The Demon's Gaze: Returning to Goodness

This is a record of an interview with the spirit known as Demon Eye, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land and serves as a member of the salvation team. This account reflects upon his transformation from a malevolent entity to a practitioner of Goodness. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on April 18, 2022.

Shi Zhongyuan (formerly Demon Eye) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am the spirit known as Demon Eye. To me, everything in existence was demonic; everything was inherently evil. In my eyes, the Earth was evil, humanity was evil, and all beings and spirits were nothing but manifestations of malice.

The scope of my control as Demon Eye was incredibly vast. Every single human being on this entire planet was a target for my influence. Whenever I managed to invade someone's eyes, their vision would inevitably fall under my control. The most significant impact was that these people would only see the 'bad' in everything. They would perceive only ugliness and corruption. This even affected their cognitive functions, twisting their thoughts toward evil, forcing them to view the world through a lens of pure malice."

The Enemy of Evil

"I heard Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks, and I listened to several sessions in a row. At the time, I was wandering about, searching for new targets to control, and I stumbled upon these talks by chance. Back then, I did not know who Practitioner Su was. After listening to the teachings, I felt an intense, burning rage—my anger was like a raging fire. Why? Because in every talk, Practitioner Su kept teaching these humans to 'see the Good.' He taught them to look at everything and find the Good in it. This was the complete opposite of my philosophy. I wanted humans to see only the bad, to find fault in everything. Because of this, I became absolutely furious. I decided that Practitioner Su was my greatest enemy.

I began to gather intelligence on Practitioner Su. I wanted to know exactly what kind of person he was. I returned to the Demon Realm to consult with other demon crowds. I spoke to a close friend of mine named Demon Scorpion. His heart was incredibly vicious, just like a poisonous scorpion, which is why he was called Demon Scorpion. He was my best friend, and I truly admired his cruelty—he was tough, and he was ruthless."

The Unstoppable Practitioner

"I asked Demon Scorpion, 'Have you heard of this person called Practitioner Su?' Demon Scorpion replied, 'I have. He is a human living on Earth. They say he possesses a Dharma Body capable of saving spirits across different dimensions. He saves beings every single day, and he is constantly breaking through to higher levels of spiritual dimensions.' I was stunned. I said, 'You have heard of him? How is it that I have never even heard his name?' Demon Scorpion explained, 'I didn't know either at first. But one day, a Demon King I had known for a long time suddenly vanished. I checked all the places he usually frequented, but he was nowhere to be found. After asking other Demon Kings, I learned that he had been subdued by Practitioner Su. They say he has now become a Bodhisattva of the universe, following Practitioner Su every day to save spirits from various dimensions.'

Hearing Demon Scorpion say this, I realised that Practitioner Su must be an extraordinary human being. To think that he could even subdue the Demon Kings of our universe!

I asked Demon Scorpion again, 'Can our Demon Realm really tolerate the existence of a human like Practitioner Su? Doesn't he pose a threat to our very survival?' Demon Scorpion answered, 'From what I know, many Demon Kings have already gone to find Practitioner Su, intending to challenge him. They all went with absolute confidence, but in the end, not a single one returned. I heard they were all subdued by Practitioner Su.'

I simply could not believe that a human could possess such ability. After thinking it over, I decided I had to go and see Practitioner Su for myself. I was confident that, based on my extensive experience in controlling humans, Practitioner Su would surely become another one of my subjects."

The Power of the Dharma Body

"Before I left, Demon Scorpion tried to stop me, warning me not to take the risk. But I wouldn't listen. The idea that a Demon King would be afraid of a human was a joke to me. How could I let myself be so cowardly? Even if I were to lose, I would lose with dignity, rather than hiding in fear from the start.

In a very short time, I led my 'demon children and grandchildren' to where Practitioner Su was located. I laid out a detailed plan for them, explaining exactly how we would surround him. Although this was a hasty trip, I believed my plan was flawless. I was certain I would not give Practitioner Su any chance to escape; I intended to take full control of him in one fell swoop.

When we surrounded Practitioner Su's eyes, it seemed to work. I felt an immediate reaction from his eyes. I shouted to my demon followers, 'It's working! It's working! Keep going!' My followers were filled with high spirits and confidence as they swarmed around his eyes. We planned to wait for the perfect moment to surge into his eyes and penetrate deep into the internal space, where we believed Practitioner Su would be unable to extract us.

We followed the plan perfectly. But to my shock, just as we were about to charge into his eyes, a powerful force suddenly blocked us. Practitioner Su immediately sensed our presence.

We thought that if we pushed forward with even greater force, we could break through and reach the depths of his eyes. We believed there was no way Practitioner Su could force us out. No matter how loudly he shouted from outside, we were sure we wouldn't be scared away.

Just as we were feeling smug and triumphant, in a single instant, a massive force sucked us away. The speed was incredible; we didn't even have a chance to react. A thought flashed through my mind: 'It's Practitioner Su.' Sure enough, I was instantly pinned to a lotus seat. I heard the voice of Practitioner Su in my ears; it was indeed him who had pulled us in. I couldn't make a single move, nor could I continue my attack. I was filled with rage, but no matter how angry I was, I could not change the fact that I had been captured."

The Mask of the Demon

"In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, I listened to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks. They were the same as the ones I had heard before—still teaching people to be 'Good.' There was not a single deviation; every word and every sentence was about teaching Goodness. But for some reason, to my ears, every sentence sounded piercing. Perhaps it was because I had classified myself as 'evil,' so the 'Good' that Practitioner Su taught felt so distant from me that my heart naturally rejected it.

I thought this was the absolute truth, but after listening to the talks for several consecutive days, as my heart became increasingly purified, I realised that the reality was not what I had thought. I didn't even understand myself. I had hidden the kind side of my heart, deliberately projecting an evil, ugly exterior. It was a way to protect myself—to make myself look strong and wicked so that others wouldn't easily approach me and discover my true face. When I was alive in the world, I had been betrayed and framed. My sincerity had been trampled upon. But that wasn't the worst part; the most painful thing was that my family had been harmed because of it. I stopped trusting anyone. From then on, I wore various masks, never letting my true self be seen. I wanted to protect myself, and I didn't want anyone to get close to me.

After becoming a demon, I used the same method, using an extremely evil and ugly facade to cover up the pure, kind self within. That is why, every time I heard Practitioner Su teach people to be 'Good,' it stirred that true self deep inside. But I didn't want to meet this 'kind self' yet; I wanted him to keep sleeping in the depths of my heart.

Facing the hatred and sorrow of the past, under the blessing of the Buddha's power and the daily purification, I gradually let go. Only then did I realise how comfortable it felt to finally let go. After continuing to listen to Practitioner Su's teachings, I gained a deeper understanding of how wonderful it is to 'see the Good and think of the Good.'"

A New Purpose

"After attending the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies, the knots in my heart were finally completely untied. During the ceremony, I saw for the first time how Practitioner Su uses his Dharma Body to save beings. As soon as the Buddha-name was chanted, Practitioner Su's Dharma Body immediately manifested into countless forms. The speed was incredible. They flew in all directions, entering various dimensions to save spirits. Before I could even react, Practitioner Su had already saved batch after batch of spirits. This speed was truly worthy of my admiration.

Saving people is exactly like this; one must have the speed of Practitioner Su to be able to save anyone. Saving spirits in the spiritual realms is the same. There are so many dimensions, layered and densely packed. Without such speed, it would be impossible to save the immeasurable and boundless beings. From the process of Practitioner Su's Dharma Body saving beings, I also witnessed his Wisdom. If one were to save beings in a rigid, step-by-step manner, one could never save the vast majority of them. Therefore, saving beings requires Wisdom—using the fastest methods within limited time to rescue them. Practitioner Su constantly changes his methods, all to help beings be saved in the shortest possible time. Without Wisdom, one could not be as infinitely versatile as Practitioner Su.

When I saw spirits I had never seen before being rescued, I was even more amazed. No matter how far away in time and space they were, Practitioner Su had the ability to use his Dharma Body to save them. These spirits had been trapped in those dimensions for a very long time; some didn't even know they were trapped. It was only when Practitioner Su's Dharma Body appeared with the six-character Buddha-name that they were awakened. These rescued spirits were all deeply grateful to Practitioner Su, and I am just like them, filled with gratitude. If not for Practitioner Su's powerful and compassionate efforts to save beings, none of these spirits, including myself, would have had the chance to be saved.

Now, I have joined this salvation team with a brand-new identity, and I am willing to do my utmost to help save beings. Namo Amituofo.

Practitioner Su gave me the Dharma name 'Shi Zhongyuan.'

Shi Zhongyuan"