The Demonic Heart: An Interview with the Primordial Demon Motifang

This is a record of an interview with Motifang, a primordial demon who sought deliverance 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 existence spanning 170,000 trillion years. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on April 21, 2025.

Motifang speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Motifang. There is a profound difference between a spirit with a physical body and one without. The reason many demon crowds choose to possess human beings is simple: they can feed off the human's energy, ensuring they never have to worry about depletion. If you observe people who are heavily possessed, you will often see them looking gaunt and thin. Yet, this does not necessarily mean they are gentle in nature; on the contrary, they are often irritable and possessive of their own unique, stubborn viewpoints. For those of us here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, we have already reached a conclusion on this: the person's own true self has been locked away, and the one in control is either a demon or a karmic creditor. This is not an unfamiliar concept to any of you, and it aligns perfectly with the truth. Using my demonic eyes, I can confirm that this is indeed the case."

The Reality of Possession and the Locked Self

"Although I am an ancient demon residing within the Dharma Realm, my age—when converted into the time units used by you on Earth—is approximately 170,000 trillion years. While this number sounds somewhat foreign to me, it is accurate. Among the demon crowds in the Dharma Realm, I am considered an old demon, and I have quite a large number of 'demon children and grandchildren.' To be honest, when I first entered the Demon Realm of the Dharma Realm, I was residing on a peripheral planet. That planet was also within the Dharma Realm, but it was not the one where I eventually became a demon. Because the planet I lived on was subjected to intense oppression and boycotts, I was forced to migrate to another world. By that time, my character had already turned towards the darkness, so it was only natural that I chose a planet within the Demon Realm to settle."

"There are all sorts of planets in the Dharma Realm. Some are radiant and luminous; demons like us would never approach such places because our demon nature would be drastically diminished, or we might even risk being assimilated. Unless one truly desires to transform into a bright and pure character, one would naturally avoid such planets. Other planets are quite dark, and the choice depends entirely on the state of one's own heart at the time. My heart had fallen to the very bottom. The feeling of being exploited is not pleasant—if any of you have ever been a slave on a planet, you would understand. The status of a slave is incredibly humble. While I was not technically called a 'slave,' it was not much different. We had been conquered by another planet, and our people were relegated to the role of servants. I use the term 'servant' to translate our role into something you can understand on Earth."

From Servant to Demon King

"To be a 'servant' means you have absolutely no dignity. You only have the duty to listen and obey; you have no say in your own life. And yet, we were people who originally had strong personalities and firm opinions. Naturally, we could not endure such exploitation. Many of our people tried to escape, but was it really that simple? In those days, every additional being was considered an extra source of power, so they would never let you leave. They cast a massive net to catch us. Sigh, if you managed to escape, it was only because you had immense luck and blessings."

"It was under these circumstances that I arrived at another dark planet. My character at the time perfectly matched the nature of the demons on that planet, so I settled down. I found that I could live a life that suited my desires, and I could vent all my frustrations and resentment in one go. In that hierarchy, regardless of your actual age, you start at the lowest rank, known as a 'demon grandson.' However, I jumped from being a 'demon grandson' to a 'demon son' very quickly. There is a vast difference between these ranks, and one must achieve significant 'merits' to make such a leap. In our world, age does not matter; only seniority and rank count."

"Once I entered, my character ascended directly to the rank of a 'demon son.' You can imagine how much resentment and hatred I harboured. I only thought about finding a target and a way to vent that hatred. Eventually, I was recognised by the Demon King, promoted repeatedly, and eventually became a Demon King myself, dominating the world. In truth, as an old demon, I could speak of my past for a day, two days, or even three days and nights without finishing. My demon children and grandchildren gathered around, eager to hear how I achieved such dominance. But I tell you, you are now in a Buddha-land! Why listen to these things? Do you want to learn them? Please, do not! That was only because we were desperate, had nowhere better to go, and had not yet encountered a Buddha to save our extremely dark hearts. That is why we committed such heinous, harmful, and destructive acts against the public and even entire planets."

The Rare Opportunity of the Buddha-Land

"You are all so young, yet you have the chance to listen to an old demon teach the Dharma here in the Buddha-land. Sigh, you have far more blessings than we ever did. I waited 170,000 trillion years for a day like this, and you have the opportunity to enter the Buddha-land right now. This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity! Do not think about wanting to learn 'magic.' Have you not heard enough of it? Do you still want to hear more? If so, please go back to the Dharma Realm. There are many old demons and primordial demons there who are still casting spells—I can see them. If you wish to join their team and increase your own karmic sins, then by all means, go back. But if the Buddha-light is shining upon you all right now—and I see the compassionate light of Namo Amituofo shining upon every one of you—you must be grateful to Namo Amituofo. He has not forgotten you just because you are young. The Buddha is truly that compassionate. He respects even the smallest flower or blade of grass. This is the difference between a Buddha and a demon. Demons like us would often disregard you, thinking you are young and ignorant; but to the Buddha, he treats every single one of you as a Buddha. This is what I have learned from listening to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This result is truly shocking to us. We never imagined that we possessed a true self or Buddha-nature, or that we could one day become Buddhas. Now, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, we have that very opportunity, and we cherish it deeply."

Namo Amituofo.

In short, is human nature fundamentally Good or evil? To a Buddha, the answer is certain: every being’s nature is inherently Good, for all possess a true self and Buddha-nature. If you were to tell a demon, 'You too can become a Buddha; you have a true self,' most would likely scoff, turn away, and dismiss it as 'high-minded talk.' Our demon nature is so deep that we believe, 'We are evil by nature—where could any Goodness possibly come from?'

The Transformation of a Darkened Heart

The reason I have come to believe in the Buddha’s teaching that 'even demons have a true self' is because here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I have truly and tangibly received the illumination of the light and the compassion of the Buddha. The smile He reveals truly penetrates the demon heart, melting away the darkness and transforming it into a bright, clear heart. This is something every being in the Dharma-Nature Land can feel. Especially for those of us who are ancient demons, the impact is profound, for we have never before witnessed such light and such actions. These actions are the absolute polar opposite of everything a demon stands for!

Now, let me share a bit about my own experiences in the Demon Realm of the Dharma Realm. Where to begin? It is a truly harrowing tale, and some parts are too explicit to recount, as they are not suitable for a Buddha-land. I will summarize: actually, seventeen trillion years ago, I spent a period of time on other planets, and back then, I was not yet a demon. From a little demon to a Demon King, I went through countless wars. In the planets of the Dharma Realm, battles for supremacy are common occurrences. It was not unusual to see a planet suddenly go dark or vanish from the starry sky. The Dharma Realm is vast. Over these seventeen trillion years—let me think—I spent about eighty trillion years roaming the Dharma Realm. During those eighty trillion years, I was quite prominent. Later, in one particular battle, my demon children and grandchildren suffered catastrophic losses; the spirits of many of my juniors were sucked into the depths of the earth, never to be seen again.

The Weight of Karmic Retribution

For me, that was a battle etched into my soul. I viewed it as the karmic retribution for the evil deeds I had committed in the past. Although I was not consumed by the laws of karma and cause and effect myself, the inner torment was excruciating. The retribution did not fall upon me, but upon my demon children and grandchildren. Their deaths were incredibly tragic, much like the misery of the spirits of the civilians whose planets I had conquered back then. You might ask, 'Do demons not have emotions?' We cannot afford to have emotions. Once you have emotions, your demon nature cannot be fully unleashed; instead, you become vulnerable to being conquered and oppressed. Therefore, we often suppress the emotions in our hearts. One must have the skills to suppress them effectively, otherwise, it is easy for an old demon to see through you, as demons are most adept at reading the minds of others—what you call the Alaya consciousness.

In the Dharma-Nature Land, looking at your Alaya consciousness is truly effortless. We can see the past and present of every one of you. As for the future? We do not wish to look, because the future is not fixed. As long as you transform your karma, your future changes along with it. Amitabha Buddha, Practitioner Su, or Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju can likely see the clues, but we have not yet reached that level of attainment. We still have our dark side, while they are entirely filled with light. Thus, the future they see is almost certainly accurate—or rather, it is exactly as it will be.

The Preciousness of the Dharma

When demons look at the future of others, it is usually accurate. But for the people at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, we have little certainty about your future. Even if we see it clearly now, you might transform your karma shortly after, and everything will change. This is the precursor to becoming an awakened being. Once you transform your karma, you may realise your true nature. At that point, those who have realised their true nature will find that 'all Buddhas walk the same path,' and the Buddha-work they perform is beyond our imagination. Just like this time, we were deeply moved by the compassion of Amitabha Buddha. It was only after entering the Western Land of Dharma Nature that we learned what a Buddha truly is. Without personal experience, it is impossible to understand the difference between a Buddha and a demon. Therefore, what we say now is highly authentic, and those who hear it may have never heard such things before, because the demons on Earth, no matter how demonic, likely cannot compare to these primordial demons of the Dharma Realm.

In these seventeen trillion years, the Earth has gone through several cycles of formation, existence, destruction, and emptiness. I have some slight understanding of the Buddha’s teachings, so I can use some of the common terminology. Furthermore, by listening to the sutras and hearing the Dharma in the Dharma-Nature Land, we have taken the teachings given by Practitioner Su and cherished them like precious Dharma Jewels. Whenever Practitioner Su holds a class, all of us old demons sit upright on our lotus seats; some even kneel to listen to the Dharma. At these times, we look forward at the fourfold assembly—I will call them 'people' here, as it is less direct. But what we see is that the people are leaning east, slumping west, swaying forward, and rocking backward. It is such a pity. You may find it too easy to hear the Dharma, so you ignore that this is a life-saving Dharma Jewel. It does not just save your life for a day or two; it is the Dharma Jewel for your Dharma Body and wisdom-life across countless kalpas and lifetimes. You often let the sutras go in one ear and out the other. We can see it, and even the beings attached to you want to cover their ears and not listen, happy to be idle. This is your attitude, and it affects them. If you listened with reverence, they would surely follow suit and perhaps even kneel to listen. But I see very few of you kneeling. We, the 'old demons' and 'demon crowds' of the Dharma Realm, are often kneeling to listen. When the demon children and grandchildren see us kneeling, they have no choice but to kneel as well. Although they are young and do not understand the gravity of the situation, when they see the old demons kneeling, they quickly kneel down too.

The Infinite Layers of the Dharma-Nature Land

However, you must know that the space of the Western Land of Dharma Nature is infinitely layered. It can accommodate a vast number of beings. Once you enter, you are naturally assigned to a space corresponding to your character. This is very subtle. This is my recent observation, because I have clearly seen demon crowds surrendering and pouring in like the sea, or demon crowds touched by the Buddha-light of Amitabha Buddha and Practitioner Su, rushing in like a tide, only to vanish in an instant. Some enter the space where I am, and some disappear. Later, I learned that there are other spaces in existence. The space I am in has some height, so I can see spaces lower than mine; those demon crowds were sent there. But I believe there are also spaces higher than mine, and demon crowds are being sent there as well.

I believe there are also demon crowds with different characters. Just like the battle I mentioned earlier, where many juniors were lost, including Demon Kings and demon children and grandchildren—that truly stirred my heart, and I felt deep sorrow. Their way of dying was very similar to the way the civilians died when I attacked planets in the past. I felt great remorse in my heart, but in the Demon Realm, everyone knows that emotions cannot be easily exposed. It is not like here, where I can speak these words so quickly. In the Demon Realm, even if you speak so much and so fast, you only speak the language that the Demon Realm understands. You would never speak of 'Buddha,' never speak of 'laws of karma and cause and effect,' and never speak of other bright things. It must be that the darker the subject, the better it is to speak of, and the easier it is for the juniors to learn magic and deepen it in their hearts.

The Cycle of Jealousy and the True Self

The student surpassing the master—this is also true in the Demon Realm. Some old demons can accept it, while others cannot. If such a person appears, the consequences can be quite tragic. It is not like what the Buddha’s teachings say, where one can be inclusive, allowing the other to flourish in the Buddha-realm and save more beings. It is not like that in the Demon Realm; the juniors who surpass their masters might be hunted down and exterminated. Some Demon Kings with great mind-capacity might promote them and let them commit greater evil, but such Demon Kings are few and far between. I see that humans are the same. There are very few who can accept a junior who is more outstanding than themselves; most are still jealous. This is a common mentality in the Demon Realm: jealousy, slander, and sabotage—all kinds of evil behaviors appear.

This is the 'inferior root.' It turns out that the inferior root exists regardless of space or time. This is truly a sad thing. But likewise, the true self and Buddha-nature also exist in every space and time, because the true self does not wear away by even a fraction due to the passage of time or space. It remains as perfect as it was in the beginning. It just depends on whether you have the ability to let your true self manifest and remove all the pollution; then, the true self is revealed. I say this lightly, but doing it is not so easy. This is what I have seen from Practitioner Su.

To be honest, I also had a slight understanding of the Buddha’s teachings in the past and knew the core principles, but I had never truly seen it. Apart from hearing about the deeds of Amitabha Buddha, I had never seen an awakened being among humans with my own eyes. In China’s five-thousand-year history, it is quite a coincidence that I happened to encounter my time of entering samadhi. The time I spent in samadhi was about the eighty trillion years I mentioned earlier. If you count the time I was active, it should be around ninety trillion years, all spent in samadhi. If I have remembered incorrectly, please help me adjust it, because time is not important to us. 'What are your skills, what is your demon nature, and are you strong enough?'—this is what is important. But when you have no knowledge of the other person, their age, what they say, and what they do become the basis for everyone’s initial judgment. This character is the same whether in the Demon Realm or the human world; it is only in the Buddha’s path that it is different.

A Buddha sees every being as a Buddha. This is truly magnificent! And it is precisely because of this that Practitioner Su is able to be so inclusive despite the unceremonious attacks from demons, and even send demons to the Dharma-Nature Land.

This matter has drawn great praise from us old demons in the Dharma-Nature Land! This is something only a Buddha could do; a demon could never achieve it. In this way, it also gives the listener some concept of the difference between a Buddha and a demon.

Before I entered samadhi, I often spoke eloquently in the Demon Realm, giving juniors the opportunity to learn magic, but I would never have mentioned such things. However, here, I must express my own personal feelings within the limited time, so that everyone can understand. This way, you will know how precious your position is as people at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. You can say that you are now in a place that is shining brightly, and the light of this place can also illuminate your body and mind, allowing you the possibility of becoming a shining Buddha yourself.

"However, I see that we still need to put in much more effort. You see, many of the 'demon children and grandchildren' only need to get slightly close to you, and you immediately lose consciousness—you faint until you are completely unresponsive. Even the demon grandchildren would shake their heads at such a level of meditative concentration. What are we to do? Even the 'old demons' here in our Dharma-Nature Land feel anxious for you. Fortunately, Practitioner Su is, after all, a person with clear vision and great wisdom. He has invited the 'old demons' from our Dharma-Nature Land to help look after the fourfold assembly. He has asked these demon crowds—both those within your bodies and those lurking nearby—to keep their distance so that you can practise properly. Just now, I used my own intention to ask my demon children and grandchildren to stay a bit further away from you two. I am certain you can hear my voice; I have confidence in myself. The energy here in the Dharma-Nature Land is abundant; there is absolutely no need to worry about a lack of energy. I am brimming with energy, and I am sending this message out to tell everyone."

A Hidden Life in the Dark

"So, after that battle, I was finally willing to find a place to live in seclusion. The place I found, much like many other old demons, was a dark place. Some old demons can withstand the test and choose to find a bright place, entering samadhi in the dark corners amidst the light. But I did not have that kind of assurance. At that time, my state of mind had hit rock bottom. I only hoped for a dark environment to protect me, to avoid any chance of being in the spotlight. Therefore, I chose the deep depths of the core of our planet. I had never been to such deep underground places before. In the process of entering the depths, I saw many spirits. They were naturally buried underground. Some spirits had just entered the depths and were buried in the upper layers."

"You should know that, in reality, there are many spirits deep underground who never see the light of day and are unable to obtain the energy to revive. Alas, it made me even more sorrowful to see this... Could it be that I came to such a deep place only to end up like them? But I did not wither away. Although I was filled with sorrow, I was still able to move and survive, unlike these spirits before me who had no signs of life and not a shred of energy in their bodies. In the spiritual realms, this state is called 'the withering of the spirit.' One must wait until a certain day when their spirit obtains energy, only then is it possible to revive and become a tiny new life. But the past is forgotten from that moment on. It is just like the 'Meng Po soup' of Earth."

The Universal Principle of Forgetting

"That is correct, I saw it! That Meng Po is making every being who is about to be reincarnated drink the Meng Po soup, allowing them to forget every bit and piece of what happened in their past lives so that they can continue their days in the next life. As it turns out, this is also one of the universal principles and the righteous path of Truth. A life that has not gone through this process cannot face the next life. Because when you see everyone before you, with their past, present, and future all clearly visible, can you still get along with them properly? Perhaps that excellent, worthy-of-cultivation junior by your side is actually the person who hurt you most deeply in the past. If that were the case, would you still treat him well?"

"I do not know what the situation is like in other realms, but at least from the perspective of the Demon Realm, or in the depths of that withered planet in the Dharma Realm where I resided, the situation of the buried, withered spirits is exactly this—they forget every bit and piece of what happened in the past. It is only after energy is infused into them, and they become a spirit of a new life, that they begin to learn all over again. This is the same principle as the six realms of rebirth: different lives, different encounters, everything proceeds within the laws of karma and cause and effect. So, the 'Law of Causal Conditions' is also a universal principle and the righteous path of Truth. The Buddha is truly magnificent for having seen through all of this, and for transforming such profound Buddha’s teachings into simple, easy-to-understand words to tell people. Yet, people take them lightly and do not pay attention to their authenticity. The so-called 'not paying attention' means not truly benefiting from the Buddha’s teachings. As a result, they still follow their karma and fate, wandering in the cycle of rebirth. Alas, unless you have tremendous blessings to continue living a good life; if your blessings are exhausted, then your days will be miserable."

The Weight of Blessings and Truth

"I believe that in the days before I became a demon, I once had blessings. But once the blessings were exhausted, I fell into the fate of being a servant. It turns out that this matter of 'blessings and merit' is also a universal principle and the righteous path of Truth. The teachings spoken by the Buddha are truly applicable to every corner, every space, and every moment. The teachings that Namo Amituofo is giving at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre at this time are quite pleasant to hear, easy to speak, and logical to us senior demons in the Dharma Realm. This is what is most important. The so-called 'logic' is something that cannot be shaken. From any angle—east, west, south, or north—it does not change and is always applicable. This is what is called 'logic.' Those who have realised their true nature understand the righteous path of Truth; no wonder they would not dare to violate it. They know that the consequences of violating it are quite miserable."

"However, I see that many people are not afraid of violating the Truth at all. The so-called Truth, in this place, refers to the precepts and the regulations for the fourfold assembly. This is the most basic Truth. If you even violate this, then the laws of karma and cause and effect you will suffer are actually the same as the principle of violating the universal principles and the righteous path of Truth. It is just a matter of how large the scope of your influence is. If it only affects the individual, then the individual suffers the karmic retribution, and the retribution is relatively light; if the scope of influence is large, involving not just yourself but also the people or beings around you, then your karmic retribution will be very heavy."

A Warning to the Demon Crowds

"In this place, I appeal to the demon children and grandchildren, or the demon crowds who are using 'magic': if the targets of your 'magic' are just ordinary civilians, then let it be according to the causal conditions. If you are willing to listen to what I say, then listen; if not, then continue what you are doing. In any case, the laws of karma and cause and effect mean you reap what you sow. But if your target for 'magic' is Practitioner Su, then the karmic retribution will be vastly different. Practitioner Su is a person who can save the demon crowds. If he meets with any misfortune and is truly harmed because of the 'magic' used, you will have to bear the consequences of that karmic retribution. All the beings he was originally meant to save, who cannot be saved because he is injured—these karmic retributions will all be counted on your heads. Tell me, can you afford to bear that? Look at the many beings here in the Dharma-Nature Land; the old demon is just one of them, and many demon crowds are just among them as well. There are many other beings from various realms and directions, beings not called 'demons,' who are also among them. This includes the beings on the bodies of the fourfold assembly; they are also included here."

"That one Practitioner Su can save so many beings is truly inconceivable! Of course, there is Namo Amituofo assisting behind the scenes. But if Practitioner Su’s conduct had not been affirmed or approved by Namo Amituofo, would the Buddha personally reside at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre? Namo Amituofo is the 'Universal Buddha'! The so-called Universal Buddha means that He is a manager. We have no idea what His age is, because it is too far back in time. Even when I had not yet become a demon and was still on that planet, I had already heard of Namo Amituofo. That must be an existence even more ancient than seventeen trillion or twenty trillion years. Is it even more ancient? That will have to wait for you to interview an old demon of a higher level than twenty trillion to see if they know Namo Amituofo, only then will you know how old the Buddha truly is. The sutras say that 'the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss was established ten kalpas ago,' which we have read in The Infinite Life Sutra. But we feel that 'ten kalpas' does not seem enough; it is too short. Looking at it this way, this 'ten kalpas' might just be a representative number; 'ten' perhaps just means 'a very long time.' This is my personal speculation, just take it as a reference. After all, the Buddha has not spoken it out, and we cannot know the true state of affairs. However, I can tell everyone that I did indeed spend seventeen trillion years on that planet, maybe tens of thousands of years. It is too long; tens of thousands of years is just a tiny decimal point, a remainder, compared to seventeen trillion years."

The Greatness of Namo Amituofo

"At that time, Namo Amituofo was already the Universal Buddha. So, you all know what an extraordinary Buddha is currently residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. In the past, it would not have been easy for me to admit that there was an object more extraordinary than us. Now, I can actually say it fluently. So, by comparison, my past experiences have become insignificant; they are truly insignificant. Namo Amituofo has a boundless mind-capacity and can encompass the Demon Realm. I am truly grateful that I could encounter the Buddha. Likewise, I must be grateful for encountering Practitioner Su. If Practitioner Su had not manifested in a human body, Namo Amituofo would not have been able to rely on the vows made by a human to go to the Dharma Realm to save so many demons. This is the relationship of cause and effect. It seems that the laws of karma and cause and effect are the universal principles and the righteous path of Truth. I suppose no one would object to this, right? Then believe it."

"There are quite a few demons in the Demon Realm who are eloquent, because to subdue the demon children and grandchildren—who are all naturally difficult—how else could one be a Demon King and lead them? If one cannot subdue them with the problems they raise and the things they do, how could one be a Demon King? Therefore, the Demon King must also be eloquent, and most importantly, must have true 'attainment' to be able to subdue the demon crowds. Not to mention that an old demon is here now—this is not to elevate the status of the old demon, but to express deep repentance. Thus, one can know that the old demon himself has committed all sorts of heinous crimes. From the perspective of the evil deeds spoken of and committed in your human world, they are truly insignificant to us, but they were enough to make the Buddha appear to protect everyone and save everyone’s Dharma Body and wisdom. Because the demon crowds have occupied many people’s bodies to do demonic deeds, for us, it is truly the case. And the human body is indeed very miraculous; it can become a Buddha, and it can also become a demon. It can have the energy of a Buddha, and it can also have the hatred, arrogance, and unreasonable demonic power of the demon crowds. This is what I have seen during these days in the Dharma-Nature Land. And it can change in many ways; it is truly an impermanent human body."

Namo Amituofo.

"I can see the method of death of each of you from your Alaya consciousness. Some of you were once great demons in the past. What Practitioner Su says is not empty talk at all; although those events happened in the distant past, they are recorded without a single error in the Alaya consciousness, and we can see them quite easily. This is true for old demons, though for little demons and the 'demon children and grandchildren,' it may not be as easy—it is a matter of 'clarity.' Little demons also have the ability to look into the Alaya consciousness, but it is blurry and indistinct; they often do not know the era because their meditative concentration is not yet sufficient. The older the demon, and the more profound their meditative concentration, the clearer they can see the Alaya consciousness. At such a level, one can clearly point out what kind of identity you once held. But why bother? Practitioner Su has taught us: 'There is no past, no future, only the present.' And this present moment is to be spent chanting the name 'Namo Amituofo,' chanting it continuously. We have taken this to heart as if it were a precious treasure.

The Resonance of the Buddha-Name

Therefore, you old demons in the Dharma-Nature Land can hear the sound of the Buddha-name at any time: 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' Some chant it slowly, word by word; some chant it quickly, 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo'; and others chant it at a steady, unhurried pace: 'Na-mo-A-mi-tuo-fo.' Every old demon places their heart within the Buddha-name. Some are very urgent, some are very gentle, and some chant word by word like an old monk who has entered samadhi. There are also many who chant according to the rhythm and speed of the Buddha-name recordings played in your temple.

You probably never imagined this, right? But it is indeed the truth. Our space is like this, and I see that the spaces of the Dharma-Nature Land that are lower than mine are the same. It seems that this need is not limited by space or time. As for the spaces higher than mine, I cannot see them; this is also a universal principle, a truth of the righteous path. It turns out that universal principles and the truth of the righteous path are everywhere, yet some people believe, and some do not. If you ask me, you had better believe the words of Amitabha Buddha and the words of Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju! You can choose not to believe the words of others, because they are not yet Buddhas and have not yet awakened; their words are sometimes incoherent, and their character is not firm. Today it is black, tomorrow it is white, and the day after it is colourful—it makes us dizzy, so forget it.

The Mirror of Demon Nature

Amitabha Buddha is so compassionate that He designates a certain demon to look after a certain person, and I see that this demon does not dare to be anything less than diligent in their care. Yet, sometimes I cannot help but smile—why are the things they do so similar to what we did in the beginning? This is what is called 'demon nature.' It turns out that the definition of demon nature is the same everywhere: it is simply having a strong personality. Practitioner Su, you are truly remarkable to be able to point this out so clearly, making us demon crowds feel more than a little ashamed. Not just a little—'ashamed' is enough, 'a little' is not enough; it is truly the case. So, why do you have demon nature in you? To be honest, the people I see—and by 'people,' I mean the fourfold assembly, though it is not appropriate to name names—the people I see seem to have had such experiences as demons in their past lives. As for the depth of these experiences, just as Practitioner Su said, some are not inferior to us! Sounds quite terrifying, doesn't it? In this sense, I must address these people as elders. In the Demon Realm, we are respectful toward elders because we know that reaching that level is no simple matter. Toward juniors, we are sometimes protective; after all, we have experienced their age and stage, and at that time, we hoped for a bit more compassion. Perhaps I should not use the word 'compassion,' as it would be mocked if used among the demon crowds. Let us say a 'gentler' demon might be kinder to the juniors, perhaps telling them more about demon affairs or taking better care of them. It turns out that demons actually have a kind side, it is just that it is never mentioned in the Demon Realm.

The Long Silence of the Deep Earth

I mentioned earlier that I spent ninety trillion years in meditative concentration, passing the time in the deep earth. But I stopped everything within myself; I stopped my heart, and I stopped all these fluctuations. Many old demons, if they could not endure these days, would simply wither away. It was just like the spirit of the demon I saw in the place where I was deep underground—it withered away. There were other old demons there at the time, and because I could think of this, I believe the other old demons could think of it too; I was not the only one.

So, fortunately, I endured until now, for ninety trillion years. But to be honest, once you have truly entered samadhi, you do not feel that time passes so quickly. Since I survived, it was possible for this day to come—I did not enter samadhi, nor did I want to, nor did I want to move, nor did I want to be discovered by other demons—I just passed such a long time quietly inside. Until one day, the spirits around me began to vibrate. Why did they vibrate? This was a major event! Demons go to the very deep earth; how can I describe this depth? It is extremely, extremely deep. The Earth is a small planet, which I must add, because in the Dharma Realm, there are quite a few planets that are much larger than Earth. There are planets two, three, or ten times larger, so their depths are also great. I see the state of the hells on your Earth, and our depth was probably about the same. The hells are also underground, and they can be seen.

A World Transformed by Light

At that depth, the surroundings were originally very quiet, silent, and dead. Suddenly, there was a fluctuation underground, and I was shaken awake. Later, I saw that the originally dark space had become bright. What was going on? After I understood, I discovered that the withered souls had received energy; they came alive, turned into many small lives, new lives, and then had the power to be received by this light energy onto the surface of the planet. The original planet was a dark planet, a demon planet, but after being illuminated by the light, it became a bright planet. This caused many demon crowds to tumble over themselves, not knowing how to survive. And because the spirits that had been dormant and withered underground were revived, there was a great tremor underground.

The Buddha-light brought me to the Western Land of Dharma Nature; this happened very quickly, and at the same time, I understood what was going on in a very short period. After entering, I was just one of the many demon crowds in this surging wave; there were so many demon crowds in this wave that it is impossible to count. At this moment, I was called out by the compassionate Amitabha Buddha to speak on behalf of the old demons of seventeen trillion years. I have said these things, some of which I have never said before, and I did not even know I could say them. I hope you can all take them to heart; these are my heartfelt words, and I hope they are of some help to the juniors. Surely, the 'demon children and grandchildren' I see around me now—if you do not listen to what other old demons say, can you at least listen to what your own old demon says? Some nodded; just stay here and prepare to surrender, do not go back to doing those demon deeds anymore! Even more so, do not use 'magic' against Practitioner Su; that is a great act of unfilial piety and disrespect, a path to self-destruction, and you will be saddled with endless karmic retribution. I cannot understand how there could be old demons who follow these young demon crowds to use 'magic'? What is your mindset? Logically, you should be more sensible; how could you join in using 'magic' against Practitioner Su, and without showing any mercy? I hope you will also listen to the advice of an old demon and stop for now. I do not need to ask you to surrender; just stop, take a look, and see what kind of person the target of your 'magic' is, and it will not be too late to use 'magic' later. Perhaps then you will know how ridiculously wrong you were. This is my subjective view, but at this moment, my subjective view in the Western Land of Dharma Nature should be sincere and credible.

The Path to Salvation

How can the current human world and the Demon Realm be saved? I believe that with the cooperation of Amitabha Buddha, Practitioner Su, and Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, the space of the Dharma Realm has been purified, giving old demons a place to return to—the Dharma-Nature Land. This Dharma-Nature Land is truly a miraculous place; it can actually accommodate so many beings. This Buddha-teaching is truly inconceivable! Practitioner Su, you have personally set an example by purifying the space of the Dharma Realm. In fact, it is not just the Dharma Realm or the space of the Earth; you are also performing Chao Du and purifying every day. As for other places like the heavens beyond the heavens, other realms, or demonic beings, as well as the universe and the Milky Way—the universe and the Milky Way are also vast spaces, but they are covered within the Dharma Realm. As for other small spaces, you also pass through, perform Chao Du, and purify them every day. Therefore, the scope of your care and purification is far too vast; this is what a Buddha does. You do this every day without fatigue because you know that only Amitabha Buddha can save the beings of the Ten Directions of the Dharma Realm and the human world at this time. That is why you work so hard, treating one day as two. I see that you might even be treating one day as three. There are still many suffering beings. But... oh, no, I cannot, I am sorry, I am truly disrespectful to say such things. You are already working hard enough, treating one day as two; it is truly not simple! It is because of this that many, many of us demon crowds have been saved. I offer you my deepest respect here.

As for how the human world can be saved, to be honest, having a physical body in the human world is truly a troublesome matter. There are too many beings with bodies; it makes my eyes dazzle. Moreover, the character of beings is also impermanent; they change today, they change tomorrow, and they are changing all the time. Perhaps when you invite spirits, they are willing and come out, and then there is hope. If they are still attached, have strong subjectivity, and have a strong personality—the same personality as their masters—then it is truly difficult to invite them out. That also depends on the people's own fortune. Changing personality traits is an urgent matter; only then can the human world be saved. Buddhist education is indeed very important. If those who understand can quickly save themselves, then the Buddha can save them; only then can it be received." Namo Amituofo.

"Alright, I will leave it at that for today. There is still so much more to say, but I will leave that for the other old demons to share. It is truly an endless story, impossible to finish! Here, I respectfully bow once, then three times, to Namo Amituofo. I offer my deepest gratitude to Namo Amituofo, to Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, and to Practitioner Su."

A Final Reflection and Gratitude

"Of course, although I have spoken much about humanity, I must also thank all of you. You have provided us with so many profound insights, lessons, and opportunities to learn. It has been a journey of reflection for us all. Thank you all for listening to my testimony."

Namo Amituofo.

Demon Tifang