Interview with Peng Shilu (Pioneer and Founder of China's Nuclear Power Industry)

Brief Summary: Peng Shilu lived in anonymity to pioneer the "heart" of China's first generation of nuclear submarines. He later transitioned to the civilian sector to develop large-scale commercial nuclear power plants, single-handedly laying a solid foundation for the nation's dual-use nuclear power. Throughout his life, he remained indifferent to fame and fortune, likening himself to a "nuclear power ox" that silently pulls the cart. With a pure heart of "as long as the motherland needs it," he dedicated his entire life to the country and the many families who risked their lives to raise him.

Interview Chief Writer: Fa Ning

July 17, 2026

Peng Shilu:

Namo Amituofo, I am Peng Shilu, a child who grew up eating the food of a hundred families. Naturally, I thought about using my life to repay these thousands of families. This has been my wish since I was young, and it has never changed.

People often remember my name, linking me with China's nuclear submarines and nuclear power. This is the career I am most proud of in my life; the work I did for a lifetime was just these three words: "nuclear power," and nothing else.

I believe that everyone should focus on doing one thing to serve the people. No matter what kind of work it is, once chosen, one should wholeheartedly dedicate oneself to it and achieve something. Being able to benefit more people and truly serve others is the purpose of everyone coming into this world. That is how I used to think.

At that time, I did not know about Buddhist education, nor did I know about Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Now, after my life has been reborn, after truly knowing these two Buddhas, and after truly understanding the Buddhist education brought to everyone by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I realise that there is another path in life. This path is completely different from the one taken by people in the world, yet it can save immeasurable and boundless beings—not just more than the population of China, but a number that countless Earths could not compare to.

I used to think that great people were those who worked for the country or were leaders. Now it seems that the greatest are truly Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Because They are Buddhas, and after reaching the state of a Buddha, They can flow naturally with the Dharma. Many things that people in the world cannot do can be achieved through spiritual means.

Now, I have been saved by the Buddha. This is truly different from what I did during my limited life of ninety-six years. I still want to do things for others, but because of the difference in education and the breadth of mind-capacity, the beings I can help are even more different. The most important thing here is the difference between "limited" and "unlimited."

I was an ordinary person. Although I did good things and worked for the country, I still did not let go of my physical body bound by form; I still had a personality and habits. Therefore, everything I did was limited. However, because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas completely follow the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, and because They have no "heart" or "mental note"—completely letting go of the "self"—the achievements They can reach are truly unlimited, immeasurable, boundless, and endless.

Today, my life has taken a major turn, and I have gained new insights that I would like to share with everyone in detail. First, let me tell you the story of my life! I will give you a rough introduction.

Earlier, I mentioned the starting point of my ideals. Because I was a child who grew up eating the food of a hundred families, I was taken in by over twenty farming families before being sent by the country to study and further my education elsewhere. Why was this?

When I was young, my father was a peasant leader and one of the martyrs of the Communist Party at that time. During the Kuomintang's rule, they hunted down my father and our entire family. After my family members sacrificed their lives, I was an orphan, lonely and helpless, yet still being hunted. I was imprisoned twice and tortured, as they wanted me to reveal the truth, but I knew nothing.

After escaping, I was taken in by many simple and kind farming families. They helped me cover up the facts and keep my identity secret, helping me get through the difficulties of that time. After everything stabilised, I was sent by the country to other places for systematic study. I was always very serious in my studies because the experience of hardship from a young age told me that only by studying hard and repaying everyone who had helped me could I fulfil the ideals I should achieve in my life.

What is called "wishes coming true," I think that is exactly it. I later had a very good opportunity to be sent by the country to the Soviet Union to study. At that time, many students were sent either to the United States or the Soviet Union—the two major powers at the time—to learn the highest technology and techniques. After completing my studies, I could repay the country and contribute to its construction. I was very happy at the time because working for the country was my lifelong goal; as long as the motherland needed it, I would definitely strive to complete it.

Originally, I was studying industrial mechanisation, but later the country wanted me to switch to nuclear power, and I agreed immediately. Because I heard that this was a field where I could truly serve the country, and at that time no one was studying this, it seemed very important. After I readily agreed, I became one of the first people to learn this knowledge.

After returning to the motherland, I also actively worked for the country's nuclear power. The so-called nuclear power, first of all, was to defend against strong enemy invasions at the time; the country had to build a complete nuclear submarine system. Nuclear submarines are not weapons of murder, but the best tool to resist enemies attacking us.

Everyone might find this familiar, right? Just a while ago, Practitioner Su also guided another great nuclear submarine expert, my good brother Huang Xuhua. He left the human world a year or two ago and has now been guided by Practitioner Su to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. We are both called the "Fathers of China's Nuclear Submarines." Although he was younger than me, Academician Huang Xuhua was a very talented and patriotic person. We could be said to be true, good partners who went through many hardships and painstaking research together.

Back then, everyone was very simple and just wanted to do things for the country, without too many other thoughts. So when the country asked us if we could accept living in anonymity for a long time, unable to return home, and having to conduct research in a secret base, we both agreed. Because this concerned the country's top secrets, we had to live such a hard life to be able to present scientific research to serve the country.

We were both fellow villagers from the same county in Guangdong; this was truly a coincidence! I joined a few years before him, and we were both core figures in building nuclear submarines. I was responsible for the nuclear power of the submarine, while he was responsible for the hull and load-bearing; you could say I was in charge of the interior and he was in charge of the exterior. We worked together, leading different expert teams to build China's earliest nuclear submarines.

I was the first chief designer of the nuclear submarine, and he was the second. We both respected each other very much and harmoniously completed the tasks of that time.

During the time of living in anonymity, it was indeed not easy, because we had to face the fact that we could not return home for twenty, thirty, or even forty years. At that time, we did not have many complaints because we knew the country needed such technology and development to push the country's overall security to a more stable height, allowing the people to live good lives without worrying about foreign invasion.

I spent my whole life working for the country and the people, but unfortunately, at the end of my life, why did I still go to hell after death? This was very difficult for me to understand at the time. I thought I had lived most of my life and done many things that made me feel satisfied and accomplished, yet I still could not escape the punishment of hell.

To be honest, this was because my heart at that time did not fully achieve the state of truly working for the people wholeheartedly; I still had a personality within me. A person who truly works for the people, without their own thoughts, feelings, and emotions, would not have a personality. My personality at the time was reflected in this: when I disagreed with others, or when everyone was discussing and could not find a result, I would always have a heart of irritation. I did not want things to proceed in such an inefficient way, so I would immediately make a final decision in the most reasonable way I could find.

Of course, I did not make any mistakes in this, because the nuclear submarine project did not allow for even the slightest mistake, otherwise it would cause huge impacts, or even loss of life. But precisely because this profession required very careful decisions, we felt great pressure when deciding, and my heart fluctuated. Every single time it was like this, and my body gradually could not bear it, which led to the beings within me waking up and going to hell to lodge a complaint, causing me to truly go to hell to receive retribution after death.

I was not a person with a bad heart, but because of the flaws in my personality and my heart of strong dissatisfaction, I had violated the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. This is the reason why I went to hell.

Conversely, my good colleague and friend Huang Xuhua did not go to hell after he died; instead, he entered the space of the nuclear submarine to continue working. Haha, thinking about it, he really was a workaholic! Even after death, he still followed the nuclear submarine closely, holding on tightly, thinking he was still alive and could continue to work for the country in his dreams. He was truly a good talent for the country and the people; his heart was always so calm and peaceful from beginning to end. If you have seen his face, you know he was such an approachable old man; you could say he did not have a temper at all, and that is why he could avoid the evil consequences of hell. This is the different result caused by different mental notes.

Although we both did the same things and did good deeds for the country, the results were still different. If people carefully understand us both, they should be able to see the reason. Buddhist education emphasizes the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way; it really cannot deviate at all, and everything is done according to the Truth. If a person's heart has stains and filth, and if it combines with the karma of their many lives, at this time, when Causal Conditions manifest and cause the beings to wake up, one must still receive the evil consequences. It is not something that can be avoided just by having a personality in this life.

Because my heart of irritation arose thought after thought, although it subsided quickly later, the damage caused to the body was still very great. Especially when the brain was often under high operation and still had a heart of irritation, it was simply striking the beings in the brain again and again, making them unable to bear it.

In addition to nuclear power, our career later expanded to the initial design and construction of nuclear power plants for the country.

At that time, nuclear power needed to be handled carefully, but compared to the economic benefits and input costs, it was very beneficial to the country's development. Because it could generate huge energy with very little resources, supplying many energy-deficient big cities. So everything we did at that time, for the people who came later, could be said to have laid a very good foundation. Moreover, using nuclear power on a large scale could greatly reduce the country's dependence on traditional energy and also reduce many of the country's economic burdens. This was a good thing, not a bad thing.

But while I was still dealing with these various tasks, busy day and night, there were always various personality traits emerging, and I could not master myself. This is also why, after I let the beings wake up later, I could not calmly pass through one big or small hurdle after another.

Now that I am in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, after seeing my human body clearly and transparently, I no longer dwell on the fact that I went to hell. On the contrary, I am willing to tell it properly as a mirror for the people of the whole country. I think this is a very meaningful thing, so that everyone can know that the impact and consequences caused by a person's personality are so huge and painful. If you want to vent your anger for a moment, or follow your own mental notes and are unwilling to change, then this personality will remain rooted in your heart and will always erupt at critical moments, causing a significant burden on your body.

All these spiritual relationships and changes are not necessarily visible to our physical eyes. Therefore, Buddhist education is truly too important. It can prevent us from taking many detours and allow us to truly travel on the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, without bias, so that we can truly live a correct life, a healthy life, and use this limited body to help beings.

Of course, as I mentioned before, my limited body could only help a limited number of beings and could not, like Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, expand to help infinite spiritual beings or human beings, and carry out such large-scale salvation.

Our generation or the next generation of Chinese people has actually been away from Buddhist education for a long time. But people in Guangdong and even the south actually value faith quite a bit. Therefore, my family once had the faith of prostrations to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva or other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is just a pity that after the family was separated, no one continued the faith of that time.

Today, Namo Amituofo resides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, and Practitioner Su is actively working to bring the Buddha to the forefront so that people worldwide may know. Among many nations, Practitioner Su places great importance on the resurgence of the Buddha’s teachings in China. China is a country with deep Buddhist affinity, as it has been for thousands of years. Although this has been interrupted, the foundation remains and still exists.

From the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I watch the resurgence of Buddhist education in the human world. This time, Namo Amituofo has come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Although it is far from China, because Practitioner Su is one who has realised his true nature and attained Buddhahood, he flows naturally with the Dharma, and traversing all space is not a problem.

Under these circumstances, China is surprisingly close to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Because of Practitioner Su, if he wishes to perform Chao Du for China, he can do so at any time. If he wishes to save the beings there, the spirit of Practitioner Su can have countless manifestations, arriving in different provinces and regions of China to perform Chao Du.

Most people have never heard of such a great undertaking, have they? This is the perfect practice of the Buddha’s teachings as the highest science! Honestly, there are too many things in Buddhist education that we ordinary people cannot imagine.

Often, the careers that we scientists work so hard for our whole lives—such as wanting to stay deep underwater for a period, or wanting to orbit the Earth in the sky, which is what we call the aerospace industry, or our nuclear-powered submarine industry, or various other scientific endeavours—can actually be perfectly manifested through the Buddha. There is no need to rely on so much external technology and knowledge to achieve them.

Most people in the world do not know that the Buddha’s teachings are like high technology. Therefore, everyone clings tightly to this body and everything this body can achieve, forgetting that their own spirit is buried within, without being truly utilised.

What Buddhist education teaches is to elevate the spirit without caring about any feelings or actions of this physical body. This spirit is the master of this body. If people can let the spirit be the master, without the feelings of this body, and can truly surrender this body—especially to the Buddha—letting the Buddha arrange everything for them, and allowing their own spirit to be truly elevated, then over time, this person can truly become a Buddha.

Because those who truly follow the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way are like this: they let go of the "self", they are entirely for others, only for all beings, and have no mental note; they simply act directly for the sake of all beings. Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su are like this.

Namo Amituofo exists on the land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia in a spiritual form. During the weekly three-day Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, the Venerables at the temple who perform purification can converse with Namo Amituofo and record the precious teachings of Namo Amituofo for future generations to refer to.

Just based on this, this is truly the science of sciences! There is no need for any communication tools, nor any means or tools of exchange. Relying only on this purified heart and the heart that believes in Namo Amituofo, one can have a response with the Buddha’s heart; heart-to-heart is just like this.

In fact, this is something everyone can achieve. As long as everyone is willing to learn Buddhist education with the most sincere heart, is willing to help the world break through delusion and attain enlightenment, and is willing to help elevate their own spirit to achieve the skill of saving the world, these high-tech things actually exist in everyone’s heart. As long as one is willing to execute them, they can be utilised just the same.

As an ordinary person, the distance between me and the Buddha is truly vast! I have spent my whole life using my brain, wanting to do things for the country, yet I still fell into the retribution of the hells. This is also because my own mental note was biased, and there was ego within, which led to such a result.

Under any circumstances, Buddha or Bodhisattva will never move their own hearts; they will not have any fluctuations. Therefore, they can always present the highest depth of Wisdom to help people in the world solve problems. Buddha or Bodhisattva are like this, and those who have realised their true nature are also like this.

Practitioner Su is a person who has achieved the skill of realising his true nature in the human world. Practitioner Su’s thirty years of skill in realising his true nature have been put to the best use, and this application is still expanding and growing infinitely. Just like the depth of Practitioner Su’s Chao Du in the Dharma Realm, in the weekly Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, he is performing Chao Du for more and more beings existing in the depths of various dark spaces, allowing them all to be saved.

Not to mention going up mountains or down into water; this is simply too easy. If Practitioner Su’s spirit wants to go to outer space or the deep sea, it can be achieved in the snap of a finger. Why would we need to struggle to manage these nuclear submarines or develop these rockets as we did before to reach such heights and depths? None of this is needed; only a sincere heart is required to achieve it!

We also want to learn such good things. Every one of us in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, whenever we see everything Practitioner Su does during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies or during his usual Chao Du, feels very amazed and incredulous. We did not know the Buddha before, but after knowing the Buddha, we are all very moved and want to follow the Buddha’s skills.

We are a group of people who want to do things for the country and the people, and engage in the profession of saving the world. Therefore, naturally, we also hope to use the strength of our lives to reach the highest height and achieve the power to save the world.

Now that we have learned the true Buddha’s teachings, we can say that everyone’s heart is opened and enlightened. We know that there is such a path to save people, and there is no need to struggle to manage all these external things. It can be achieved simply by relying on the purest and most good heart.

This is the greatest part of Buddhist education. I also hope that this education can be spread to the heart of every Chinese person, so that everyone has something to rely on in life and death, knows where they are going in the future, and knows that the power they can exert and the people they can help after completing their studies are so many. Everyone will definitely be more willing to put in the work in this regard.

Now, I express my highest gratitude to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su in my heart. Although I have only been in the Western Land of Dharma Nature for about ten days, I have seen so much that I could never have explored in my life—the truth of life. This truth must be vigorously promoted to our vast compatriots so that everyone understands that their own heart also contains their true self, and also contains the skill to save the world. Letting everyone learn to return to their original heart and find themselves is what I consider the most important thing at present.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo

Peng Shilu