The Demon's Return to the Path

This is a record of an interview with Mo Sha-long, a former plague demon king who 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 life approximately 726 years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on August 11, 2021.

Mo Sha-long speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Sha-long, a demon of letters. Having spent a month and a half listening to the Buddha’s teachings under the guidance of Practitioner Su, I have benefited immensely. As I sit here for this interview, my heart is a whirlwind of emotions. It is staggering to think that in just over a month, my entire existence has undergone such a profound transformation!

Just over a month ago, I was one of the demon kings responsible for the global pandemic. If you were to calculate the toll, under the command of myself and my demon children and grandchildren, there were over three hundred thousand victims. About half of them—roughly one hundred and twenty thousand people—lost their lives. To call them 'victims' might be slightly biased; it would be more accurate to say that their time had come according to their own karmic retribution.

The Mechanics of the Pandemic

The individuals I was primarily responsible for were scholars, educators, or those who had failed to fulfil their duty in nurturing talent. Among them were professors and associate professors. People often lament and feel pity when such 'clear streams' of society die due to the pandemic. However, if one only looks at this single lifetime, that perspective is also incomplete. Their ability to hold a teaching position in this life was the result of blessings cultivated in past lives. Those who sat under their tutelage—whether in primary school, high school, university, or research institutes—all shared a teacher-student karmic connection from the past. This is looking at the past through the lens of the present. Similarly, for those who fell ill during this pandemic, there is no effect without a cause. If there is the fruit of illness, there must have been the cause sown for it! How can one know in this life whether they had killed or harmed others in the past? Killing requires paying with one's life, and harming others leads to illness. This is the inevitability of cause and effect; it is not something you can decide based on whether you want it or not.

The global panic caused by this pandemic certainly did not happen without reason. We are demons, and humans are humans. Humans live in this world with their physical bodies, while we demons operate through our demon nature and our spirits. People are generally guarded against us, even terrified, because the things we do are often impossible for them to resist, leading to great suffering. Yet, even this is not without cause and effect. In terms of the process, if a person was only destined to receive three parts of retribution, our intervention might have made the execution slightly heavier, perhaps five parts. Who then bears the extra two parts? Naturally, it is shared between the demons and the individual. But in terms of the final result, the retribution of death in this pandemic was entirely what the individuals were destined to receive.

The Vulnerability of the Human Heart

The reason the virus spread so rapidly is that the conditions, character, and personality of the individuals allowed the virus to fully manifest its power. If a person’s body is more pure than defiled, the virus cannot fully exert itself and may even weaken. If the person is of a turbid nature, the virus can manifest completely. If they are half-evil and half-good, the virus might manifest halfway, leaving them with a breath of life remaining in the human world. However, for a practitioner like Practitioner Su who has awakened to his true nature, it is not only difficult for the virus to invade, but upon invasion, the demon’s power and the toxicity of the virus itself are almost entirely extinguished, leaving Practitioner Su with only the mildest of symptoms.

When the first wave of demon toxins successfully invaded Practitioner Su’s body, the news spread throughout the entire Demon Realm! Later, when the Demon Realm scouted the temple, we learned a thing or two about what was happening there. We discovered that even the demon king of the toxins had been subdued by Practitioner Su, which caused a massive shock throughout our realm! Many important responsibilities had been held by that demon king, and with him gone, those duties had to be hastily reassigned. Then, word spread that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia intended to step forward to save the world from this pandemic. This drew our intense attention. Many demon kings came to investigate, and I was one of them. The temple is protected by layers of defences; it is not easy to enter, and once inside, one does not want to stay—not even for a moment! So, without hesitation, I launched a direct attack on Practitioner Su’s throat. I never expected that the legendary protective shield would be so incredibly hard and transparent. It was invisible, yet as soon as I approached, it repelled me, sending me and my demon children and grandchildren flying! That shock caught Practitioner Su’s attention. After he wrote down my memorial tablet, I was drawn in by the sound of the large chime bowl, completely defenceless, and brought to this place.

Life in the Dharma-Nature Land

This is the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the temple. We went from being completely bewildered to slowly understanding our situation, and now, we have adapted to the environment here. Honestly, it is not easy for demons to settle their minds. Every demon has different aptitudes, but to become a demon king, one must be calm, fast, and decisive. Another important trait is ruthlessness; once you show softness, you cannot perform demon work and you cannot achieve anything significant. Therefore, to subdue a demon king, the opponent must possess considerable ability. Without such power, it would be impossible for a demon king to settle down. In the month I have been here, I have seen things I had never seen before, heard Buddha’s words I had never heard, and felt the Buddha-light that has subdued countless demons since ancient times. In the Dharma assemblies, I have seen many deceased beings receive Chao Du. These are things ordinary demons never get to witness. We were arranged to be in this place, and having no other choice, we had to accept everything. Now, seeing many of my companions being subdued by Practitioner Su one by one, and seeing Practitioner Su’s compassion as he continues to work because the pandemic has not yet subsided—his urgent desire to have Namo Amituofo come forward to save the world—I have been deeply moved. Practitioner Su’s heart has never wavered.

Everyone else avoids the pandemic as if it were a plague, yet Practitioner Su fears only that he might be too late to save them. This has earned my deep admiration. Now, with no way to return to the Demon Realm, there is only one path: to accept the cultivation of the Buddha’s teachings. I never imagined I would see such a day. As I sit in quiet contemplation, looking back on my past, the memories are painful, yet I must face them.

A Life of Discipline and Failure

I lived seven hundred and twenty-six years ago in a wealthy family. My home life was complete; my grandparents and parents were all alive, and we lived with my uncles in a large, happy household. My grandparents were descendants of a prominent family, so they were well-versed in etiquette. My uncles and father were naturally scholars, knowledgeable and polite. After my father married my mother, there were many joyous occasions. Among my uncles' children, there were many girls and few boys, but in my father’s branch, there were many boys and few girls. My mother gave birth to four sons and two daughters in succession. I was the third, with older siblings to look up to and younger ones for whom I could be a mentor. I often taught my younger siblings how to avoid the mistakes I had made, and whenever I saw my older brothers being punished by my father for their mistakes, I would commit those lessons to memory so I would not repeat them.

The family had a long whip that was very painful when used; it hung high on the wall, and only my grandfather, uncles, and father were allowed to touch it. It was part of our family law. Growing up in such an environment, we children were influenced by what we saw and heard. Even if we wanted to play a little longer, we feared the whip for being greedy for play; if we wanted to eat more, we feared the whip for being greedy for food. We had to exercise restraint. Looking back, it seems our lives were not particularly happy, but because that was how we grew up, there was no concept of happy or unhappy. I was a bit different; I was active and daring, so I often made mistakes without realising it and received many lashes.

Every child had to receive an education from a tutor. This was basic, as my grandfather expected us to pursue an official career or become educators. Among my uncles, some were officials in the imperial court, and among my generation, some were also developing careers in government. But I did not like studying. I was often whipped, and because I was quick-witted, I would sometimes talk back, which led to more whipping. I often saw the envious looks of my siblings—they were surprised by my boldness, that I dared to speak and act. In truth, it was nothing—just coming home late because I lost track of time, or being hungry and asking the maid for leftovers. In our home, this was forbidden. It was called 'greed for play' or 'greed for food'. Greed was the great taboo in our family. My grandfather taught us that the word 'greed' would destroy the family and cost us our lives, so he strictly disciplined every thought and intention of his grandchildren. Perhaps because my personality was unrestrained from childhood, I kept making mistakes, which caused my grandfather and father great distress. Fearing I would ruin the family reputation, they decided to send me away to a temple to be disciplined by the master.

The Fall from Grace

I stayed in the temple for many years. The master’s teachings helped me adjust my behaviour and thoughts. I settled my heart, became less active, and was even able to join the temple’s daily routine of chanting and performing chores, doing my best to complete whatever the master assigned. After a while, I got along very well with everyone. The master asked me, 'Are you interested in becoming a monk?' If I became a monk then, it would be as a novice. I accepted, which was a major event for my family. At that time, the status of a monastic was highly respected by the people. I did not disappoint the master; after receiving the precepts, I became a novice and began to receive the temple’s training in meditation.

I was naturally active, but I was trained into a quiet nature. Under the master’s guidance, my meditation skills progressed very quickly, and spiritual projection—leaving the body—was not difficult for me. The state of mind during projection is crucial. Under the protection of my fellow practitioners, I could leave my body for days or even a week. Everyone thought I would smoothly progress from a novice to receiving the full Bhikshu precepts, and I thought so too. But when I was sixteen, after projecting during meditation, I suddenly smelled a fragrance. I felt something was wrong, and then a naked woman appeared. I hurried to avoid her, but I had already entered that realm, and I knew in my heart this was a test from Mara. In the temple, lust is a major precept. Although I tried to escape, the woman in the vision had skills slightly superior to mine. Though I avoided her temporarily, she appeared again soon after. After many such encounters, I could not resist the temptation of the lustful realm; I moved my heart and committed a transgression! This was done by the spirit, not the body, but as a monastic, an impure thought is a violation of the precepts. I thought no one would know, but after tasting that 'sweetness' once, I entered meditation again and encountered the same scene and woman. I broke the precepts again. This had already consumed the quality of my soul. After returning to my body, the master sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. I told the master everything and repented before the Buddha. When my fellow practitioners found out, although they were reluctant, they felt that to maintain the purity of the temple, I should not remain. So, I left the mountain gate.

After returning to lay life, I lost my ambition. Relying on my slight talent, I remained attached to lust. I repented afterwards and shut myself away, reflecting on the past and trying to change my ways, but it was too late. I fell gravely ill and died in bed. My heart was filled with regret; I could not blame anyone but myself. After death, I was judged by the King of Hell. I had made mistake after mistake; I failed to repent after returning to lay life and remained addicted to lust. Although I had a heart of repentance later, the retribution for those faults was inescapable.

The Path to Redemption

After that lifetime, I was sentenced to hell, first suffering the punishment of the copper pillar hell to pay for the violation of the lust precepts while a monk, and then for the retribution of my greed for lust after returning to lay life. After leaving hell, I fell into the body of an insect to repay this debt. In the world of insects, I lived lifetime after lifetime, countless times. Until one lifetime, I was suddenly turned away from the insect body by a force. Before me appeared the demon who had seduced me into lust in the temple, and he transferred me from the insect body into the Demon Realm! It was not my intention, so I had no choice but to enter the Demon Realm.

In the Demon Realm, I calmly accepted all the training. I did not have the resentment and injustice of ordinary demons. I still clearly remembered the Confucian studies I had learned under my grandfather and father. Although these were useless in the Demon Realm, I could use that background to approach scholars, stir up their greed and thoughts, find their weaknesses, and cause them harm! This was the task assigned to me by the demon king. I had no choice; being in the Demon Realm, I performed every task the demon king gave me. I also saw through the hearts of scholars. Beneath their refined exterior lies a heart of arrogance, attachment, and stubbornness—that is their weakness. Under their original personality, demon power can help strengthen their isolation, making them difficult to approach. We added our own effort to make people distance themselves from them. Yet, their achievements in literature could surpass others; their writing and choice of words were admirable. Who would have known that this was also aided by us demons? Such scholars often attract their own karmic retribution due to their arrogance, becoming ill or old, and eventually dying in loneliness.

For over seven hundred years in the Demon Realm, I diligently performed every task the demon king assigned me to deal with scholars, so my strength grew, and I had my own demon children and grandchildren. I was also invited to join this pandemic. The victims of this pandemic included men, women, young, old, officials, and scholars—it was a global sorting of life and death! I participated in this pandemic with a calm heart, never expecting that after investigating the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I would leave the Demon Realm and stay here. This is the turning point of my life, leading me to leave the Demon Realm and enter the Buddha’s path. My heart remains calm as I accept all of this, and what has truly convinced me is what I have seen and heard at the Thrice Yearning Ceremony.

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

I had heard the phrase 'Buddha-light shines everywhere,' but I had never personally experienced it. Now, in the temple’s Dharma assembly, I have had a profound experience. I knew the Buddha was compassionate and pitied all beings, but I had never seen the vast scene of immeasurable and boundless beings entering the golden light to leave suffering behind. Now, I have seen it in the temple’s Dharma assembly. In every Thrice Yearning Ceremony, I see the holy assembly of the heavenly realms coming to plead for Chao Du. Even more surprising is that heavenly kings, demon kings, and demon children and grandchildren from the east, west, south, north, above, and below—billions of them—come to seek deliverance. I had heard that the Buddha’s Dharma Body has boundless power, but I had never received it. This time, through Practitioner Su, I have experienced it personally.

To cultivate from the human path to the Buddha’s path and become a Buddha requires passing through many tests; it is not something an ordinary practitioner can do. Why can Practitioner Su do it? During these days in the Dharma-Nature Land, I have had some time to explore Practitioner Su’s past lives and have come to know that today’s achievements were not obtained out of thin air.

Although Practitioner Su appears in the body of an ordinary person, he is truly a Buddha or Bodhisattva manifesting in the world. It makes sense that he can subdue so many demon kings; perhaps it is a case of 'one thing subduing another'? The demon kings of the pandemic had the upper hand in this battle, but here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, they have become the defeated, and many demon kings have thus received a chance for rebirth. Am I one of them? It seems so!

I calmly accept all of this. In the Buddha-land, I have shed the cloak of a demon king and gradually returned to the stability I had when I was a monk. Because I have been through the past of being a demon king, the various scenes that appear in the Demon Realm are now just like a passing breeze. I am no longer the novice monk who can be seduced by demonic realms. It seems that now I must reclaim the Buddha-vow I made as a novice to save all beings—a vow I had forgotten for so long. But now, it is emerging in my heart to remind me: it is time!

I never expected to undergo such a great change. Perhaps this is the chance for rebirth that the Buddha’s compassion has given me. I accept it gladly and bow in gratitude for the Buddha’s grace.

Namo Amituofo.

Mo Sha-long speaks.

The Buddha has given Mo Sha-long the Dharma name 'Shi Yuancheng'.