Interview with Shoichiro Toyoda (Second-generation leader and Honorary Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation)

Interviewer: Venerable Shi Fa Ru

14th day of the 14th month, 2026

Shoichiro Toyoda:

Namo Amituofo. I am grateful to Namo Amituofo for giving me this opportunity to be interviewed. I am Shoichiro Toyoda. Our family, starting from my father's generation, founded Toyota Motor Corporation. After many transformations, it was handed down to my generation. Toyota has achieved significant market scale and influence globally. We have continued to expand the brand's reach across different eras, responding to the needs of each time. Our core philosophy is to ensure that everyone can drive with peace of mind and safety, rather than pursuing flashy or gimmicky designs.

The corporate spirit I inherited is to constantly think about how to give back to the Japanese people while running the business, ensuring that everyone can use Toyota vehicles with peace of mind and without burden. This is our responsibility to Japanese society and our own requirement. Throughout my life, I have upheld this philosophy, striving to push Toyota Motor Corporation globally to become one of the brands with the highest market share and strong competitiveness.

However, to my surprise, after I passed away, I did not go to the Buddha-land, nor did I go to any good place; instead, I ended up in the heart-gouging hell to undergo punishment. At first, I could not accept why I had to go to the heart-gouging hell to receive punishment. This did not seem commensurate with my life's efforts. Throughout my life, I worked very hard for the country and for this family business, and I performed my duties faithfully. I worked hard to cultivate excellent successors for Toyota, and my children and grandchildren are capable successors who inherited the family business. Everyone did not just treat this business as a job, but as their own responsibility, taking it upon themselves to allow the public to enjoy affordable and safe vehicles. That I would have to enter the heart-gouging hell for this is something I find hard to accept, yet it is the truth.

During my time undergoing punishment in hell, I suffered greatly. On one hand, there was the constant pain of receiving punishment; on the other hand, there was the unwillingness to accept it, not understanding why a lifetime of effort would lead to such an outcome. This left me feeling quite defeated, not knowing what the goal of life was. It also made me think of my whole family who were all doing this business; could it be that everyone's final destiny is to enter the heart-gouging hell? We served the entire Japanese nation and people all over the world, allowing everyone to have stable and affordable vehicles for transport. Does such a contribution require our family to bear the karmic consequence of entering the heart-gouging hell? There were too many questions and misunderstandings, which intensified my suffering in hell. That sense of confusion and unwillingness made my days in hell even more painful; it was truly unbearable.

Later, one day, a golden light suddenly shone upon me. I heard someone striking the large bell used in temples; the sound was very loud and clear, and it remains vivid in my memory. Besides the sound of the bell, I heard someone calling my name: "Shoichiro Toyoda!" I followed this sound and the light to a bright world.

Looking around here, it was incomparably vast, clean, and bright. Elegant sounds of the Buddha-name were coming from all directions, and the holy name "Namo Amituofo" was constantly being broadcast in the air.

I gradually realised that this must be a temple, or perhaps some kind of Buddha-land. Although I was not entirely certain, I could at least be sure that this was a world belonging to the Buddha. After staying here for a while, I slowly came to understand that this is indeed a temple, but it is not just a simple temple; it is a spiritual Buddha-land within the temple, called the "Western Land of Dharma Nature." This is quite miraculous; it is a temple established on Earth by Namo Amituofo from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and within this temple, a spiritual world called the "Western Land of Dharma Nature" was established to temporarily house suffering sentient beings from all over. It allows us to listen to sutras and hear the Dharma in the Land of Dharma Nature, and to plan for our next destination. This has been a very novel experience.

In fact, my Dharma affinity with Buddhism throughout my life was quite magnificent. From my grandfather's generation to my father, and to me, we were basically all Buddhists. However, this so-called belief was merely visiting Japanese temples regularly to pay respects. Visiting Japanese temples is a concept of seeking blessings and forming good karmic connections. Of course, there is also the significance of learning about Buddhist sutras, which depends on an individual's willingness to delve deeper or just have simple contact. For me, it meant seeking blessings and praying for the stability of my family, career, and spiritual strength.

At the same time, our family has always believed in Buddhism, and the ashes and memorial tablets of our ancestors are all placed within Buddhist temples. Therefore, visiting the temple also meant visiting my beloved grandfather and father. Paying respects to ancestors is a very important part for me. But these are actually just a kind of auxiliary force.

I never delved into the true meaning of Buddhism, always treating it as a spiritual pillar that could settle people's hearts and allow everyone to run their businesses more steadily. In reality, I did not have a thorough understanding of my own life or the so-called spiritual world; although I had a superficial exposure to Buddhist scriptures, I did not deeply understand the principles within them. If one were to truly implement the Buddha’s teachings in life, there was indeed still a distance to go.

Even so, our family still has a very deep Dharma affinity with Buddhism. Toyota Motor Corporation itself built the Seiko-ji Temple to pray for all users driving Toyota cars, blessing everyone to avoid traffic accidents and to go out and return home safely. This is the combination of Toyota and Buddhism, used to settle the hearts of all users. However, I must also be honest: whether I truly regarded Buddhism or the Buddha’s teachings as the supreme doctrine is uncertain. Because deep down, I always believed that a good car, its stability, performance, and safety, must still rely on technology and engineering. It requires repeated, careful design and meticulous craftsmanship so that the entire car can be human-centric, operate stably in various extreme environments, and protect the driver's life in emergencies. These must rely on real and advanced technology to be effectively achieved. Therefore, I did not rely solely on the Buddha’s teachings or Buddhism, otherwise, it would easily seem like I was relying on the Buddha’s teachings rather than actually investing technology and engineering into the automotive field; and in doing so, I would not have been able to truly achieve the goal of allowing the public to drive with peace of mind.

Such an understanding of Buddhism, from my perspective now that I am in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, is clearly quite superficial. Because the true philosophy of the Dharma is far beyond this level; true Buddha’s teachings are not just about letting people pay respects or providing superficial peace of mind. True Buddhist education can help people recognise their own problems and make changes from within, thereby avoiding suffering, ageing, sickness, and death. People might not understand this, but in fact, I am the most ironclad example.

After I passed away and entered the heart-gouging hell to receive punishment, at first, as I mentioned earlier, I did not understand the reason for entering hell, and I was very unwilling. However, after receiving Buddhist education in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I realised that any mental note made for one's own benefit, or for the sake of one's own group or company, is actually a violation of the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. And because of these deviated beliefs, one must go to hell to receive punishment. Conversely, if everything is done for the sake of others, without the slightest selfish thought for oneself, then cells can stop ageing, one can be free from illness, and after the spirit leaves the body upon death, one can go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss to enjoy an incomparably happy life.

This surprised me greatly at first; I did not expect that these subtle thoughts and such a mindset would not be permitted. The Universal Principle is so strict that it surprised me. But now I slowly understand that this is not the strictness of the Universal Principle, but its true fairness. Every bit of one's own thoughts and actions will be completely returned to oneself. Therefore, as long as one's thoughts deviate, and one moves a thought to harm the interests of others for one's own sake, this account has already been recorded. And if these mental notes are repeated, one will naturally attract the punishment of hell.

People might wonder, if I truly thought for the sake of the nation all my life, wanting everyone to drive good cars, to be able to hit the road with peace of mind, and to enjoy affordable car models, why would such a mental note be considered a deviation? In fact, the real key lies in the fact that I still had a strong goal in my heart, which was to push Toyota Motor Corporation and the Toyota family business onto the international stage, and at the same time, to become the car model with the highest market share in Japan. These mental notes and goals are actually a very serious deviation because to become the world's best or Japan's best implies the concept of competition. If one cannot outperform competitors, how can one become the best? Therefore, in this process, to achieve such goals, I constantly conceived different business strategies, and I also put a lot of effort into the global sales layout. These various mental notes, besides thinking for the drivers, actually had a larger part that was about expanding Toyota's territory, making it a world-leading industry, and becoming the only choice for affordable cars worldwide. These are all deviations in mental notes.

And because of these goals, I thought of many methods, which ultimately led to a deviation in my state of mind, so it had to be adjusted. And the method of adjustment was to enter the heart-gouging hell to receive punishment, to see if I could repent from it. And I spent my whole life working for the family business, so one can imagine that the time sentenced to the heart-gouging hell was quite long. In fact, I had not yet finished my sentence when I was rescued from hell by Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. After being rescued, I arrived at the Land of Dharma Nature, and after slowly calming down, I saw the causes and consequences of all this clearly. If the Buddha had not rescued me, I fear that to this day I would still be in hell receiving very painful punishment, and the most tragic thing would be the continuous feeling of unwillingness and not understanding why I had to suffer such punishment. So, speaking of this, do you all understand a concept? In fact, what people truly lack the most has never been good technology, nor a good family business; what is truly lacking is Buddhist education.

Because worldly achievements, no matter how successful, even if I lived a very long life and passed away at ninety-seven, have no meaning. But have you all understood this point: after I died, no matter how glorious the family achievements, how much wealth, how high the status, or what kind of medals and honours were awarded by the government, they are all meaningless to me now.

While suffering in the heart-gouging hell, may I ask if wealth, fame, family business, or any technology could have saved me? There was absolutely no way. Everything one suffers must be borne by oneself; it is not that others cannot help me, but this is the Universal Principle. The karma created by each person and the mistakes committed are like parallel universes; in parallel universes, there is no way to interfere with each other, nor is there any way to compensate for each other.

And why could the temple rescue me from hell? That is because there are the Buddha's blessings from Namo Amituofo, and under the condition of complying with the Universal Principle, it is possible to rescue us sentient beings who are suffering in hell. If there were no Buddha's blessings from Namo Amituofo, and without complying with the Universal Principle, there would be no way to rescue me from hell.

And the so-called compliance with the Universal Principle is the true state of being able to truly have no "self," to be wholeheartedly for all beings, completely selfless, unbiased, and without a mind, and to respectfully invite the great Namo Amituofo to shine light into hell, only then can this spirit be brought up. But such conditions are quite strict. Its strictness lies in the fact that the person who does such things must have a very high level of practice achievement, must truly be able to have no slightest partiality or deviation in the belief of practice, have no preferences, achieve a state of being clean, bright, and empty, and follow the teachings of Namo Amituofo to be able to change my destiny of suffering in hell.

So here we can also see the vastness of Buddhist education. If one can truly learn, practise, and implement according to the profound philosophy of the Dharma, one can truly gain the ability to help sentient beings. And why do sentient beings need to be helped? Because everyone can imagine that I am not an isolated case. How many people in the world are working hard for their own careers just like me, and how many selfish thoughts or ideas are mixed in? In fact, everyone knows this in their own hearts.

And so many people have not come into contact with Buddhist education, so naturally, they do not understand enough about what the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way are, what a deviation in mental note while alive is, and what the punishment of hell is. If people who have not learned Buddhist education, they would not truly understand such principles at all.

I was someone who had contact with the Buddha’s teachings, but without deep, thorough research, or even personal practice, I only knew very superficial and one-sided parts. I roughly knew it was a power to settle the heart, encouraging everyone to be good and to calm their minds. However, regarding the spirit world, I could say I knew nothing.

If I were not in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, observing this world as a spirit, I would never have understood what the human world is, or what the spirit world is. If it were not for the fact that after death, I went through the hells, suffered various punishments as a spirit, and then entered the spirit world of the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I would not be able to explain the spirit world so clearly.

At this moment, I am able to convey these messages because I have left my body; I am a spirit, and I am conveying these messages to everyone heart-to-heart. Because there are many practitioners at the temple who have undergone purification, they can receive messages from spirits, which is why they were able to rewrite these words I wanted to say to everyone after my death.

So, I truly hope that all of Toyota Motor Corporation, all the employees, and especially my beloved family, will seriously contact and learn the Buddha’s teachings, rather than just visiting Buddhist temples to pray for peace of mind or to pay respects to ancestors. These are just formalities; I understand that everyone has come to treat them as regular activities, a kind of gathering where everyone goes to the temple to participate in rituals.

In fact, the profundity of the Buddha’s teachings is much more than that. True Buddha’s teachings can explain the spirit world very clearly and transparently, and can also help everyone make the right choices while still in the body, so as to avoid suffering punishments in painful places after death.

This temple is located in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Although it is in a remote and desolate area, it is precisely because of this that it can provide practitioners with a place to practise. It is far from the hustle and bustle of the world, precisely to face the spirit world beyond the material world in a pure environment, so that there is an opportunity to purify one's practice, communicate with beings in the spiritual realms, and help these suffering spirits to transcend, telling their own experiences and insights.

At this moment, I am being interviewed in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. I also understand that the true meaning of the temple saving us is to let the world understand that even with such brilliant achievements in life like mine, one cannot avoid one's spirit going to the hells to suffer punishment after death. In fact, it is not just about suffering punishment in the hells; more accurately, this spirit has no way to decide its own destination from beginning to end. Even after finishing the punishment in the hells, one cannot know where one will be reincarnated next. This endless cycle of reincarnation is the true root of suffering, which is also briefly mentioned in the sutras.

When Shakyamuni Buddha first taught the Lotus Sutra and other various sutras, it was because He hoped that everyone would understand the importance of escaping reincarnation. However, today, when everyone enters a temple, they have long forgotten about escaping reincarnation, and instead are attached to success in worldly careers, the consolidation of personal status, and the happiness of the family. These pursuits are of no help to a spirit.

Now I am just a spirit. My family, my career, any friends, and partners I have worked with are all like parallel existences to me. I can no longer contact them, and they cannot talk to me. Only through the temple acting as a bridge between the human world and the spirit world is it possible to reconnect with a spirit, which highlights the importance of Buddhist education.

Therefore, all the partners who are still working hard in the Toyota Motor industry, please be sure to read this message I have conveyed carefully. I sincerely hope that such a large industry as Toyota Motor will continue to develop steadily; I do not want to make everyone hesitant about this development goal. However, everyone must learn Buddhist education; Buddhist education is truly too important. This is not something that can be learned by blindly reciting a certain sutra or following some regular worship procedures.

One must actively and deeply explore, and implement these teachings and principles in life, change one's personality, and change the mental notes and habits of harming others for one's own benefit. One must make changes from within to truly help one's own spiritual elevation and avoid suffering punishment in the hells after death. Everyone must be very clear about this.

My family, my sons, my grandchildren, you have inherited the family business, and you must have this awareness. I have already suffered punishment in the hells, and only after coming out can I report this to everyone with such earnestness. I hope that everyone will not test the law with their own bodies, and will not repeat my wrong path; this is of no help to the growth of the enterprise, but will instead cause harm.

Here, I also want to say to anyone who has a karmic affinity with me: if you have started to have some initial interest in Buddhist education after hearing my words, you might as well search for "Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre" online. The temple has been promoting Buddhist education for many years. The most important goal is to let everyone know what they should do while they are alive: which beliefs and thoughts are correct, which beliefs are deviations that will lead to suffering punishment in the hells and must be avoided, and even habits that need to be completely corrected.

A person's life has many personality traits, emotions, and habits, which are great harm to one's own spiritual elevation. One must quickly learn Buddhist education to remove these negative influences from one's body, and only then can one's spirit be elevated. After the end of life, there will be an opportunity to be led to the pure and good Buddha-land.

Now, I am in the extremely beautiful world of the Western Land of Dharma Nature, which I am already quite content and grateful for. Otherwise, I would still be suffering punishment in the hells at this time, which is a world of difference, very far apart. So I am very grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for saving me and giving me the opportunity to learn true Buddhist education.

I know my responsibility is to promote this important Buddhist education to more Japanese people, and I also hope that employees within Toyota Motor can read this material. Some of you may believe it, some may doubt it, but it does not matter; after all, everyone still has to face their own moral audit. If you are not fully confident in everything you have done, it is better to humbly search for "Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre", understand and learn the true Buddhist teachings and content, and then follow the teachings. Then you will surely gain different insights from it.

Only after learning can one avoid committing various evils, and be able to serve this society with a pure, good, kind heart, and a heart that helps others. Only then can Toyota Motor be truly transformed into a complete and sound industry that is sustainable, cares for society, and makes real contributions and brings real benefits to the entire country. I hope everyone will actively understand this Buddhist education. I hope that those who come to the temple can further understand and know the existence of the spirit world.

Although my physical body is dead now, my spirit has not died. I am telling everyone these principles to prove that a "spirit" really does not disappear. Therefore, everyone should have the wisdom to discern all the feelings and care for the body in the secular world, and not do things that harm others for the sake of this short-lived body.

This is my personal experience, given to you as a reference, so that you can suffer less and take fewer wrong paths.

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su for giving me this opportunity to express my feelings after my passing. I also hope that my sons and the good partners of Toyota Motor who have the opportunity to hear these words—you are my lifelong partners—I hope you will not suffer like me. This is the last thing I can do to help you.

Namo Amituofo.

Shoichiro Toyoda