A New Beginning: From Demon Whirlwind to Practitioner

This is a record of an interview with the spirit formerly known as 'Demon Whirlwind,' now known as Shi Xunran. After a lifetime of darkness and manipulation, he found deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This account reflects upon his tragic origins and his eventual transformation through the power of Namo Amituofo. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on April 1, 2021.

Shi Xunran speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Shi Xunran. This is not my first time coming to this place. I visited several years ago, but back then, I was like a fierce, blinding whirlwind—I arrived in a flash and departed just as quickly. I swept across the dust of this land, sending it swirling into the air, yet I did not disturb a single soul within the temple. I came only to scout, to understand what kind of place this was and why it possessed such immense power to transform the Earth and save immeasurable and boundless sentient beings.

At that time, I only wanted to observe in secret, to avoid alerting anyone, so no one in the temple knew I had been there. After several years, I returned, and to my surprise, Practitioner Su discovered me. I decided to be open and tell you who I am: I am the one known as 'Demon Whirlwind.' I revealed my true form. If I had not appeared in my demon guise, you might have mistaken me for a foreigner—which, indeed, I was."

The Gathering of the Demon Realm

"In the Demon Realm, there are no national borders or distinctions of nationality. We are drawn together by our shared temperaments, naturally congregating in the same space. We become a specific type of demon crowd, shouldering the same mission and harbouring the same ideals and ambitions across this Earth and the universe. Notably, the recent pandemic was a grand reunion for our kind. Regardless of the type of demon, we all cooperated during this outbreak. Our goal was singular: to invade humanity, conquer the Earth, and make the people of this world feel terror and fear, eventually taking them away one by one.

What do demons look like in your eyes? Perhaps everyone has a different perspective. Demons do not walk the conventional path; we are seen as non-conformists, rule-breakers, individuals with extreme personalities, radical temperaments, rebellious spirits, and destructive forces. There are many descriptions, almost all of them negative."

The Hidden Pain of a Demon

"I do not deny that this is what a demon is. But have you ever truly seen the heart of a demon? This may be difficult to understand or even imagine—does a demon have a 'true heart'? Now that I have surrendered to Namo Amituofo, although I cannot speak for all demon crowds, I can say that my heart is actually the same as most demons. Deep within, in a place never revealed, there is extreme, unbearable suffering.

Can you agree with the sentiment that 'no child is born bad'? I believe this to be true, yet I was never treated as such. From the moment I was labelled a 'bad child,' I knew that everything I did would be rejected. My actions were condemned and criticised by the majority. Within the classifications of society, I was an outsider, a fringe element, unacceptable to the masses."

A Childhood in Darkness

"I was born in Chicago, USA. I had no parents; I was adopted by a man of strange behaviour. I never saw his true face. I only knew he was a man, perhaps in his forties. When he brought me home, I was about two years old. Even though he was my adoptive father, whenever he stood before me, I felt a sense of dread. I could not naturally feel close to him because he carried an intense, murderous aura.

He never showed his face to me. He always wore a large hat that covered half his face, dressed in dark clothing. He was entirely dark, mysterious, and unlike any normal person—that is the only way I can describe him. His method of 'caring' for me was to place a basin of water on the floor and scatter some food nearby. It was never fresh food; it was leftovers—half-eaten apples, rotting scraps, banana peels, eaten noodles—all things that would be classified as kitchen waste. Yet, this was the food that kept me alive. I grew up eating what others discarded.

By the age of two, I could crawl. When I was thirsty, I would crawl to the water basin like a dog and dip my head in to lick the water. When I was hungry, I would grab whatever was on the floor and stuff it into my mouth. Sometimes the rotting food was infested with maggots, and I would eat those fat, white worms. To me, they were fresh food. I did not know what they were, as I had never had the opportunity to eat what normal people eat. This small space with four walls was my entire world."

The Prison of My Existence

"When I needed to relieve myself, I did so wherever I was. I had no concept of a toilet; I did not even know such a thing existed. The entire room was filled with the stench of my excrement, urine, and the sour rot of food. The man who raised me never stepped into the room. Our interaction was limited to the window on the wall.

Besides the four walls, there was a window and a door. Both were locked. I could not come and go freely; I lived in this controlled space. The window was not transparent, but it allowed a faint light to filter in from outside. He told me, 'This little bit of light is my greatest mercy to you. At least I let you know whether it is day or night.' Hearing him say this, I felt I should be grateful. At least I was not living in eternal darkness; I could still vaguely perceive a glimmer of light, even if it was not very bright.

He never opened the door, but he opened the window once a week. When I heard the sound of keys outside, I knew he had arrived. He would stand outside the window and dump the foul-smelling food inside. I would always crawl to the corner furthest from him, watching him in secret, terrified that he might hurt me. Only after I was certain he had locked the window and left would I crawl quickly to the pile of food to eat what was still relatively fresh. The amount he dumped from the bucket was always large enough to last me a week, ensuring I would not starve."

The Twisted Lessons of a Shadow

"I never imagined that a person's vitality could be so resilient, that one could survive even in such dire circumstances. After I turned three, he appeared more frequently. He began to stand by the window and talk to me. He made me understand that he was the only person in the world who cared for me and the only one I could trust, so I had to obey him. This was the concept he instilled in me. Everything he taught me was radical. He would say, 'There is not a single good person in this world. Everyone is bad, everyone is evil. Never trust anyone easily; you must be suspicious of everyone to protect yourself.' Or he would say, 'Killing is a game, a knife is a toy, and seeing fresh blood is a pleasure. When someone dies before me, I should feel happy because I am ridding the world of a scourge.' It sounded as if killing was truly a wonderful thing. I constantly absorbed his teachings. I did not know what was right or wrong, because he was the only person I ever met, the only one who spoke to me, and even someone I felt I should be grateful to, as he kept me alive."

The Path of Destruction

"When I was twelve, he asked me, 'Do you want to repay my kindness?' I nodded immediately: 'Yes, I want to thank you for taking care of me.' He asked, 'How will you repay me?' I shook my head and told him, 'I don't know.' He said, 'Only human heads can express your gratitude to me.' I understood.

At twelve, I began to leave that room. When I first stepped out of that door, my heart was filled with fear, for in those twelve years, I had never walked outside. I did not know what kind of world lay beyond. He set a time for me to return every day. If I exceeded that time, he had ways of knowing where I was, as he had installed a device on my body to track my movements.

I hid and skulked on the streets. I did not show my face to anyone. On one hand, I wanted to protect myself; on the other, I did not trust anyone. I even harboured hostility toward the humans I saw because the man told me they were all bad, and I believed him without question.

I indulged in destructive behaviour. At first, I would pull out all the flowers in people's gardens, trample their vegetables, and throw stones at their houses. Anything I could destroy, I destroyed, and then I would flee quickly. Gradually, such behaviour could no longer satisfy the desires within me. This desire was an impulse, making me want to do something that even I felt was 'great.' I would climb into people's kitchens and steal various knives. I used these knives to kill animals. I killed many dogs kept by families, and I would drive a kitchen knife into the heads of many of them. When I saw these dogs bleeding and dying, my heart felt satisfied and excited. I would even hack off their limbs to watch them suffer; the more they suffered, the more delighted I felt."

The Final Sacrifice and the Demon Realm

"I enjoyed doing these things more and more, but after a while, I felt unsatisfied again. These animals had become numb to me; even if they died in agony, I felt nothing. So, I began to challenge humans. I wanted to kill people.

When I killed a person for the first time, my heart felt a bit of fear, as a living person had just collapsed before me. It was in the dark of night. I did not see the person's face clearly, and I was afraid of being discovered, so I fled quickly after the deed.

After repeated experiences, I stopped feeling afraid. I began to enjoy the thrill of killing, taking one human head after another. My cleverness allowed me to evade everything and keep myself safe from capture, all because I possessed a brain far superior to ordinary people. In fact, when I was four, I had already opened that window myself. Because I constantly observed the man's movements, after watching a few times, I knew how to escape. I successfully opened the window and saw the outside world, but I did not leave because I was loyal to him. Without his permission, I would not leave, so I closed the window again. This cleverness allowed me to evade the sanctions of the True Teachings after I killed, remaining unbound by the law.

I brought the human heads back to my dwelling. When the man appeared, I would present the heads to thank him. The first time he received a head as a gift, he let out a very peculiar laugh. That was the first time I heard his laughter, and it let me know I had done the right thing; he was very satisfied. From then on, whenever he appeared, I would bring out a head to express my gratitude.

However, less than three years later, he suddenly told me he was ill with an incurable disease and did not have long to live. I felt a sudden, intense panic, for the only person in the world I could trust was about to leave me. I did not know what to do to save his life. He told me, 'You cannot save me.' I asked him, 'Then what can I do to make you happy?' He replied, 'Nothing in this world has ever truly made me happy. I hate this world, I hate all of humanity, and I hate my parents even more. Why did they bring me into this world only to abandon me, leaving me to live a life worse than death?' He spoke with such agitation. This was the first time I felt his emotions. It turned out he was a person with feelings too. For over a decade, he had been cold and cruel; I thought he was a man without blood or tears. It turned out he could cry, be agitated, and go mad. I wanted to comfort him, but I did not know how. I asked him, 'What do you want me to do?' He told me, 'I want your head.' I was stunned for a moment, then, without hesitation, I took out the sharpest knife and cut off my own head. I shed the first tear of my life, ending my existence."

A Second Chance at Life

"Before my spirit had completely left my body, I felt immense pain. I heard his wild laughter. I did not know what kind of life this was—fifteen years of time, ended. My cleverness allowed me to escape the constraints of the True Teachings, but before I was taken to the hells, I had already entered the Demon Realm. Only then did I realise that I had long been a member of the Demon Realm. My body had long been their puppet, with only my spirit remaining in this body to do what the Demon Realm wanted. So, when I died and entered the Demon Realm, everything felt so familiar and natural.

I hated all of humanity, including the man who raised me. I hated myself for obeying him; he ruined my life, yet he was the only person I trusted while alive! Thus, there is no one in this world worthy of trust. All humans are hateful and deserve to die!

I used my demonic power to destroy this world. I could twist the character of humans, make them confuse right and wrong, and make them addicted to various illusions. This allowed me to easily control human bodies and spirits, expanding the influence of the Demon Realm into every corner of the world.

I was determined to join this campaign to destroy the Earth. It was a moment I had been looking forward to, and after waiting so long, it had finally arrived. I was stationed across the Americas, which was my sphere of influence. However, I did not expect a resistant force to constantly oppose me. This power came from far-away Australia—it was the Buddha-power of Practitioner Su. I had been scouting to see what this power was and who had such ability. It turned out to be Practitioner Su. I knew of Practitioner Su because I had visited this place years ago.

I never imagined Practitioner Su would grow so rapidly. In just a few short years, he had begun to subdue our Demon Realm, and many kings of the demon world were defecting to him. I continued to observe until I arrived again recently, only to be discovered by Practitioner Su the moment I arrived. I was very surprised that Practitioner Su could accept me, as no one had ever been willing to accept someone like me, purify the demonic power from my body, shave my messy hair, restore me to a pure appearance, and then have the Buddha bestow upon me the Dharma name: Shi Xunran.

Is this a dream? I often feel I have not fully woken up. Now, I sit on a lotus seat listening to the sutras, but I am not used to this version of myself. I see the true Buddha. I had never known the Buddha; this is my first time seeing the Buddha. The Buddha-name 'Namo Amituofo' constantly softens my heart. When my heart began to be cleansed, I cried. I wept bitterly; this was the first time I had ever cried. In my past life, I never cried because my strong character did not allow it. Only at the moment of my death did I shed the only tear of my life.

Now, as I listen to the sutras here, I seem to begin to realise—I was wrong. It turns out I did so many hateful things. It turns out there is Truth in the universe. It turns out that everything I did, including all my perceptions, was entirely wrong. Now, the Buddha’s teachings are re-educating me, beginning to correct all my erroneous views. I am truly repenting. I sincerely thank this place, thank the Buddha, and thank Practitioner Su. It is as if my life has begun anew. I am still adapting to everything, but my heart has never been so peaceful. It is very free, very serene. Gratitude."