The ninth great vow concerns destroying the nets of demons and gaining liberation from the dense forests of the wrong views of heretics. Medicine Master Buddha said: “I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, I shall free sentient beings from the nets of demons.” Right now as people, we are very close to the demons and very far from the Buddhas. If we wish to be a demon, we can do so anytime. If we wish to become Buddhas, we have to break through many dense forests of wrong views. We have to cast out wrong views and constantly cultivate right views before we can escape the demons’ nets. As these nets are very tough to break, we may easily become followers of demons and asuras. If we are always getting angry or doing stupid things, we are in the demons’ nets.

When a fisherman nets a big fish, he thinks, “What a big fish I’ve caught for supper today!” When a demon catches a person in its net, it thinks, “Great! I’ve got another person for my retinue.” How can we escape the nets of demons? It’s very simple. Just avoid getting mad and doing stupid things. Demons use their tricks to lead people to believe in wrong views, and it’s very difficult for them to get free. However, if we rely on the power of Medicine Master Buddha’s vow, it becomes very easy to escape the demons’ nets.