The Demon's Conversion: A Nine-Hundred-Trillion-Year Journey

This is a record of an interview with Mo Xiucheng, an ancient demon who existed for nine hundred and seventy trillion years and sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his long existence and his eventual transformation. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe, on October 9, 2024.

Mo Xiucheng speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Xiucheng. If you want to carve out your own territory in the Demon Realm, you have to work incredibly hard. It is just like practicing the Buddha’s teachings; there is no such thing as getting something for nothing. The difference lies in the objective. When a demon strives for achievement, it is entirely for the sake of the self. We want to become stronger so that no other Demon King can defeat us. We want to build our own empire to satisfy our sense of superiority, our sense of accomplishment, and our arrogance. The more demon children and grandchildren you have, the more successful you are considered to be.

In contrast, a practitioner of the Buddha’s path seeks to achieve success by letting go of the 'self'—to discard it so thoroughly that you cannot even find a trace of it. They possess compassion, wisdom, the observance of Precepts, and meditative concentration. The more beings they save from suffering, the sooner their vows are fulfilled, and the sooner they become a Buddha. Becoming a great demon and becoming a Buddha are two extremes: one is evil, the other is Goodness; one is crooked, the other is upright. They are formed by different hearts, different behaviours, different appearances, and different vows, creating two opposing forces of darkness and light in the universe."

The Reality of Karmic Retribution

"In the past, no matter how old a demon lived to be—even the ancient demons—we all eventually faced disappearance. Now, everyone knows where the spirits that disappear go: they go to face karmic retribution. And let me tell you, that is absolutely, unimaginably painful! This is why, once demons reach the age of an old demon, they only want to hide away. They do not want to be dragged off by the laws of karma and cause and effect. No demon wants to suffer, so we have to find ways to keep ourselves alive for as long as possible. That is the only reason I, Mo Xiucheng, managed to survive for nine hundred and seventy trillion years.

But look at a practitioner of the Buddha’s path. Once they become a Buddha, they only think of saving beings. When they see beings suffering, they are so anxious to help them leave suffering behind that they are willing to endure the most extreme agony in their own bodies just to save them. They hope that all beings can become Buddhas just like them, and they exhaust every method to educate beings, giving lectures so that everyone knows how to attain Buddhahood."

The Strength of Practitioner Su

"Today, Practitioner Su is exactly like that. His physical body can endure the rude magical attacks of ancient and old demons—he does not fear the laws of karma, and he ignores the attacks of those who refuse to listen to the Buddha’s counseling. Only by doing this can he save these old and ancient demons. When he shouts, 'This body is very valuable!', the old and ancient demons who were attacking him and are now in the Western Dharma-Nature Land hear it and bow their heads in shame, not daring to look up.

These are the reflections and realizations I have had since arriving at the Western Dharma-Nature Land these past few days. Before this, I had never encountered a Buddha with such deep Dharma affinity. I was even shallow enough to think that Practitioner Su was just like the other practitioners I had met in the past—all bluff and bluster, or someone who had only one part of real skill but pretended to have ten, only to be easily defeated."

The Day the Twelve Lights Descended

"Now, the facts have proven that Practitioner Su has ten parts of real strength, yet he only displays one part of his skill. The result? We underestimated him, and we were completely subdued—our entire army was wiped out. Fortunately, Practitioner Su is the compassionate one; that is the only reason we were able to be saved. Everything changed so quickly that I was left completely defenceless. But even the strongest defence is no match for the power of the Twelve Lights. I have finally learned of the boundless, vast nature of the Buddha’s teachings and his compassion.

We were deep within the Dharma Realm. I led approximately three hundred and ninety-five 'Earths' worth of demon kings and their demon children and grandchildren to cast spells and attack Practitioner Su's throat. We used another thirty-five 'Earths' worth of demon forces to attack the fourfold assembly of disciples. The moment we were illuminated by the Twelve Lights, in a single instant, before we even understood the situation, we were sent into the Western Dharma-Nature Land. We were instantly transported from a world of darkness into a world of brightness. Everyone immediately left the Demon Realm and became followers of the Buddha’s path. This is something that none of us demons had ever imagined possible. This is where the brilliance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su lies. It requires a much higher level of skill to achieve this. Most importantly, this skill is used to save the demon crowds, not to confront or attack them. We are truly, deeply grateful."

A Warning to My Fellow Demons

"I, Mo Xiucheng, always thought I could keep practicing in the Demon Realm for as long as I wanted. Now, after nine hundred and seventy trillion years, I have met the Buddha and stopped. I have turned to practice the Buddha’s path, and I will carry a heart of gratitude and a willingness to learn anew as I study under Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su. This is the turning point of my spiritual life; it has spared me from the fear of karmic retribution. I understand now that the laws of karma do not disappear; the fruits of the evil deeds I committed in the past still exist. But by coming to the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I can stop the evil deeds and the retribution from manifesting. If you take this opportunity to change your heart, you can halt the fruition of that karma! This is something that can only be done at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, where Namo Amituofo, Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and Practitioner Su reside.

I counsel the old and ancient demons of the Dharma Realm: do not be like I was, foolishly harming Practitioner Su and only repenting and saying sorry now! I am speaking the truth. I hope that all the old and ancient demons in the Dharma Realm will stop casting spells and harming the Buddha who is capable of saving the Demon Realm! This is the sincere truth from my heart, and I hope that the Demon Realm—whether it be demons of the Dharma Realm, Earth demons, cosmic demons, Milky Way demons, otherworldly demons, or demonic beings—will listen to my sincere advice."

Namo Amituofo.