The Demon's Confession: A Plague God's Surrender

This is a record of an interview with the plague demon known as Mo Ci, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. Having been liberated from his dark existence, he now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his former life as a butcher, his subsequent descent into the Demon Realm, his failed attempt to attack Practitioner Su, and his ultimate surrender to the infinite compassion of Namo Amituofo. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on June 28, 2021.

Mo Ci speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Ci, one of the plague demons who participated in the recent pandemic and who was eventually brought within the body of Practitioner Su. Without possessing a certain level of skills, we could never call ourselves demons. The minimum requirement to enter the Demon Realm is to possess a heart of vengeance, coupled with a fierce, demonic nature. Only then are you qualified to be a member of our ranks. However, that is merely the entry-level standard. Once you enter the Demon Realm, you start as a little demon. Only after constant training by the Demon King and the accumulation of dark achievements can you slowly rise in status, becoming a mid-level demon, then a high-level demon, and finally, a supreme Demon King or a great demon.

The Ambition of a Plague Demon

There are, however, some demons who attain high status the moment they enter. This is because they possess grand ambitions and clear targets from the very beginning. For instance, the moment they arrive, they might decide to incite a war in a specific nation, trigger a cholera outbreak in a certain region, or infect a large group of people with a disease. If they possess sufficient and powerful ambition and capability, they can be promoted immediately. But this is not common; it requires immense boldness and courage to make such grand claims and carry out such destructive acts. Therefore, we have many rules in our realm. Between demons, there are various types of demon nature—some control emotions, some control desires, and others manipulate the greed within the human heart. Whatever characteristics humans possess, there is a corresponding demon to exploit them, categorized into different demonic factions. Regardless of the type, we are all inherently destructive, aggressive, and possessive. We want to destroy the Earth and make it our eternal domain.

Humans do not like us, but I must tell you: if demons did not exist, this world would be incredibly dull. Why? Because it is precisely because of the existence of demons that the world has the excitement, entertainment, desires, competition, and wars that humans seem to crave. Most of the things that make a human heart race are orchestrated by our realm. We love to see humans become emotionally agitated. The more intensely a human heart fluctuates, the easier it is for us to manipulate them or turn them into new members of our demonic ranks. This is what we thrive on.

The Pandemic and the Attack on Practitioner Su

The purpose of this pandemic was to subjugate humanity. Demon Kings from all corners gathered, each displaying their might and abilities. Our unified goal was to attack humanity. Unlike in the past, where we would strike through animals—like swine fever or the plague, which were harmful but not as devastating as this—the current pandemic is far more lethal. It is designed to kill humans directly and efficiently, stealing their lives away.

I am one of the Demon Kings who participated in this pandemic. My name is Mo Ci. My nature is as sharp as my name implies; the word 'thorn' suggests something difficult to approach. Any human I control feels the agony of my presence. That is my goal as a demon: to bring suffering to humanity.

I had heard of Practitioner Su, but in the past, he had not directly affected my sphere of influence, so I never sought him out. This is a self-imposed norm among those of us with power in the spiritual realms: if you do not offend me, I will not offend you. We keep to ourselves. Even if our paths are different, we do not interfere with each other's survival. However, this time it was different. Practitioner Su's power had begun to encroach upon my territory. Especially when he declared his intention to save the world from this pandemic, I felt a powerful hostility. I felt he was preparing to destroy our influence. The power he brought made me feel extremely uncomfortable, so I came here to find him and demand that he stop interfering with this pandemic.

The Unstoppable Power of Buddha

I knew that in the spiritual realms, Practitioner Su is like a Buddha—he has indeed realised the fruit of Buddhahood. But for us, the more one resembles a Buddha, the more they stand in opposition to us. Conversely, the more demonic a human is, the more likely they are to be our ally. We would never harm such a person; we would secretly help them to become a demon sooner. Many humans possess the traits to become demons, so finding new members is not difficult. We can pick suitable candidates from the crowd with ease. With just a little control and interference, they move from the fringes of the Demon Realm into our headquarters, becoming new, little demons, and eventually growing into great ones.

Few people possess the Buddha-nature that Practitioner Su has. We had never seen anything like it; he is the first. Therefore, controlling him was an incredibly difficult task. I once hovered around him, but his body was surrounded by Dharma protectors; it was not easy to invade. Fortunately, a highly intelligent demon named Mo Du came up with a brilliant plan. He suggested we all enter the air, and Practitioner Su would inhale us into his body himself. It required no effort on our part to attack him. We were all astonished and applauded Mo Du, praising his toxicity as truly legendary.

However, when we prepared to run wild inside his body, a strange phenomenon occurred. A force kept pushing us out. It was the powerful Buddha-light within him, shining with a golden brilliance that burned us! Some of my demon children and grandchildren cried out, 'Boss, we can't take it anymore! This is no ordinary human. If we stay, we will be evaporated by this golden light. Should we leave?' I roared at them, 'What are you saying? We worked so hard to break into this body! It is not a place you can enter whenever you please. We have already succeeded in the first step; how can we retreat? If other Demon Kings hear of this, how shameful it would be! If you are afraid, go hide somewhere!' They dared not speak again.

I, too, felt the agony inside. I kept holding on, but his Buddha-power was so immense that even my demonic power could barely withstand it. I knew that batch after batch of demons were being sent out. Many surrendered because they could no longer bear it. I wanted to hold on until the very end, to be the king who stayed the longest. But reality was different from my expectations. Before long, I was invited out. I am now sitting on a lotus seat. I do not know how it happened so suddenly. In a split second, I heard Practitioner Su call my name, and a vast yet gentle force pulled me out. I did not even have time to struggle.

A Life of Blood and Retribution

In truth, during my time inside, my demon nature had already weakened significantly. I could perceive everything happening here, including the fact that Practitioner Su truly wanted to save the world and held no malice toward us. Because I understood his sincerity and lack of ill intent, I was willing to surrender. Otherwise, had I been pulled out against my will, I would have caused a massive scene.

I know you all want to know why I became a demon. I must speak of my past to complete this interview. Before I became a demon, I was a butcher. To earn money and support my family, I killed many animals. We were a family of fifteen: my father, mother, wife, and eleven children, all relying on the money I earned.

My life was simple at first; I only slaughtered chickens, ducks, and geese. But after I turned forty, my ambition grew. When I learned that many people enjoyed eating dog meat, I began to slaughter dogs for sale. At first, I caught them myself. Later, a friend suggested I open a shop. He said a single dog could be made into a large pot of soup, and even the bones could be used for broth. With my skills, the business would surely flourish. I was encouraged and thought it was a great idea. I borrowed money to open a dog meat shop. Business boomed, and our family's finances improved year by year.

I never imagined that the spirits of those dogs would come for me. About five years after opening, disasters struck my family one after another. My children fell ill and died one by one. My eldest son’s body rotted; my eldest daughter suddenly collapsed and died; my third son had a seizure and drowned; my fourth daughter screamed in the kitchen before choking to death; and my wife choked on a piece of dog meat and never woke up. My family left me one by one. I did not know this was the karmic retribution for selling dog meat. To earn money, I continued the business, and eventually, the retribution fell upon me.

In the seventh year, I suffered a mental breakdown. I went insane, barking like a dog in the middle of the night. Later, I began to attack people on the street with a knife—specifically those who ate dog meat. I felt a strange, intense hatred. I wanted revenge on humanity. The villagers could no longer tolerate me, and I was arrested. I was not executed immediately. In prison, they treated me like a dog, putting a collar around my neck and forcing me to crawl on the ground. My food was dumped on the floor. This lasted for three years before I was beheaded. Just before my head hit the ground, I shouted to the heavens, 'Life is bitter! I am not reconciled!'

A powerful hatred drove me to seek revenge after death. Every day in prison, a voice whispered in my ear, 'You must become a demon and take revenge!' Even in my final moment, that voice remained. Indeed, after I stopped breathing, I became a demon. The moment my spirit left my body, I became a demon, ready to seek revenge on the world.

Opening that shop, being possessed by dog spirits, going insane, and becoming a demon after death—that was my life. Looking back, I realise how foolish I was. Everything is a matter of cause and effect. I was once a dog slaughtered for food, and after being reborn as a human, I slaughtered dogs, leading to my own demonic retribution. The laws of karma and cause and effect are terrifying! I am fortunate to be saved now; otherwise, I would still be lost in the pandemic, showing off my power and creating more karma. I am grateful to Practitioner Su for saving me, and to Namo Amituofo for accepting me. I have finally been reborn.

Mo Ci

Practitioner Su gave Mo Ci the Dharma name Shi Kai Ming.

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

Shi Kai Ming (Mo Ci) shares his thoughts on the Thrice Yearning Ceremony:

'Astonishing!' That is the only word I can use to describe the Thrice Yearning Ceremony I witnessed this week. When I was in the Demon Realm, I knew there were many spirits on Earth, but I did not know how many. I only focused on attacking the living to exact my revenge, so I never paid attention to the spirits drifting in space.

This was my first time attending the Thrice Yearning Ceremony at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Before it began, immeasurable and boundless spirits surrounded the temple, waiting for deliverance. As the ceremony started, they all became restless, competing to be saved. Batch after batch moved toward the golden light, filled with gratitude. Then, I saw Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body performing the deliverance, and I was in awe! How could a human do this? When he visualized, all these spirits appeared. They all knew to chant the Buddha’s name. Whether they were mountain spirits, tree spirits, flower spirits, grass spirits, or the countless ghosts in space, they all followed his Dharma Body. I was dumbfounded. I forgot to chant, but once I regained my senses, I quickly joined in: 'Namo Amituofo!'

As I chanted, I suddenly heard barking. I turned to see fierce, beast-like dogs charging at me—the very dogs I had slaughtered! I wanted to run, but I couldn't. I remembered the Buddha-name and chanted, 'Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo! Namo Amituofo!' When I opened my eyes, the fierce dogs were gone. I saw them heading toward the golden light, shedding their dog forms and returning to human shape. That is a scene I will never forget.

The Buddha’s teachings are far more powerful than our Demon Realm. I am full of admiration and I bow down in surrender! My surrender was the right choice. I shout to all: 'Members of the Demon Realm, surrender quickly! Our power is far inferior to the Buddha’s power. Only by turning to the Buddha can we stop suffering. Come quickly!'

Shi Kai Ming (Mo Ci)

Namo Amituofo.