This is a record of an interview with the Primordial Demon Yi Rong, who sought at the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the . This account reflects upon his existence approximately 395.8 billion years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on October 23, 2024.
Demon Yi Rong speaks:
". I am Yi Rong. For a very long time, my power within the Realm was not insignificant, for I possessed my own way of surviving. I was exceptionally skilled at observing beings. In the process of observing them, I could immediately discern what they liked and what they disliked. I used the things they desired to control them.
To put it plainly, I would manifest the very things they craved to seduce and attract them. Once their hearts were stirred, they became the puppets I could manipulate. In this process, it only took a single, tiny thought for them to fall into our trap."
The Architecture of Illusion
"Sometimes, when the target I wished to control did not take the bait as I expected, we would transform ourselves into the likeness of what they loved, creating illusory realms to make them follow us. This method of creating illusions was nearly impossible for anyone to escape, because the object of the illusion was the very thing they loved most.
The demon palace I established was filled with these illusions, built within the darkness—in this space of shadows. Anyone who entered our demon palace would see the scenes they personally desired. My demon children and grandchildren could enjoy themselves to the fullest; whatever they imagined would appear right before their eyes, as if they were experiencing the of having every wish fulfilled.
Therefore, my demon children and grandchildren were quite content living in such illusions. However, this was not done to make them happy without reason; they had to obey every instruction issued by the demon palace. If they refused, we certainly had ways to deal with them. We could instantly turn the beloved illusions they enjoyed within the palace into immeasurable and boundless insects. These insects would begin to invade their entire bodies, crawling all over them, causing them such agony that they could not extricate themselves."
The Tremors of the Demon Realm
"Under such circumstances, no one dared to defy us or betray the demon palace, and our influence was intended to expand continuously to attract more demon children and grandchildren. Just as we were poised to expand our power, I discovered that several parts of the Demon Realm were in turmoil. Such commotion was something I had never seen before. For ages, the various factions of the Demon Realm had each held their own territory; each force was different, each had its own strengths, and each developed within its own familiar space and methods.
Seeing these factions trembling, I wanted to know exactly what was happening. I sent my demon children and grandchildren to investigate and discovered that many spaces had undergone massive changes. A form of energy capable of traversing the Dharma Realm had appeared. I heard that this energy emitted a great golden light, and many demon crowds were subdued by this power. Hearing the various accounts from different sides, every story ended with the same result: the demon crowds had lost. This was truly difficult for me to accept.
I had never heard of the demon crowds having a common opponent before. Usually, when demon crowds fought each other, it was merely for territory, and that was about it. I never expected that the Dharma Realm would undergo changes that even we could not predict. Such a massive change left us astonished. According to our observations, this power traversed a vast number of Dharma Realm spaces and even passed through many demon palaces."
The Fall of the Palace
"A demon who was quite close to me, Mo Da, sent me a message not long ago, telling me that he needed help. The demon palaces near him had already been overwhelmed by a great light; many had collapsed and vanished, and his demon children and grandchildren were fleeing in all directions. He was terrified that he would be next. He paced back and forth, thinking of many solutions, even considering whether to move his demon palace to a deeper space within the Dharma Realm to ensure its safety.
While I was giving him advice and communicating with him, the message he was sending suddenly cut off. I kept sending messages to him, hoping to reconnect, but no matter how I tried, I could not reach him. Finally, I heard from his demon children and grandchildren that his palace had vanished in an instant.
My heart was shaken. I began to develop a sense of crisis, fearing that my own demon palace would soon be affected and attacked. I began making thorough preparations, having a vast number of demon children and grandchildren surround the palace in circle after circle, patrolling day and night.
I thought that if such an event were to occur, at least a portion of my demon children and grandchildren would have a way to retreat and escape. This was the method I devised, but I never imagined that all my plans were far too naive. In the end, the day I feared finally arrived."
A Confrontation with Buddha-Light
"A beam of incredibly intense light shone down from the space. My demon children and grandchildren began to react and resist, but I never expected the sweep to penetrate directly into the demon palace. I heard only a single sound of music—'Namo Amituofo'—and the pillars of my entire demon palace collapsed. When the pillars collapsed, it meant the demon palace had fallen.
It was unimaginable that such a scene would appear before my eyes. I used my intent to instantly transport myself and the demon children and grandchildren around me to a different space. Yet, even from there, I could still see clearly how my demon palace was being destroyed. My throne, along with that tiger-patterned rug of mine and my demon nature, were almost fused together.
Watching them being crushed by the debris falling from the demon palace, my heart truly ached, and of course, I was also extremely furious.
I could not imagine that the result would be like this. I felt a deep sense of injustice in my heart; my entire body, which was already black, turned a deep, flushed red. My demon palace had been destroyed, and I could not forgive it.
Therefore, at that moment, I immediately gathered all the demon children and grandchildren I knew who had not yet been attacked by Practitioner Su. We were all ancient demon crowds with vast experience. By attacking as such a team, I believed we would not be defeated. I had confidence in our demon crowds."
The Transformation of Resentment
"So, we planned to move rapidly to the location of Practitioner Su's physical body and attack him with overwhelming force. When we arrived, many batches of demon crowds were already prepared to launch their attacks. We watched as they headed into the light, entered the light, and never came out again. We admonished ourselves: 'We must make a breakthrough; we cannot just be defeated like this.' So, as soon as we approached, we covered the area like a dark cloud, descending upon Practitioner Su. We believed that this would surely leave Practitioner Su unable to act on his own.
I shouted, 'Attack!' We unleashed our greatest offensive power, intending to crush Practitioner Su completely. This was our plan, but we never expected that our own power, upon meeting the power of the Buddha-light, would instantly turn from black to gold. In this process, we felt our entire bodies filled with energy—a stream of energy filled with and brilliant light.
From the moment I was brought to the Dharma-Nature Land at the temple, my heart of hatred, my heart of resentment, and my heart of conquest all vanished into the space. Even though I tried to grasp them back or find them, all the energy I felt throughout my body was light—it was all positive power. For the first time in billions of years, I felt such positive energy. My heart was filled with gratitude and satisfaction.
I am very grateful to the Buddha for purifying my spirit, and I am grateful to Practitioner Su for bringing me to the Buddha-land. After being purified, I realised that this feeling of purity was what my spirit had been seeking all along.
I know that many spirits are just like me, but they have never had the opportunity to come out. Now, as Practitioner Su performs massive Chao Du to help immeasurable and boundless spirits depart, my heart has been moved once again.
I am grateful to Practitioner Su for using such a great vow to achieve this magnificent Causal Condition for the Dharma Realm. Practitioner Su is constantly traversing the spaces, unraveling endless suffering for beings.
The Dharma Realm is vast, and Practitioner Su is tirelessly unraveling it. The beings who receive the help of the Buddha-light are truly fortunate to be able to follow the Buddha and depart.
I am grateful for the great power of Practitioner Su, who saves ten thousand spirits without end.
