The Masked Demon: An Interview with an Ancient Being

This is a record of an interview with Mo Xiaosong, 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 240 trillion years. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on April 23, 2025.

Mo Xiaosong speaks:

"I have certainly arrived. We are now here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and yet, everyone is wearing a smile. This smile is not a superficial one—it is not a case of the skin smiling while the heart remains cold. It is a smile that radiates from the very depths of our true hearts.

To be perfectly honest, a portion of us demons are exceptionally skilled at wearing masks. Our defining characteristic is the ability to don all sorts of false faces! Is such a demon not absolutely terrifying? They are the type who will say whatever is needed to suit the person in front of them: to a human, they speak like a human; to a ghost, they speak like a ghost; to a demon, they speak like a demon; and to a Buddha, they speak like a Buddha. Yet, if you look into their hearts, you will not find a single glimmer of light. It is all darkness.

The Illusion of Truth and Falsehood

When such words are spoken, are they true or are they false? They are a mix of truth and falsehood, of reality and illusion. But does it really matter? Does the Buddha’s teaching not state that everything in this world is illusory? The words I just spoke—do they still hold weight now? They have already passed. Even though it was only a few seconds ago, can I truly say that the words I am speaking at this very moment are the 'real' me? That is not necessarily the case! This is because there are so many beings; perhaps someone else was speaking through me just a moment ago. Therefore, there is no fixed point for what is true and what is false. This is what we call the impermanence of life. Even demons are subject to impermanence! So, does that mean impermanence is also a Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way? Indeed, that is exactly the case.

Every person possesses a true nature known as the Buddha-nature. Only when this Buddha-nature moves forward does it remain permanently unmoved; it is the only thing that truly exists eternally. If you were to ask any space in the vastness of the Dharma Realm, at any point in the past, present, or future, what is it that remains eternally unchanged? There is only one answer: the true self. It was so in the past, it is so in the present, and it will be so in the future. This is the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way.

The Power of Dharma

Many of us ancient demons know this, though many of the younger generation do not. However, those demons with roots of wisdom understand it as well. As for those without such roots, after spending time here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, listening to the lectures of Practitioner Su, and especially receiving the teachings from Namo Amituofo and Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju—combined with Practitioner Su’s exquisite and thorough explanations, his pearls of wisdom and his ability to make the Dharma bloom like lotus flowers—even the most stubborn among us have no choice but to surrender.

How did I spend those 240 trillion years in the Dharma Realm? Let me tell you: I survived by relying on hypocritical masks! I was like an actor. In this theatre, whatever script you are given, you must play that role. You have to completely abandon your current identity to perform the part well. That hypocritical mask exists only in relation to the 'real' self and the 'real' face. It is this relativity that creates what we call hypocrisy. If there were no such contrast, the concept of the 'mask' would be even more pervasive.

The Survival of the Fittest

In the Demon Realm, it is common practice to use any means necessary to achieve one's goals. This is one of the core demon natures, a trait almost every demon must possess. If you do not act without scruples, you will fail to achieve your objectives, and you will be eliminated. You would no longer be considered a demon. Or, you might simply be a demon who ranks at the very bottom, following the crowd without any ability of your own. Such demons are often looked down upon. If others run fast, and you run slowly, you fall behind and have to beg for someone to pull you up.

Often, these types of demons are eventually abandoned. When everyone else is racing forward, they are the ones left behind. Eventually, they lose sight of the pack, becoming lost and wandering, lonely and miserable. There are many such cases. They are left to fend for themselves—a rather tragic fate. The luckier ones might be picked up by another demon troop to serve as a member. In any case, for a demon in that position, the only goal is to survive.

I will tell you, I was once that demon at the back of the pack, abandoned and cast aside by my own troop. Because I was a burden, I could see no companions; I was the demon abandoned by the Demon King, abandoned by my own 'friends.' I once sat there, not knowing what to do. Because I did not steal, did not rob, and did not argue or debate with others, I had no opportunity to move forward and was constantly pushed to the end of the line. In the Demon Realm, that is the karmic retribution for such a demon.

The Influence of the Demon King

Finally, I was lucky enough to be taken in by a kind-hearted Demon King who gave me a sense of security. Perhaps this Demon King had a good karmic connection with me; he found it strange to see a demon in the Demon Realm who did not fight, compete, or argue. At that time, I was a 'little demon'—well, let's just say I was a little demon.

'Very well,' he said. 'You can stay by my side, and I will train you properly. Since you have this kind of personality, I assume you can absorb whatever I teach you.' This Demon King was truly clever, and he was right. There is a segment of demon beings who become demons when they meet demons—and specifically, evil demons—but if they meet a Buddha, they become Buddhas. I happened to meet a demon, and an evil one at that, who trained me to be just like him. But since we are two different spirits, we remained different demons. He was the Demon King, and I was the little demon, but he raised me to be just like him.

The Demon King’s favourite trick was the use of masks. But wearing that mask is not easy! He had to see through the other person’s heart, say things that made them feel cared for, gain their trust, and then, once his goal was achieved, he would simply walk away, taking all of their 'demon children and grandchildren' with him, leaving the Demon King alone to become the last one standing. This is the method of the 'Masked Demon King.'

At first, I thought, 'This person is too evil! How can he do this? It is so pitiful!' But after seeing it once, then twice, by the third time, it didn't seem so pitiful anymore. By the fourth time, it became the natural order of things. From then on, I became that very Demon King who truly wore the mask. This is the malleability and the terror of the environment. Even those who were once quiet became eloquent, because it was a condition for survival. This is called 'stimulating potential.' But this potential is not good; it is the potential for evil.

Therefore, within everyone’s Alaya consciousness and the fifty-one mental factors, you have everything—the good and the bad, the virtuous and the evil, the superior and the inferior. It all depends on what kind of environment draws that part of you out from your Alaya consciousness. You then become that specific molecule, a replacement for the past. Without the ability to see into the Alaya consciousness, you could never become a Demon King. So, of course, I also looked into my own Alaya consciousness.

The Cycle of Revenge

There was a period in my past when I lived this way. It was not as a hypocritical mask in the Demon Realm, but as a hypocritical mask in the human world—and that is truly terrifying! If you ever encounter such a person, you have truly had the worst luck in eight lifetimes! Why do I say this? You think you have found something sweet; they understand you, care for you, and cherish you. But in reality, they want everything you have. In the end, they gnaw on your bones, drink your blood, and even steal your face—your beauty, your best qualities—leaving you unable to face the world. Alas, humans have property and assets, and all of that is stolen too.

When you meet such a person, is it not the worst luck in eight lifetimes? But if you look forward into the laws of karma and cause and effect, you will find that you once treated them the same way. In this lifetime, when they see you, they naturally feel disgust and treat you this way, repaying the debt you owed them! But you were no better; you also did terrible things and collected that debt from them. Conversely, you now owe them. In the next life, they will come to collect this debt from you. When will this cycle of karmic retribution ever end?

In my Alaya consciousness, there was once such a tangled, endless, and messy web of evil karmic connections. This does not only happen in the human world; it is the same in the Demon Realm. This means that if you use a mask to make someone else taste the bitter fruit of failure and pain, they have likely done the same to you in the past. In this life, you want to pay them back tooth for tooth, blow for blow, and hit them even harder. In the next life, you will have to suffer the same retribution.

How many lifetimes do you have to repay this? It never ends! Especially having lived for 240 trillion years—oh, that age is truly terrifying to speak of. If you look at it from one angle, you might say, 'This ancient demon is quite capable to have lived so long.' But if you look at it from another angle, you are truly miserable! The longer you live, the more you do, and with the interest added, you can never pay it back! Before I entered the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I actually felt quite proud of myself, truly. After entering, it was a 360-degree turnaround. There is a saying: it is either zero or one hundred. I think I might be that one.

My past evil was extreme, but now, there has been a great reversal, and my own kind-hearted nature has been revealed, which is why I have been able to say what I have just said. Otherwise, in the past, such words would only have been spoken when I was wearing my hypocritical mask. Now, I want to speak words of light and righteousness, words that conform to the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. I can do that! I could put on that mask, and every word I spoke would be perfectly correct. But that would be hypocrisy! Because it is not my true nature, nor is it my true personality.

However, at this moment, there is no need for that personality to surface; instead, my true nature has revealed a bit of its inherent goodness. Therefore, the words I speak now truly have authenticity, and you can believe them."

Namo Amituofo.

"This is a disaster! If I have been so hypocritical in the past, will you believe me now? Hmph! Some of you are shaking your heads, while others are nodding. Since I am now in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, you might as well believe these few words of mine! This is like the boy who cried wolf—he lied so many times that when the wolf finally came, hardly anyone would listen. If no one listens to you, you eventually end up in the wolf's jaws; you brought it upon yourself. But that won't happen to me! I am so blessed; now that I am under the protection of the Buddha-light of Amitabha Buddha in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I can speak my mind freely. I no longer need to speak hypocritically."

"Speaking hypocritically creates a heavy karmic debt for oneself. This is not a minor verbal transgression; it is a major one. Because many beings can hear what I say—they are all listening. If they hear something incorrect and take it to heart, and then actually act upon it, who will bear that debt? I would have to bear it, and it would be recorded against me! Why bother? So, for now, you might as well take my words at face value."

The Mask of Hypocrisy

"Let me tell you, in the Demon Realm, there is no shortage of hypocrisy. Why? Because our original nature is not like that! Yet, we are forced to do things that go against our nature, which covers up our true character and reveals that hypocritical side. Ironically, this hypocritical side is often mistaken by everyone as the truth, and one begins to believe that this is who they really are. Such hypocrisy is somewhat understandable because everyone is doing it. In that environment, you know everyone is like that, and if you turn around and act differently while everyone else is the same, that is what is called hypocrisy."

"Because I am now in the Western Land of Dharma Nature—a truly pristine, pure, and good world—my hypocrisy stands out even more. At this moment, being bathed in Buddha-light, this hypocrisy of mine is being melted away very quickly. Therefore, in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, there are no unhappy demons. This is what I have observed so far."

The Compassion of Amitabha Buddha

"Of course, I cannot boast. Perhaps there are demons hiding in corners crying, because anything is possible. But I think they will not cry for long, because the Greatly Compassionate Amitabha Buddha understands the character of every being and what they are currently experiencing. I believe the Buddha will surely reach out a helping hand to pull them up and tell them not to cry anymore."

"'Child! Whatever you need here, the Buddha can satisfy you.'"

"Furthermore, the Buddha can see through exactly what you are lacking that makes you feel this way. He comforts you, encourages you, and then lets you stand up again with a smile to join everyone on their lotus seats."

"Even if you are currently hiding in a corner on the edge of a leaf on your lotus seat, crying, the Buddha will still help you. Because demons have the ability to shrink themselves to be very small, we might not see you and just wonder, 'Where did the owner of this lotus seat go? Is it empty?' It turns out you were just hiding in the corner crying. At such a time, the compassionate Buddha will certainly save you. This is my understanding of the Buddha from my time here. The Buddha is not hypocritical; He is sincere, real, and authentic. What we call sincerity, purity, equality, right awareness, and compassion—that is the Buddha."

The Mirror of Two Worlds

"In the Demon Realm, it is the exact opposite: sincerity is replaced by hypocrisy, purity by pollution, equality by inequality—and the disparity is quite significant. Right awareness is, of course, replaced by delusion and ignorance, and compassion is replaced by evil and a lack of mercy. This is the difference between the world of the Buddha and the world of demons. You juniors who are listening to me now, do you understand? I have given this example; is it clear? Hmm! Some of you are nodding, very good."

"Among the masks of hypocrisy, one role is to be a teacher of goodness... oh! Forgive me, I mean a teacher of evil. No one in the Demon Realm talks about good deeds; they only talk about evil! If you talk about good deeds, you will quickly be driven out, unless you have the ability to form a demon team and specifically teach everyone inside what is good and what is evil."

"At that time, even if you want to bring up and talk about goodness, you absolutely must bring up evil as well, otherwise you wouldn't be called a demon! That would be a group of goodness, which would be called immortals, gods, Bodhisattvas, or Buddhas! Wait, that's not right! One must realise one's true nature to become a Buddha, but one can still be a Bodhisattva. Those with good roots might become Bodhisattvas, but it is very difficult for them to survive in the Demon Realm because, after all, the number of demons is much larger. For example, if a crowd attacks one person, can you still survive? You might be torn apart! Oh! Even if it is not that serious, you would at least be beaten black and blue, and after speaking once, you wouldn't dare to speak a second time."

The Power of the Pure Land

"Therefore, in this world of the Buddha, everything one sees and hears, everything the Six Roots come into contact with, is entirely good. It is just like the Western Land of Dharma Nature; it is an extremely good world. There is no place that makes you feel bad, dissatisfied, or want to complain, compare, or feel disgusted—none of that exists. Therefore, your personality does not manifest. This does not mean your personality has changed, but at least you do not reveal it, so your evil nature does not appear, and naturally, you can wear a smile. This is where the Buddha's compassion lies."

"The Buddha has this merit and power; He has the ability to build such a world. The world built by Amitabha Buddha is called the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and the world built by Practitioner Su with the help of Amitabha Buddha is called the Western Land of Dharma Nature. This is also what the demons have learned after being taught; otherwise, to be honest, I don't know how far the planets of the Dharma Realm are from Earth. I am not clear on that. This might need to be explained using your human concepts, but in short, it is extremely, extremely far away."

"Having a physical body means there is distance, but what about a spirit without a body? It depends on how sensitive your spirit is and how long it takes to arrive. Like us old demons, we can arrive in a split second; but some little demons, they do not have this skill yet, and it might take several thoughts of thought power to arrive, or they might not be able to arrive at all."

"What I want to say is that under these circumstances, the skill of an old demon can reach such a realm! This is nothing special, just one of many things. However, there are so many old demons in the Land of Dharma Nature; who has the ability, who has the capacity to subdue so many old demons and gather them in the Western Land of Dharma Nature?"

"Amitabha Buddha! Besides Amitabha Buddha, who else? No one! There are no other Buddhas. Unless we encounter a second Buddha, then we will mention him—out of respect for the teacher and the Dharma, it is Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, placed as the second. Is there anyone else? Yes! There is Practitioner Su! The Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is so special; there are Buddhas one after another. Usually, having one Buddha is already extraordinary, but here there are three. Therefore, the Western Land of Dharma Nature here cannot manifest evil nature, which allows you to subdue beings and help them only after you have let go of evil thoughts and evil deeds!"

A Reflection on Transformation

"Strange, I am speaking the words of the Buddha now. That's right! How did I become so good? I don't know either. Truly, this environment is inconceivable. I had no opportunity to speak, and I didn't know I would say these things myself. In the past, I always spoke bad words, evil words; there was goodness within the evil and kindness within the good, but it was always 'a knife hidden in a smile.' Those who didn't understand didn't know and were stabbed and hurt; those who did understand would sometimes stay away from me because they couldn't tell if I was real or fake. But some of the demon children and grandchildren just love this kind of personality, so they naturally became a part of my demon group."

"This time, as an old demon of 240,000 trillion years, I certainly cannot expose myself entirely in front of the demon crowds. If such an old demon existed, we would probably all bow and kneel to him three times, because I have never met one."

"For 240,000 trillion years, if you do not have the status of having entered samadhi and lived in seclusion, you certainly wouldn't live this long. Why? Because our personalities haven't changed! If our personalities haven't changed, and you lose your meditative concentration in the midst of every thought and intention, you will be dragged away. Even if you have meditative concentration, that is just suppressing your personality. If your concentration weakens a little, your personality arises, and the environment makes your demon nature arise too, then you will be in big trouble. Many accounts that were not apparent, that were pressed flat, will manifest one by one at that time. How could you bear it? You cannot bear it, and in the end, the laws of karma and cause and effect will take you away. Many old demons have met this end, so since time immemorial, I don't know how many demons have been absorbed by the laws of karma and cause and effect; it is uncountable and incalculable."

"However, relatively speaking, where there are demons, there are Buddhas. How many Buddhas are there? There are infinite Buddhas scattered throughout the vastness of the Dharma Realm, in every corner, in every realm, and in every Buddha world. It is also possible that in our demon groups, has a Buddha come? To be part of our demon group? In fact, deep down, they are doing the work of teaching beings. I think perhaps there might be, because no one teaches the demon crowds. If they encounter a Buddha who has a karmic affinity with demons, and is also a Buddha of great compassion and wisdom, it is possible they would do so."

"I have reason to believe this, but I have never encountered one. Perhaps if I had encountered one, and my heart and personality had not changed, and I had not ascended to the Land of Dharma Nature, I would have imitated him perfectly. This is one of the conditions for survival as a mask-wearer—making it impossible for people to distinguish between true and false. What a terrifying personality! I find myself quite terrifying now. In this situation, if I were not in this environment, how could I see my true face? Therefore, many beings live in suffering without knowing they are suffering, and live in a terrifying environment without knowing it is terrifying. On the contrary, those with sensitive awareness know that beings are suffering the moment they see them."

"Namo Amituofo."

Just look at Practitioner Su. The immense boldness shown in subduing the demon crowds this time—was it not because she saw that there was no one to teach them? It is a heart of great compassion! She gathered the demon crowds to the Western Dharma-Nature Land and taught them about the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Every one of them who heard it wept uncontrollably! They had never heard such things before. If they had heard it, and still possessed a shred of conscience, how could they allow themselves to be exposed to such a terrifying environment? This includes me, Demon Xiaosong. This name might sound quite kind, but do not be deceived by me! I used such a kind name to commit evil deeds. This, too, is a part of the demon nature.

The Cruelty of the Demon Realm

The laws of karma and cause and effect in the human world can be heard of at any time. If, in the end, one dies—when this body decays, falls ill, grows old, and passes away—I believe that a person who has lived such a life will be dragged directly into the hells to suffer. The hells are a terrifying place. To the beings of the six realms of existence, the hells are the most painful and evil places. But let me tell you all, within the Demon Realm, the lives of many slaves involve suffering that is almost identical to that of the hells. You can see that when the demon nature is greatly amplified, the things done are truly cruel to the extreme. These are relatively extreme situations, and only I can speak of them because I had to understand them to survive. If I were truly forced to commit such extremely evil acts, I could do it, which is why I am able to speak of it now.

Therefore, you should realise how precious the world of the Buddha you are in is! It is filled with brightness, compassion, great compassion, great Wisdom, and great meritorious power, all of which can be given to each and every one of you. Whoever wants it, the Buddha can give it. In fact, as long as you keep chanting, "Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo," you will naturally possess it. Such an inexpensive thing, yet none of you seem to want it. We, however, treat it as a treasure! Because we have never seen such a thing—to be able to obtain such merit for free, just by chanting the Buddha-name. Such an easy thing, why don't you know to ask for it? It has ended up being our gain instead.

The Struggle for Power

In the world of demons, there is no such thing as a free gift! If you cannot get what you want, you either have to seize it by force or launch an attack. Otherwise, you have to rack your brains, thinking of every possible way to get your hands on what you desire. Only then is it possible to obtain it. Otherwise, you are left empty-handed, with nothing. You become a weak demon with no energy. The end result is going to the bottom of the earth to become a withered spirit.

So, look at this! In the Western Dharma-Nature Land, we do not need to attack, we do not need to seize, and we do not need to risk being consumed by the laws of karma. We do not need to speak hypocritical words or wear a mask so that others cannot see our true nature, and yet we can receive the Buddha-light's illumination for no reason at all. This energy is truly of the highest quality! When we were first bathed in it, we were still wondering: "Is this real?" Then, by chanting the Buddha-name, we could possess supreme meritorious power and even help us dissolve karma and clear obstacles! Such an easy thing, it really exists! It is happening right here in the Western Dharma-Nature Land.

A Blessing Beyond Measure

What the Buddha gives to beings is so high-quality, so generous, and so abundant. Real things are happening just like this; this is truly your tremendous blessing! It is a blessing cultivated over I don't know how many lifetimes! I am Demon Xiaosong, one of the demons who has received this tremendous blessing. That is why I am very obedient; I am terrified that if I am not obedient, all of this will vanish into thin air, and I might not know how many more twenty-four trillion-year lifespans I would have to wait through to encounter this while I am still alive.

Therefore, in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, you will find a characteristic: the older the demon, the quieter they are; the older the demon, the more composed they are. They dare not be otherwise, for they understand better than anyone how to cherish this place, knowing how precious it is.

An Invitation to All Beings

After hearing what I have said, are you moved to come in? This is not a privilege reserved only for demons; this is what the Greatly Compassionate Amitabha Buddha, along with Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju and Practitioner Su, gives to every single being. As long as you are willing to surrender—whether it is the surrender of the demon crowds or beings seeking Spiritual Deliverance at the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies—every being has a share. People say this earth is for everyone, but that is not enough; the human world is too small. The human world only occupies a small part of the beings on Earth, and there are far more beings outside the human world! The spirit realm beings are too numerous to count! Not to mention the Dharma realm of emptiness, and the boundless places beyond. You cannot see or touch these spirits, but they truly exist; there is so much life out there. They are everywhere in space.

Under these circumstances, you can all come. The Buddha accepts everyone without exception; the only fear is that you will not come. That would be your own fate. If you do not know how to come to such a good place, it does not matter; other beings know clearly in their hearts that such an encounter is rare. Now that you know, now that you have heard me, and if you believe what I say, then come quickly! I am not engaging in grand propaganda; I am speaking the truth, and I am not speaking hypocritically.

The Fear of Losing the Light

What kind of tremendous blessing did I cultivate to deserve this? I, who usually did such evil things in the Demon Realm, now have the opportunity to come here. I feel like I want to slap my own face and hit my own head. Is this real? Will it disappear in the next second? Will this Western Dharma-Nature Land suddenly vanish? Truly, I am that afraid. Will the Buddha reject me? What should I do then? I do not want the laws of karma to claim me; if the laws of karma claim me, I am definitely doomed! How would I live, how would I get through the days? I hope the Buddha wants me.

The Greatly Compassionate Buddha says: "Child, the only fear is that you do not want the Buddha; the Buddha will never reject you."

Where else can you find such a thing? It is no wonder Practitioner Su says that only with Namo Amituofo residing at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre is there a way to save everyone's life, including the lives of the demon crowds and the lives of many other beings. Beings of the six realms of existence can all be saved; their spirits all have the opportunity for deliverance, depending on whether you have this Dharma affinity. Such a magnificent opportunity—if you tell people about it, how many will believe it? A twenty-four trillion-year-old demon is now speaking, and these words can actually be made public before the eyes of the people in the world. People might say later: "They are truly lying with their eyes wide open!" Well, that is up to you.

The Choice is Yours

Those with blessings will believe a word or two and come here; even that is a blessing cultivated over many lifetimes, allowing you to enter the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. If you lack blessings, and you just turn up your nose, snort a few times, and walk away with disdain, that is your fate. When a treasure is placed before you and you do not know how to cherish it, it will be left for others to take. For us demons, we are fighting to get it.

However, there are all kinds of demons. Many demons simply refuse to believe; they want to hold on, to see how much weight they carry, wanting to compete with the Buddha, wanting to use their "magic," exerting all their strength to see if they can resist. If they could resist Namo Amituofo or Practitioner Su, they would become famous overnight, the invincible demon of the world! Let me tell you, if that were possible, would we, the twenty-four trillion-year-old demons, have been drawn here and subdued? But because of this, we turned a misfortune into a blessing—what we thought was a disaster turned out to be a blessing. Only now can I speak these words; otherwise, I could never have imagined such a thing happening.

A Story of Survival

Speaking of this, that is how I survived in the Demon Realm. For nearly ten trillion years, I entered a deep meditative state. In truth, at that time, I was afraid of death; I was afraid of being found by the laws of karma. No demon is unafraid of death; honestly, this is not just a human fear—demons fear death too. However, demons are spirits and do not "die" in the human sense, but they fear being subjected to extreme torture, having their souls suffer immense pain, or withering away into the depths of the earth, which is truly equivalent to what people call death. Therefore, I had to rack my brains to ensure I did not walk that path—since I had made up my mind to retreat into a deep meditative state, I had to find a place where absolutely no one would discover me.

If there had been demon crowds or old demons who could have educated or guided me back then, perhaps I would have... but I see that even the old demons could not have persuaded me. The roots deep within my foundation were very difficult to change, unless it was the power of the Buddha that could move them.

Alright, what I am saying now is about the past. It does not hurt to tell it as a story, to let everyone have a warning, or perhaps to learn some new knowledge, or even to consider it a good deed to compensate for some of my past sins.

Have any of you heard of atoms, molecules, or quarks? This "quark" is something I learned here. I saw in your Alaya consciousness that you have studied this smallest unit, and I simply shrank myself to that size. No matter what matter on any planet I attached myself to, nothing could touch a quark. I was a quark, very, very small. I have said that I fear death and fear being taken away by the laws of karma. Where did I attach this quark? At the very bottom of a hill on our planet. It was like being inside a single grain of sand at the very bottom. Why do demons prefer sand so much? Because it is very small and not easily discovered. And one can shrink oneself even smaller, inside the sand, making the chance of being discovered even slimmer—it is to protect oneself.

This quark, let us call it another name for me. I settled in a grain of sand under that hill for nearly ten trillion years. You might ask, is that not terrifying? I do not feel it is terrifying, because I lived like that for ten trillion years; what is there to be terrified of? But now that I think about it, it really is... truly pathetic, haha! But it is not, because I have encountered the Buddha. Perhaps I was just lucky enough to encounter the Buddha. If I had not lived so long, I might not have encountered the Buddha. My heart is filled with gratitude! Namo Amituofo.

"At the same time, I would like to offer a suggestion: for those of you who usually wear a mask, or whose inner character does not match your outer appearance—where your heart is different from the person you present to the world—that is a relatively minor issue. But there are also those who act one way in front of people and another way behind their backs. I suggest that you try your best to turn towards the truth and align your heart with the Buddha's heart. This is how one can become a Buddha. I am now single-mindedly determined to become a Buddha. Let me tell you all, this is my aspiration, so please do not laugh at me. I truly want to become a Buddha because being a demon is far too bitter; I do not want to live a life of 'hiding a dagger behind a smile' ever again. The Buddha's inner heart and outer appearance are perfectly consistent; he is transparent and clear, and the light he radiates is so gentle and warm, illuminating the heart of every single being."

The Aspiration of a Former Demon

"It is truly magnificent, and I want to be that kind of Buddha, too. Don't... I believe you might laugh, but that is fine. The Buddha will not laugh at me; the Buddha treats every being as a Buddha. To think that I would dare to make such a great vow! If I do not make this vow, how many days do I have left? Do I have another two hundred and forty trillion years to live through? Unless I become a Buddha! Is the Buddha's lifespan not infinite life and infinite light? Therefore, in this situation where I wish for infinite life and infinite light, I have no choice but to become a Buddha!"

"I must diligently chant Namo Amituofo. In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, it is possible to become a Buddha! You must chant Namo Amituofo, perform prostrations to the Buddha, and recite the Sutras. When the day comes that your true heart is revealed, and you wish to go to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, you will naturally enter. Once I enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, I will be securely on the path to becoming a Buddha—haha!"

A Future Beyond the Darkness

"This is what I have heard while listening to the Dharma talks here. In fact, we are quite clever; if you say one, I can understand two. However, I only used that intelligence for demonic affairs and evil deeds. If I turn that around and apply it to good deeds and the Buddha's work, then the future is truly bright. I can believe in myself this much: I will not leave the Western Land of Dharma Nature. My aspiration will not retreat; I will go to the Western Land, and I will become a Buddha. Do not laugh at me; it is truly like this! I am not joking! You can share this same aspiration as I do. This is called having high ambitions; this is called making a great vow."

"Perhaps one day, in the world of the Buddha, you will see—there was once a demon named Xiaosong, a demon who lived for two hundred and forty trillion years, and later he became a Buddha! That Buddha is called the 'Amitabha Buddha of Wonderful Sound Tathagata'! It feels so joyful just to hear that! I haven't achieved it yet, but it feels wonderful already—hehe, my heart is truly happy. No wonder everyone here can wear a smile on their face. I must be diligent; the Buddha-name must not be interrupted."

The Constant Flow of the Buddha-Name

"That is right, the Buddha-name must not be interrupted. I listen to Practitioner Su give Dharma talks every day, and she reminds everyone: 'The Buddha-name must not be interrupted! Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo.' When I am not being interviewed, this is exactly how I am chanting. If we say this interview takes one hour, then for the rest of the time—if we count a day as twenty-four hours—I have twenty-three hours... well, let's not be too absolute, as I also listen to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks, and sometimes I might set the Buddha-name aside for a moment. In fact, Practitioner Su says that her chanting of the Buddha-name is never interrupted, but I have not reached that level yet."

"Apart from listening to the Dharma talks and this interview, it seems I am always chanting Namo Amituofo. It looks like I am quite malleable after all, hehe; perhaps I really do want to become a Buddha. 'Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo!' I once chanted until I entered a deep meditative state. In that state, there was a brilliant light, which was completely different from when I entered a deep meditative state back in the Quark realm. In the past, I would chant until my space was filled with darkness; the more I chanted, the darker it became. I would immerse myself in a world of darkness, a world so black it shone. That was very natural for me; I lived in such a world."

"But today, it is different. I have chanted until I saw a brilliant light before my eyes; that was the light radiating from my own spirit. Perhaps it is because of this factor that Namo Amituofo pointed me out, allowing me to share my experience as a reference for everyone. I hope that you will also be the next Buddha; you can also become a Buddha."

"I am a Buddha; yes, I am a Buddha. You are all Buddhas!"

"Namo Amituofo."

"Demon Xiaosong"