The Demon Who Found the Light

This is a record of an interview with the spirit Mo Wa Ba, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his transformation from a demon warrior to a practitioner. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on May 24, 2022.

Mo Wa Ba (Shi Dechang) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Throughout the entire galaxy, a fierce war was raging. It was all about seizing territory and energy. I was a participant in this war, and it was something I truly enjoyed; as long as I could win, there was nothing I would not do.

The war was in full swing, and just as we were at our most excited, suddenly—snap! A massive beam of golden light shone upon us. The entire space of the war was enveloped in this golden radiance. Everyone instantly stopped what they were doing. In that split second, we were all stunned, completely unaware of what was happening."

The Sound of the Holy Name

"At that moment, the sound of the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' began to echo through the space. I was the first to react, asking my comrade beside me, 'What kind of tactic is this from which planet?' My comrade replied, 'I do not know. I have never seen such a tactic before. Could this sound have magic? Will we all be controlled by it?' We looked at one another, and no one had any idea what was going on.

The Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' continued to play. No one dared to act rashly, fearing what might happen if they moved. The battlefield, which had been extremely noisy, turned into a state of absolute silence. All that remained in the entire space was the sound of the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo'.

As the golden light shone upon us, I felt a sudden warmth. It was such a comfortable feeling! What on earth was this light? Just as I was preparing to see it clearly, the golden light vanished rapidly. We all looked around, trying to see where the light had gone, but there was nothing to be seen."

A Shift in the Heart

"After the golden light disappeared, did the war continue? It stopped. Everyone's heart seemed to have been cleansed. Our original intense ambition, possessiveness, competitiveness, hardness, and desire to fight—all of it had been purified. Only a very special sense of peace remained. The war ended just like that; there was no interest in continuing, and everyone left the scene.

I returned to my planet, a pitch-black world named 'Dadakesi'. Inside, there was no light at all, only darkness. Back in the dark, I suddenly felt unaccustomed to it. My mind was still thinking about the golden light from before. The contrast between the golden light and the darkness was too great. I had originally thought that darkness was what I loved most, but that golden light had given me a sense of comfort, tranquility, and peace that I had never experienced before. I felt incredibly curious. Why could there be such a wonderful feeling? Where did that golden light come from?

I asked the other demon crowds on the planet, 'Have you ever been shone upon by golden light?' Some demons said, 'We have always lived in darkness and have never seen golden light. Why would you ask such a question?' I could not make these demon crowds understand the feeling of being bathed in golden light. For a moment, I felt as if I were still intoxicated by it."

The Ambition of a Demon Warrior

"On our planet Dadakesi, we are all divided into clans. The clans cooperate with each other to attack other planets. Our clan is considered the most powerful on Dadakesi. Although I am not the highest-ranking member, my power is not insignificant. Therefore, I am often trusted by our great demon king, who sends me to lead the demon children and grandchildren to cooperate with other demon clans on expeditions. As long as we successfully conquer other planets, we divide the territory equally, which gives us more occupied land.

Originally, my battle record made the great demon king very happy. In ten battles, more than half were victories. This record made me proud, so I often acted arrogantly in front of other demons.

My schedule was already set. I could clearly see when and with which demon clan I was to cooperate for an expedition. I counted slightly; after the last battle, there were eight thousand battles waiting for me to launch. That is to say, there were eight thousand target planets we intended to attack. If we could successfully conquer them all, our power would definitely increase significantly. We would no longer have to rely on this 'Dadakesi planet' but could become independent and develop a demon planet belonging to our own clan."

A State of Distraction

"In the glow of my confidence, the future looked bright. I believed this grand goal would surely be achieved. At that time, perhaps the great demon king would give me a planet to reward my achievements, allowing me to be a king there. That was what I looked forward to in my heart.

However, ever since I encountered the golden light, I seemed to be a different person. The biggest difference was that I became absent-minded and was often in a state of lack of focus. Because of this state, I lost one hundred and fifty battles in a row. The great demon king could no longer tolerate it and summoned me to his presence, asking, 'Wa Ba, what has happened to you recently? You used to be a victorious king, but how is it that you have been defeated repeatedly, losing one hundred and fifty battles in a row? Do you know that these one hundred and fifty battles mean the loss of one hundred and fifty planets? This loss is too great!'

To the great demon king's question, I could not answer, because even I did not know what was happening. I just felt that I had been careless lately, but I was not doing anything in particular. It was a very strange state.

The great demon king told me to reflect on myself and did not allow me to go on expeditions for the time being. I had to stay on the planet every day to reflect. That was fine; I took this opportunity to calm myself down. Perhaps after a rest, I would have different actions and performances."

Searching for the Light

"During this time when I did not have to go to war, I often thought of that golden light. Whenever I thought of it, there was a sense of joy in my heart, and I even secretly missed it. Once, when I thought of that golden light again, I could no longer resist the urge to see it again. So, I secretly slipped out of the Dadakesi planet and searched for that golden light in the Milky Way alone.

In the Milky Way, I had no idea in which direction the golden light would be. Relying on my demonic power and sensitivity, I kept sensing everywhere. As long as I felt a slight sensation, I would immediately fly in that direction. I flew for a long time, but I still did not see the golden light. I flew back toward the Dadakesi planet in disappointment, preparing to return.

On the way back, I saw a large group of black-clad demon kings. They were all rushing in the same direction. I had never seen such a large group of demon kings looking so urgent. What on earth had happened?"

The Encounter with Practitioner Su

"My curiosity made me decide to follow the team secretly to find out. I flew forward excitedly, following the direction of the team. I did not know where I would fly to. Looking at their serious expressions, it seemed that a very major event was happening.

The direction and area these demon kings were flying to were all places I had never been to. The Milky Way is too vast; there are actually many areas I have never reached. This time, following these demon kings, I saw many planets I had never seen before. Some planets were beautiful, some were huge, and some were small. Strangely, no matter what the planets looked like, all the planets we flew past were glowing, emitting bright golden light. This golden light gave me a sense of familiarity. As I flew, I finally realised it was the golden light I had seen before.

I became even more excited, believing that if I continued to fly forward with these demon kings, I would definitely find the location of that golden light. We flew over one hundred million planets, which was a very long distance. When all the demon kings in front stopped, I stopped too. In front of us was indeed the familiar golden light, and the sound of the Holy Name 'Namo Amituofo' echoed in the space again.

This time, I sang along loudly, deeply intoxicated by it. But all the demon kings in front of me were in a completely different state; they were all trying to attack this golden light. I did not understand what was going on, so I secretly asked one of the demon kings who looked smaller, 'May I ask what you are doing here? Why are you all gathered in front of the golden light?' This demon king said, 'We are here to attack this Earthling—Practitioner Su.' I immediately asked in surprise, 'Practitioner Su? Who is Practitioner Su?' The demon king said, 'Practitioner Su is a human from Earth. He uses his Dharma Body to perform Chao Du in the Milky Way. He has already saved immeasurable and boundless planets. Many sentient beings on planets have been saved by him, and many planets that had no energy have also been filled with energy by him. We in the Demon Realm really cannot stand it anymore. If this continues, the entire Milky Way will become Practitioner Su's territory. Then, does our Demon Realm have any need to exist? Where can we find a place to stay?'"

The Power of the Dharma Body

"The demon king became more and more angry as he spoke, but I became more and more excited. I was very curious about this Earthling, Practitioner Su, and wanted to see what a 'Dharma Body' was and how it made the Milky Way change so much. So, I secretly flew to the front to see. Practitioner Su's Dharma Body was right in front. So this is what an Earthling looks like! He was emitting golden light all over his body and was full of energy. He was smiling constantly and waving his hands to help these sentient beings in the Milky Way. Many sentient beings around knew to go toward the golden light, as if they had known Practitioner Su for a long time.

These demon kings all wanted to attack Practitioner Su, but Practitioner Su's Dharma Body was completely unaffected by them. At this time, I heard another demon king say, 'We cannot attack Practitioner Su's Dharma Body, but I heard that Practitioner Su still has a physical body on Earth. As long as we can successfully invade Practitioner Su's physical body, his Dharma Body will naturally not be able to function.'

These demon kings finished their discussion quickly and all surrounded the golden light, waiting to go to Earth with Practitioner Su's Dharma Body. I also followed the team closely. Wherever the Dharma Body went, we followed."

Deliverance into the Western Land of Dharma Nature

"Unexpectedly, the speed at which Practitioner Su's Dharma Body moved was so fast. Several times I could barely keep up with everyone. These demon kings were truly capable, using all their strength to keep up with Practitioner Su, determined to go to Earth to find him. Practitioner Su ended his Chao Du in the Milky Way and returned to the location of his physical body, somewhere on Earth. All the demon kings followed quickly, and I followed closely behind.

Practitioner Su's Dharma Body returned to his physical body quickly. I clearly saw that Practitioner Su did not have just one Dharma Body; there were many Dharma Bodies that returned to his body instantly. That scene left a deep impression on me; it was truly amazing! There were many voices at the scene, and many different spirits. They were all gathered here at Practitioner Su's place. Among these spirits, some were glowing, looking different from other spirits in other spaces, and they had energy and light. Other demon kings told me, 'They call these spirits high-level spirits, who have come down from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Today, Practitioner Su is holding a Dharma assembly here. We will take advantage of Practitioner Su being busy to attack him, and we will definitely succeed in one go.'

This demon king was from a different group than the one I had followed. Why were there so many demon kings looking for Practitioner Su? It seemed that Practitioner Su had become an enemy of the Demon Realm, which was why so many demon kings were rushing to attack him.

I looked at the group of demon kings I had just followed. They were all waiting for an opportunity to enter Practitioner Su's body. I followed closely behind, but I actually had no intention of attacking Practitioner Su; I just thought it was interesting and wanted to join in the fun. When this group of demon kings rushed forward, I also rushed forward quickly. They could not enter Practitioner Su's eyes, but they kept releasing smoke outside his eyes, wanting to make Practitioner Su unable to see. Other demon kings spewed fiery flames, wanting to burn Practitioner Su's eyes dry.

Just as they were preparing to carry out more intense attacks, Practitioner Su took action. He struck the large qing, and the demon kings, along with me, were all struck into the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Now, all the demon kings could no longer do anything. I could not return to the Dadakesi planet, but it did not matter. I am living much happier now."

A New Beginning

"After this experience, I realised that I did not want to be a demon at all. I am actually more interested in the Buddha's teachings and everything here at Practitioner Su's place. It is my honour to be able to join here. I am not full of anger like the other demon kings, but I am smiling happily, finally able to stay here forever."

Mo Wa Ba

Practitioner Su gave Mo Wa Ba the Dharma name 'Shi Dechang'.

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies

"Just after arriving at Practitioner Su's place, I began to participate in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies. I was in a very excited state again, feeling very curious and fresh about everything in front of me, because they were all scenes I had never seen before, which were quite spectacular.

This time, I could see clearly how Practitioner Su uses his Dharma Body to perform Chao Du. When the familiar Buddha-name 'Namo Amituofo' rang out, Practitioner Su's Dharma Body flew out from the top of his head immediately. The speed was very fast, even faster than what I saw in the Milky Way. Perhaps it was because I was calm and watching carefully now that I could see the power of Practitioner Su's Dharma Body more clearly. That kind of speed was almost something I could not achieve.

I continued to watch. Practitioner Su's Dharma Body performed Chao Du in many places on Earth. The Dharma Body entered many spaces and saved spirits of all sizes. Because these spirits had stayed in the space for too long, they had all forgotten what they used to look like. Practitioner Su helped them take off their outer garments, and with the Buddha-light shining upon them, they returned to their original appearance. The actions I just mentioned were all completed in a very short time, and he did not just help one spirit at a time, but countless spirits took off their outer garments together, were shone upon by the Buddha-light together, and then instantly returned to their original faces.

When these sentient beings were saved, they all showed gratitude and surprise. At that moment, my heart was also filled with emotion. I realised that Practitioner Su had been silently doing good deeds all along, saving countless sentient beings in space in one second.

I also saw a phenomenon. When Practitioner Su's Dharma Body performed Chao Du in the space of a certain country, such as mainland China on Earth, Practitioner Su's Dharma Body could enter every province, performing Chao Du in the spaces within that province, such as mountains, rivers, the earth, the clouds, and other different spaces. All of them could receive the Chao Du of Practitioner Su's Dharma Body. The scene was very shocking.

I really had not thought that there could be so many sentient beings on one Earth. Endless spaces overlap in the large space, and in the large space, there are even larger spaces, all independent of each other without interfering with one another.

As long as the space is opened by Practitioner Su, the sentient beings in it all have a chance to be saved. I really hope that I can also have a Dharma Body like Practitioner Su, so that I can follow Practitioner Su and save endless sentient beings.

I have only been in this magnificent salvation team for a short time, but I have already completely integrated into it. It seems that this is my destiny, destined to meet Practitioner Su. It is truly a magnificent encounter!

Namo Amituofo."

Shi Dechang