This is a record of an interview with the Plague Demon King, Mo Yi-tun, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now reflects upon his encounter with the Buddha-light and his subsequent transformation. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on August 9, 2021.
Mo Yi-tun speaks:
". I am Mo Yi-tun. I had heard whispers that this place was a Buddha-land, and I arrived with a heart full of curiosity, wanting to see for myself what a Buddha-land in the human world actually looked like. Many of my demon children and grandchildren had reported back to me, saying, 'Many demon kings and demon crowds have entered this place, but none have ever come back out!' I wondered, what kind of place could this be? Is this really how a Buddha-land treats its guests?"
The Infiltration of the Plague Demon
"I had received these messages before, but while I acknowledged them, I did not take them to heart. However, in the last two days, the frequency of these reports increased dramatically! Recently, this person called Practitioner Su entered the hospitals where the pandemic was most severe. He brought many visitors with him through the air, and more importantly, the radiance they carried was enough to shock our demon children and grandchildren stationed in those hospitals back to . It is said that he brought not only Buddha-light but also the Buddha-name. This light and the Buddha-name have a calming effect on the patients, but for us demon crowds, it is quite the opposite. This light is blindingly bright, and the Buddha-name can pierce right through our hearts.
The places where our demon crowds are stationed are scattered all over the Earth. The more severe the pandemic, the more manpower we deploy there. The United States, Japan—these are all key areas for the pandemic, and they are the very places where we have expanded our operations! Over the past two days, I have received a massive influx of messages from our subordinates stationed in hospitals everywhere. It seems I have no choice but to come here myself and investigate what is going on."
The Nature of Spiritual Space
"This place is located in Australia, which is quite a distance from the United States or Japan in human terms. However, in the spiritual realms, those with sufficient skills can know the situations of a place just by turning their thoughts toward it. Such an ability is something a Demon King should possess. But for a practitioner in the spiritual realms, it is only possible to affect us in the pandemic if they possess a human body. Because our targets are humans, and because the spirit and exist in different spatial dimensions, for an effect to take place, the two must be unified.
As I expected, upon arriving here, I saw this person, Practitioner Su, right before my eyes, lecturing on the . The light we saw emanating from his body must have been the 'blindingly bright light' that my subordinates had reported. In my view, the light on Practitioner Su indeed has a certain depth and reach; he is clearly a person of significant practice and achievement. However, I was determined to find out exactly to what extent his power reached."
Entering the Fragrant Light
"Since I had come by reputation, I was, of course, slightly prepared. Upon entering the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I found the surroundings filled with Buddha-light. I casually reminded the demon children and grandchildren who had come with me, 'Based on my experience, this place is very likely to be like the reports we received—a place of no return. If any of you wish to go back, leave now. If you want to follow me, then keep moving forward!'
Under our disguises, we passed through the protection of the Dharma protectors. It seems the Dharma protectors are both compassionate and wise; they were already three-parts guarded against us. Perhaps even the protectors could see our true identity as demon crowds. As they let us in, they warned us, 'You must not get close to Practitioner Su!' I nodded in agreement."
The Infinite Capacity of the Buddha-Land
"The venue was packed with listeners. We used our shrinking techniques to reduce our size, weaving through the crowd of beings until we found a spot as close to Practitioner Su as possible. I had originally anticipated that the space would not be able to accommodate the number of demon children and grandchildren I had brought with me. To my surprise, after they had all taken their positions beside me, I looked at the space again and found there was still room to spare! This was completely beyond my expectations.
I realized then that the space in this place can expand to infinity. Only a practitioner who has achieved true success could create such a 'Dharma-nature space'! To think that such a practitioner exists in the human world! Because such practitioners are not restricted by time or space, the place they occupy and the thoughts they hold can reach everywhere without limit. Could Practitioner Su be one of these beings? I had never heard of anyone in the human world practising to such a level, which only made me more curious to explore the depths of Practitioner Su."
The Power of the Great Chime
"I tried to move our position even further forward... but why was the distance to him still the same as before? Logically, the distance should have shortened, yet Practitioner Su remained unmoved, calmly continuing his lectures. Suddenly, I heard a massive, resonant sound in the air. Once it became clear, I realized it was the sound of Practitioner Su striking the great chime. These ritual instruments are not unfamiliar to me, as I have clashed with monastics before—we were evenly matched! For monastics who follow the righteous path, these instruments possess their own Dharma-power, and depending on the level of practice, they can manifest different effects.
When that sound rang out, I looked closely. The spiritual capacity and size of the great chime were far greater than what my eyes could actually see. Many beings were being drawn into the chime by a powerful force. This is yet another capability of Dharma-nature and ritual instruments."
A Confrontation of Wills
"I was now certain that this Practitioner Su was a person who had attained the Way. I looked at my demon children and grandchildren; their eyes and mouths were wide open as they watched these scenes unfold. They had never seen such a thing before, and it was no wonder they looked so astonished. I told them, 'I am going to continue moving forward. Those who want to follow, follow; those who want to go back, retreat!'
After the experience I just had, I stepped forward without hesitation. I encountered resistance—a transparent, solid force, like a protective shield, that sent us flying backward! The force of this vibration was not small, as I had been using a burst of impact to try and break through the distance of the Dharma-nature space. The moment I was thrown back, I immediately heard a voice say, 'There are beings in the head area. Who are they? Write it out!'
Shortly after, I saw the exact number of myself and the demon children and grandchildren who had come today! My heart skipped a beat! I hadn't even confirmed how many had left and how many had followed me in, yet the number of demon crowds present today was written down in black and white! Even I had to look closely. The number written was 356,720,000. I wanted to see if that was truly the count. At the exact moment he wrote the two characters for 'representative,' which was the same moment I finished my own count, it was correct—not a single one off! Hmm—truly formidable! It seems this Buddha-land is not an ordinary place; the speed at which thoughts are transmitted is incredibly fast! I believe this was a number transmitted by a higher spiritual power, all within those few seconds."
The Capture of the Plague Demon
"The two characters for 'representative' meant that he was the one capable of taking responsibility for these demon children and grandchildren. I, Mo Yi-tun, had no reason not to respond on the spot. That is not my style; I have always been one to take responsibility for my actions. And so, the three characters 'Mo Yi-tun' appeared in black and white! This was my first lesson in the of this Buddha-land.
What happened in the next second shocked me even more! The moment Practitioner Su chanted, before we could even prepare ourselves, the great chime drew us in. I never imagined that the scene I had witnessed earlier would happen to me! And now, we are in this place, in a different spatial position than before. Each of us has our own seat—a lotus-shaped seat—and it is quite comfortable. Moreover, the Buddha-name 'Namo Amituofo' constantly resonates through the space. What is this place? I told myself: Could it be that I will never be able to return to my demon realm from here? This place is extremely tranquil, and I can still see the situation in the Buddha-land from earlier. I am still observing, waiting to see how things will change.
My intuition tells me that I, Mo Yi-tun, have become a prisoner."
Mo Yi-tun
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