Society is gradually deteriorating, and many religious groups are practicing individual worship and accumulating wealth by unfair means under the pretext of charity—many people claim to be living Buddhas and make false speeches. When one enters the realm of devils (Muddy), it is like falling into a trap where one cannot discern the world’s true nature. In the name of Buddha, they develop a cult of personality and showed people their supernatural power. When one’s “five aggregates” (matter of form, sensation, recognition, mental formation, and consciousness) are covered, they fall into the endless pursuit of power, desire, wealth, and appearance, being far beyond the reach of the ultimate release, freedom from all obstacles and worries, and the ultimate emptiness. A moment of thought will last for a long time. The Western Pure Land of the Ultimate Bliss and Avici are determined and demonstrated by our thoughts. If all human beings eventually become ghosts and spirits, then what is death exactly?

As a grumpy middle-aged artist with no significant strength and power, I also get lost in the pandemic over the past two years. However, I have been trying to reflect on the “every form is an illusion” thinking in Śūraṅgama Sūtra through monochrome photography I have done over the past ten years. Aside from converting the films into video, I also published a book with the same title as this work. Rather than naming this collection “an illustration book of caution,” perhaps people need more of an enlightening “devil-destroying mantra”!