The Demon's Defeat and Transformation

This is a record of an interview with the spirit known as the Great Demon, who was later given the Dharma name Shi Yuanzhen by Practitioner Su. He sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This account reflects upon his long history of controlling human bodies and his eventual transformation after encountering Practitioner Su. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 11, 2023.

Shi Yuanzhen (formerly the Great Demon) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Everyone knows that demons are wicked, yet no one has ever stopped to ask why we chose to become demons in the first place. For all the immeasurable and boundless time we have spent as demons, I must confess that we have never known a single moment of true happiness. You might wonder, if we are so miserable, why continue down this path? The truth is, we had no other choice. Once we stepped onto this demonic path, there was no turning back. To survive, we had to become increasingly cruel and evil, for only then could our demonic power grow. We were trapped, forced to keep moving forward into deeper darkness.

The Unlikely Encounter

Meeting Practitioner Su was, for us, an event beyond all comprehension. We have roamed the Demon Realm for countless aeons, yet we had never encountered anyone capable of truly helping us. We never imagined that such a person existed, let alone that we would eventually cross paths with him.

Before we understood who Practitioner Su was, we felt a deep sense of hostility toward him. We assumed he was an enemy of the demon crowds, and so we did everything in our power to attack him, desperate to ensure he would not continue to exist on this Earth. However, after we launched our attacks and were brought by Practitioner Su to the Western Land of Dharma Nature, we finally understood his true intentions. He was not the enemy we imagined; he was a being of pure compassion, genuinely seeking to save us from the Demon Realm, to help us find liberation and leave suffering behind.

The Sickness of the Human Heart

My heart is at peace now. I am currently in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, where I have participated in the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies and listened to the Dharma talks given by Practitioner Su. I can only say that I am incredibly fortunate—as are my 'demon children and grandchildren' and all the other spirits residing here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. If Practitioner Su had not saved us, our fate would have been unimaginably tragic. I truly do not know how many more cycles of reincarnation we would have had to endure before finding even a glimmer of hope for liberation. It would have been an endless, hopeless cycle, a journey without a destination.

Before coming here, I spent my time spreading evil, and Earth was one of the planets I targeted. There are so many demons here. When I first arrived, I was truly astonished. Earth is not a large planet, yet it was so densely packed with demons that it felt as if there was no room left. The primary reason for this, as I believe many other spirits have already explained, is the state of the human heart. The hearts of the people on Earth are sick. Everyone is ill, without exception. The root of this sickness is extreme selfishness—an obsession with one's own desires.

The Foolishness of the Human Body

The human body is truly a vessel of immense value. We demons are well aware that with a physical body, one can accomplish so much more than we ever could in our spectral forms. We are spirits without bodies, which limits our ability to act; humans, however, possess the very tools we lack. Because the human body is so useful, we compete to control them, using these bodies to commit all sorts of evil deeds to increase our own demonic power.

Think about it—are the people of Earth not incredibly foolish? They are indeed. They do not understand how to use their own bodies to help themselves. Instead, they allow their bodies to be controlled by us, committing karma that only serves to harm their own bodies and their own spirits. I am not even speaking of those who are still lost in the mundane world; I am speaking of those who have already begun to study the Dharma, especially monastics. Many monastics have already fallen under our control. They, too, fail to grasp the preciousness of their human form. They would rather let us control them than use their bodies to elevate their spirits.

The Trap of Attachment

These monastics are far too attached to their internal feelings, emotions, desires, and sentiments. Because they care so deeply about this 'body' and cannot let go of their attachment to it, we are able to take it over. We replace their will with our own, and they end up doing our bidding, creating endless karma. If these monastics truly understood how to cherish their bodies—not by indulging them, but by letting go of them and dedicating them to the service of immeasurable and boundless sentient beings—we would never be able to use them. That is why we laugh at how foolish humans are; even those who have left the home life cannot overcome the body's manipulation of their own minds.

If this continues, does it not mean that every person has wasted their human life, leaving this world having gained nothing? It certainly appears that way. Yet, they have gained something—the karma they created. That karma has nothing to do with us; they must bear the weight of it themselves. Even when we use their bodies to commit murder, the person who was killed is still their victim, and they must bear the sin. We have come to realise that we are no better off; no matter how we control others, we must eventually face the karmic retribution for our own actions. No demon can escape the Law of Cause, Condition, and Effect.

An Attempt to Conquer the Unconquerable

Selfishness is a universal ailment among humans, and it is the primary reason their 'evil hearts' are so easily nurtured. We demons are also incredibly selfish, which is why we resonate so perfectly with the human heart. We would never sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others; we always prioritise our own interests, regardless of the suffering we cause. We control others to satisfy our own needs and boost our power. Because our selfishness mirrors that of humans, we are perfect partners. When a human harbours selfish thoughts, they create a magnetic field that aligns with ours, allowing us to move in and out of their bodies at will.

We have been controlling the people of Earth for over six thousand years. We know humanity better than they know themselves. After playing with humans for so long, we had grown somewhat bored. So, when we heard of this figure known as 'Practitioner Su' living on Earth, we were filled with curiosity and a sense of novelty. My 'demon children and grandchildren' were all very excited, eager to find Practitioner Su's body and see how it differed from the others.

We had heard of Practitioner Su's skills, which sounded quite extraordinary, though we had not yet seen him in person. We relied entirely on hearsay. Soon, we found his physical body. We had never seen a human body emit golden light—and such a vast, radiant, brilliant golden light at that. That light alone told us that Practitioner Su was unlike any other human, to say nothing of the skills he later displayed.

The Failure of the Illusion

We planned to launch a coordinated attack on Practitioner Su, targeting his head, eyes, arms, lower back, and feet. Our plan was meticulous; we were certain that if we could successfully invade his body, we would surely conquer it. During the attack, we employed a powerful illusion: one demon manifesting as ten, hoping to dazzle Practitioner Su so he would not know which of us was the 'true' demon and which were mere phantoms. This method is usually highly effective in spiritual combat, as the opponent loses track of our position and is easily struck. We believed that under such a barrage of magic, his physical body would certainly be harmed.

We proceeded according to our plan, manifesting vast legions of demons. Looking out, the space was filled with nothing but demons. Any person without true skill would have been completely overwhelmed. We waited to see how Practitioner Su would react. To our shock, he remained completely unmoved. He felt no fear at the sudden appearance of our massive army; he remained entirely confident.

The moment Practitioner Su performed the Chao Du, we were swept away with incredible speed. In an instant, the space that had been crowded with demons became empty, and we were all brought into the Western Land of Dharma Nature.

A Transformation Beyond Comprehension

Are we still demons now? It seems we are not. All our demonic power has been eradicated. Under the illumination of the twelve rays of Buddha-light emitted by Practitioner Su, our hearts and our very faces have changed. If you were to call us demons now, we would not even look the part. Why did this transformation happen so quickly? We were caught completely unprepared. We had been so certain of our own power, yet we were no match for Practitioner Su. He resolved our existence with such ease.

Sitting here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, watching Practitioner Su perform Chao Du, we finally understand that this skill is not something a demon can learn just by wanting to, nor is it something we could ever hope to attack. Practitioner Su acts with true sincerity for the sake of all beings, and he is surrounded by countless Dharma protectors. He is not someone we could ever hope to harm.

Watching Su Fo's countless billions of manifestations, we initially thought it was just another form of the magic we used—creating illusions to confuse the opponent. But Practitioner Su is far more powerful. Every single one of his manifestations is real and functional, capable of wielding Buddha-light to save sentient beings across immeasurable and boundless spaces.

We are now truly convinced, heart and soul. We are no match for Practitioner Su, and the thought of controlling his body now seems absurd. We only wish to beg Practitioner Su to teach us his skills, so that we, too, may use them to save others and help all beings find liberation and leave suffering behind."

Namo Amituofo.