Buddhism Cannot Avoid the Battle Between Buddha and Demons at Critical Moments in History

Ruchun: Last night, I continued to contemplate in my dreams, seemingly about issues related to the Mahayana. It may be because I had no significant insights, and my consciousness was unclear about the specific content of contemplation and practice. I also had a dream in which a white-robed immortal held a large longsword emitting a dazzling golden light, battling in the sky with a black-robed figure wielding a sword emanating black smoke. The power of the longsword far surpassed that of the black sword.

During the night, the back of my nasal cavity made popping sounds seven or eight times, quite loud, and each pop woke me slightly. After waking, I felt that my nasal breathing was relatively smooth. During meditation this morning, I contemplated the cooperative relationship among the three transforming consciousnesses: the mental faculty is the overall regulator; the Tathāgatagarbha, based on its mind and karma, generates dreams and transforms the physical body; the consciousness must rest but not fall into deep sleep, remaining alert to observe and record. The key to this balance lies in the regulation of the mental faculty.

Commentary: The battle between the white-robed immortal and the black-robed figure in the dream hints at the current conflict between the Buddha and demons within the Buddhist community. We have been harassed and opposed by dark forces in the Buddhist community for ten years. Because these dark forces lack justification in terms of doctrine and cannot prevail against us, they have persistently engaged in covert sabotage behind the scenes, never ceasing for a decade. Even though they gain no advantage and their sabotage fails to achieve the desired results—on the contrary, the more they disrupt, the faster, more stable, and stronger we grow—these dark forces refuse to give up, devising all sorts of underhanded and malicious schemes, yet they remain powerless against us. More and more people are embracing our teachings, being positively influenced and transformed by us. Evil can never triumph over righteousness, and we engage in a battle without fighting; we merely passively defend against the various destructive acts of demonic forces, unwilling to expend energy on large-scale conflict. We focus our efforts on liberating sentient beings and advancing the cause of Buddhism, allowing Buddhism to develop healthily and orderly. Evil forces will face their own karmic retribution. As for whether their retribution involves spending life in prison or enduring long periods in hell, we have no desire to know, for we are uninterested. We are not even interested in naming them or enumerating their various vile deeds. People who are both perverse and evil are unworthy to be our opponents, and thus we hold no interest in them.