The Demon's Confession: From Planetary Ruler to Repentance

This is a record of an interview with the spirit known as Mo Dashan, 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 past as a planetary ruler, his descent into the Demon Realm, and his eventual transformation through the boundless compassion of Practitioner Su. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 10, 2023.

Mo Dashan speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Dashan. I once commanded an entire planet in the universe known as the 'Nanpula Wa Planet'.

The Fall of a Planetary Ruler

My planet was remarkably similar to Earth. We shared an identical environment, and all my subjects possessed human bodies. You could say our world was a second Earth. The population of my planet was many times greater than that of Earth—if you calculate Earth's population at 7.88 billion, my subjects numbered over a hundred times that. It was a staggering amount of life, a vast civilization that I held in the palm of my hand.

Unlike Earth, which is divided into many nations, our entire planet was one single land, one nation, and I was the sole ruler. You can imagine the immense power I held. However, I must say with deep shame that my planet was eventually conquered by the Demon Realm. It was a slow, agonizing collapse that I, in my arrogance, failed to prevent.

The Lure of Selfishness

The reason the demon crowds were able to conquer my planet was entirely my fault. My error lay in my own selfishness. My selfishness infected every one of my subjects. Whether it was the policies I enacted, the way I governed, or my every action, my selfishness was at the core. I was the King; no one dared to challenge me. I myself was unable to see how far off the path I had strayed. I let my planet wither away, step by step. The root cause of this decay was this 'selfishness', which turned our world into a place where evil flourished and Goodness was scarce.

My subjects became obsessed with their own interests. They grew increasingly calculating, and disputes became a daily occurrence. Because my policies were unjust, our entire planet drifted further and further off course until it was completely lost. The planet was filled with such disharmony that its energy plummeted. In the end, my subjects began to die one by one, and the planet became uninhabitable. We were facing the tragic end of our world, a desolate, dying husk of what it once was.

The Deal with the Demon King

At the very last moment, when my planet could no longer sustain itself, the Great Demon King of the Demon Realm arrived. We had the ability to communicate with these spirits. The Great Demon King asked me directly: would I allow them to rule our planet? They claimed they had a way to prevent our destruction, and that I, too, could survive. Do you know what I thought of in that moment? I thought only of myself. I wanted to live, so I immediately agreed to all the Great Demon King's conditions. I handed over my planet to the demons. Their method of governance was to enter my body and use it to rule the entire world.

To save my own life, I allowed demons to inhabit me and commit all manner of atrocities against my people. Under their rule, my planet became completely filled with demon nature. My subjects' bodies were taken over one by one; no one lived as themselves anymore—they were all puppets of the demons. Finally, my own body faced death. Before I could repay the karma I had created, I entered the Demon Realm. It was the demon heart I had cultivated through my own selfishness and malice that led me into the Demon Realm, where I became a great demon.

The Invasion of Earth

I began to commit evil everywhere I went. I conquered every planet I could find. My 'demon children and grandchildren' grew in number, and my demon nature became stronger and stronger. No one could defeat me. I was incredibly proud of my achievements, continuing to expand my territory and building my demon dens on every planet I conquered. When I discovered Earth, I was astonished. I was shocked that Earth looked so much like the planet I had once ruled. My heart actually felt a sense of joy and excitement. My ambition drove me to want to be a King again—the supreme leader with the most power. I began to observe Earth, thinking about how I could strike to become its highest ruler.

The method I used was to control the people of Earth. My goal was to make every human obey me; only then could I occupy the entire planet. As I observed how to control them, I discovered that the hearts of Earth's people were just like those of my former subjects: they all possessed 'selfishness'. Two people might look friendly, smiling at each other, but what they thought in their hearts was not what they showed. They were all thinking of themselves, standing only in their own positions. Beyond selfishness, there was also deep-seated scheming. We saw the terrifying faces of many humans, and the root cause was always that they only thought of themselves.

The Encounter with Practitioner Su

Once I discovered these secrets, I was overjoyed. I knew that if I started to manipulate the people of Earth, they would soon be under my control, and they would all obey us demons—no one would be able to be their own master. As long as we had enough power to control their bodies one hundred percent, telling them to go east or west, how could the whole Earth not be ours? I began to plan, targeting every aspect of the human heart, intending to ensure that no human could escape our grasp. However, while we were planning and testing, another force was constantly confronting us. Every time this force appeared, I could feel its presence, but I did not know where it came from.

Just recently, as we were preparing to fully occupy the bodies of the leaders of every nation, this force appeared again. I roared in anger: 'Who is it?' No one answered. I shouted again: 'Who is playing tricks behind my back? Come out!' My demon subordinate returned to report: 'Report, Demon King, we have found the source of that power. It is the Earthling, Practitioner Su.' I asked in confusion: 'Who is Practitioner Su?' My subordinate reported all the information he had gathered, and only then did I realise that there was such a powerful person on Earth who could oppose us. Facing the repeated attacks of Practitioner Su's Buddha-light, I could not let him go. I immediately told all my demon children and grandchildren: 'Change targets! Attack Practitioner Su with everything we have!'

A Final Realisation

I gathered all my demon children and grandchildren together. Their numbers were beyond calculation; as far as the eye could see, there was no end. This was the result of the thousands of years I had spent as a demon. I told them: 'Practitioner Su is the greatest obstacle to our conquest of Earth. If we want to take Earth, we must first face him. Change our target to Practitioner Su. Attack him together. As long as Practitioner Su surrenders, Earth will surely be ours.' We arrived at the place where Practitioner Su resided. It looked very serene, but there were many demon crowds there already. Upon asking, I learned they were also there to find Practitioner Su. After all my demon children and grandchildren arrived, they filled the entire sky, dense and without a single gap. Then, at my command, they all began to use magic. The target of our interference, attack, and control was Practitioner Su's physical body. Every demon used their full strength to deal with him. I believed he would soon be defeated.

We had to admit that the Buddha-light here was incredibly powerful. With so many demons and such strong magic, we were unable to fully unleash our power; it was blocked by the Buddha-light. Practitioner Su's body was not so easily attacked. We tried many times but failed. But we did not give up—to give up is to lose. We refused to lose; we had to win, so we continued to attack. Practitioner Su's body felt our presence. He began to counterattack, using immense Buddha-light to deliver our demon crowds. Finally, he struck his loud Dharma instrument once, and we were all sent into the Western Land of Dharma Nature, not one left behind.

Mo Dashan

The Buddha gave Mo Dashan the Dharma name 'Shi Zhenxing'.

Shi Zhenxing (Mo Dashan) shares his thoughts on participating in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies:

'Have we lost?' my demon child asked me. I shook my head and replied: 'Not yet, keep observing.' I was not willing to give up. Even though I was already sitting on a lotus seat, I did not think I had lost. I tried every method to use my magic, but nothing worked. After failing again and again, another Demon King sitting on a lotus seat said to me: 'Give up! You cannot win against Practitioner Su. This is the Buddha's place. You are already completely enveloped by the Buddha-light; how could you possibly use your magic? Just surrender obediently!'

I was truly unwilling, but I had to admit that the Buddha-light was very strong. I could feel my own magic power constantly weakening, and even my hatred began to fade. This was an inconceivable power influencing me. When my heart was almost calm, I looked at Practitioner Su. He was delivering sentient beings. I saw that Practitioner Su's heart was Good, without a trace of evil. I also saw that Practitioner Su was truly working for the sake of all beings, letting go of the 'self'. The more I looked, the more I repented, because I did not have a heart like Practitioner Su's, which was why I had harmed the subjects of my planet and let them be controlled by demons. I also saw Practitioner Su's countless billions of manifestations delivering sentient beings throughout the Milky Way, including all the places where demons reside. I had thought Practitioner Su wanted to harm us, but now I saw clearly: it was truly our fault, and Practitioner Su was trying to save us. I collapsed on the lotus seat, knowing I had been completely wrong. I felt deep repentance, and I asked all my demon children and grandchildren to kneel and repent, begging for the Buddha's forgiveness.

Shi Zhenxing

Namo Amituofo."