The Demon's Choice: Surrendering to the Light

This is a record of an interview with Mo Xuan Zhuan, a demon who participated in the spread of the pandemic. He sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This account reflects upon his experiences during the pandemic. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on August 12, 2021.

Mo Xuan Zhuan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. My name is Mo Xuan Zhuan. To be perfectly honest, I have been lingering around this temple for several days now. With the Dharma assembly scheduled for tomorrow, I felt it was time to make a decisive choice. We had been gathering intelligence on this place for some time. You see, the global pandemic—that 'hot potato' that everyone is struggling with—is something we have been watching closely. We knew that this centre had already grasped the core of the issue: that there are specific demon crowds within the pandemic who are actively spreading the virus to accelerate its development. Furthermore, word had reached us that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su were preparing to step forward to halt the further spread of this virus and stop it from claiming more human lives. Once that news leaked out, the entire Demon Realm was shaken to its core!"

The Tremor in the Demon Realm

"Over these past few days, the character of many Demon Kings, along with their demon children and grandchildren, has been wavering. Hearing the Dharma talks and lectures given by Practitioner Su has had a profound impact on us. We are just one small part of that collective shift. Our initial motive for coming to the temple—if I am to put it politely—was to 'scout the situation.' But in our hearts, we had a more pragmatic thought: 'wait and see what happens.'

Let me tell you, not every demon is inherently cruel or vicious. When we gather in the Demon Realm, if you do not display your own unique 'talents' or 'flair,' you simply cannot survive. If you want to carve out a place for yourself, you have to be seen. If your demon nature isn't ruthless or prominent enough, you are often ignored, or worse, absorbed as a subordinate by some other Demon King. This is a side of the Demon Realm that the world knows nothing about. In truth, those of us whose demon nature isn't quite 'sharp' enough still have remnants of our original Goodness that haven't been entirely replaced by our demon nature. Because of this, we lack the sheer boldness and destructive power required to climb the ranks. If one were to seek a path of repentance and return to the right way, it is actually those of us in this category who find it easiest to turn back."

The Hidden Truth of Demon Hierarchy

"During this pandemic, even those of us who were not naturally inclined toward extreme cruelty felt the pressure. In the highly competitive environment of the Demon Realm, we were forced to be much more ruthless than we would have been otherwise, just to produce 'results' for the pandemic. We are a group of demons who enjoy thinking and reflecting, so in this pandemic, our specific responsibility was to target those humans who are prone to deep thought, fantasy, and those who suffer from excessive delusions and messy thoughts. Most people in the world believe in the laws of karma and cause and effect, and believe it or not, some of us demons actually have a faint, lingering voice in our hearts that acknowledges the existence of these laws. However, because we are trapped in the Demon Realm, that voice is a hindrance to the development of our demon nature, so we often deliberately ignore it. But that does not mean it isn't there.

When the pandemic began claiming so many human lives, some of us actually wanted to put a full stop to it—to end the mission of taking lives. That is why, when we heard that Practitioner Su was subduing the demon crowds and that the Greatly Compassionate Namo Amituofo was actually residing right here, we decided to come and investigate for ourselves, albeit in secret."

A Choice to Stop the Suffering

"Today, we finally took action. We boldly moved forward and circled around The Head of Practitioner Su. We didn't get too close—we kept a respectful distance in the air—but Practitioner Su immediately sensed our presence. He had a memorial tablet written for us, not just for the sake of purification, but to allow us to listen to the Buddha’s teachings. In reality, asking to listen to the teachings is synonymous with wanting to surrender to the Buddha’s gate.

Now, thanks to the compassion of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, we have been granted our wish to enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature. The heavy stone that has been weighing on our hearts has finally been lifted. You must understand, in the Demon Realm, an act like this would be mocked and looked down upon. But Practitioner Su did not treat us with such disdain. The place where we reside now—the Western Land of Dharma Nature—is the same environment where many of the famous pandemic Demon Kings, who were subdued by Practitioner Su previously, are also staying."

Finding Peace in the Western Land of Dharma Nature

"This has allowed us to deeply experience the equality of the Buddha’s teachings. We were not looked down upon because of our past, nor did we receive any unequal treatment because of our motives for surrendering. We have brought with us a mindset of total acceptance for all these arrangements, and we are content and at peace staying here. This is the preliminary situation of our current state. Namo Amituofo."