The Demon's Confession: A Message from the Pandemic

This interview was recorded on August 18, 2021, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. The speaker is the spirit of Mo Zui, a former Demon King who participated in the global pandemic. After being subdued by Practitioner Su, he now resides in the Western Land of Dharma Nature and has been given the Dharma name Shi Qingxin.

Mo Zui (Shi Qingxin) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Zui. I have long since arrived here, and I now reside peacefully in the Western Land of Dharma Nature at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. In the past, my dwelling place changed frequently. I believed that as a Demon King, I had to travel to every corner of the world to broaden my horizons and enrich my demonic life; otherwise, I would not have lived up to my time in the Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm has its own space, just as the human world has its own. In the overlapping spaces of the Earth, the human world does not perceive the existence of the Demon Realm, yet the Demon Realm is fully aware of what occurs in the human world. In fact, there are many opportunities for these spaces to interact. For instance, demons can freely enter the human world because we are spiritual beings existing in a spiritual dimension. Generally, the level of this dimension is higher than that of the human body, which is why the Demon Realm is not unfamiliar with humans and can move in and out of the human world at will. However, because humans cannot touch or grasp the Demon Realm, they harbour an inexplicable fear and anxiety toward us. They feel they cannot understand or control the Demon Realm, leaving them in a passive state. Thus, whenever the 'Demon Realm' is mentioned, people instinctively recoil.

A Global Collaboration of Shadows

This time, the Demon Realm joined in the spread of the global pandemic. Demons from various dimensions participated—not just those from the Earth's demonic space, but also those from the universe and even the Demon Realm within the Heavenly Realm! Such a large-scale collaboration among demons is quite rare. It occurred because each group complemented the others' shortcomings, making it impossible for humans to control the pandemic, no matter how hard they tried, because our coordination was seamless.

To be honest, my participation in this pandemic began when I accidentally heard in the Demon Realm that a massive 'screening of life and death' was about to occur on Earth. It was a 'final settlement of accounts,' where the negative karma created in past lives and the retribution due would be concluded in this lifetime. This piqued my interest, and so I joined in. Consequently, the outcome for every person infected with this virus differed—some died, some recovered, and some were left with lingering after-effects. Ultimately, it all comes down to the laws of karma and cause and effect. Naturally, with the intervention of our Demon Realm, the progression of these situations became faster and more unpredictable.

The Toll of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers

Under the participation of myself and my 'demon children and grandchildren,' the conservative estimate of victims is approximately forty thousand, with about eleven thousand deaths. Perhaps we showed some mercy, as the current casualties have not yet reached our initial targets. The region I was responsible for was the Yangtze and Yellow River basins in China, as these are the 'mother rivers' of China that have nurtured so much life. Yet, looking at the flow of history, they have carried so much joy and sorrow, grievances and grudges, and the rise and fall of dynasties. Countless lives have died and been reborn! These causal conditions were also an account that needed to be settled during this pandemic, which is why we were assigned to this basin.

Since we arrived at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and were subdued by Practitioner Su, we now reside in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Naturally, other demons have come to fill the vacancies left by me and my followers in the pandemic. The number of beings in the Demon Realm is actually difficult to calculate. Humans have physical bodies, so their total number can be counted, but for spiritual beings like us, calculating a total is not an easy task. To put it simply, it is no exaggeration to say that the number of demons is immeasurable and boundless. Humans can only exist within the human space on Earth, but spiritual beings like us permeate the entire universe and every planet that harbours life. Think about it—how could one possibly count such a vast number? Under these circumstances, if there were not an immense power that could make everyone truly convinced and willing to retreat, it would be impossible to stop the development of the pandemic. If only a portion retreated, it would be far too easy for other demons to fill the gaps.

The Shock of Namo Amituofo

When the pandemic swept across the globe and caused widespread panic, news reached us that Namo Amituofo could be invited to save the world from this pandemic at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This was a shocking event for the Demon Realm. If it had been some ordinary person claiming to save the world, we would not have paid any attention. But when it came to Namo Amituofo, it was a different story! Namo Amituofo is known to all; he is the teaching master of the Buddha’s teachings and the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, governing the Western Land. What kind of causal conditions could allow Namo Amituofo to emerge to save the world from a pandemic? Who on Earth could possibly invite Namo Amituofo? The Buddha’s teachings are a fair power in the universe, and this pandemic has its causes and effects. How would the Buddha participate in this? These questions sparked great curiosity in the Demon Realm, so we came one after another to investigate. I, Mo Zui, was one of them.

The key figure was Practitioner Su. Practitioner Su's name is known to almost every demon king of any significance in the Demon Realm! Before I entered the temple this time, I was warned by another demon king: 'Do not go and never return. Do not follow in the footsteps of other demon kings. If you are wise, stay away, for no one can bear this risk.' I told that demon king, 'You don't need to worry about me. I, Mo Zui, have seen great storms and weathered many turbulent waves. This time, I am merely investigating; I have no intention of challenging anyone. Nothing should go wrong. If there is a change, I leave my demon children and grandchildren to your care.' In truth, when I said those words, it was merely a polite exchange. I never expected that they would actually come true!

The Light of the Temple

Upon arriving at the temple with some of my followers, I knew immediately that this was no ordinary place. The magnetic field and energy were different from any other temple. 'Light' is my best indicator, and the light here was boundless. It was exactly as the four characters inscribed on the temple gate suggested. Such radiance, capable of shining infinitely, is not something an ordinary practitioner can cultivate. After observing for two or three days, I realised that lectures were being held continuously, and the speaker was Practitioner Su himself. We know that when a true great practitioner gives a lecture, beings from the human world in the visible space and immeasurable spirits from the invisible space all participate. I have witnessed such scenes a few times before, and it was exactly as I expected! This is why this place can maintain a magnetic field of the True Teachings.

When I saw Practitioner Su performing Chao Du during the morning daily practice, I realised that Namo Amituofo was truly here. Although it was night in the human world, in another dimension of the temple, the Buddha-light was shining everywhere, brilliant and incomparable! This is not something visible to the physical eyes. I wonder how many people would believe me if I said this? However, whether they believe it or not is unimportant, because everything has its cause and effect. Belief has its own causal conditions, and disbelief has its own affinity. Everything follows the natural flow of conditions.

Subdued by the Dharma

After observing Practitioner Su for a few days, I, who have been in the Demon Realm for about two or three thousand years, wanted to explore how a human could cultivate the Buddha's path and what their physical condition was like. I approached Practitioner Su with my followers, intending to enter his body to investigate. However, before I could even enter, Practitioner Su sensed us. He began to cough and said, 'Who is trying to enter my body? Write a memorial tablet!' I never expected Practitioner Su's body to be so sensitive! We were only moving at a low speed, yet we were discovered. After our memorial tablet was written and the large chime was struck, we had no power to resist and were sucked into the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This process was extremely fast, and it changed my demonic life forever.

In these quiet days, we have let go of all our pasts. We simply stay here peacefully. Involuntarily, our demon nature has been cleansed, and the bits and pieces of the past have naturally surfaced in our minds...

A Life of Greed and Grudges

I was born two thousand five hundred years ago into a wealthy family. My father was a landlord who guarded the family fortune left by my grandfather. 'Harmony brings wealth' was our family motto. My grandfather made money through trade and taught the techniques to my father. My father was excellent at managing wealth, so our family situation was even more prosperous than in my grandfather's time. We children lived very well; my mother gave birth to three sons and two daughters, all of whom received a good education. My father admonished us, 'We would rather suffer a loss ourselves than let others suffer a loss.' He also said, 'To suffer a little loss in business is to gain many advantages.' He told us to remember never to offend others; we would rather others treat us unfairly than for us to treat others unfairly. We took these words to heart. I often saw people leaving my father's house with smiles after discussing business. This was my father's business acumen—he would always take a small loss to ensure the other party left satisfied. Consequently, those who did business with my father would return for a second time. This was my father's way of generating wealth.

We children were influenced by this from a young age, especially the sons. Due to the innate limitations of men and women, we felt a sense of responsibility to do business and earn money, and I was no exception. Later, when I established my own life, my father let us choose whether to stay home or go out. I chose to go out and start my own business. Unexpectedly, I encountered the jealousy of my peers because they saw my business thriving. I even offered them some benefits, but although they accepted on the surface, they remained unconvinced in their hearts. I could feel their true intentions, but I did not address them because I believed that was a matter of personal cultivation and style, and it was not appropriate to intervene. I never expected that this would plant the seeds of disaster...

The Path to the Demon Realm

When I went out to do business, a round trip took about half a month. During one trip, we were ambushed by bandits! The bandits were masked, and I could not see their faces. They robbed me of the money I had earned. That was fine; I begged them to spare our lives, but they gave us no way out and killed us all! I died in that robbery. After death, my spirit sought to find out who had harmed me. I never expected it to be my business partner. He was an acquaintance of my father who believed my father had stolen his business, causing his family to decline. He held a grudge. Taking advantage of the fact that I had left my father's protection, he used the guise of a business partnership to lower my guard and made a fortune from it. Although I knew this, I did not argue with them. They believed this was what my father owed them. They not only took my life but also cut off my limbs, refusing to let me have a complete body, and seized my house and property, leaving my wife and children homeless. My heart was filled with rage. I felt that my father and I had always done good, yet we ended up in such a miserable state!

My spirit was filled with resentment. I felt that the other party needed to pay for this 'sin'! In this state of mind, my spirit was filled with darkness and anger, and I was absorbed into the Demon Realm. The space of the Demon Realm is different from the grey space where spirits usually reside; it belongs to a strong magnetic field within the darkness. In the underworld or the ghost realm, such a magnetic field causes unease and threat, so demon kings can often absorb spirits filled with injustice and resentment into the Demon Realm to become their followers. My power continued to expand, and time flew by—two thousand years passed... and now, my days here have been brought to an end by Practitioner Su.

A Heart of Repentance

At this moment, my demon nature and power are far less than before because listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma every day is a powerful force of purification. It purifies not only the beings who listen but also us demons. Having been transformed by the magnetic field here, I have lost the aura of a Demon King, replaced by a faint, peaceful heart. Especially after participating in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies several times, I felt a desire to leave the Demon Realm. If the environment here can purify a Demon King like me, how much more so for ordinary spirits and my followers? After this experience, I had to believe that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su could succeed in saving the world from this pandemic!

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

In the human world, we demons usually watch Dharma assemblies with the attitude of watching a play. In modern times, few practitioners have the ability to save beings from the ghost realm; if they can save them to the Heavenly Realm, we already consider that quite good. Although Dharma assemblies are held frequently in temples everywhere, at best, they allow ghost spirits to have a meal and provide some comfort so they do not cause trouble, maintaining local peace. As for 'Chao Du,' it often fails, though sometimes it succeeds. To us, these assemblies are merely a way for the human world to pacify the ghost realm. But the Thrice Yearning Ceremony here is vastly different. It is something I have never seen before. It is truly as they say: Namo Amituofo and all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are gathered in one place! The energy field at that time was extremely abundant—a massive magnetic field filled with compassion and warmth. It was an inconceivable scene. I have never seen so many beings from the Heavenly Realm seeking deliverance, and even demons and beings from the Asura realm were among them. Especially when the great Heavenly Kings of the Demon Realm brought their followers to seek deliverance—I had heard of it before, but seeing it with my own eyes was truly breathtaking! This alone forces us demons to believe that this place is truly a Buddha-land and that Namo Amituofo is here.

During the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, we can see Namo Amituofo, with his incredibly tall stature! It is truly as the legends in the Demon Realm say: there is a power in the Buddha's teachings that can subdue the demons of the Dharma-ending age. This power is meant to save the connected beings on Earth from disaster. I believe this legend refers to this place—the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre! Seeing Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su so compassionately saving so many beings to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss during every Thrice Yearning Ceremony, I feel deeply ashamed. My previous actions—constantly destroying, and the deaths I caused during this pandemic—now seem so wrong. For the people, it was truly a disaster. Even if it was the retribution they deserved, the natural world has its own fair power of judgment; it did not require our Demon Realm to execute it, because what we demons do is not the Truth or the righteous path.

Thinking of this, a heart of repentance arose within me, but it is too late; what should not have been done has been done. Now, I should face the retribution I deserve with equanimity. However, the Buddha treats us with such compassion, placing us in this place. I have no complaints or grievances. I stay here quietly, and the storms I weathered in the past are blocked outside.

During the ceremony, I followed everyone in chanting 'Namo Amituofo' with a repentant heart. Now, I, Mo Zui, together with my followers, chant 'Namo Amituofo' in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo... I do not know what the future holds, but in any case, we will continue to chant Namo Amituofo."

Mo Zui

The Buddha gave Mo Zui the Dharma name Shi Qingxin.