The Demon of Doubt: From Skepticism to Faith

This interview documents the transformation of a spirit known as 'Mo Yi' (the Demon of Doubt), who once sought to disrupt the work of Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. After being identified and delivered by Practitioner Su, the spirit was given the Dharma name Shi Shanping and now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This testimony was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on August 22, 2022.

Shi Shanping speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Yi. Doubt is the common disease of all beings in this world. Everyone has it; the only difference lies in the depth and thickness of the root of doubt within their hearts. No one’s heart, no matter how deep their doubt is hidden, can escape my notice, for I am the very embodiment of 'Doubt'—that is why I am called 'Mo Yi'."

The Nature of the Poison

"What is doubt? It is the fundamental refusal to believe in the truth of reality. What do I doubt? Everything. Because the root of disbelief is planted deep within the heart, nothing is safe from suspicion. Some people do not just doubt others; they even doubt their own capabilities. Why must there be doubt? From my perspective as the Demon of Doubt, it stems from the profound insecurity within the human heart. The heavier one's doubt, the more restless their heart becomes. The more restless the heart, the easier it is to become suspicious of everyone and everything in one's surroundings.

"To 'protect' themselves, these people naturally harbor doubt. Once doubt takes hold, they do not believe easily. They choose to hold back, observing and verifying until every piece of evidence confirms their suspicion. Yet, if they find even a tiny shred of evidence that matches their preconceived notions—even if the two things are entirely unrelated—their doubt will manipulate them into using that 'evidence' to prove they were right all along. How pitiful these people are. Doubt brings them nothing but afflictions, suffering, and illness. A person filled with doubt can never be truly happy. Their mind-capacity is small because they cannot tolerate being deceived, taken advantage of, or suffering a loss. They are entirely focused on self-protection, choosing to retreat to the sidelines even when they possess great ability. They doubt their own worth, they doubt the value of their efforts, they doubt whether they will be harmed, and they doubt the trustworthiness of others. All these retreats are driven by doubt; they are too afraid to take a step forward."

The Arrogance of the Skeptic

"I have also seen another type of person—those who are incredibly arrogant and hold themselves in high regard. Yet, they are still driven by intense self-protection, which, if you look deeper, is simply selfishness. Because they are arrogant and selfish, they are habitually afraid of being harmed, and thus, they doubt. In the eyes of these arrogant people, they believe in their own intuition and are satisfied with their own abilities. When they encounter anyone or anything, they first judge it through their own strong 'subjectivity'.

"This judgment is entirely based on their past experiences—things they have been through, people they have met, or information they have consumed. They use these to make what they consider 'reasonable' inferences. Throughout this entire process, their hearts are filled with suspicion. It is precisely because they do not believe that they engage in these behaviors to help themselves reach the answers they desire. And what about me? What do I doubt? I doubt the Truth. I do not believe that Truth exists in the universe. If there were Truth, why would good people like my parents suffer? If there were Truth, the world would have been at peace long ago; why did my parents die such unjust deaths? If there were Truth, the wicked would have already received their karmic retribution; how could they still be causing trouble in this world? These events led me to believe that there is no such thing as Truth—it is merely a word spoken by men. If they say it is Truth, it is Truth; but if I do not believe it, then it is not Truth."

The Descent into Madness

"Once I held such intense doubt, my entire being changed. I stopped believing in everything. I became strange, always suspicious of spirits and ghosts, my movements and appearance becoming increasingly eerie. Do you know what the greatest impact of this doubt was on my heart? It was the emergence of 'evil thoughts'. Because of doubt, I generated an endless stream of evil thoughts. If I suspected someone, I would view them through the lens of that doubt. Every action and behavior of theirs was viewed with suspicion. In that process, my heart had already turned dark; I had already generated evil thoughts that began to wreak havoc within me.

"At the time, I did not notice the changes in my heart. I only felt that my doubt made me feel 'safe', because it prevented me from making wrong decisions or trusting others too easily. I could think and observe repeatedly, grasping at any trace of evidence to confirm my suspicions. Do you know what I eventually became? I went mad—completely and utterly mad. My mind raced incessantly, and every thought was evil. Every day, I was tense, suspecting this and that, believing that everyone had ulterior motives and wanted to harm me. I had to protect myself; I could trust no one. Eventually, I began to hurt people. I would harm anyone I saw because I suspected they all had hidden agendas. With such intense doubt and deep-seated hatred for this world and its 'false truths', I was eventually surrounded and killed, leading me into the Demon Realm to become 'Mo Yi'."

The Challenge to Practitioner Su

"I roamed the world, causing chaos, making people's doubt heavier and heavier. Almost no one could fully trust another. Everyone lived in unhappiness, poisoned by afflictions and suffering. When I learned of the existence of Practitioner Su in this world, my first thought was also 'doubt'. I doubted: Does a person who has truly become a Buddha really exist in this world? Does this person called Practitioner Su really have the ability to save beings? Are the beings he delivers really saved? Truth does not exist in this world, so what kind of Dharma is he teaching? If his Dharma Body can manifest in countless ways to save the world, why is the Earth still in such a mess?

"My doubts were not limited to these. After hearing his name, a flood of questions surged into my mind. It was a very fast and natural reaction. I refused to believe the information I heard and decided to verify it myself. I did not go to Practitioner Su immediately. Instead, I sought out humans who shared my mindset—those who had heard of his 'divine skills' but, like me, did not believe. I quickly found a group of them. They were all 'Buddhist practitioners' who had heard various accounts of Practitioner Su but dismissed them as 'god-making' or 'deception'. They sighed and said, 'The world is in chaos; misleading teachers are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River. People like him are everywhere now, trying to disturb the world for their own benefit. They will surely face karmic retribution; the laws of karma and cause and effect are not empty.' These skeptics were very firm in their belief that everything here was fake, and they spread this doubt to one another."

A Beautiful Chaos

"When I saw this group, I laughed. I thought to myself, 'This world is truly wonderful.' I love this kind of chaos—where no one trusts anyone. Regardless of whether Practitioner Su is real or fake, the moment these people generated 'doubt', I was delighted. This doubt is a poison that is currently poisoning the hearts of people in this world, making them kill each other. Even if they are not killed by others, they will be poisoned to death by their own doubt. This result was highly satisfying to me. I wanted my 'demon children and grandchildren' to keep a close watch on these skeptics, ensuring their minds would never change, keeping them in a state of perpetual doubt. Perhaps I could use them to do my bidding, or even use them to oppose Practitioner Su.

"With great joy, I went to find Practitioner Su to see if he was real or fake. If he were a fraud, it would be a grand performance. I could wreak havoc in his bodhimanda and incite all those listening to his Dharma talks to riot. It would be a spectacular show. Upon arriving, the first thing I saw was a vast expanse of golden light. It was a golden light I had never seen before—incredibly bright. A thought arose in my heart: 'The magnetic field of this golden light is righteous. If Practitioner Su were a fraud, it would be impossible for such golden light to exist in his bodhimanda.' I kept this thought to myself, waiting for further verification."

The Capture

"I continued to observe. I saw that a Dharma assembly was being held. I decided to get closer to Practitioner Su to see exactly what he was doing. I stood on his shoulders—an excellent vantage point. Many other demon kings saw me standing there and followed, surrounding Practitioner Su. Unexpectedly, the moment we demons approached, Practitioner Su felt our presence. He immediately had someone pull us out. This ability shocked me. I did not expect Practitioner Su to have such skills; even I, the Demon of Doubt, could be caught by him."

[Practitioner Su gave the Demon of Doubt the Dharma name 'Shi Shanping'.]

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

"After being brought to the Western Land of Dharma Nature by Practitioner Su, I could only sit on a lotus seat, unable to do anything. Even so, I continued to observe. Without a clear investigation, I could never let go of the doubt in my heart. During the Dharma assembly, Practitioner Su stood at the very front, delivering sentient beings. As soon as the Buddha-name chanting began, Practitioner Su immediately manifested in countless ways, entering countless spaces to deliver the beings within. I watched this scene over and over, rubbing my eyes and watching again, just to be sure—to see if he truly had this ability or if it was just an illusion he created to deceive people.

"After repeated verification, I confirmed that Practitioner Su truly has the ability to use his Dharma Body to deliver beings. Moreover, his speed is incredible. In a very short time, he brought out batch after batch of beings from these spaces and sent them into the golden light, toward the three higher realms. I continued to observe. His abilities do not stop there. As he continuously transmitted the holy name of 'Namo Amituofo' into various spaces, the magnetic field of the entire Earth was being changed. Evil thoughts were being transformed into righteous thoughts, and more and more beings were able to learn the Buddha’s teachings, eventually understanding how to chant the Buddha's name to leave suffering behind.

"So many spaces have received his salvation. These spirits are all filled with gratitude toward Practitioner Su. Many of those he sent to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss have even returned to circle the Earth, chanting the Buddha's name. What surprised me even more was that many demon kings from our Demon Realm have also joined the ranks of saviors under Amitabha Buddha. These things are so hard to believe. If I, the Demon of Doubt, had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it, and I would have continued to generate all sorts of evil thoughts against Practitioner Su. Now, I believe. This is truly an inconceivable, great Dharma. The teachings of Practitioner Su are not evil; I can verify this now. With so many beings saved, such vast golden light, and so many Buddhas present, there is nothing left to doubt. Practitioner Su truly has the ability. He is magnificent."

Shi Shanping

Namo Amituofo.