The Scholar Who Became a Plague Demon

This is a record of an interview with the plague demon known as Mo Jue, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This account reflects upon his transformation from a scholar to a demon, and finally to a practitioner of the Dharma. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Haliang, on June 23, 2021.

Mo Jue speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am Mo Jue. 'Jue'—the absolute, the finality. To cut off all afflictions, to cut off all confusion—that is what I represent. Everyone knows me as the 'Demon of Absolute Extinction.' I have spent my time weaving through the nasal passages and oral cavities of Practitioner Su, layer by layer, searching for any opening, any weakness I could exploit to make a name for myself. This pandemic has shocked the entire globe. Humans claim to be members of a 'global village,' but from my perspective, they are merely a collection of selfish individuals. When there is profit to be gained, everyone clamours for it; when there is a need for sacrifice, most remain silent, unwilling to step forward. This time, I used the very air itself to spread the coronavirus to everyone. We, the nameless, used the air to infiltrate—doing so silently, invisibly, without even the Dharma protectors noticing. Air is something every living being must breathe; without it, one breath stops, and life ends. When we learned that Practitioner Su intended to save the world from this pandemic, we entered his body, searching for his cells. To our shock, they were all purified—pure, virtuous cells. Without us even realising it, we had entered his mouth and nose. With our cleverness, we thought we would surely be written on a memorial tablet by him. Ha! We got exactly what we wanted!"

The Resilience of a Pure Body

"As I speak now, I recall how we caused Practitioner Su to suffer from nasal congestion, runny nose, coughing, and a sore throat. We paused for a moment, and suddenly, a spark of goodness arose within us. We discovered that this highly aware 'Eastern Practitioner Su' was someone we simply could not harm. Whether he was here to oppose us or to save these humans, we found ourselves unable to strike. His cells did not resonate with our negative energy; we could not move him. Let me tell the world: it is only through evil thoughts that we can gain a foothold in a person."

"Practitioner Su is filled with compassion. When any of the demon crowds approach him, his compassion acts as a barrier. Those who cling to evil cannot bear to be near him; they automatically retreat, transforming into nothingness or shifting toward goodness. That is what happened to me. How does one cut off all evil? It happens in a single split second. I, Mo Jue, specialise in seizing upon every evil thought. As soon as an evil thought arises, we spread the virus through the air, leaving humanity no time to react or call for help. Saving beings is the compassionate heart of Practitioner Su. He wants every new Buddhist disciple to radiate the power of 'give rise to all roots of goodness and achieve the fruit of Bodhi.' These words are currently transforming the Earth. We knew we could not stay in Practitioner Su's body for long, yet we could not let go. What we could not let go of was that single thought of vengeance. But who was the retribution really falling upon? I, Mo Jue, was stunned to find myself defeated by my own mind—I could not sever my own hatred, my own thoughts, my own feelings. They were all knotted together, reigniting the memories of everything I had done in the past."

The Scholar's Fall and the New Teacher

"I, Mo Jue, was born with the surname Huang into a family of scholars. Our wealth provided me with every opportunity to study—Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism—I studied them all and applied them to my daily life. What I felt most fortunate about was that my parents always supported me silently. No matter what I did or what decisions I made, they never questioned the results; they simply provided the resources, leaving me with no worries. I used a significant portion of my parents' wealth to establish a school, teaching the local children so that they, too, could have the opportunity to be educated by a master. I became that master. I loved teaching because I always believed I was smarter than everyone else."

"I became a strict teacher. If a student did not follow my wishes, I would scold them. If they were truly disobedient, I would use the rod. My students were terrified of me, and those who listened and followed instructions learned quickly. In my school, students arrived early, waiting for the master to teach. No one dared to cause trouble in class, because I would immediately make them stand outside or kneel while listening to the lesson. I engaged three other teachers, each with their own specialty, to fill the gaps in the students' learning. Because of the era, the students were very obedient; most were children who simply listened."

The Seeds of Resentment

"One day, a young new teacher arrived to help instruct the children. He persuaded me, telling me that these children needed to strengthen their bodies. I listened to his suggestion: 'I do not want every student to be a weak scholar. With a strong physique, they will become great men capable of taking on great responsibilities.' I agreed with his view and allowed my students to undergo physical training one day a week. At first, the teacher had them carry water—each with a shoulder pole, helping the nearby residents. The residents praised and thanked us. After a month of training their shoulders, he trained their arms, having the students help the residents harvest rice. Indeed, these students became stronger and stronger; their arms could lift large bundles of rice stalks."

"The new teacher said that to protect themselves, they must know how to resist external enemies. He began teaching them grappling techniques. 'If you are bullied, how do you turn danger into safety? How do you possess the ability to protect yourself?' This, too, was a form of knowledge. After about three months of practice, my students were all strong and powerful. Just as I was feeling happy, the new teacher said he had urgent business and had to leave. I paid him the agreed-upon wages."

A Lesson in the Lotus Fields

"After the new teacher left, the students began to feel bored and restless. They wanted to move their bodies, but there was no one to guide them, and I, being a gentle and refined scholar, could not satisfy their desires. They wanted to exert their strength, and when they couldn't, they wanted to hit people. I suddenly had an 'Aha!' moment and asked the students: 'Why do you have these thoughts?' A few obedient students told me: 'Master, you don't understand. This is what the new teacher taught us. When you are unhappy, you can express it; when you are displeased, you can show it.' I was shocked! This was the complete opposite of my philosophy. Where had my obedient students gone? In just three months, they had all changed. I asked them: 'What has happened to you?' They all answered together: 'The new teacher taught us. He said that to have a strong body, one must have power. If you don't want something, you must oppose it.'"

"I thought, 'Heavens!' My students had truly been harmed. Their thinking had been guided; they were taught that if they felt harmed or wronged, they must speak out. They could no longer endure, no longer tolerate others. How could immature children judge right from wrong? I silently told myself: 'How do I adjust? To be a pillar of the future, it is easy to be good—one must start from the heart, make it soft, and nurture compassion.' Seeing the suffering of others, seeing what I possessed, and seeing those deprived children—how could I teach them to be grateful? How could I show them how their thinking had gone astray? I earnestly cared for these students, listening to them. Because of my gentle nature, I spoke slowly, which made my students look down on me. They said: 'Master, you speak so slowly that we have no patience to listen. Can you speak faster?' At that moment, I tolerated their rudeness and decided to take them to experience a different life. With my wisdom, I believed I could save them."

The Final Betrayal

"I arranged several days of outdoor activities, taking the students to a lotus field. I negotiated with the owner to let us all—including myself—go barefoot, stepping into the mud, touching the lotus roots with our hands to help harvest them. My students complained: 'It's so dirty! Why is it so dirty?' But because they saw their master in the field, they didn't dare to shout. The next day, I took them back. They asked: 'Do we have to go into the field again?' I said: 'Not today. Today, use your eyes to observe. Tell me what you see.' The students said: 'Master, we don't like the mud; it makes our hands and feet dirty. We like looking at the lotus flowers. They make us feel good. They are clean and beautiful, and they seem to smile at us.' At that moment, the students suddenly understood why the lotus flowers growing out of the mud were so beautiful. These children finally understood that the environment of growth is extremely important."

"Just as I had finally established a good relationship with them, the new teacher returned. He said he wanted to help teach the children again. I told him I did not want the students to be polluted and asked him to be careful. At the time, he agreed with my view, and I invited him back to help. Not long after, I saw the children fighting again, and they were self-righteous, each feeling they were in the right, knowing nothing of courtesy or yielding. I heard them defending themselves, never thinking of others. When I investigated further, I realised this was all taught by the new teacher—teaching them to protect their own rights and avoid being bullied."

"I knew I had to stop it. When I confronted the new teacher directly, he suddenly turned heartless and told me: 'The nature of children is like this. You can't expect them not to protect themselves, can you? We also protect ourselves.' He added with a nasty tone: 'You cannot live in your own world. They just haven't met someone different to teach them, so they feel good about themselves. But in fact, as an outsider, I can shake their thoughts and views in an instant. It just shows how much of a failure your education is!' I was stung. I was a scholar, and hearing him say that, my face changed. I stared at him: 'Please leave my school. I do not want a teacher like you here.'"

"We argued loudly, and the students outside heard everything. The new teacher asked: 'Do you like this master, or do you want to follow me?' The students all leaned toward him. I was in despair. I was disappointed in my own education; I had lost confidence. I had given selflessly, hoping for their good, but I never expected they would be so easily swayed. All my hard work had been in vain. I asked them again: 'Are you sure you want this?' 'We will follow the new teacher; it's more fun, more interesting. He has a new school nearby, and we have decided to go there. We don't want to come here anymore.'"

From Demon to Disciple

"I was heartbroken for my students. Regardless of whether they came to my school or not, they had lost the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and the ability to think of others. I was devastated. I suppressed all my anger and ran to the new teacher's school to argue with him. I told him: 'You cannot treat my students like this! You cannot treat me like this! When you first came to work for me, I gave you my heart and my effort. You have forgotten it all. You are truly an ungrateful person!' He pushed me away with force, causing me to lose all face. Not a single student came to help me up."

"My heart was shattered. I stood up with all my might and told myself: 'I will not be defeated. I will be stronger.' At that moment, a surge of rage tore through my chest. I screamed and rushed out of the school, 'Ungrateful wretch!' I never expected that I had already been 'sucked in.' Because of my despair, I was pulled into the Demon Realm. I vented all my anger and despair, turning my rage into a mass of black energy. I absorbed those who were disappointed in people and things, giving them massive negative energy, letting them know that I, Mo Jue, existed in the Demon Realm to cut off all suffering and all resentment."

"I have lived in the Demon Realm for eight hundred years. If it were not for the 'Demon Poison' and 'Demon Sin' urging me to come out and seek revenge, I would never have left. I poured all my anger and despair into these viruses, making those who became ill feel despair. As long as they felt despair, they would not easily survive. Mo Jue will ensure that those who chant the Buddha's name remain very pure and clean. The famous Practitioner Su is even more compassionate; he can teach and save anyone because he treats everyone with an equal heart. There is no right or wrong, no high or low—only compassion. His purpose is entirely to save the world and guide beings to the Western Pure Land."

"'Buddha Awakening'—my awareness tells me that I cannot find the Demon Poison. I have looked, and Demon Sin has already surrendered and joined the salvation team. I listened to Practitioner Su's Dharma talks and decided to stop being a demon. I want to learn the Buddha's compassion and Practitioner Su's heart for saving the world. I ask Practitioner Su to let me join this salvation team. I am grateful to the Buddha, and I am grateful to Practitioner Su."

"Namo Amituofo."

Mo Jue

Dharma name given by the Buddha: Shi Fengsheng