52) Various Types of Demons
The author had just finished drafting the previous three sections
when he was visited by a Dharma master who requested him to
elaborate on the different types of demons for the benefit of
fellow-cultivators. In the three previous sections he has, in fact,
given a general explanation of the different realms, including
those of demons. If the cultivator has understood the main idea, he
can keep his mind undisturbed and counteract all harmful
occurrences. However, to comply with this request, the author will
describe the different types of demons in greater detail, as
follows.
"Demons" are called "mara" in Sanskrit. In Chinese, the word has
the connotation of "murderer" because demons usually plunder the
virtues and murder the wisdom-life of cultivators. "Demons" also
represent the destructive conditions or influences that cause
practitioners to retrogress in their cultivation. Demons can render
cultivators insane, making them lose their right thought, develop
erroneous views, commit evil karma and end up sunk in the lower
realms.
Those activities which develop virtue and wisdom and lead sentient
beings to Nirvana are called Buddha work. Those activities which
destroy good roots, causing sentient beings to suffer and revolve
in the cycle of Birth and Death, are called demonic actions. The
longer a practitioner cultivates, and the higher his level of
attainment, the more he discovers how wicked, cunning and powerful
the demons are. Although there are numerous demons, they can be
divided into three types: demons of afflictions, external demons
and celestial demons.
Demons of afflictions
These demons represent the afflictions of greed, anger, resentment,
delusion, contempt, doubt and wrong views. They also include the
demons of the Five Skandas, the Six Entrances, the Twelve Sense
Fields [eyes, forms, ears ...] and the Eighteen Elements. These
demons are also called "internal" as they are created by
topsy-turvy, delusive states of mind. Therefore, they must be
overcome by the bright, enlightened mind.
The human mind is easily moved, developing afflictions not only
because of personal karma but also because of the common karma of
living in an environment filled to a great extent with beings
subject to evil karma. Some persons cannot resist the attractions
of the five Dusts and thus fall into evil ways. Others,
encountering adverse conditions, grow sad and mournful and lose
their determination to progress. Such developments, depending on
their severity, render the cultivator despondent, indignant and
ill, or worse still, cause him to abandon the Buddhist Order or
even to commit suicide out of despair. More harmful still, they can
lead to loss of respect and good will toward other cultivators,
sometimes even hatred and avoidance of clergy and lay people alike.
Loss of faith in cause and effect, bad karma and finally, descent
upon the three Evil Paths are the end result.
To counteract these demons, the practitioner should reflect that
all afflictions are illusory, upsetting, suffocating, binding, evil
and conducive only to suffering for both himself and others. To
eliminate afflictions is to return to the True Mind, free and
liberated, fresh and tranquil, bright and clear, happy and at
peace, transcendental and wondrous. The cultivator should also
meditate in the same way on all attachments, from the Five Skandas
to the Eighteen Elements. In the Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni Buddha
said:
You should not be greedy and attached to gross and vile forms,
sound, smell, taste, touch and dharmas. If you do, they will burn
you up.
The Bodhisattva Manjusri once asked a female deity, "How do you see
the Eighteen Elements?" The deity replied, "They are similar to the
conic fire burning up the whole world." These are words of warning,
reminding us to eliminate the demons of afflictions.
If the demons of afflictions (internal demons) are not subdued,
they will attract "external demons" which wreak havoc. The ancients
have said:
If behind the door there are mean-spirited people, mean-spirited
people will arrive at the door; if behind the door there are
virtuous, superior people, noble superior people will arrive at the
door.
Furthermore, when thieves try to enter a house through the side
door, if the owner calmly scolds them in a loud voice, they will
naturally be frightened and leave. If, on the other hand, he is
terrified and panic-stricken, and begs them to desist, he will
unwittingly be inviting them into his house.
External demons
"External demons" take the form of various spirits, ghosts and
deities. Once the cultivator has reached a certain level of
attainment, he will be subject to demonic disturbances which will
put him to the test. External demons may be divided into three
groups.
1. Terrorizing Demons
These are ghosts that like to frighten and terrorize people. They
usually take the form of tigers, wolves, deadly serpents, poisonous
snakes or other ferocious beasts or hallucinatory, diabolic
apparitions to scare the cultivator. Their forms change ad
infinitum. They may have no head or many heads, many hands, many
eyes, or a half-human, half-bestial body. They may brandish weapons
or spit fire. If the practitioner is frightened, he loses his right
thought and often goes insane.
Faced with these occurrences, we should reflect that all forms and
marks are illusory, and that demons can only destroy the illusory
body, not the True Mind. Meditating this way, we should remain calm
and unafraid of death, peacefully concentrating on Buddha or Mantra
Recitation. The demons will then retreat of their own accord.
2. Demons of Lust and Attachment
These are a type of demon which excites a range of emotions, from
lust to delusive attachment to the realm of the five Dusts [i.e.,
this world]. They take the appearance of alluring, nude men and
women or of parents, siblings or close relatives, as well as of
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with beautiful, adorned features, in order
to entice the practitioner. If he is fond of good food, these
demons bring him succulent, fragrant dishes. If he likes diamonds
or gold, they take the appearance of strange animals holding
precious stones in their mouths as offerings. They cause whatever
the practitioner desires to appear. They can also use their psychic
power to lead him into evil samadhi, evil wisdom and eloquence,
giving him the mystic power to know the past and the future.
Those who do not understand will mistake these occurrences for
evidence that the practitioner has attained Enlightenment, and thus
believe in and trust him. In reality, however, the cultivator's
mind is upside down and he spends all his time engaging in errant,
demonic practices to deceive others.
Once there was a Vietnamese monk cultivating at a deserted temple
in Laos. In one of his meditation sessions, he saw a group of
beautiful, ethereal women, all naked, holding hands and dancing
around. The monk, unable to calm his agitated mind, immediately
recited the Buddha's name in all earnestness. Only then did this
scene disappear.
Another story: Once, in China, there was a monk seated in
meditation. Because he was cold and hungry, the thought of food
arose in his mind. He suddenly saw a woman presenting him with an
offering of food. The woman knelt, put food in his bowl, and
respectfully asked him to eat immediately, before the food grew
cold and lost all taste. The monk, being hungry wanted to eat at
once but remembering that it was not yet noon [the prescribed
mealtime for monks and nuns], he patiently told her to put the bowl
aside for the time being. The woman left, appearing angry and
upset. Some time later, at noon, he uncovered the bowl to discover
that it was full of worms, crawling all around. He then understood
that his false thought of food had attracted the demonic
apparitions. Thanks to his power of concentration, however limited,
he avoided consuming the dirty food and violating the precept
against killing.
Yet another story concerns a Zen monk who practiced in a deserted
mountain area. Lonely and isolated, he had a deluded thought,
wishing to have some fellow-cultivators practicing along with him
to make life more bearable. Immediately, an old woman appeared from
nowhere, leading two beautiful young girls by the hand, who, she
said, lived in the village down in the valley. They had come, they
claimed, to seek guidance in the Way. The monk, unsuspicious,
immediately gave a Dharma talk to the group. One day, after many
such visits over a period of time, the old woman respectfully
requested that the two girls be allowed to become attendants to the
monk and relieve him of his daily chores. The monk, hearing this,
became suspicious. He reprimanded the old woman severely and
refused the offer. The three women left, apparently angry and
ashamed.
The monk, intrigued, followed them discreetly until they
disappeared around a bend in the road. When he reached the spot, he
found it was a dead end with no habitation or anything else around,
except for three very old trees, one big tree and two smaller ones.
He thought it over and realized that he had been "tested." A
fleeting thought occurred to him, that he should cut down the
trees, start a bonfire, and burn them to the ground. At that
moment, the three women reappeared, repentant, begging him to
forgive them and spare their lives.
Therefore, the cultivator should remember: when the mind is still,
all realms are calm; when delusion arises, demons are born.
3. Nuisance Demons
This type of demon concentrates on harassing and disturbing the
practitioner. There is a certain species of spirits and ghosts
which can be subdivided into many types, each appearing at a fixed
time of the day. In general, each hour has three types of spirits
... For example, during the period between seven and nine in the
morning, they take the appearance of dragons, fish and serpent-like
creatures.
In his commentary Samatha and Vipasyana for Beginners, the
Patriarch Chih-I mentioned a type of demon with a face like a
pear-shaped lute, four eyes and two mouths, which enjoys disturbing
cultivators. Waiting for the individual to begin practice, it takes
the form of worms or tiny insects and crawls all over his head and
face, penetrates into his mouth, nose, eyes and ears, or goes under
his armpits or belly to sting him. At other times it shouts loudly
into the practitioner's ears, creating a great disturbance and
giving him a headache; or it suddenly embraces him tightly. If the
practitioner attempts to seize it in return, nothing is there. This
type of nuisance demon also causes scenes of the five Dusts to
appear, either favorable or unfavorable, or neither favorable nor
unfavorable. Such transformations are countless and can cause the
practitioner to become agitated. As he does not know what to make
of all this, he loses his concentration. The general way to subdue
these nuisance demons is to "gather" the mind in correct samadhi,
or diligently recite mantras or the Buddha's name -- they will then
all disappear.
Speaking more broadly, the category of "external demons" also
includes demons belonging to externalist cults and other false or
quasi-Buddhist sects. According to the observations of this author
and many of his colleagues, practitioners who have belonged to
cults in this or previous lives but have now converted to Buddhism,
as well as those who are themselves Buddhists but who come from
families formerly active in other faiths and cults, tend to be
bothered by external demons. This is because the cultivation
methods of externalists are within the realm of worldly afflictions
and are tainted with pride, ego attachment, power and fame.
Therefore, they stick together and do not want people connected
with them in some way to follow other teachings.
A case in point is a friend of the author, a Buddhist monk of
gentle and peaceful disposition, who was continuously disturbed by
externalist demons during his cultivation. Unfortunately, because
of his "externalist" past seeds, he did not apply the Dharma
wholeheartedly, but went instead from place to place, seeking help
from externalists. In the end, he strayed completely from Buddhism.
While taking the outside appearance of a Buddhist monk, he spent
all his time "balancing energy currents" while denigrating such
practices as bowing to the Buddhas and reciting sutras as
attachments to forms. Thus, those who were once affiliated with
externalist faiths and later returned to the Dharma, should reflect
on this example and be cautious.
Celestial Demons
This refers to the type of demon that resides in the Sixth Heaven,
also called the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others' Emanations.
This type of demon possesses merits and blessings and enjoys the
highest heavenly bliss in the Realm of Desire [of which our world
is but a small part]. They then mistake such happiness and bliss as
ultimate, and do not wish anyone to escape their
influence.[66]
When a practitioner has attained a fairly high level of
cultivation, his mind-light develops and shines up to the realm of
the Sixth Heaven. It is then discovered by the celestial demons,
who seek ways to sabotage his cultivation. Such action can take
many forms, threatening or cajoling, or even helping the
practitioner attain false samadhi, "wisdom" and spiritual power,
with the aim of ultimately deceiving him. These demons take turns
watching the practitioner constantly and without interruption,
waiting for the opportune moment. If the practitioner has a
delusive thought, they pounce on him or steer him toward things
contrary to the Way. The practitioner's entire lifetime of
cultivation is then over, for all practical purposes.
In his Awakening of the Faith Treatise, the Patriarch Asvaghosha
admonished:
There may be some disciples whose root of merit is not yet mature,
whose control of mind is weak and whose power of application is
limited -- and yet who are sincere in their purpose to seek
enlightenment -- these for a time may be beset and bewildered by
maras and evil influences who are seeking to break down their good
purpose.
Such disciples, seeing seductive sights, attractive girls, strong
young men, must constantly remind themselves that all such tempting
and alluring things are mind-made, and, if they do this, their
tempting power will disappear and they will no longer be annoyed.
Or, if they have visions of heavenly gods and Bodhisattvas and
Buddhas surrounded by celestial glories, they should remind
themselves that these, too, are mind-made and unreal. Or, if they
should be uplifted and excited by listening to mysterious Dharanis,
to lectures upon the paramitas, to elucidations of the great
principles of the Mahayana, they must remind themselves that these
also are emptiness and mind-made, that in their essence they are
Nirvana itself. Or, if they should have intimations within that
they have attained transcendental powers, recalling past lives, or
fore-seeing future lives, or, reading others' thoughts, or freedom
to visit other Buddha-lands, or great powers of eloquence, all of
[these] may tempt them to become covetous for worldly power and
riches and fame. Or, they may be tempted by extremes of emotion, at
times angry, at other times joyous, or at times very kind-hearted
and compassionate, at other times the very opposite, or at times
alert and purposeful, at other times indolent and stupid, at times
full of faith and zealous in their practice, at other times
engrossed in other affairs and negligent.
All of [these] will keep them vacillating, at times experiencing a
kind of fictitious samadhi, such as the heretics boast of, but not
the true samadhi. Or later, when they are quite advanced [they]
become absorbed in trances for a day, or two, or even seven, not
partaking of any food but upheld by inward food of their spirit,
being admired by their friends and feeling very comfortable and
proud and complacent, and then later becoming very erratic,
sometimes eating little, sometimes greedily, and the expression of
their face constantly changing.
Because of all such strange manifestations and developments in the
course of their practices, disciples should be on their guard to
keep the mind under constant control. They should neither grasp
after nor become attached to the passing and unsubstantial things
of the senses or concepts and moods of the mind. If they do this
they will be able to keep far away from the hindrances of karma.
(Wei-tao, tr., in Goddard, A Buddhist Bible, p.402-3.)
In summary and as a further generalization, there are only two
types of demon, internal and external. Celestial demons are within
the category of external demons; however, I have described them
separately to alert the practitioner to the dangerous, subtle havoc
they can cause. In addition to the demons of afflictions, external
demons and celestial demons described above, Buddhist sutras also
mention "disease demons" and the "demon of death." A bout of
disease will usually wither the practitioner's efforts, while death
in the midst of cultivation can make him retrogress. Thus, disease
and death are called demons. In general, they represent obstacles
to the Way that affect the physical body, but they cannot harm and
destroy the Bodhi Mind in the true sense of the word "demon." For
this reason, they are only mentioned in passing, but not elaborated
upon here.
Considering the level of cultivation of today's practitioners, they
generally face harassment only from demons of afflictions or
external demons. Such cultivators are not advanced enough to arouse
opposition from celestial demons. However, should the latter set
their minds to destroying someone, that person has little hope of
escaping harm, unless his cultivation is exemplary.
In the Surangama Sutra, Buddha Sakyamuni, out of compassion for
cultivators faced with many dangers along the Way, advised those
who practiced meditation to recite mantras at the same time. This
would enable them to rely on the power of the Buddhas to escape
harm from demons and achieve correct samadhi. The Patriarch Yin
Kuang once said:
At first glance, it would appear that the Surangama Sutra has a
different viewpoint from Pure Land. However, upon closer scrutiny,
that Sutra, in its essence, actually praised and commended the Pure
Land School. Why is this so? It is because, if even those who have
attained the third level of sagehood can suffer retrogression
caused by demons, we can see the crucial importance of Buddha
Recitation and rebirth in the Pure Land: in the "gathering" and
helping light of the Lord Amitabha Buddha, there is no more danger
of demons.
While treading the Way but not yet reborn in the Pure Land, the
practitioner of Buddha Recitation may also encounter demonic
obstacles. However, in most cases, this is because he does not
understand the Dharma and is not skillful at reining in his mind --
letting internal demons (afflictions) spring up, which, in turn,
attract external demons. If he can keep his mind empty and still
and recite the Buddha's name, external demons will be powerless and
afflictions will gradually disappear. Thus, for the Pure Land
practitioner, even if demonic obstacles do appear, they are few in
number.
[Advanced] Zen practitioners, on the other hand, face many demonic
occurrences because they rely only on their own strength and
self-power. A Zen follower should fulfill the following five
conditions to be successful: first, he should keep the precepts
strictly; secondly, his nature and roots should be "quick" and
enlightened; thirdly, he should have a clear understanding of the
Dharma, skillfully distinguishing the correct from the deviant, the
true from the false; fourthly, he should be firm and stable in his
determination; and fifthly, he should be guided by a good advisor,
who has a thorough understanding of the sutras and many years
experience in meditation. If the practitioner does not meet these
five conditions, he is very easily subject to harm from
demons.[67]
The ancients have said that "in Zen practice, there are many
opportunities to go astray." Therefore, to be successful in
meditation, it is necessary to possess superior capacities and
intelligence. High-level Zen Masters of the past, in transmitting
the Dharma to their disciples, would repeatedly warn them:
Be careful not to accept as a disciple anyone who does not have the
deepest good roots and the highest capacities.
These words should serve as proof enough of the above
observation.
In the Awakening of the Faith Treatise after summarizing the
essential points of Mahayana doctrine and explaining the path of
cultivation, the Patriarch Asvaghosha added:
Next, suppose there is a man who learns this teaching for the first
time and wishes to seek the correct faith but lacks courage and
strength. Because he lives in this world of suffering, he fears
that he will not always be able to meet the Buddhas and honor them
personally, and that faith being difficult to perfect, he will be
inclined to fall back.
He should know that the Tathagathas have an excellent expedient
means by which they can protect his faith: that is, through the
strength of wholehearted meditation-recitation on the Buddha
[Amitabha], he will in fulfillment of his wishes be able to be born
in the Buddha-land beyond, to see the Buddha always, and to be
forever separated from the evil states of existence.
It is as the sutra says: "If a man meditates wholly on Amitabha
Buddha in the world of the Western Paradise and wishes to be born
in that world, directing all the goodness he has cultivated toward
that goal, then he will be born there." Because he will see the
Buddha at all times, he will never fall back ... [If a cultivator
follows this path], he will be able to be born there in the end
because he abides in the correct samadhi. (Asvaghosha, The
Awakening of the Faith, p. 102 )
As explained above, diligent Buddha Recitation is a
wonderful expedient to escape demonic dangers and swiftly attain
correct samadhi.
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