The Burden of Saving Beings

This is a record of an interview with Venerable Changren, who shares his profound insights on the difficulty of spiritual deliverance, the nature of the demon realm, and the path to true liberation. He now resides in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. This interview was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on September 2, 2017.

Venerable Changren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The compassionate heart of the Buddha provides everyone with a precious opportunity to repent and start anew. Most of you were once honest people—you lived honestly, you became monastics honestly, and you sought the opportunity to become a Buddha honestly. However, due to the play of Causal Conditions, a single mistake or a stubborn personality trait caused you to fall into an infinite sea of demons. It is not necessarily that you wanted this result, but the script of life played out exactly that way.

It is a terrifying reality. The purgatory of the human world is currently in full swing. Although it is filled with suffering, people still do not understand how to let go. In fact, many do not even want to let go. They cling to their wealth, their emotional vows, their family members they cannot bear to leave behind, and everything else they cannot take with them. Most troublesome of all is the personality that they refuse to change. I often hear Practitioner Su say that people are the most difficult to save. Truly, no one wants to save people anymore. People turn against each other at the drop of a hat. Often, when you try to save someone, you are bitten in return. Who would want to save people under such circumstances? It is indeed the truth. The Buddha’s compassionate heart, in order to spare everyone from the suffering of the cycle of rebirth, desperately hopes that you will let go. Yet, you stubbornly refuse. You would pay any price just to possess and occupy these things you cannot let go of. It is absolutely terrifying. Many humans today have already become human-demons, for they are no longer fit to be considered simple human beings."

The Trap of Desire and Ego

"Where there is desire, there is control. Where there is attachment, there is no peace. And most importantly, there is no spiritual success. The world is filled with falsehoods that people cannot see through or understand. To fill the emptiness in their hearts, they grasp tightly to everything, unwilling to let go of anything. Even after learning the Buddha’s teachings, they still seem unable to abandon these worldly things. They always have their own reasons to explain everything, to justify their own positions. All these foolish actions you perform are nothing more than spinning in circles for your own sake. In the end, you only collapse in exhaustion right where you started. This inability to govern oneself is truly the most terrifying thing of all. In the end, you still take nothing with you, and instead, you are left not knowing where to go. How many people in the world today are facing such a terrifying end?

The fourfold assembly at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre knows all of this, yet they still cannot let go. They would rather waste their lives day after day. They always have excuses, saying, 'I am changing, I am already changing, I am already letting go.' If that is the case, why did you come here to practise? If you only want to let go so slowly, I suggest you go home and wait. Wait until you have truly let go, and then come back to practise. Perhaps then you will be more willing to accept all these teachings. At the very least, you could avoid creating unnecessary karma. Do you really want to continue like this?"

The True Meaning of Practice

"If your practice does not yield results, you end up running away from home. I, Changren, can see how many people are pointing fingers behind your back. I can see how much grievance you hold in your hearts. Since that is the case, why not turn that sorrow and anger into strength? Why bother with these interpersonal conflicts? It is so exhausting! Not only do you fail to achieve success, but you also drag down your gradually decaying bodies. When you return home to visit your family, you have no face to show the magnificence of your practice. Instead, you have to listen to a barrage of negative voices. This only drives you further away from the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and further away from faith in the Buddha. It is a loss that outweighs the gain. You ruin the Buddha’s teachings and destroy your own foundation, all for the sake of a breath of air you cannot swallow. Is that breath really so great that it is worth sacrificing everything you have, including your hope of becoming a Buddha and reaching the West?

The true essence of practice lies in having nothing, in a heart without attachments, in the vast emptiness, and in the absence of time and space. Practice is the most important thing in this world, and it is the only thing that is truly real. Among the ten directions of the Dharma Realm, the human world is the most unique. It possesses what we call the 'obstruction of form.' All obstacles and all emotional entanglements exist here. In this human world, you can truly grind away the habits and personality traits accumulated over countless lifetimes. If you are still crying out that your personality is hard to change, then you have no other path. This is the only place where you can change. The righteous path to becoming a Buddha is also right here. Do you know what kind of quality it is to know you cannot change, to refuse to let go, and to even intensify these traits? It does not fit into any of the ten directions of the Dharma Realm. Isn't that exactly how the demons outside the universe came to be? Everyone has great skills and enough courage, yet you rebel even with the Buddha standing right in front of you. How is that any different from what we did in the beginning? But remember, if you go there, it will not be pleasant, because there are many others just like you. In a state of constant conflict, how could it possibly be good?"

The Path to the Demon Realm

"It is foolish to mistake the false for the true. To suffer all kinds of pain and still not understand how to let go—this is the blind spot of humanity. When you break through this point, when you abandon all the tests of this life, and when you let go of your feelings—for within feelings there is a 'self' and there is fluctuation, which is very detrimental to practice and leads to demonic obstacles—you will succeed. In the past, practitioners who could not pass this hurdle ended up becoming Kings in the Demon Realm because of their wisdom and talent. But because they could not shed that personality, they became demons. They could not become Buddhas, so they became Demon Kings. That is how the Demon Realm came to be. The process of cultivation there is just like yours right now. If it were not for your great blessings and the layers of protection and constant monitoring by Practitioner Su, would you even be human right now? The outside world has already fallen. I once visited the Saha world when I was in the Demon Realm, and my heart ached at what I saw. After that trip, I never returned, because I saw the future of humanity: the chaotic emotions between men and women, the overflow of adultery, and the complete change in moral foundations. There is no upright discipline, only selfish character. If I had not later entered the body of Steve Jobs, I would never have come back. If I had not acted out of hatred and revenge, I would not have created any karma during my lifespan in the Demon Realm; I mostly only stood up for justice.

When people describe the Demon Realm, they do so based on their own concepts and negative attitudes. They shape the image of the Demon Realm according to the evil thoughts in their own hearts. They see it as a place of great evil, rejecting everything and viewing everything with an unequal heart, failing to see that this is the creation of their own personality. In fact, the most terrifying thing is a destructive mindset and a personality of self-abandonment. This can easily lead a pure and good person astray, and very deeply at that. Without a true spiritual friend to guide you in time, if you do not enter the Demon Realm, where else could you go?"

A Call to Transformation

"It all comes down to the fact that personality is terrifying. The inability to let go of everything is also a sign of a strong, stubborn personality. You want what you want, you bite down and refuse to let go, and you remain entangled. I, Changren, want to tell everyone that this is how one enters the Demon Realm. If you want to go there, you do not need to practise so hard and suffer so miserably. It is very easy to go there. First, your personality already fits. In the Demon Realm, you can fully express your personality. As long as you do not encounter the teachings of the Buddha, no one will ask you to change. But as Practitioner Su says, the end of a demon’s lifespan is endless suffering and retribution. Do not be foolish. To insist on your personality is to force yourself to death, to force yourself to become a demon, and to force yourself into the hells. All beings in the Demon Realm know clearly that the hells are a place you cannot approach. Everyone understands that once you enter, you cannot get out. You all have such great blessings that you can understand the truth: the end of personality is becoming a demon, and the end of a demon is the retribution of the hells. So why not remove your personality right now, become a Buddha, and return to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss?

When you feel the need to insist on your personality, ask yourself: 'Do I want to go to the Demon Realm?' If you can stop yourself in time, you still have good roots, and you will certainly become a Buddha. In the process of this tempering, you will also understand the true heart of a demon being, and you will be more capable of empathy and compassion. This is a very good process. Based on my experience as someone who has walked this path, this is how I analyze it for you. Whether you want to try changing your personality is up to you. Many of the great Kings of the Demon Realm have come here, which shows that the Demon Realm is definitely not a good place to stay. It is very dark and very cold. Since you have chosen to learn the Buddha’s teachings and practise, you should be real. Do not refuse to let go anymore. If you are neither a demon nor a Buddha, no one can save you.

Practitioner Su has visited all parts of the Demon Realm and various heavenly palaces today. In truth, they are all just children—children who lack timely guidance. Everyone saw the compassion of Practitioner Su, and the good thoughts in their hearts emerged one after another. Such a scene is truly magnificent. Although they have not yet expressed their desire to return to the Buddha’s gate, I, Changren, see that they have all softened significantly. This was the purpose of my taking Practitioner Su to visit them. The Buddha’s body of infinite light cannot enter the Demon Realm, but Practitioner Su’s Dharma Body can. Practitioner Su possesses a compassionate power equal to that of the Buddha. Upon seeing her appearance, I saw them all waver. This trip was very worthwhile. I am grateful for the compassion of Practitioner Su, who has set up memorial tablets for the various Demon Kings. At some point in the future, they will certainly return to the Buddha’s gate. I have confidence in them. Everything is changing and transforming. Everyone should have confidence in the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and work hard to improve yourselves. That is what is real. Namo Amituofo."