. But after I retired, I did not suffer political purges or persecution. This is actually related to my decisive action of uniting with others to end the "Cultural Revolution and crush the Gang of Four". Because indeed, too many veterans of the People's Republic of China, or excellent talents and Party members, were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, ending the "Cultural Revolution" was something that allowed me to form good karmic affinities with many people.

Of course, this is also because my personality has always been relatively honest. This was also reflected in the fact that after I became the top leader of the Party, Government, and Military and reached the peak of power, I did not, like many previous top leaders, build my own power base or faction; instead, I honestly did what I was supposed to do within the system. It can also be said that I have always been going with the flow; after all, I have always preferred to do things in a down-to-earth manner and move forward steadily.

As for the so-called "struggles", "forming cliques for personal gain", or "building power bases", these things were too complicated for me. After all, to achieve these things, one cannot succeed just by chance; besides having sufficient skill and boldness, there is another condition: you must constantly think and plan many things, and you must have a thorough understanding of human nature and the various forces—what is everyone thinking? What benefits does everyone want to get? One must be very clear about all these complex relationships.

For me, Hua Guofeng, I actually had the ability to do it, as I still have some confidence in my own abilities. But I knew that if I chose to be that kind of top leader, I would naturally not be able to focus my spirit on leading the Party and the country to good development; instead, I would be distracted by many thoughts, plans, and calculations, which was really not worth it for me.

After all, I have never really believed in so-called "plans". Looking back at my life experiences, it has been proven time and again that plans really cannot keep up with changes. This impermanent life can never be covered by any complete plan. In the encounters of life, all kinds of unexpected changes always appear outside of the plan. No matter how many times you think about it or how many layers you calculate, there will always be things you did not expect; this is the impermanence of life.

Since life is so impermanent, why waste so much energy and time on various analyses and plans?

Therefore, I have always had this understanding. After I became the top leader, I still served the Party, the country, and the people with caution. And when I was criticised by comrades within the Party, I did not show a tough attitude; instead, I clearly recognised that the situation had changed again. Since it was time for me to step down, it was better to generously and readily hand over the power in my hands to those who needed it; would this not become a good story later?

It was by holding this mindset that I became one of the few top leaders who could still live stably after losing power. After I stepped down from the position of top leader, I even continued to serve in the Central Military Commission, which can be considered as the comrades within the Party still having some recognition and trust in me, which makes me feel comforted.

However, all along, no matter what the situation was and having experienced so many changes, I have always been very clear about one thing: that is, external praise, recognition, or smooth sailing are actually very false; it is only in adversity and slander that one can see the truth of facts that one usually cannot discover.

Therefore, when I experienced hardships in this life, I was always especially grateful for the arrival of these moments. It is precisely because of the existence of these adversities that I was able to briefly see through the false illusions of the world and make wise choices.

So, after retiring in my later years, I have always followed the principle of "low-profile, low-profile, and even lower-profile". Do not do things that should not be done, and absolutely do not say things that should not be said. As for the policies and various actions of the Chinese leaders who succeeded me, I would not give any comments. Because of this attitude, after I withdrew from the core leadership, my life was quite stable.

Maintaining a very regular lifestyle, I opened up a vineyard in my small courtyard. Under my personal cultivation, many different varieties of grapes matured and thrived in the garden. These grapes were very suitable for eating myself or giving to others to taste. Although it was just a small thing, it made my heart feel incomparably sweet.

The more I faded away from prosperity, the more I often felt in my heart: why must a person's life be lived so complicatedly? In fact, as long as one can be well-fed and warmly clothed, and can provide a little help to others within one's limited ability, or share things one feels are beautiful with others, this is already a very happy life. Life should not have to be lived so hard.

However, looking back at the various political movements I experienced in my life and the evolution of the whole of China, it really made me sigh: how did this life, which could have been simple and uncomplicated, become so complicated and hard for so many people in this world?

Now, following Amitabha Buddha to learn the Buddha's teachings, I know that everyone should be a Buddha who has come to the world to help sentient beings. Coming to this world, the things that originally needed to be done were very pure and simple, which is just to help sentient beings be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. And the method to achieve this is also very simple, which is just to chant this Holy Name "Namo Amituofo". Practitioner Su, who saved me, Hua Guofeng, from the Avici Hell, lives such a life—simple and abundant, busy every day but filled with Dharma joy.

Even though he suffers from many hardships, he is still brave and fearless. Seeing this spirit, I, Hua Guofeng, felt a sense of awe and envy. Is this not the life I have always been pursuing? But it was only after I died that I encountered such a perfect life model. Yes, the life that Practitioner Su lives should really become the life model for every Chinese person.

Such a life is truly a model for all of us. Because there are no afflictions in the heart, no worries, no thoughts, and no contemplations; there is no need to think about anything, only to think of this Holy Name "Namo Amituofo"; there is no need to do anything, only to do one thing: "save the world and save beings".

Such a life is so happy. On the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I clearly see Practitioner Su busy for sentient beings every day, sleeping less than two hours a day, but his spirit is so full. This vigorous vitality comes from Practitioner Su using his countless manifestations to perform Chao Du for sentient beings at all times, which is naturally obtained.

Our entire nation of China has, in fact, received immense help due to the Chao Du performed by Practitioner Su. Immeasurable and boundless suffering spirits of China, lonely wandering spirits, ghost deities within the body, and even the demon crowds of the Demon Realm have all been sent into the Western Land of Dharma Nature under the great Chao Du of Practitioner Su. At this very moment, they and I, Hua Guofeng, are all within this Buddha-land established by Practitioner Su, waiting for the day when we can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Now that Namo Amituofo has come to this world, it is to bring the true benefits of not grow old, not get sick, and the spirit does not die to the people of this world, and to lead every child lost in reincarnation back to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This great matter of rebirth in the Western Pure Land has become possible because the Buddha currently abides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. The path of reincarnation is so perilous; if one accidentally falls into the hells, who knows when one will be able to escape? If one's heart cannot be maintained in a state of purity and goodness, it cannot be in sync with the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Then, after leaving the human world, where will one's soul go? This is a question that every Chinese person should deeply reflect upon. After I, Hua Guofeng, left the human world in my later years due to illness, my soul did not find peace; instead, I entered the Avici Hell to undergo punishment. In the Avici Hell, my head was continuously split open, my eyeballs were repeatedly gouged out, and my heart was dug out in an extremely cruel manner, even my limbs were severed. This was only a part of the punishment I suffered in the Avici Hell. I can only say that in this hell, I truly suffered endless torment, with all kinds of cruel punishments continuously inflicted upon my soul. Yet, I could not simply die and be done with it. Because when I died in the Avici Hell, the wind of karma would blow, and my soul would naturally be reborn in the Avici Hell, repeating the cycle of endless torture. The ceaseless pain made my soul wail continuously. I felt deep repentance in my heart, hoping for a chance to admit my mistakes, but I could never find such an opportunity. For nearly ten years, my soul suffered in the Avici Hell. Until recently, because Practitioner Su is so compassionate and has vowed to save many political figures, entrepreneurs, and celebrities from China who have already left this world, I was rescued from the Avici Hell by Practitioner Su during this opportunity. At that time, I only felt a massive golden light descending from the sky, which quickly brought me to be settled in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. After arriving at the Land of Dharma Nature, my once shattered soul was slowly restored within the Buddha-light. The sound of the Buddha-name "Namo Amituofo" constantly coming from the air allowed the fear and regret in my heart to slowly subside. Arriving at the lotus seat in the Land of Dharma Nature, as the days passed, my heart naturally became more and more stable, and slowly, it seemed as if I were no longer the Hua Guofeng I was in the human world. Unlike my past in the human world, at this moment, I seem to have lost many obstacles, and naturally, I seem to be able to see many things more clearly and thoroughly. I think this is what is called "Wisdom." I heard Practitioner Su say that my soul also possesses the same wisdom as the Buddha. And I think that now, it is due to this magical power in the Land of Dharma Nature that has allowed my inherent wisdom to slowly manifest. Of course, a large part of the reason is also because there is no longer the bondage of this body. When no longer disturbed by the countless cells, spirits, and

The Buddha also wants to tell all children that no good deed should be denied; on the contrary, it should be affirmed and cherished. Perhaps every child, in the act of helping others, still carries much that lacks dignity, but that is only because everyone does not yet understand the true Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

Namo Amituofo came to this world with the hope of allowing all children to recover the original, dignified appearance of their compassionate nature. In this world, all good deeds can be fulfilled because Namo Amituofo has descended to the human realm. Because this single thought of purity and goodness in everyone's heart corresponds to their inherent Buddha-nature, it should never be denied; it only needs to be learned and understood through the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

If one can truly and thoroughly see through and let go of the sensations and desires of this body, one will naturally be able to allow the simple belief and behaviour of helping others, which one has always upheld, to exert the power it was meant to have. It turns out that the heart and actions of every person in saving and helping sentient beings can be so dignified and so pure. As long as one can avoid being contaminated by all worldly things in this process, one will naturally be able to save immeasurable and boundless suffering beings without any obstruction.

I, Hua Guofeng, clearly see that now, whether it is the Chinese people or the people of all countries in the world, there are actually many who are very happy to help others. Whether it is charity, volunteer service, or even the help one is capable of providing in daily life, many are happy to take on these responsibilities.

However, why is it that the various actions taken by these kind people now make many feel that they lack value, or are unable to identify with them?

In fact, it is all because the existence of this "self" is still attached to them. It turns out that when one is helping others, as long as one still carries the various sensations or desires of this body, the actions that should have been admirable and magnificent naturally seem to be no longer so noble or dignified.

I, Hua Guofeng, clearly see in the Dharma-Nature Land that there are too many kind people in the world who, precisely because of this, are slowly losing the original good heart they had for helping others.

I see that people in the world have too much analysis and thinking, and within this, there is even more doubt. Regarding one's own good deeds, how much help can they really provide to others? Or is this simplicity and kindness of one's own truly being used in the right place and walking in the right direction? Is what one is doing right or wrong?

Actually, at this very moment, I want to tell the people of the world: the heart that helps others is never wrong, and a simple, pure heart of kindness has no flaws. It is only because everyone has not received Buddhist education and has not been able to understand how to follow the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way that they slowly lose this motivation in the process.

It turns out that if a person, in the process of helping sentient beings, cannot truly achieve a state of no-mind and no-thought like Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, it is inevitable that they will attract the attachment of external spirits during this process; or, because their personal ego and habits have not been changed, they may cause the karmic creditors and spirits within their own bodies to awaken while helping others. This will lead to them slowly becoming less and less like themselves, causing them to lose complete control over this body. As the situation intensifies, one day their body will become a puppet for karmic creditors and demon crowds.

This is why, in Buddha’s teachings, we are always told: "Compassion brings disaster; convenience leads to degradation."

This statement first affirms the compassionate heart. Because only by holding a compassionate heart is it possible for oneself and the countless spirits within one's body to be saved, and only then does one have the ability to truly help sentient beings leave suffering behind.

However, why does the Buddha always repeat this sentence? It is actually to tell all the people in the world who want to help others: to save others, you must first save yourself. If you cannot even save the immeasurable and boundless cells, spirits, and karmic creditors within your own body, then how can you speak of truly saving sentient beings?

This is the concept of "self-salvation before saving others" in Buddha’s teachings, and its meaning is truly profound. If I, Hua Guofeng, had not clearly seen the various phenomena of the world in the Dharma-Nature Land, I would not have been able to have such a profound realisation.

It turns out that in order to help more spirits leave suffering and gain happiness, and even be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, one must practise more diligently and truly change one's personal ego and habits to zero.

Only by ensuring that this heart of yours no longer corresponds to any evil or complexity in the world, and by remaining unmoved no matter how the external environment changes, can you be qualified and capable of helping countless spirits leave suffering and gain happiness.

It turns out that in reincarnation, all the suffering of spirits, including the suffering of the human world, stems from "thoughts." And all thoughts and thinking do not exist in one's originally pure and good nature. Any mental note or thinking is actually a certain degree of harm and burden to one's body, mind, and spirit. If one can understand this, one should realise that in the process of helping sentient beings, if one's heart cannot help but quietly give rise to a thought or a subtle piece of thinking, it actually means that at this moment, you are suffering just like the sentient beings you are trying to help.

And one might ask, if you are suffering in the midst of hardship just like the sentient beings, how can you have the ability to help them leave suffering behind? This is the truth that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su came to the human world to tell everyone: everyone comes to this world with only one path, which is to find their true self and attain Buddhahood. Because only after realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood can one truly achieve the mental cultivation of no-mind and no-thought, and truly fulfil the great vow of coming to this world to help sentient beings. I, Hua Guofeng, believe that this is the meaning behind Practitioner Su's diligent practice, purification, and self-cultivation to attain Buddhahood within five years.

Buddhist education at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is so important to the world because only the Buddha’s teachings can teach everyone what the "Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way" means, allowing everyone to follow the truth and gain the benefits of being free from aging, free from illness, and your spirit never dies.

Humans can actually avoid aging, sickness, and death, as long as they can replace their heart with the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo."

If your heart is no longer selfish, there will naturally be no aging, sickness, or death. Because all these problems arise from the seeking of revenge by karmic creditors; and the connection between karmic creditors and yourself is this "self." If you can let go of this "self" completely, and even achieve true no-self and selflessness, you can naturally avoid the threats of aging, sickness, and death.

This Holy Name "Namo Amituofo" is the purest and most virtuous power in the universe. The Buddha is so compassionate in teaching us to recite this Holy Name well, hoping to use the pure and virtuous energy of the Holy Name to nurture your own heart and the complex hearts of the countless cells and spirits within you, allowing the hearts between you to turn from complex to simple, from selfish to selfless, and transforming the heart that originally carried a hardened nature into a soft and compassionate heart of goodness.

If you can allow this pure and virtuous Holy Name to fill the space of every cell in your body, you will naturally be able to obtain the true benefits of the Buddha’s teachings.

The great matter of rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss never represents a personal matter, but a great matter shared by you and the immeasurable and boundless spirits within you. If everyone can settle their heart in the Holy Name "Namo Amituofo," then Namo Amituofo will naturally be able to lead and guide us and the spirits within us back to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

At this very moment, in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I loudly call upon every Chinese person to come and accept Buddhist education and participate in Namo Amituofo's mission to save the world. Because the sentient beings the Buddha wants to save are immeasurable and boundless, and you are one of these immeasurable and boundless beings. Every Chinese person has a responsibility and should do their utmost to contribute in this process.

Most specially and importantly, the fact that the Buddha has come to the world now is difficult to encounter in millions of years, and there is even Practitioner Su, who has realised their true nature and attained Buddhahood, living in the human world. Such an opportunity is rare and precious for anyone who wants to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Every Chinese person should make the great vow to attain Buddhahood. Because every Chinese person should be a dignified and upright person, should take on their true responsibilities, and bring the countless cells and spirits within them back to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss together. You should exert the abilities and potential within your spirit, just like Practitioner Su, to exert the greatest power in the human world and save immeasurable and boundless suffering spirits.

Namo Amituofo

Hua Guofeng