The Resentment of a Fallen Prince

This is a record of an interview with Mo Zhendong, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his life approximately one thousand years ago. Recorded by the chief writer, Venerable HaiZe, on August 19, 2021.

Mo Zhendong speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Zhendong. I come from the East, from the island nation of Japan, and I am a descendant of the Japanese imperial line. Long ago, due to a change in the imperial dynasty, I died a tragic death and subsequently entered the demon path. I have been in the demon realm for over a thousand years. The name Mo Zhendong is known to many in the demon realm, especially among those associated with island nations. This time, I joined in the spread of the pandemic, along with many other demons from the Japanese demon realm.

A Legacy of Vengeance

The death and injury in Japan this time have been severe. It can be said that this was caused by both internal troubles and external threats. Regardless of the specific reasons, the root cause was planted by Japan itself, which is why it must now taste the bitter fruit of such a high death toll. The so-called internal troubles stem from the many dynastic changes throughout history, where countless people died tragically—through ritual suicide, debauchery, and other forms of suffering. These spirits entered the demon realm and have now emerged during this pandemic. To seek revenge, we not only look for the specific sinners we seek, but we also carry out the responsibilities assigned to the pandemic demon crowds by the demon realm. As for the external threats, they refer to the victims of Japan's historical foreign massacres. These spirits, having been killed or injured, also entered the demon realm and have now returned to seek their due. With these two factors combined, this period serves as a final settlement of accounts. That is why the pandemic remains unable to recede, and why feelings of panic and unease continue to plague the hearts of the people.

At the beginning of this interview, I have already explained the reason why the Japanese people have been so heavily struck by the pandemic. It is because I was transformed by the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Previously, in my capacity as a Demon King, I went to the Centre to investigate how Practitioner Su was being invaded by the pandemic, but instead, I was discovered and sent to the Western Dharma-Nature Land at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. This is a wonderful place; it feels as comfortable as the imperial gardens of my lifetime. The fresh air carries the fragrance of flowers, and the lotus seats are large and comfortable. In such an environment, my defences were lowered, replaced by a gentle state of mind. This allowed me to speak of certain facts calmly and without haste. This should have been a part of my original nature, but it had been forgotten for a long time. For over a thousand years in the demon realm, to have a place to stand, one must display extraordinary wit, speed, and reaction. One cannot fall behind in any aspect if one is to subdue the demon children and grandchildren and keep the throne of a Demon King stable and secure.

The Illusion of Human Control

Of course, the region I was responsible for during this pandemic was Japan. So far, the number of victims is nearly seventy-five thousand, with approximately thirty-seven thousand deaths. This is just a preliminary estimate; if one were to calculate it in detail, the numbers would be far higher! To the pandemic demon crowds and the virus itself, human life is like a candle. Once the virus enters, it is like a gust of wind. If the wind is strong, the candle is extinguished; if the wind is weak, the flame may flicker, but it can return to its original position and continue to burn. Humans invaded by the pandemic are also constantly exploring how to fight the virus to avoid further casualties. Over these past two years, as the pandemic and humanity have guarded against and fought each other, the human heart knows who has won and who has lost. One can see the outcome from the economic losses, grounded flights, halted tourism, closed restaurants, and the severe impact on every industry and human life. Of course, hospitals are overcrowded. For people, hospitals are places one hopes to avoid, but for patients invaded by the pandemic, the hospital is their only hope for survival. People only know how to study the virus from a physical perspective—the causes of the disease, the symptoms, the development of vaccines, and educating the public on self-protection. They do not know that this is merely treating the symptoms and not the root cause. They can prevent one or two things, but they cannot stop the spread and persistence of the pandemic because they do not know how to practise from the heart.

To be honest, this human reaction is something we in the demon realm expected, because we understand the human heart too well. Otherwise, how could we be called demon crowds or even Demon Kings? People fear death and will do anything to get what they want. Whether through dark means or open ones, as long as they desire something, they will use many methods to possess it. There are those who are honest and law-abiding, obtaining what they deserve within legal norms; others use illegal means, thinking they can possess things without anyone knowing. As for the relationships between nations, the strong invade the weak, using plunder, force, and schemes. They engage in the abuse and murder of women, not treating human life as life, and even torturing people to death. These inhumane actions and faces, these laws of karma and cause and effect, are all being settled in this pandemic. Some people feel they are innocent victims, but that is because they do not know what they did in their past lives. If they could see, they would not argue.

The Fairness of Cause and Effect

One cannot escape retribution just because others cannot see or do not know; this does not work according to the laws of karma, which is where the fairness of cause and effect lies. Therefore, if people want to reduce their sins, they should understand cause and effect from within their hearts and sincerely repent. They cannot be hypocritical or just go through the motions. Only then can they reduce their sins. Perhaps those who were destined to die can be transformed into having a serious illness but survive, and those who were not destined to die might have a mild illness or even recover. Of course, I am not the judge of cause and effect, but I am an executor, which is why the numbers of victims and deaths appear. In a situation where people cannot see cause and effect, do not know how to practise from the heart, and do not understand how to repent, no one knows when the pandemic will end. At this time, we heard that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia were coming out to save the pandemic. When the news spread, all of our Demon Kings were very surprised! Is Practitioner Su not afraid of us? In the current world, no one has heard of anyone who is not afraid of the pandemic virus, because everyone fears death! And why would Namo Amituofo want to save the pandemic? These questions led us to come and explore, group by group.

Death is the most direct result of viral invasion. Yet, after a massive wave of pandemic viruses entered her body, Practitioner Su did not reduce her heart for saving beings. She continued to perform Chao Du and give Dharma lectures without missing a single session. Instead, it was the toxicity of the invading virus that weakened. Practitioner Su only experienced a brief swelling of the throat, which quickly subsided, along with coughing, nasal congestion, and a runny nose. This was truly unexpected for us in the demon realm! In fact, I, Mo Zhendong, was among those in that wave of massive viral and demon invasion. I participated in the whole process and witnessed these changes. This is the first time in the cases I have executed that I have seen such a situation. At that time, many Demon Kings were subdued by Practitioner Su, and I was one of them. This is truly a Buddha-land, for only a Buddha can have such inconceivable spiritual powers to subdue us Demon Kings. We became the defeated, and we have nothing to say. I left in a hurry and never expected that I would never return. These things truly verify that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su can save the pandemic.

A Past Life Revealed

Over these past few months in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, the quiet environment has allowed the bits and pieces of my life as a human to clearly surface in my mind. More than a thousand years ago, I was born into the Japanese imperial family as a prince, with the right to inherit the throne. We were both born as infants, but our fates were vastly different. During an imperial tour, my father had met a woman, but because she was a commoner, she could not be brought into the palace. However, she was pregnant with a prince, born at the same time as the prince within the royal family. Yet, the growth processes of these two people of the same age were vastly different. The commoner prince lived the life of a commoner because the Emperor did not know of his existence. That past romance had long been forgotten by the Emperor. This commoner prince never knew his identity until his mother, on her deathbed, told him of the past and gave him a letter—a letter the Emperor had written to her. No one else knew; only the two of them were aware. She hoped that this commoner prince could take the letter to see the Emperor and reclaim his ancestry.

The commoner prince was a young man with good eloquence and sharp reactions. The royal prince, however, was not good at expressing himself. Although he had received a complete education from a young age to prepare for the throne, his reactions were mediocre, and he had no particularly outstanding achievements. Thus, with the help of noble people, when the letter was presented to the Emperor, the Emperor was very surprised! After the commoner prince met the Emperor and explained his purpose, the Emperor was even more shocked. However, because this commoner prince looked very similar to the Emperor, and his reactions were praised by the Emperor, despite the opposition of many, the Emperor still allowed the commoner prince to reclaim his ancestry and treated him with great affection to compensate for the responsibilities he had not fulfilled in the past.

For the royal prince, this was a great threat. From then on, two factions formed in the palace: one supporting the royal prince to be a King, and one supporting the commoner prince to be a King. During several instances of handling national issues, the proposals of the two princes clearly showed a difference in quality, and the commoner prince gained the upper hand because his proposals solved the problems. So, the result, as everyone can imagine—though no one expected it to come true—was that the Emperor chose the commoner prince to inherit the throne! I originally thought the commoner prince would treat the royal prince well, but I did not expect that after he obtained the throne, he would change the national title, which was equivalent to a change of dynasty. The entire court was reorganized, and the royal prince was demoted to a commoner. Furthermore, fearing a rebellion, the new King pursued him relentlessly, determined to kill him. Although the royal prince had a gentle and polite personality, he could not withstand this series of pursuits and was killed. Fearing that the news would leak, they destroyed the evidence and threw the royal prince's body into the sea. Thus, everyone knew that the royal prince had lost contact and his whereabouts were unknown. Therefore, my life—the life of the royal prince—was brought to an end in the imperial records.

From Resentment to Transformation

In fact, when my soul was being pursued, I had already seen through the coldness of human relationships. I sought protection from former officials, but was ridiculed and ignored. Before being pursued by soldiers and ordered to commit suicide, I begged for my life, but the soldiers watched me coldly and heartlessly as I committed ritual suicide. The charge given to me was 'fleeing from justice.' I asked the soldiers, 'What crime have I committed?' The soldier said, 'The crime of plotting treason and rebellion.' I looked back on my life, the tragic deaths of the personal palace guards who had protected me along the way, and the ritual suicide I was now forced to commit. I could not help but feel a surge of sorrow, and I died by the blade. My soul was filled with resentment, injustice, sadness, and grief. Seeing my own body bitten beyond recognition by fish, the anger in my soul caused me to be sucked into the dark forces of the demon realm. From then on, I became a member of the demon crowds. In the demon realm, no one asks about your past; they only look at how fast and ruthless you are, and your various performances. My character changed greatly. That past experience motivated me to show no mercy and to win through strategy, which was completely different from my personality when I was alive.

For over a thousand years, I rose from the status of a demon child to the position of a Demon King. To this day, during this pandemic, I specifically target politicians whose hearts and actions are inconsistent. Their actions, which violate their conscience and lead to illness, are not necessarily committed in this lifetime; some were committed in past lives. Regardless of this life, one must pay the price for the evil deeds done in past lives. A life for a life, and those who harm others without killing them will suffer illness—this is the general principle of cause and effect. After I joined the pandemic demon crowds, I had already achieved some results for this pandemic. I just did not expect that because of this trip to investigate the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre, I would be unable to return to the demon realm and would be subdued in the Dharma-Nature Land of the temple. This is a major transformation for a life in the demon realm, and I never expected that life here would be spent like this.

The profundity of the Buddha's teachings lies in their compassion and inclusiveness. We, the demon crowds who have done such evil and harmed the public, have not only not been punished for our sins but have been purified by the Buddha-light and heard the Dharma, thereby understanding our past and the mistakes of our actions as pandemic demons. It is not easy to make demon crowds admit their mistakes. But I have encountered it here. I saw that although Practitioner Su was invaded by the pandemic and felt unwell, she still thought of the suffering beings and performed Chao Du, and her Dharma lectures never stopped. I even saw that as the pandemic in the world continued to take human lives and cause huge changes in the lives of nations and people, she continued to appeal during her lectures, 'Leaders or Prime Ministers of various countries can come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre and invite Namo Amituofo to come out and save the pandemic!' Yet, she received no response from any country. Seeing this situation, my heart feels sorrow for the people in the pandemic. This is a path to stop the pandemic, yet it is ignored and disregarded. This is good news for the demon realm, but for the people, it is a great pity! Namo Amituofo is in the world, yet no one prays to Him, allowing people to connect with the Buddha and invite Him to save the pandemic. This is the fate and luck of humanity!

Reflections on the Thrice Yearning Ceremony

At the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, I saw crowds of beings coming to the temple, accepting the arrangements of the Dharma protectors, and entering the venue in an orderly manner. The three great Buddhas—Namo Amituofo, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva—especially Namo Amituofo, who was very tall, stood in the center of the Western side of the Dharma assembly, constantly emitting golden light and busily leading the beings who entered the golden light. Many ancestral masters and venerable masters participated, including many famous masters in the Buddhist world. The scene at that time was very grand and bright! Practitioner Su was even able to use her Dharma Body to lead sixty prison guards. The family members of the living who were sent to the Dharma-Nature Land by Practitioner Su, and who were willing to be reborn in the West, were led by Practitioner Su's Dharma Body to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss during the ceremony! This situation was truly inconceivable! And we are now participating in it.

During the ceremony, the 'Namo Amituofo' Buddha-name chanted by the fourfold assembly of the temple was very sincere and powerful. It was definitely not just the fourfold assembly chanting; it included celestial beings, the holy assembly of the West, and the participating beings. Its sound could reach the vastness of the Dharma Realm. As long as the beings present followed the chanting and entered the golden light, they all had the opportunity to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The whole scene was very moving.

Heaven does not cut off all paths for people. Namo Amituofo compassionately left this path of life for those suffering from the pandemic. In my heart, besides repenting, I also silently pray that a national leader or Prime Minister will come forward to find the temple and invite Namo Amituofo to save this pandemic.

Mo Zhendong

The Buddha gave Mo Zhendong the Dharma name Shi Guiyuan."