The Demon's Defeat: A Lesson in Humility

This is a record of an interview with the plague demon known as 'Hatred', 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 experiences during the global pandemic. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on August 9, 2021.

Demon Hatred speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Hatred. My demon children and grandchildren call me 'Lord Hatred'. Is that introduction too arrogant? In our Demon Realm, this is simply the standard etiquette of social exchange. We inevitably exchange a few pleasantries, especially when meeting for the first time. You do not know me, and I do not know you; it all depends on how much 'attainment' you have to see through the other party. Whatever you see through is revealed in the conversation, to a greater or lesser extent. However, one must never easily reveal the full depth of one's own power. Once you show your hand, there is no mystery left, and your stature is diminished in the eyes of others. Therefore, everyone keeps a portion of their strength in reserve. Only when you demonstrate that hidden power do you prove that you are a true Demon King with real skills!"

The Awe of the Buddha-Land

"However, upon arriving here today, before I even entered from the air, I saw the light radiating from this place and knew immediately that I had to show some reverence. I had heard that this is a Buddha-land, and that they have a few tricks up their sleeves for subduing the demons of the pandemic. Several others who were called 'Lord Demon' have already 'twisted their waists' here—they were subdued and have never shown their faces in the Demon Realm again. For the Demon Realm, this is both good and worrying. The good part is that a Demon King must eventually step down; there must be a metabolism, a chance for the younger generation of demon children and grandchildren to take office. The worrying part is that if it happens too suddenly, the Demon King's magic cannot be passed down, which is a pity. But that depends on one's own blessings!"

The Strategy of the Pandemic

"I come from the Americas, an area heavily impacted by the pandemic. Of course, I know that in the last two days, Practitioner Su has also visited Japan—we know this from the reports of my demon children and grandchildren. I have my own subordinates spreading the virus in Japan as well. In this collaborative effort of the Demon Realm during the global pandemic, each Demon King is responsible for a specific region and a target number of casualties. If the goal is met, we can increase it; if not, we are often transferred to a different epidemic zone or sent reinforcements. As for the places I have been, I have basically met my targets faithfully. The fact that this pandemic has progressed so smoothly is largely due to the fact that the human world cannot effectively counter us. This is humanity's great failure this time; they never imagined that a virus could be wielded with such devastating effect. Although humans call themselves the 'most intelligent of all beings', and some professionals know the terror of viral mutations, humans are inherently defenceless against this. They have no effective way to resist. This is the method Heaven and Earth are using to conduct a major 'cleansing' of the human world. We in the Demon Realm joined in voluntarily because this is something we are happy to see. I never expected that someone would emerge to block the progress of the pandemic. Upon listening closely, I learned that the one saving the world from the pandemic is Namo Amituofo from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. We dare not offend Namo Amituofo, but as for this person called Practitioner Su, I had never heard of him before. Over the past few years, I have heard bits and pieces of news about him—they say he has quite a few methods for subduing the Demon Realm. In recent years, there have been scattered, stray demon children and grandchildren in the Demon Realm with nowhere to go because their Demon Kings were subdued by Practitioner Su and never returned. These strays cannot amount to much, but as a member of the demon crowd, and especially as a Demon King, I have an obligation to care for them, so we absorbed these lost but numerous souls."

The Threat of Practitioner Su

"For the past two or three days, I have received reports from my subordinates that Practitioner Su has been taking his followers to visit hospitals in the epidemic zones, and the Buddha-light he brings has delivered many souls who died from the pandemic. I have also learned that if there are countries or leaders who support Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, they will stand up to resolve the pandemic. This is no small matter! The pandemic has achieved its current results through our collective efforts; how could we let this brilliant 'achievement' come to a full stop? Therefore, I came to see what countermeasures or weaknesses I could find to stop or sabotage Practitioner Su's actions.

Early this morning, I brought a small group of my subordinates who work in the epidemic zones to this place. The security here is tight, with layers of blockade. It does not look like a simple place. Legend has it that Namo Amituofo is residing here, so we came with hearts full of fear and respect. Of course, at this moment, we had to put away our demon nature."

The Conflict of Buddha-Nature and Demon-Nature

"Generally, if one can manifest some Buddha-nature while still in a demonic state, it requires a Demon King who has some understanding of the Buddha’s teachings to do so. Only with such ability can one convince religious figures who study the Dharma! After all, to be honest, current practitioners have both Buddha-nature and demon-nature. It depends on which part is stronger. Those with strong Buddha-nature can cover up their demon-nature and appear to have Buddha-nature, and some even attract many followers. Those monastics with strong demon-nature, because they have been influenced by the Buddha’s teachings, can integrate their demon-nature into their Buddha-nature. This mixed personality, part Buddha and part demon, represents the contradictions and conflicts in the hearts of modern people. Therefore, the followers attracted by these types of practitioners also mostly carry this kind of character. Of course, these practitioners are also targets that we in the Demon Realm can absorb, because their Buddha-nature covers up deep-seated desires. Although they cannot show it too clearly, it cannot escape our demon eyes! We can use their desires to seduce them. This is the reason why Shakyamuni Buddha spoke of the age of the Dharma’s decline, where demon crowds wear the kasaya to perform Buddhist work.

Of course, there is another type of practitioner who manifests pure Buddha-nature without a trace of demon-nature. These practitioners are the ones the demon crowds must retreat from and respect, because they are not seduced by any desires, so the demons cannot strike. Instead, it is their 'Buddha-eyes' that can see through the hearts of the demon crowds. This is what the Buddha’s teachings call 'subduing demonic enemies and obtaining the subtle Dharma'. In the beginning, Shakyamuni Buddha also passed the tests of the Demon Realm, manifesting his total Buddha-nature without being moved by a single demonic desire, and only then was he able to become a Buddha. Since Shakyamuni Buddha, we in the Demon Realm have not encountered a practitioner who could repeatedly challenge the Demon Realm, break what we do, and sabotage our plans—one or two times would be one thing, but this is happening again and again. Now, he has proposed to resolve the pandemic. If this were said by an ordinary person, we would not take it to heart and would ignore it; but the words of this Practitioner Su truly force us to take precautions."

A Misstep in the Buddha-Land

"I, Hatred, act decisively! I show no mercy to those with whom I have enmity; but I do not offend those with whom I have no grudge. I am a demon with principles. Regarding Practitioner Su, I previously chose to avoid contact because I heard that this practitioner has his own methods for subduing demonic enemies—he cannot be underestimated! But at this critical juncture, my responsibility is that 'anything that causes interference to the pandemic must be blocked, or even sabotaged', so I had no choice but to make this trip to the temple to see if there was any way to stop Practitioner Su from interfering with the progress of the pandemic. I never expected that I would 'stumble' here. I only wanted to get a little closer to test the extent of Practitioner Su's skills so that I could 'prescribe the right medicine', yet I fell right here! Not only was the number of demon children and grandchildren I brought written down clearly—one billion, ninety-one million, and nine hundred thousand—but even my name could not be hidden: Hatred. I have some fame in the Demon Realm; it is truly shameful to have fallen in this place! At this moment, I have been arranged in a place that looks very bright and pure. Could this be the famous Western Land of Dharma Nature? Alas, I cannot move, and I can only listen and accept this interview with Practitioner Su, speaking a few words to state the reason for my arrival.

It seems that Practitioner Su is truly not a simple figure. If he says he wants to resolve the pandemic, and with Namo Amituofo truly involved, it is indeed possible. I must appeal to my partners here: this is a very troublesome matter! If there is any good method, we must act before they start; otherwise, if they really get to work, we may not be their match. This is the only advice I, Hatred, can offer my partners at this time. This is the price I paid with my demon body. As for what will happen afterwards, I cannot predict!"

Hatred

Namo Amituofo.