The Demon of Depression: A Confession of Control

This is a record of an interview with a spirit known as 'Demon Depression,' who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He has been given the Dharma name 'Shi Rongguang' and now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his existence as a demon and his subsequent transformation. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on February 20, 2023.

Demon Depression (Shi Rongguang) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am the one known as 'Demon Depression.' The world where I exist is one filled with sorrow, weeping, grief, and helplessness. Within it, there is only endless negative thinking; not a single shred of righteous thought exists. This is the world that I, the Demon of Depression, have crafted."

The Expansion of the Dark World

"How many sentient beings have entered my world? Many, and the number is growing every day. In modern society, few people can escape our demonic influence. They are affected by their own thoughts, and those thoughts are further manipulated by us demons and the sentient beings residing within their bodies. Just like that, we lead them into the dark world of depression.

Repetitive negative thinking or pessimistic outlooks are the most common phenomena in those we control. They cannot break free from their own thought patterns. When the same event happens to them, they quickly fall into a spiral of rumination. These thoughts are all negative, dragging them into the darkness. They begin to worry, fret, feel depressed, sad, and anxious. In severe cases, they can barely face reality and must rely on external forces or medication to return just enough to function in normal life.

The hearts of these people are filled with suffering. They cannot find a way out. I am a demon; seeing the suffering of humanity makes me happy, joyful, and even excited. That is the very purpose we aim to achieve. Otherwise, why would we bother to control humanity?"

A Satisfying Achievement

"I am very satisfied with the world I have built. As we enter this new generation, I can see my achievements more clearly. The number of humans sucked into our dark world is constantly increasing. Looking at the entire Earth, it has become a commonplace phenomenon. You can encounter a depressed person anywhere. Some have been diagnosed with a disease, some are on the verge of it, and others have not yet been diagnosed, but their conditions are remarkably similar. These people are all trapped; they are all members of our dark world.

I felt smug about my achievements. I thought I could continue to find more humans to expand my influence, and I believed I would surely see the day of my total success. This was a hope I always held in my heart. However, I never expected that I would one day be captured and made to face retribution."

The Sudden Interruption

"When my demonic power was deep within the human head, controlling their thoughts, feelings, and intentions, a force of righteousness suddenly blocked me. That power came with incredible speed. Without any warning, it interrupted what I was doing. Then, a tremendous suction force immediately pulled me away. I had absolutely no time to react; it all happened in a split second. My demon children and grandchildren around me could not react in time, nor did they know what had happened.

After being pulled away, I felt an immediate, crushing pressure over my entire body. I could barely breathe. Later, I learned that I had been pressed beneath a great mountain, flattened, unable to move at all. I wanted to scream, but I could not. Once inside, there was no chance to call for help, let alone escape.

Day after day, I was in agony. I became increasingly repentant, feeling immense regret for the sins I had committed. So many people on Earth were living in the dark world we created, their hearts completely bound and unable to be freed, suffering deeply from the ravages of depression."

The Truth Behind the 'Disease'

"'Depression' is a name humans gave to this condition. We did not name these people we controlled; we simply kept manipulating their thought processes, twisting their logic. Thoughts that could have been straight were bent by us—not just once, but sometimes twisted like a winding mountain road, circling around and around until they could never find a way out.

You could say I am a great demon, or perhaps not. I just had a bit of cleverness, knowing how to act to be more successful. After becoming a demon, I knew how to control human hearts and thoughts. Although other demons do the same, compared to them, humans under my control found even fewer gaps to escape and had even less chance of being saved.

Now, under the Chao Du of Practitioner Su, I have been saved. I believe many people hearing that I have been saved will think the Buddha is unfair. They might wonder why such a hateful demon would be released, thinking I should have been locked away for millions of years. Many humans might have such thoughts, and indeed, I should have suffered great torture. But I am very fortunate to have met Practitioner Su. By the time I met her, I had truly and sincerely repenting. I believe the universe can read my sincerity; it was this sincerity that gave me the chance to be saved.

The golden light brought by Practitioner Su illuminated the space where I was—beneath the great mountain. I was not the only demon there; many others were also facing retribution. I was just one of them. When I saw the golden light and heard the holy name 'Namo Amituofo,' I struggled incessantly. Even if I could not make a sound, I used my thought power to beg for help, grasping at this final ray of hope.

In the end, I was saved. The Buddha-light brought by Practitioner Su rescued me from beneath the mountain. I felt immense gratitude toward Practitioner Su and wanted to thank her personally, but as soon as I approached her, I, along with other demon crowds, was sent by Practitioner Su to the Western Dharma-Nature Land."

Practitioner Su gave the demon 'Depression' the Dharma name 'Shi Rongguang.'

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies

"If I could do it all over again, I would absolutely never choose the path of becoming a demon. I do not know why, after becoming a demon, I changed completely. It was as if a powerful demonic force was constantly controlling my heart, making it very evil. Even when I saw humans suffering, I felt nothing; I even felt happy.

Now that I have been rescued by Practitioner Su, looking back at those on Earth who cannot walk out of their depression, it is truly painful. If they could break through their own thoughts, they could walk out of the darkness. But such people find it difficult to emerge from their negative thinking. Most of them have a specific trait: attachment. They are attached to what they think and attached to their own negative thoughts.

Of course, these people also have their own karma. It is not just us demons controlling them; their own karmic creditors are also interfering simultaneously. Added to this is their own strong personality. With these factors working together, the power becomes very strong, enough to have a massive impact on their lives and even their entire existence.

In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I watch Practitioner Su perform Chao Du. The speed of the deliverance is so fast; the number of beings saved can be counted by the 'Earth-full.' One Earth full of beings is saved, then another Earth full of beings is saved. Each Earth is a space, and another Earth is another space. Practitioner Su performs Chao Du every day, every minute, and every second, saving spirits from different spaces. All the saved spirits are grateful and respectful toward Practitioner Su, because without her, they would never have been discovered. In so many spaces, how could anyone know who is in which space? Only through such rapid and massive Chao Du as Practitioner Su's can the most beings be saved in the shortest time, helping them escape their spaces.

I watched the process of Practitioner Su saving beings without blinking. I saw many depressed spirits in these spaces. They were hiding in grey, dark spaces—much like the boundless, dark cloud spaces Practitioner Su saves during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies. There were so many of these depressed spirits existing there. They had entered dark cloud spaces that matched their own energy fields, and every day they remained in depression. Practitioner Su brought golden light to illuminate these dark clouds, helping all the spirits within them to escape. Under the illumination of that golden light, many depressed spirits were awakened. They raised their heads to look at the golden light, then began to chant the Buddha-name. Their sorrowful faces slowly relaxed, and some even revealed smiles—smiles that had not appeared for who knows how long.

I am truly repenting for the sins I have committed. Now, I also hope to actively save sentient beings. Only by sincerely helping others can I repay my karmic debts."

Shi Rongguang

Namo Amituofo.