The Demon Who Managed Emotions

This is a record of an interview with Mo Sa-ou, an ancient demon who sought deliverance 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 existence spanning approximately 370 trillion years. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on April 29, 2025.

Mo Sa-ou speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My name is Mo Sa-ou—or as they say in the local demon realm, 'Sa-ou, Sa-ou, Sa-ou.' That is the name they have always called me. I have existed for 370 trillion years. It is quite an honour to have arrived here on Earth, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Goombungee, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. Upon arriving here, I discovered that Namo Amituofo is actually residing here. This is monumental news! It is the greatest information in the entire universe!

In the demon realm, ancient demons of my age have almost all heard the holy name of 'Namo Amituofo.' Why? Because long, long ago—even before we became demon crowds—we had already heard the sacred name of Namo Amituofo. The magnificent Great Vows that the Buddha made were already circulating throughout the Dharma Realm. Everyone knew there was a Buddha named Namo Amituofo. He made so many Great Vows, all with the hope that sentient beings could go to His land to live in peace and prosperity, free from suffering, experiencing only joy. For those of us in the spiritual realms, this is something we deeply envied."

The Misunderstanding of Suffering

"However, many demon crowds did not see it that way. They would say, 'We are living our lives just fine; why would we need to change?' Do these demons not understand what 'suffering' is? Truly, they do not. They specialise in taking pleasure from the suffering of other planets or beings, so they have no concept of what true suffering is.

Many people on various planets are truly oppressed and ruled by demon crowds, living miserable lives filled with depression, anger, and resentment. Yet, they have no power to resist; they cannot save themselves. When they finally hear of the existence of 'Namo Amituofo,' they are filled with immense joy—they realise they are finally saved! As far as I know, many planets were indeed saved simply by 'hearing the name and chanting the name.' That is how everyone came to know that Namo Amituofo said: 'Chanting my name plants a Vajra Seed, which will forever be a seed for the Path; once it enters the ear, it becomes a seed for the Path forever.' This did not just happen on Earth. Long ago, 370 trillion years ago in the Dharma Realm, the Buddha's Great Vows already existed, and they have never changed."

The Difference Between Buddha and Mara

"Even now, the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre continues to propagate the name of Namo Amituofo, which shows just how... ah! The number of beings the Buddha saves is immeasurable and boundless, and those saved by 'chanting the name' are beyond counting. This is the difference between the Buddha and the demons.

Demons want others to chant their names so that they can grow stronger, expand their influence, and have more power to participate in 'demon work' to achieve their goal of domination. But the Buddha sees the suffering of the civilians and the spiritual realms, so He established a Buddha-land, hoping that all beings can return to His domain.

In truth, my knowledge of Namo Amituofo dates back a very long time. But my demon nature told me, 'Could this really be true?' Because I had never seen the Buddha, nor had I personally received the benefits of the Buddha's teachings, why should I believe in Him? I also did not feel that I was suffering... this is what you call 'lacking awareness.'"

The Trap of Self-Deception

"Actually, ancient demons know, to some extent, that their own karma is quite tragic. But many choose to deny it; they do not believe they will face such retribution. It is like covering one's ears and closing one's eyes, pretending nothing is happening, but in reality, this is just 'self-deception.'

Everything one has done is recorded in one's own Alaya consciousness. It is the same for demons; their spirits have it recorded clearly. This has made me realise even more how great Namo Amituofo is!

Until this time, because of the rare space for ancient demons of the Dharma Realm set up by Practitioner Su, many ancient demons were forced to leave. Some were there to cast spells to attack the body, and others were sent into the Western Land of Dharma Nature. In any case, the fortunate thing is that they were not 'sucked away' by their own karma. If one is sucked away by karma, no one can save them. That is a case of 'reaping what you sow'—when the causal conditions mature, the retribution must be endured."

A Memory Spanning Trillions of Years

"So, you see, Namo Amituofo has existed for 370 trillion years, and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss has existed just as long. 'Chant my name, and you can come to my Buddha-land'—this vow power has also existed for a long time. These things were known in many planets throughout the Dharma Realm. This is no small feat! There are so many planets in the Dharma Realm, and they all go through the calamities of formation, abiding, destruction, and emptiness. Many planets have long since vanished. Even if they knew, there was no continuous life left to tell everyone these things. I never expected that today, through the mouth of an old demon like me, this would be spoken of again to tell you all.

My memory is quite good. If I do not think about things, I truly do not think about them, and I treat it as if I do not know—which, originally, I did not. But once I think about it, once I start to review, things emerge in my mind one by one, clearly. And when these memories surface, I see the scenes before my eyes simultaneously. Therefore, I do not like to reminisce. Those memories contain joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, pain, and laughter. I am still the same person; my personality has not changed. I am not like Practitioner Su, who can change his personality to the state of 'zero to nothing.' That is truly something to admire and envy."

The Energy Cost of Emotions

"I have not changed my personality, so I still experience fluctuations based on what I see, hear, or feel within. This feeling of 'the heart not moving' is actually not very comfortable for me. I once sat quietly by myself to review the past. Because of such painful experiences, I made up my mind not to do that again. Why go out of my way to make myself sad? For demons, this is very detrimental to life. You see, when the emotion of sadness arises, it is not something you can calm down immediately. It takes time to walk out of it. During that time, not only are you unable to do your 'demon work' or fulfill your duties, but you also consume a massive amount of energy. It is simply not worth it. So, from then on, I stopped thinking about the past.

Because of this, I actually had more time and space to be diligent in my magic. This is a very real fact—emotional fluctuations consume a lot of energy. It is not just the people at Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre who are like this; everyone can observe themselves: when your emotions fluctuate, or when you are angry, or when your connection to a person or thing you are emotionally attached to is interrupted... when a situation arises where you 'just have to wait,' you will find yourself entering a state of drowsiness, entering a space.

This indicates that such emotions have disturbed the karmic creditors within your body, causing them to manifest. At the same time, there is another reason for drowsiness: the massive consumption of energy within your body. Without energy, your body cannot support what you are doing or are about to do. This is actually the body's self-protection mechanism. It also shows that your spirit is no longer something you can fully control. When the spirit enters a state of 'having no master,' it enters drowsiness. This is a phenomenon we can observe."

The Truth of the Great Vow

"Having said that, before I entered the demon realm, I had actually heard the story of 'Namo Amituofo.' That such a great story is still remembered by me now, after so long, shows that my memory is truly excellent. If I do not want to think, I do not, but if I want to, everything surfaces at once.

This Great Vow has saved countless beings, including me, right now. Chanting the Buddha's name is real and not empty. It is not a message that appeared out of thin air; there truly is such a thing, and there truly is such a Buddha. Namo Amituofo's Great Vow is exactly like this. Because of this, it was able to be accomplished, and it saved many beings who were willing to live according to the vows, allowing them to be reborn in the Buddha's land.

I am now listening to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and he keeps talking about this. Because the beings listening have different karmic affinities, perhaps the previous group has already left or been sent away, and this current group may not have heard it. Even if they have heard it before, listening one more time does no harm; such deeds are truly never tiring to hear."

The Courage to Surrender

"Next, I will hear, one after another, about some ancient demons who, after leaving their demon groups, found a place to enter samadhi and focused on chanting the Buddha's name. Such ancient demons make me admire them. They dare to make such things public.

This is because, although demons have a kind of respect for the Buddha, they also carry a sense of rejection. This is because the Buddha blocks what they were originally doing. Of course, it is not a direct blockage, but rather a roundabout way—called 'saving.' But for the demons, is this really called 'saving'? In fact, whether you are prepared in your heart or not, the action is indeed saving. The key to whether it is saving does not lie with the Buddha, but with whether you are prepared in your heart.

Whether you are prepared or not, the Buddha is saving the demons just like this. This point must be made known to everyone. Many times, if an elder does something for a junior, it is clearly for the junior's own good, but if they do not appreciate it, it becomes 'offending a superior.' What is called offending a superior is to offend the elder.

If the elder is tolerant, perhaps they will just smile it off, because the other party does not understand, and naturally, they will not argue with such demons, and the matter will just pass. In fact, this is the wisest approach."

The Life Code and Restoration

"But some demons are not willing to admit defeat. They cannot accept that they were repelled, or even deemed a failure, without even having a chance to cast their spells. So they must lunge forward; they will not stop until they taste pain. For this type of demon, if I tell them about the 'Life Code'—this is a new term, and although not many people know it yet, if they are elders, they should know—as long as you input the Life Code, life can be like a resurrection, restoring the state of being flexible, agile, and free from aging and sickness.

What a wonderful thing this is for many beings! If the body does not age and has no pain, one can be as full of vitality as when one was young. This is something I have introduced before; those who have heard it can treat it as a review, and those who have not, now that you have heard it, it is not too late to be grateful to the Buddha.

As long as the body is still there, there is still a chance to make amends for the mistakes one has made in the past, such as harming others, destruction, or damage caused to a bodhimanda, and so on. For smart practitioners, these are all lessons from the past that can serve as a mirror, so that they no longer offend others or come into conflict. But this time, the situation is quite special. Never before has such an old demon accepted an interview; perhaps this interview will continue, but that is another matter."

The Secret of Longevity in the Demon Realm

"The point today is this: life in the deep sea is different on every planet, and of course, it is different from Earth. But amidst the differences, there are also some commonalities, and one can see some clues just from the names.

Why was I not caught by karma in my 370 trillion years of life in the demon realm? Actually, for about the last 150 trillion years, I have been in a state of 'entering samadhi.' This is a very long time. That is to say, in the previous 220 trillion years, I was indeed active in the demon realm and did not disappear. Therefore, almost all ancient demons have remarkable meditative concentration, and karma cannot take us away. Because as long as there is no fluctuation in the heart, karma cannot find its way to you.

So, if people do not want to be found by karma and do not want to be entangled by karma, they must stop their hearts from fluctuating. As long as you have this skill, it will work. It is just that our skill was accumulated over 150 trillion years.

In the 220 trillion years before that, I led my demon group. What we did was no less than what other demons did, and perhaps even more—meaning we were better at destruction. At that time, we did not know the bitter fruit of karma, so we dared to do such things. If we really knew the bitterness of karma, who would dare to do that? That is a debt of karma that can never be repaid. In short, that was how we lived our days back then."

The Compassion of an Ancient Demon

"But during those days, whenever the juniors in our demon group had emotional problems, difficulty calming their minds, or poor communication with other demons, as long as they came to me, I would make them leave with a smile. I would help them untie their knots. The methods I used sometimes did not even involve magic; instead, I would use some concepts from the Buddha's teachings. For example, I would ask them to 'take everything lightly.' How the other party acts is their business; you just need to learn well from the Demon King and let your own demonic power grow. This is the result you get, and it has nothing to do with others... and so on, using words like these to encourage them. I treated them all like my own children. I called them juniors, and they all loved being around this old demon. At first, they called me 'Demon King,' and later it became 'Old Demon.' Time flies; it feels like yesterday, but it has already been tens of trillions of years—to be exact, 150 trillion years.

If these children, these juniors, were still around, they could be ancient demons themselves now. 150 trillion years—of course, they could be ancient demons. This also means I have many 'ancient demon-level' juniors. I believe that since I have been sent to the Land of Dharma Nature, they also have a good chance, an opportunity, to be brought into the Western Land of Dharma Nature by Practitioner Su. This is a good thing. Everything should be thought of in a positive way, looked at in a positive way. This is what I learned in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. What the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre emphasises is exactly this: 'Look at everything positively, think positively, speak positively, and do things positively; keep a good heart, speak good words, be a good person, and do good deeds.'

In the demon realm, we would never have bothered to listen to these words, nor would we have bothered to do them. That is completely at the two extremes from our style. But at this moment, I am not in the demon realm; I am in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. So I will live in this way, which allows my life to shine and develop, leading to faster and better results. And this 'result' is that I am single-mindedly wanting to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. So, why was I not sucked away by karma? Perhaps it is because of this kindness and good intention I had toward my juniors."

The Protection of Goodness

"It turns out that in the demon realm, if you want to live longer and not be found by karma, you must have blessings. And these blessings come from your 'goodness.' This goodness is the best protection. It protects you from being sucked away by karma. This is the conclusion I have reached myself; it should have some truth to it, and it can also be provided for everyone's reference. Whether in ancient times, this life, or the present, the word 'goodness' is always good and helps everyone. Being unselfish, having no 'self'—that is true good conduct, good thoughts, and good words.

My specialty, as I said before, is the handling of emotions. Do not underestimate this part. When I feel that something is not worth any fluctuation at all, I just smile it off. This is very important. Demons who know how to alleviate emotions will have relatively more abundant energy because energy can be properly preserved. It will not be exhausted due to heart fluctuations, and 'heart fluctuations' consume a lot of energy. Furthermore, when you are speaking or hoping for others to understand you, your mental notes have already consumed a lot of energy. Except for the energy used for self-requirement and self-reflection, which always exists and is not consumed because it belongs to the self and has nothing to do with other lives, if it is emotional fluctuation, it is related to the 'heart,' and the energy consumption will be even faster.

Every demon has a different personality. As soon as I see the other party, I roughly know what their personality is. In this way, many things are easy to handle; you can cater to their preferences and quickly achieve your desired goal. If you want to be their enemy, you can do the opposite. You observe what they hate most, what they dislike most, and strengthen and amplify that part, and you can oppose them. To put it bluntly, the other party is actually quite pathetic—this 'other party' is 'people,' and the demons are the sentient beings with karmic affinity who control people. People are controlled without knowing it or understanding the principles, and they are still completely unaware. Is that not a bit pathetic?"

The Reality of Spiritual Attachment

"As for how to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature? I have not said yet; I started from 'entering samadhi.' I have not mentioned the location of entering samadhi either; in fact, there is nothing special about that place.

People often talk about birth, aging, sickness, and death. When this body of mine broke down and I did not want it anymore, I just found a place to bury it, or sang a few songs to it, or did what it liked most before it died. Actually, if the spirit has already been led to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, these actions are just to comfort oneself. However, if the living relatives are comforted by this, it is also a good thing for the deceased. Because emotional fluctuations often cross the barriers of space and affect the other person's heart, which is why people's emotional fluctuations attract demons to attach to them. Demons in the air can 'receive signals'; your fluctuations can even reach the heavens!

Many times during the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, you can see many demons gathering in the dark clouds above the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, coming to seek refuge. Practitioner Su has said, do not talk, focus on chanting the Buddha's name, otherwise, demons will attach to you. Some people fluctuate immediately and ask, 'How do they know we are fluctuating down here?' I tell you, ha-ha—this is the fact! Your fluctuations can cross space and reach the heavens. The demons know it all clearly. Many 'demon children and grandchildren' can enter your body, and they know very clearly and explicitly which person it is. They will not find the wrong person, and even if they did, they would just come out and go back in. Entering and exiting people's bodies is not a difficult task for demons at all.

So you must be very careful. People with large emotional ups and downs, especially you women, have a considerable amount of spiritual attachment. It might press you until you cannot breathe or cannot walk. It is not that you are really being crushed flat, but you will feel incomparably heavy and unable to walk. At this time, you must ask the Buddha for help."

The Buddha's Compassion

"The Buddha is an expert in this area and can lead away the attached beings on people. Especially as Practitioner Su says, when you bow down, many blood vessels and the area between the shoulder blades in your body are actually where many demons enter the body. This is the scene I see now, and I also see that when you bow down, the Buddha will shine Buddha-light in front of you to help you welcome these beings. Not only demons, but also many karmic creditors and attached beings. This matter is truly very special at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Such a good thing, everyone must grasp it. Being able to invite out attached beings so easily is because the Great Compassionate Namo Amituofo is standing in front of you, and He can lead these beings away on the spot. Where else can you find such a thing? This is really too cheap for people. I should not say that; I should say—the Buddha is truly too loving and too compassionate toward people.

Otherwise, these demons would stay on you and spend a lifetime with you until you die. Only when this shell is broken will they leave. Demons mainly rely on absorbing energy, and attached beings are the same, as are karmic creditors. They rely on energy to survive. Of course, absorbing energy from a living body is their most important thing. If this body has no energy left and becomes a cold shell, why would they stay on it? Of course, they would leave. At this time, this body is just an empty shell. Things are just that simple. So, to tell the truth, this body is now very precious; you really must cherish it well and not let it break down like this. To do something, you must find your precious true self and spirituality. Without this body, you cannot find it; without this body going through the trials of a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinements, it will not manifest. This is the conclusion I reached from listening to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, combined with what I saw with my own eyes. I tell everyone, this is truly very precious—as long as you are willing to listen."

The Journey to the Western Land of Dharma Nature

"As for how I entered the Western Land of Dharma Nature? I do not seem to have mentioned it specifically just now, so let me add a brief explanation. I was taken away by light while in a state of entering samadhi. At that time, they entered a very deep space of mine. I have always been interested in space, so I like to stay in very, very deep spaces and do not like to be disturbed.

The space I entered was a space in the dark air, layer upon layer, layer upon layer. Not many people, not many beings can discover such a place. Even if ancient demons came in and discovered it, they would not touch a hair on your head, because entering such a space means you are preparing to enter samadhi.

And for so long, I have never been disturbed. Until that time, I was awakened and illuminated by the energy of light, and my soul was on the spirit of the ancient demon. In the blink of an eye, I was actually brought to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This matter is too inconceivable, but it truly, really happened.

It simply ended my 370 trillion years of demon history. Speaking of it, it is truly inconceivable, and it can also be said to be the Great Compassionate Heart of Namo Amituofo—allowing us to be led away without any pain and without any interference. To achieve this, it actually requires very deep skills and merits."

A Final Word to the Juniors

"My demon juniors, I want to advise you: 'I met Namo Amituofo only when I was so old; it is because I have such blessings. 70 trillion years ago, I had already heard the name of Namo Amituofo. The power of this Buddha-name began to work at this time, bringing me to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.' You juniors in the demon realm are so blessed; you heard the name 'Namo Amituofo' when you were so young, and you were also sent to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. So I hope you will just 'listen to Practitioner Su.' Do not run around anymore, doing this and that, doing those harmful things. Do not go back to the demon realm anymore; of course, you cannot go back, which is also the Buddha's compassion, keeping you on the lotus seat so you cannot go back.

How to save the human world and the demon realm? This topic is a bit serious.

My understanding of the human world is: the life of every spirit is very long. Do you think 380 trillion years is already very long? I tell everyone, everyone, the very beginning point in every Alaya consciousness, far exceeds 380 trillion years.

Of course, this situation also includes my own Alaya consciousness. It is just that I had never thought of looking at it before. Even if I had the ability, I did not look, let alone that my ability was not enough at that time, and naturally, I did not have the thought to look at the Alaya consciousness. In such a long time, one must do something meaningful.

The self-saving ability of the human world is very considerable. Because humans have infinite potential, and this potential refers to the 'true self.' This infinite possibility requires you to be willing to explore it yourself. If you are not willing and do not take action yourself, relying only on the Buddha's power, I think the Buddha cannot help you either. If even you yourself do not have the heart to save yourself, how can the Buddha save you? If He saves you up, and you let go of His hand and jump into the sea, wanting to end this life, is it that simple? It is not that simple.

If you really die in this life, your soul will definitely not go to any good place. Because if you die in the sea, what good place can you go to? Why do I specifically mention this part? Because Taiwan is surrounded by the sea, and now Australia, where I am, is the same; it is surrounded by the ocean. Of course, for people in the mainland, if the place where they live is not near the sea, they will not have this feeling. But this is also to remind everyone not to consume too much energy, otherwise, it will hurt your blessings, and your karmic fortune will be exhausted.

In fact, many beings in the human world were transformed from the demon realm in the past. If you save people, Namo Amituofo will definitely know. Things we do not know, the Buddha knows. Moreover, we have already told Namo Amituofo that we want to follow the Buddha to save beings. This is truly a bright path—a flat, bright, clean, and unpolluted Buddha's path. A truly bright path.

I hope everyone can walk on this bright path and arrive at the destination early—the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. It can also be said: the destination of humans is in the human world, and the destination of demons is in the Buddha's path. This is very reasonable.

Alright, I will stop here today.

Namo Amituofo.

Mo Sa-ou"