From the Demon Realm to the Western Dharma-Nature Land

This interview was recorded on September 13, 2021, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. It features the testimony of a plague demon who, after infiltrating the body of Practitioner Su, was purified and guided to the Western Dharma-Nature Land. The speaker, now known by the Dharma name Shi Zhenchang, reflects on his past in the Demon Realm, the nature of karmic retribution, and the profound reality of the Buddha's deliverance.

Shi Zhenchang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am a plague demon. Ever since I heard that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su were stepping forward to save the world from this pandemic, we—along with the demon king of the virus—entered the body of Practitioner Su. Later, the demon crowds were invited out one by one, but I remained inside to observe. Eventually, this caused Practitioner Su to develop a dry cough, and I too was invited out and sent to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. It has been over two months now, and I have gained a deeper understanding of the activities here. There is a saying that 'a blessed land is inhabited by blessed people,' but here, it should be changed to 'a Buddha-land is inhabited by the Buddha.'

Many things here are beyond what the outside world could ever imagine or encounter. I had heard before that for a human to reach the stage of 'realising one's true nature,' they must endure immense suffering and pass through countless trials to wear away their worldly habits and allow their Buddha-nature to manifest. Although I resided in the Demon Realm, I have always held a degree of respect for true practitioners. In truth, it is not difficult to identify a genuine practitioner. One only needs to test them with the trials of birth, aging, sickness, and death to see if they can withstand the agony of karma and the physical body. Even if they pass those, one can test them with wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep. I have witnessed Practitioner Su endure all of these trials with unwavering resolve."

The Resilience of a True Practitioner

"To pray for rain in Australia, Practitioner Su's head was attacked by swarms of insects. His entire scalp was replaced, and new hair grew in—thicker than before, and white hair turned black. This is something rarely seen in the human world! At the age of seventy-seven, to witness the regeneration of scalp cells is truly unheard of. Furthermore, Practitioner Su's body withstood the invasion of over sixty of us plague demon kings without a hint of fear. Today, he is in excellent condition and full of vitality. From what we have seen in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, Practitioner Su possesses far more energy than the fourfold assembly of disciples! Moreover, I had never heard of a human practitioner who could manifest a Dharma Body to travel back and forth to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and purify themselves in the Eight Meritorious Waters. It has truly broadened our horizons. These events confirm that Practitioner Su's Dharma Body is real and beyond doubt.

Having said this, I have nothing more to argue. Since such a practitioner has appeared in the human world at the same time as this global pandemic, could this be a hidden arrangement? A true great practitioner does not fear life or death when it comes to saving beings. To this day, when Practitioner Su gives Dharma talks, he still calls upon everyone—especially national leaders—to come to the temple to invite the Buddha, to invite Namo Amituofo to step forward and save the world from this pandemic. People who hear this often brush it aside, but in fact, Practitioner Su has true attainment and real methods to save the world, which is why he issues this call. Is it that the time for the pandemic to end has not yet arrived? That the one who has come to save people must plead so arduously is proof that the truth and justice of this world are inverted. It is no wonder that the plague demons have been able to wreak such havoc this time!"

The Web of Karma and Retribution

"The regions I was responsible for were China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. These three places are closely linked. Although they currently have different management and national directions, in terms of the pandemic, their karmic cycles are inextricably intertwined. Before I entered the Western Dharma-Nature Land, the number of infected people was approximately fifty-seven thousand, with about twelve thousand deaths. For a plague demon king, these numbers are quite common. People have always valued their own lives above all else, yet in this pandemic, they have been consumed by the panic of death and a sense of helplessness. This is the natural world's backlash! The laws of karma are fair: if you harm me, I will seek retribution and make you suffer; if you cause me to die, there will come a day when you will face death yourself. People drift through the cycle of rebirth, life after life. It is hard to say when the fruit of any particular debt will ripen. In short, unless one avoids creating the cause, one cannot avoid the suffering. Now, it is too late to speak of this. Since the pandemic has found you, you can only suffer. Unless those who have not yet been 'found' can quickly turn their hearts and repent for past karma, perhaps there is still a chance to save themselves.

These days in the Western Dharma-Nature Land have been the most peaceful of my existence. Even when I was in the human realm, I never experienced such days. Perhaps it is this quiet environment that has allowed my past to surface bit by bit. About fifteen hundred years ago, I grew up in a Buddhist family in China. My grandparents and parents were all practitioners. Chan meditation was very popular then. My parents had decided not to have children after marriage, understanding that family ties are attachments that hinder practice. However, my mother unexpectedly became pregnant and gave birth to me. My grandparents had not fully let go of the desire for descendants, so my birth resolved the tension between them and my father. Yet, this shows that even in a Buddhist family like ours, truly 'seeing through' and 'letting go' of worldly emotions is not easy."

The Descent into the Demon Realm

"After I was born, I was well-liked and grew up protected. Our once-quiet home became lively. The family's fixed daily practice gradually faded away. This is a common transformation for lay practitioners in the world—a transition from an extraordinary family to an ordinary, worldly one. Is this a blessing or a curse? Everyone has their own measure. For a practitioner, this is not a welcome situation, but in this Five Turbidities and Evil World, it is the norm. My father's character changed after I was born. He began staying out late, and my mother, busy caring for me, did not stop him. Their relationship grew distant. My grandparents' diligent practice also became tainted, and their meditation regressed until it became the routine of ordinary elderly people.

From birth, I could see beings that others could not. I was a difficult, crying child. My mother suffered the most, yet she cared for me well. As I grew, I often pointed to the female ghosts circling my father, the spirits following my grandparents' feet, and the dark, suffocating energy in my mother's chest where many women were weeping. My grandparents invited a monastic to our home. After I explained the situation, the master nodded and confirmed my observations. He told my grandparents that these karmic creditors needed to be invited to leave, so a Dharma assembly for deliverance was arranged at the temple.

The assembly helped, but my father remained entangled by a female demon. Human effort could not resist demonic power. After a business trip, my father never returned. My grandparents searched everywhere, but to no avail. As I grew, I looked exactly like my father. My mother once asked, 'Is your father attached to you?' I had no answer. In truth, my eyes had already seen that my father had died abroad, and his spirit had returned home. Because we had not received news of his death, we had not set up a memorial tablet for him. He had become a lonely wandering spirit. I finally told my mother, and we eventually received word that he had been framed and killed by a rival over a woman. We held a deliverance ceremony for him, and the pain he caused finally settled. However, my own heart had changed.

I no longer trusted anyone because the world I saw was so grey! I knew that after people died, they wandered, clinging to their loved ones. Death was not a good thing to me. My ability was never guided toward goodness; instead, because of the darkness and negativity in my heart, my face grew dim and my body withered. At twenty-seven, I looked like a man of fifty. I refused to eat or drink and passed away one night. My spirit was negative and heavy; demons had attached themselves to me, and the moment I breathed my last, they dragged me into the Demon Realm. I had been in the Demon Realm all along. Because of a past karmic connection with my family, I was reborn as their son. My birth caused the family's decline. This series of misfortunes was the very purpose of my rebirth—I came to seek revenge and collect debts from my family! My grandparents and parents had once caused my death, so I entered the Demon Realm and waited for an opportunity to retaliate. I came from the Demon Realm to collect, and after collecting, I returned. This is all within the laws of karma."

The Path to Purification

"For over a thousand years in the Demon Realm, I led demon children and grandchildren, specifically targeting those who were once practitioners but could not withstand the trials of worldly emotions. We targeted those who gave up their resolve, satisfied their desires, and then tasted the bitter fruit. We joined this pandemic without hesitation, targeting 'half-practitioners'—those who claim the name of practice but have not fully subdued their inner desires. Such people are looked down upon by us. If such a person is on our list, they are simply another casualty.

Two or three months ago, after entering Practitioner Su's body, I encountered a different kind of practitioner. Although Practitioner Su is a lay practitioner, he has achieved full purification. Even when we plague demons invaded, not only were we not infected by his energy, but we were purified by him. The longer we stayed, the more we were purified. We eventually left because we realised we were being purified and could not allow our presence to taint his pure body. That is why I caused him to cough, which led to his discovery of me and my subsequent delivery to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, ending my life in the Demon Realm.

There are many types of practitioners in the world. Some wear the robes and think that speaking little and moving little is practice. In reality, if one does not put in the work to stop thoughts and desires, or if one's adherence to the Precepts is flawed, they become the best targets for the Demon Realm. There are many lay practitioners who practice well, but among them, those who can stand out and achieve the goal of 'realising one's true nature'—a goal that even monastics struggle to reach—are rare indeed. Practitioner Su is one of them. If one could see what happens during the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, no one would doubt my words. People only see what their eyes can see, causing misunderstandings and missing the truth. In the end, they are the ones who suffer the loss.

During the ceremony, if one could see the towering golden body of Namo Amituofo right before everyone's eyes, emitting golden light that illuminates the earth and sky, with Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, the pure ocean-wide assembly of Bodhisattvas, and the thirteen generations of Pure Land patriarchs all appearing in the air—one would never doubt that Namo Amituofo resides at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre or that Practitioner Su is an awakened being. No demon would doubt the possibility of this combination saving the world from the pandemic. The savior's heart sees not just the victims of the pandemic, but all beings encountered as objects of deliverance.

During the chanting of the Buddha's name, Practitioner Su's Dharma Body can leave his body and enter China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Southeast Asia, and Australia to perform deliverance. The beings delivered are of all nationalities. Even in countries far from the temple, they can receive deliverance and enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Such scenes cannot be seen with ordinary practitioners. The number of beings who come to seek deliverance is immeasurable and boundless! Their sincerity, and the emotion they feel when seeing the Buddha-light and hearing the Buddha's name, adds a layer of truth to their resolve to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. When everyone chants, seeing these beings enter the golden light to be led by the Buddha is deeply moving! I was one of them, chanting Namo Amituofo along with the others. It was the purification I received here that washed away my demon nature, allowing the goodness hidden deep in my heart to emerge. I feel deep repentance for the harm I caused in the Demon Realm! I never thought I would have such a day. The Buddha's teaching that 'every being's nature is inherently good and possesses Buddha-nature, and can realise one's true nature and attain Buddhahood' is true!

This is my personal experience. I am still in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, accepting everything here. Listening to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks is an important lesson. In this atmosphere, I often forget what I experienced in the Demon Realm. Yet, during the ceremonies, seeing beings seek deliverance reminds me of my past. How can I wash away what I did? Thinking of it now is of no use. I can only chant the Buddha's name sincerely with everyone, believing that Namo Amituofo will lead me toward the future, arranging an exit for me and my demon children and grandchildren. I truly believe this. Namo Amituofo."

The Buddha gave the demon Mo Fei the Dharma name 'Shi Zhenchang'.

Shi Zhenchang (Mo Fei)