The Fire Demon's Surrender: A Journey of Transformation

This interview documents the profound transformation of the entity formerly known as the Fire Demon King, Stanley, who sought Chao Du at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. After his encounter with Practitioner Su, he was granted the Dharma name Shi Yati and now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account, recorded by the chief writer Shi Fajing on May 10, 2022, details his journey from a life of galactic conquest to his ultimate repentance and dedication to the Buddha’s teachings.

Shi Yati (formerly Stanley the Fire Demon) speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Shi Yati, a name bestowed upon me by the compassionate Practitioner Su. Before this, I was known across the vast reaches of the galaxy as the Fire Demon King, Stanley. I have been here on Earth for only three or four days, yet I am utterly astounded—who would have thought that Earth, this small, unassuming planet, is such a magnificent place? I am now residing in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, living a life that is fundamentally different from anything I have ever known in my long, dark existence. My heart, once filled with the burning rage of conquest, is now so calm. My entire being has been purified, and I feel a sense of relaxation and profound comfort that I never thought possible in my previous life.

The Milky Way is in a constant state of flux. It is never a static, unchanging place; it shifts with the complex movement of stars, the relentless flow of energy, and the constant transmission of information across space. It is a dynamic, living entity. Because of this, the galaxy is never the same from one moment to the next, and all sorts of strange, wondrous, and terrifying things are happening at every turn. It is a place of infinite mystery, and I spent ten thousand years believing I was its master."

A Life of Fire and Conquest

"The appearance of Practitioner Su is one of those truly wondrous events that defies all my previous understanding. In the ten thousand years since I became a demon, I have never encountered anything like this. This meeting has left me utterly astonished. Looking back, it was a perfect, divine arrangement—a precise moment in time that allowed me to meet Practitioner Su and finally shed my ten-thousand-year-old demon body, which had become a prison of my own making.

People call me the 'Fire Demon King.' I possess immense demonic power, which allowed me to exist securely and dominate within the galaxy. When you see a fiery red fireball burning rapidly across the galaxy, that is me. I am a massive ball of fire. I started as a small spark, but over the millennia, I have grown into something truly colossal. When I am fully ablaze, my size can rival that of the Earth itself. I do not always maintain such a massive form; I only expand to that scale when I need to launch an attack or invade another world to inflict harm and harvest energy.

My fire was not always this intense. Over these ten thousand years, I have continuously absorbed energy, using it to fuel my flames. This is how I became the giant fireball that dominated the fiery zones of the galaxy. The galaxy is vast and boundless; no sentient being on any planet has ever been able to see through its entirety. There are simply too many mysteries that remain hidden and misunderstood, even to a being of my stature."

The Mystery of the Empty Planets

"I have spent ages wandering the galaxy, yet even I cannot claim to fully understand its secrets. You might wonder: with my power, how could I be called the 'Fire Demon King' and yet fail to grasp the mysteries of the galaxy? It is true. My energy, as vast as it is, is still not enough to allow me to traverse the entire galaxy at will. I have always been searching for more energy. I believed that once I had enough, I could pierce through the entire galaxy whenever I pleased.

I travelled everywhere, searching for energy. Every planet I invaded ended up the same: a landscape of total darkness. Looking down, the entire world would be covered in ash—the aftermath of my demonic fire. After I drained their energy, I would take it for myself, making my flames even hotter, more intense, and faster, allowing me to reach further and burn more of the galaxy. Everything was going smoothly. Every day, I led my demon children and grandchildren to find new planets to invade. But recently, we began to encounter powerful resistance. A force was blocking us, preventing us from invading planets as freely as we once did.

My demon followers asked me, 'Great King, we feel this opposing force getting closer and interfering more. Should we take the initiative and destroy them so they stop getting in our way?' I told them, 'Wait and see. Let us observe what they are doing. If they truly threaten us, it will not be too late to strike then.' When I made that decision, I had underestimated this force. I thought they were merely an annoyance, not a real threat. But then, we set out to attack a nearby planet called Itaima. We had just released our flames, ready to burn the planet and seize its energy, when we discovered that the entire planet was already 'empty.'"

The Golden Light and the Earthly Encounter

"My followers were confused. 'Great King, we have been eyeing this planet for a long time. We are only just now ready to take its energy, so why is it completely empty?' I did not understand it either. I entered the Itaima planet, determined to find out what had happened. Inside, there was total silence. There were no signs of invasion by other demons. Instead, the entire planet emitted a faint, sweet fragrance. It was a scent we had never encountered before. Upon smelling it, my heart instantly calmed. It was a feeling of profound comfort. My followers asked, 'Great King, could it be that the inhabitants of Itaima all emigrated, leaving only an empty shell?' I could not rule out that possibility. The planet truly looked as if everyone had left in a state of perfect peace. I wondered, where could they have gone? Was there a better planet for them to live on?

Finding no answers on Itaima, we decided to leave. As we were preparing to return to our own realm, we suddenly saw the 'Genuo Planet,' which had been dark and dying, suddenly glowing with light again. We were shocked. Genuo was a planet on the verge of destruction; its energy had long been exhausted, and its inhabitants were barely clinging to life. We had given up on invading Genuo because it offered no energy—it would have been a waste of our own power. Yet, miraculously, Genuo had been revived. Its energy was now abundant. They did not have the ability to absorb energy from other planets like we demons do. How could they have gained such vast energy in such a short time? We prepared to attack Genuo to seize their energy and force them to reveal their secret. Just as we surrounded the planet, we felt energy surging out. Suddenly, a golden light flashed by. The inhabitants of Genuo flew rapidly toward that light. The light carried them all away, leaving the planet in total silence, just like Itaima."

The Failed Attack on Practitioner Su

"We were stunned. What was that golden light? How could it take away an entire planet's population? I immediately transformed into a giant fireball and chased after it. The light moved with incredible speed, constantly drawing in sentient beings from across the galaxy. I kept hearing the words 'Namo Amituofo.' I did not know what language that was, but it echoed throughout the galaxy, following the golden light. I chased and chased, rushing forward without even noticing where I was going. I only wanted to catch that light. When the light stopped, I stopped too. I found myself on a planet I had never seen before, surrounded by its inhabitants. I stared at them—they were strange creatures. They had hair on their heads, faces that could express emotions, and they wore clothes. They communicated with sound and language, not by sensing each other's hearts as we do.

I looked at the environment: there was sky, land, air, and water. It was perfectly suited for these beings. I stood right in front of them, but they could not see me. We were in different spaces. No matter what I did, they did not react. The only thing that happened was that when I got too close, their eyes would automatically close. When I backed away, they would open them again. I found this fascinating—the only connection between us was their eyes, which could sense our presence through opening and closing. I became so engrossed that I forgot all about chasing the golden light. Just as I was about to play a trick on one of the inhabitants, the golden light appeared before me again. I turned my gaze to the source: a human standing at the front. He raised his hand, and from the top of his head, countless beings identical to him emerged and flew off in all directions. I was completely bewildered. How could such a miraculous thing happen?"

Witnessing the Power of Deliverance

"While I was lost in confusion, a voice began to speak to me. I looked up and saw other demon kings surrounding me. I was delighted to see my peers and immediately asked, 'Can you tell me where this is? How did that golden light appear?' They explained that this planet is called 'Earth,' and its inhabitants are called 'humans.' The person in front of us, known in the spiritual realms as 'Practitioner Su,' possesses a 'Dharma Body' and has the power to save immeasurable sentient beings. He carries golden light, and the 'Namo Amituofo' he chants also carries golden light. He uses this 'Namo Amituofo' and his billions of Dharma Bodies to save the beings of our galaxy and those in boundless other spaces. My confusion vanished. So, what I saw on Genuo was Practitioner Su. He was saving the galaxy, taking away all the inhabitants of Genuo and Itaima. It was astonishing. Who would have thought that this tiny Earth, and this human named Practitioner Su, would have such incredible ability?

I asked the other demon kings, 'What are you doing here?' They replied, 'We came to attack Practitioner Su, but we haven't succeeded. He is protected by a force we cannot penetrate.' I looked at these demon kings—their power was immense. How could they not overcome this human? I decided not to discuss it further and charged forward, transforming into a fireball and rushing toward Practitioner Su. I aimed directly for his eyes, but I was blocked. I kept trying, over and over. The moment I made my first attempt, Practitioner Su's eyes sensed my presence. But he did not just close his eyes like the other humans; he immediately ordered his disciples to write us down. I was shocked. We were captured just like that, before we could even react. With a loud sound, we were brought here to this Dharma-Nature Land, sitting in these fragrant lotuses. Only now do I realise that the fragrance I smelled on Itaima was the scent of these lotuses. I am in awe of Practitioner Su's skills. I have completely surrendered to him.

Sitting on this lotus seat, watching these humans chanting 'Namo Amituofo,' the energy here is incredibly powerful. In front of us, Practitioner Su is using his Dharma Body to perform Chao Du. A demon king told me that my three days on Earth happened to coincide with this Dharma assembly. I did not understand, so I observed everything with my own eyes. Wherever Practitioner Su's Dharma Body flew, I watched. I saw his Dharma Body enter different spaces on Earth—the oceans, the clouds, the land, the mountains, and the rivers. I have seen these spaces on other planets, but Earth's are different; they are beautiful. I also saw clearly that these spaces were filled with spirits. Practitioner Su was using his Dharma Body to save them, leading them out of those spaces one by one. Furthermore, his Dharma Body could even enter the celestial realms. The celestial beings there were all waiting for him to save them. They looked so desperate for deliverance. It seems Practitioner Su's power can save even the beings of the celestial realms. I continued to watch. Every one of his Dharma Bodies was busy saving beings from different spaces, including the suffering beings in the hells. He brought 'Namo Amituofo' into the hells to rescue those undergoing retribution. I also saw his Dharma Body enter the galaxy. It was a magnificent sight. So many beings in our galaxy already knew Practitioner Su. As soon as his Dharma Body appeared, countless beings rushed toward his golden light, waiting to be saved. Only now do I realise how small I am. I thought I could dominate the galaxy, yet I am not even a fraction as capable as Practitioner Su. Watching him save beings across so many spaces, my heart is filled with infinite praise. I am honoured to join the ranks of those saving beings on Earth. I am now learning the compassion of the Earth people. After listening to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks, I feel even more respect for him. I have decided to follow this place forever and practise the Buddha’s teachings to save sentient beings. Namo Amituofo."