Kalama Sutta (Free Inquiry; Avoid Evil, Do Good & Purify the Mind)

Picture: WAT PHO CHAI (SAI), Pho Chai Road, Ampher Meung, Nong Khai Province.

KĀLĀMA SUTTA

The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry

Preface

The instruction to the Kalamas (Kalama Sutta) is justly famous for its encouragement of free inquiry; the spirit of the sutta signifies a teaching that is exempt from fanaticisms, bigotry, dogmatism, and intolerance.

The reasonableness of the Dhamma, the Buddha’s teaching, is chiefly evident in its welcoming careful examination at all stages of the path to enlightenment. Indeed the whole course of training for wisdom culminating in the purity of the consummate one (the arhat) is intimately bound up with examination and analysis of things internal: the eye and visible objects, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the tongue and tastes, the body and tactile impressions, the mind and ideas.

Thus since all phenomena have to be correctly understood in the field of the Dhamma, insight is operative throughout. In this sutta it is active in rejecting the bad and adopting the good way; in the extracts given below in clarifying the basis of knowledge of conditionality and arhatship. Here it may be mentioned that the methods of examination found in the Kalama Sutta and in the extracts cited here, have sprung from the knowledge of things as they are and that the tenor of these methods are implied in all straight thinking, the place of critical examination and analysis in the development of right vision is obvious. Where is the wisdom or vision that can descend, all of a sudden, untouched and uninfluenced by critical thought?

The Kālāma Sutta, which sets forth the principles that should be followed by a seeker of truth, and which contains a standard things are judged by, belongs to the framework of the Dhamma; the four solaces taught in the sutta point out the extent to which the Buddha permits suspense of judgment in matters beyond normal cognition. The solaces show that the reason for a virtuous life does not necessarily depend on the belief in rebirth or retribution, but on mental well-being acquired through the overcoming of greed, hate, and declusion.

THE INSTRUCTION OF THE KĀLĀMAS

The Kālāmas of Kesaputta go to see the Buddha

1. I have thus. Once the Blessed One, while wandering in the Kosala country with a large community of bhikkhus, entered a town of the Kalama people called Kesaputta. The Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta heard: ‘Reverend Gotama, the monk, the son of the Sakiyans, has, while wandering in the Kosala country, entered Kesaputta. The good repute of the Reverend Gotama has been spread in this way: Indeed, the Blessed One is thus consummate, fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge and practice, sublime, knower of the worlds, peerless, guide of tamable men, teacher of divine and human beings, enlightened, blessed. He makes known this world with its beings, its māras and its brahmas, and the group of creatures, with its monks and Brahmins, and its divine and human beings, which he by himself has through direct knowledge understood clearly. He sets forth the Dhamma, good in the beginning, good in the middle, good in the end, possessed of meaning and the letter, and complete in everything; and he proclaims the holy life that is perfectly pure. Seeing such consummate ones is good indeed’.

2. Then the Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta went to where the Blessed One was. On arriving there some paid homage to him and sat down on one side; some exchanged greetings with him and after the ending of cordial memorable talk, sat down on one side; some saluted him raising their joined palms and sat down on one side; some announced their name and family and sat down on one side; some without speaking, sat down on one side.

The Kalamas of Kesaputta ask for guidance from the Buddha.

3. The Kalamas who were inhabitants of Kesaputta sitting on one side said to the Blessed One: There are some monks and Brahmins, venerable sir, who visit Kesaputta. They expounded and explain only their own doctrines, the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Some other monks and Brahmins too, venerable sir, come to Kesaputta. They also expounded and explain on their doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Venerable sir, there is doubt, there is uncertainty in us concerning them, ‘Which of these reverend monks and Brahmins spoke the truth and which is falsehood?’.

The criterion for rejection

4. It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain; uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumour; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher, Kalamas, when you yourselves know: These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill’, abandon them.

Greed, hate, and delusion.

5. What do you think , Kalamas? Does greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm? – For his harm, venerable sir. – Kalamas, being given to greed, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, this man takes life, steals, commits adultery. Will that be long for his harm and ill? – Yes, venerable sir.

6. What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm? – For his harm, venerable sir. – Kalamas, being given to hate, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate, this man takes life, steals, commit adultery, and tell lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill? – Yes, venerable sir.

7. What do you think, Kalamas? Does delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm? – For his harm, venerable sir. – Kalamas, being given to delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by delusion, this man takes life, steals, commit adultery, and tell lies; he prompts another too, to do likewise. Will that be long for his harm and ill? – Yes, venerable sir.

8. What do you think, Kalamas,? Are these things good or bad? – Bad, venerable sir. – Blamable or not blamable? – Blamable, venerable sir. – Censured or praised by the wise? – censured, venerable sir. – Undertaken and observed, do these things lead to harm and ill, or not? Or how does it strike you? – Undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill. Thus it strikes us here.

9. Therefore, did we say, Kalamas, what was said thus, ‘Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumour; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion thathas been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher’. Kalamas, when you yourselves know: ‘These things are bad; these things are blamable, these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill’, abandon them.

The criterion for acceptance

10. Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumour; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axion; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher’. Kalamas, when you yourselves know; ‘ These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,’ enter on and abide in them.

Absence of greed, hate, and delusion.

11. What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of greed appear in a man for his benefit or harm? – For his benefit, venerable sir. – Kalamas, being not given to greed, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by greed, this man does not take life, does not steal, does not commit adultery, and does not tell lies; he prompts another too to do likewise. Will that be long for his benefit and happiness? – Yes, venerable sir.

12. What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of hate appear in a man for his benefit or harm? – For his benefit, venerable sir. – Kalamas, being not given to hate, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by hate, this man does not take life, does not steal, does not commit adultery, and does not tell lies; he prompts another too to do likewise. Will that be long for his benefit and happiness? – Yes, venerable sir.

13. What do you think, Kalamas? Does absence of delusion appear in a man for his benefit or harm? – For his benefit, venerable sir. – Kalamas, being not given to delusion, and being not overwhelmed and not vanquished mentally by delusion, this man does not take life, does not steal, does not commit adultery, and does not tell lies; he prompts another too to do likewise. Will that be long for his benefit and happiness? – Yes, venerable sir.

14. What do you think, Kalamas?. Are these things good or bad? – Good, venerable sir. – Blamable or not blamable? – Not blamable, venerable sir. – Censured or praised by the wise? Praised, venerable sir. – Undertaken and observed, do these things lead to benefit and happiness, or not? Or how does it strike you? – Undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness. Thus it strikes us here.

15. Therefore, indeed, did we say, Kalamas, what was said thus, ‘Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing, nor upon tradition; nor upon rumour; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher’. Kalamas, when you yourselves know: ‘These things are good; these things are not blamable: these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness’, enter on and abide in them’.

The Four Exalted Dwellings.

16. The disciple of the Noble Ones, Kalamas, who is in this way devoid of coveting, devoid of ill will, undeluded, clearly comprehending and mindful, dwells, having pervaded, with the thought of amity, one quarter, likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across; he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it all living beings, everywhere the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of amity that is free of hate or malice.

He lives, having pervaded, with the thought of compassion, one quarter, likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across; he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of amity that is free of hate or malice.

He lives, having pervaded with the thought of gladness, one quarter; likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across: he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of gladness that is free of hate or malice.

He lives, having pervaded with the thought of equanimity, one quarter; likewise the second; likewise the third; likewise the fourth; so above, below, and across: he dwells, having pervaded because of the existence in it all living beings, everywhere, the entire world, with the great, exalted, boundless thought of equanimity that is free of hate or malice.

The Four Solaces



17. The disciple of the Noble Ones, Kalamas, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one whom four solaces are found here and now.

‘Suppose there is hereafter and there is a fruit, result, of deeds done well or ill, Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss’. This is the first solace found by him.

‘Suppose there is no hereafter and there is fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself’. This is the second solace found in him.

‘Suppose evil (results) befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to none. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who do no evil deed?’ This is the third solace found in him.

‘Suppose evil (results) do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case’. This is the fourth solace found in him.

The disciple of the Noble Ones, Kalamas, who has such a hate-free mind, and such a purified mind, is one by whom, here and now, these four solaces are found.

- So it is the Blessed One. So it is, Sublime One. The disciple of the Noble Ones, venerable sir, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one whom, here and now, four solaces are found.

‘Suppose there is a hereafter, and there is fruit, result of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall arise in the heavenly world, which is possessed of the state of bliss’. This is the first solace found by him.

‘Suppose there is no hereafter and there is fruit, no result, of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself’. This is the second solace found in him.

‘Suppose evil (results) befall an evil-doer. I, however, think of doing evil to none. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who do no evil deed?’ This is the third solace found in him.

‘Suppose evil (results) do not befall an evil-doer. Then I see myself purified in any case’. This is the fourth solace found in him.

The disciple of the Noble Ones, venerable sir, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice free mind, such an undefiled mind, and such a purified mind, is one by whom, here and now, these four solaces are found.

Marvellous, venerable sir! Marvellous, venerable sir! As if, venerable sir, a person were to turn face upwards what is upside down, or to uncover the concealed, or to point the way to one who is lost or to carry a lamp in the darkness thinking, ‘Those who have eyes will see visible objects’, so has the Dhamma been set forth in many ways by the Blessed One. We, venerable sir, go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma for refuge, and to the Community of Bhikkhus for refuge. Venerable sir, may the Blessed One regard us as followers who have gone for refuge for life, from today.

Anguttara Nikāya, Tika Nipāta, Mahāvāgga, Sutta No. 65.

Source: KĀLĀMA SUTTA (The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry), Tranlsated from the Pāli by: Soma Thera, The Wheel Publication No. 8 (1991), Buddhist Publication Society Inc. Sri Lanka

Images, Holy Waters, Holy Thread, Talismans and Amulets

Society in general is better educated now than it has been in the past, but in spite of vast advances achieved in the field of scientific knowledge, may people still suffer from fear, suspicion and insecurity. The root cause of these states of mind stems from ignorance, uncertainty and craving. Because of our ignorance of the non-existence of a permanent self, we believe in our ego and this belief gives rise to craving. We are filled with insatiable desires and fear of losing that which we possess. We fear that we will be harmed or that we will face ‘bad luck’. So what do we do? We turn instinctively to our animistic past and depend on special talismans and amulets to protect us. The Buddha has clearly stated that external objects are not strong enough to protect those whose minds are waek and confused. Our only security is to take refuge in our knowledge of the truth and in our realization of the true nature of the self and other phenomena. Once we understand that there is no reality in a self that can be harmed, we become secure and confident. No harm can come to him who is unafraid, unselfish or undeluded.

However, it does not mean that Buddhism condemns the use of certain religious objects like a pendant of the Buddha image to give a sense of security. Many great men had found solace and comfort by contemplating on the serene and calm image of the Buddha. The first Prime Minister of India, Mr Nehru said that when he was imprisoned by the British his only source of comfort was a tiny Buddha image which he had with him. Of course the image itself has no magical power. But what it symbolized was the great qualities of the Buddha who had himself remained calm and unaffected by the attacks made against him by his enemies and it was this symbol that reminded Nehru of his strength with which he could face adversity calmly. We too can carry images of the Buddha or inscriptions of the sutras around with us to give us confidence. Many sutras end with the invocation:- ‘By the power of this truth, may victory be mine’ or ‘may happiness be mine’. This shows that as Buddhists we do not believe in the animistic power of images or talisman, but that they are to be regarded as mere aids which could help us to gain confidence in ourselves.

In the same way some Buddhists also go to temples, to collect bottles of holy water and pieces of string over which the sutras have been recited with great concentration. These also give psychological strength and confidence to the user because they remind him of the truth which was uttered in the sutras and which recall the words of the Buddha.

>Source: Excerpts from ‘The Buddhist Way’, By. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda
Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia.

Let Us Pay Our Respect to Venerable Acariya Thoon

Venerable Phra Acariya Thoon Khippapanno passed away in November 2008. Let us pay our respect to this great dharma teacher, who has followed and practised the forest dharma tradition.



Pictures from Wat Pa Ban Kor, Tambon Kheua Nam, Amphur Ban Pheu, Udon Thani.



The teachings that the Teacher has left behind.

Teachings from Than Chao Khun (NOR) Noraratanarajmanit

Picture: A statute of Venerable Chao Khun Nor

Personal magnet

Those who have a good heart or sympathy for other people are blessed with their own virtues. Some of these virtues include perseverance, industriousness, strength and benevolence. Since these people are not arrogant, they stand to be loved or receive help from those around them.

The gentle will receive love and help from others. Gentleness is the personal magnet of a virtuous person. If you retain the virtues, they will help you achieve your goals anytime, in the present and the future.

Give what you want

You must remember that if you would like to receive kindness (metta) and sympathy from others, you should extend kindness and sympathy to them, too. Then you'll get kindness and sympathy in return. This is the law of the powerful spirit. If you do this, all of the success you aspire to will be achieved, without a doubt.

A state of elation

Avoid the words "not feeling well". Don't allow what they mean to happen to you. Let it go and get it out. Even before "not feeling well" happens to you, let it go. If you are not careful, it could make its way into your feelings again. Then you must get it out. Don't let the idea of not feeling well remain in your mind, because you'll get used to it. If you do, you will become a weak person, and whenever there are any small mistakes, you will not feel well. This "not feeling well" is the enemy and the devil. It stirs your mind, making the nerves and brain work abnormally. The body will function in an abnormal way. Before we do anything, or while we're doing something, we must feel good after finishing it. Our mind or spirit must be in a state of elation. This will boost the body and the mind. We have to enjoy living.

Peace

The Lord Buddha teaches that peace is real happiness. We may find happiness by watching a play or a movie, socialising with others, being in love and getting married or receiving honours, but these kinds of happiness are marred by other suffering that need to be tackled constantly or alleviated. This is unlike happiness that is gained from peace or serenity, which is an in-depth happiness without any interference from suffering and without any need of further improvement.

This happiness can be realised in a very simple way - with our mind. When we're in a quiet corner, we can also have peace. If we live in a social environment, we can have happiness by separating our mind to search for peace. Although the social environment is troublesome, it can't bother our mind.

When we suffer from physical pain, we can strive for peace of mind, and then the physical pain cannot make us suffer. When the mind is at peace, the body will also be at peace. All suffering will disappear.

A peaceful mind is needed to support a peaceful body, and a peaceful body is needed to support a peaceful mind. Both a peaceful body and a peaceful mind are needed to attain all the success that you wish for.

Be grateful for mistakes

We must remind ourselves that "to do no wrong is to do nothing!" Mistakes are our great teacher. We have to be grateful to ourselves whenever we realise we have done something wrong. And we should feel good when we have met a great teacher, which is the mistake. When we make a mistake, we must remember it well. This is a good example, so that we won't do it again. We can then start again by avoiding carelessness.

Conscience is immortal

We will do no wrong if we have a conscience. The conscience protects our body, our speech and our mind at every moment. If we get it wrong, it means that we do not have a conscience, allowing carelessness to get out of control.

It is the natural way that human beings and animals and other plants fight for their life. Life is fighting. If we can't continue to fight, we're dead. But if we have a full conscience, then when we die, death will only happen to our body. The Lord Buddha and other enlightened monks had a full conscience at every moment. Therefore, they never did anything wrongly. They attained the immortality of dharma, or dharma that would never perish. We can also call this state nirvana.

The three guides

With the power of the Trisikkha: Sila (precepts), Samadhi (insight) and Panya (wisdom), we can win over our enemy, which is desire.

We can win over the rudeness, which represents an ugly desire in the lowest form and encroaches over our body, our speech and our mind with sila. We can win over love or hatred or passion, which represents a desire in medium form with samadhi. We can win over understanding, knowing what is right and wrong or the reality of the body, which is the finest desire, with panya. Those who have studied and practised trisikkha thoroughly and completely will transcend all suffering.

Good deeds are their own reward

We must do only good deeds. When we do good deeds but don't receive any blessing, it is still good. If we do bad deeds, we can't become good from fake blessings. Doing bad is like throwing a stone into the water. The stone will sink immediately to the bottom. Nobody can make the stone float. The bad deed will result in disaster and calamity like the stone sinking into the mud under the water.

Good deeds will bring honour, dignity and fame. Other people will respect us. Although our enemies would like to harm us, they can't, because they will suffer their own defeat. Please aim for the good deeds without fear of any obstacle. Let those who have faith in the Three Gems have luck and happiness and achieve what they set out to do.


We only have a few days

Jasmine is known as the most fragrant, the whitest and the purest of all flowers. Life is like acting in a theatre. We should aim at being the main character with the character of the jasmine. Don't be the bad guy. The jasmine will blossom for only a couple of days before it dies. Let us behave ourselves in the best way while we're still alive, like the blossomed jasmine. Do only good deeds.

Source: Misplaced the source information. Will try to check and update.

Views on Charms and Black Magic

Picture: A Temple at Ampher Meung, Ubon Ratchathani (Isaan)


It is common practice among many Asian communities to think that they are the victims of black magic and charms whenever they face some unhappy experiences in their lives. At the slightest indication that something unpleasant has happened they would often run off to consult seers, astrologers, mediums and ‘bombohs’. Of course the livelihood of these vendors of magic and charms depends on telling their customers that something is wrong or that some evil forces have been employed by someone to bring about their family misfortune. They then claim to be able to counteract these evil forces and charge large sums of money by promising to ‘cure’ them. More often than not the only effect is that these unsuspecting victims end up becoming lighter in their pocket and as a result are none the wiser for their experience. Popular Buddhism has not been spared by the antics of these quacks and charlatans, some of whom even going to the extent of masquerading themselves as monks to make a fast dollar form their unsuspecting victims. But the Buddha has declared in no uncertain terms that many of the misfortunes are essentially created by the untrained impure minds and it is only through our own efforts and understandings that we will be able to overcome them.

In this country particularly there are a great number of such beliefs. This may be because the three major races have their own peculiar beliefs, and a great deal of interchange had taken place so much so that there had developed a tremendously varied set of beliefs which are uniquely Malaysian.

The Buddhist cure for misfortune of any kind is as scientific as the methods of modern psychiatry. It is summarized in the Second Noble-Truth – The Cause of Suffering. Before we can look for a crue to misfortune (ill luck, bad health, loss of someone or something, personal and family problems) we must get to the root of it. We must examine rationally what actually is happening and understand that only we alone can overcome the misfortune. Concentration certainly will strengthen the mind to understand the cause of the problems in order to find a solution. In the case of sickness, a calm mind helps to effect a cure faster. By merely appealing to the Supernatural to overcome misfortune is not the proper solution to end suffering. We must reflect calmly that misfortune is the lot of anyone who is born into this world and that what happens to us must be looked at rationally so that a reasonable solution could be found. This is not fatalistic – it shows that each individual, using the Right Effort can rid himself of misfortune.


Source: Excerpts from: ‘The Buddhist Way’, By. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda
Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia

Real Fortune

Picture: A temple from Yasothorn Province (Isaan)


Real Fortune

Laypeople are full of problems and desires and are always eager to know their future etc. There is no need to go to mediums or fortune-tellers for that purpose. All the prophets and messengers, including the Buddha, have said that we reap what we sow. If you do good now, you will have good rewards in the future; if you do bad, you will regret it. Hence, look at what you are doing now and you will know your future. Everywhere around us there are many spiritual beings. When we keep the 5 precepts, we will have 25 Dhamma protectors looking after us. Isn’t that better than putting our faith in mediums and fortune-tellers?

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In Malaysia, there was a man who asked me to bless a lucky amulet that he was wearing so that he could win the lottery! I told him that if I could give him gambling luck by doing that, then the road would be full of people queuing up with amulets of all shapes and sizes and the queue would even stretch all the way to Thailand! I told him that real fortunes lies in being able to understand and practice the Dhamma and that whatever problems he was facing were due to past Kamma. Only wisdom and non-attachment would give him lasting relief from his sufferings. He did not understand what I meant, or rather, he did not want to listen. Before he left, he still asked me to bless his amulet and to teach him to chant a mantra that would give him luck. I feel sad for this man....……

But, of course, keep in mind that all your problems are non-problems compared to the biggest problem that all of us face – Death! (Page 85 – partial).

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................I am here just to show you the way. Sometimes, devotees may ask me to bless their homes and offices or even sprinkle water on them, and once in a blue moon, I do comply with their wishes – when I see that they are too rooted in their old superstitious ways to listen to me. Once I have done so, they are normally ready to learn what I have to teach them; and I often tell them sincerely that my blessing of their premises really will not make them rich. Nothing will work to give them luck except their own goods deeds. (pg 86 - Partial)

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Question:- When I listen to Bhikkhu, I feel that I understand and yet do not. What should I do?

Ans. This is normal. No one can understand another person completely. It all depends on your cultivation in your previous lives. What you hear is my concept. You need to think it over for yourself and work out your own truth. Then your doubts will disappear. Why do so many people take on the Buddha’s teaching and repeat them without true understanding? They do not reflect on His teachings, but run around looking for interpretations outside themselves. Such people are only working on further rebirths for themselves. Calm yourself and look within for the answers. (page 97).

Source: Excerpts from The Truth of the Messengers, Questions and Answers
With Bhikkhu Buddha Dhatu1, 1st edition Dec - 2006

Religious Rites

Picture: Temple in Buriram Province (Isaan).



‘Religious symbols aid devocation’

Although religious rites, rituals and ceremonies are not favoured by intellectuals, such practices are nevertheless important for developing and maintaining the devotional aspects of a religion and for creating a sense of inspiration among the masses. For many people, cultivating devotion is the first important step towards the experience of a religion. If there is no devotional and cultural aspects attached to Buddhism, people may be drawn to some other kind of beliefs or practices, even though they are aware that such practices are steeped in superstition or blind faith.

It is important for religions to have some harmless rituals and reasonable practices for people to express their devotion and spiritual feelings. Many of the Buddhist ceremonies help to cultivate good habits and positive emotions amongst the followers who consequently become more tolerant, considerate and cultured people. When performed with understanding and earnestness, these traditional practices tend to strengthen one’s belief as against a mere intellectual approach. Buddhism without any devotion would be rather cold, detached and academic.

Source: Excerpts from ‘The Buddhist Way’, By. Dr K. Sri Dhammananda
Buddhist Missionary Society, Malaysia.

Do Buddhists worship idol?

Picture: Inside Chedi of Wat Phra Buddhabath Huay Tom, Ampher Li, Lampoon Province.

Do Buddhists worship idol?

‘Not at all! A piece of clay or bronze or jade is not the object of our respect and worship. When we bow before Buddha images, we are recalling the qualities of the enlightened beings. It is their impartial love and compassion, generosity, morality, patience, joyous effort, concentration and wisdom that we are showing respect to. The statue or painting serves to remind us of the qualities of the Buddha, and it is the qualities, not the clay, that we are bowing to. We need not have a statue in front of us in order to bow to or respect the Buddhas and their qualities.

For example, if we go to a place far away from our family, we think about them and feel much love. But we also like to have a photo of them with us to remember them better. When we look at the photo and feel love for our family, we are not loving the paper and ink of the photo! The photo merely strengthens our memory. It is similar with a statue or painting of the Buddha.

By showing respect to the Buddhas and their qualities, we are inspired to develop these extraordinary qualities on our own mind streams. We become like the people we respect. When we take the love-kindness and wisdom of the Buddhas as our example, we strive to become like them’. (Chodron, 2002, p. 20-21)

Source: Chodron (2002).

Dharma Thoughts from Luong Phor Teen

Buddhist Amulets

Before I got to know who he was, I met Luangpor Teean at a time when I was deeply interested in Buddhist amulets. With the purpose of requesting an amulet from him, I tried to impress him by showing him a very special and valuable amulet that I owned, boasting that my amulet was very ancient, having been made 700 years ago.

"What," he asked me, "is this amulet made of?"

I told him that it was earthenware, made of baked clay that was extremely hard and the fine brown colour of tamarind paste, and that it contained a rich abundance of various minerals.

Luangpor responded, very simply, "Earth of all kinds originated at the same time as this planet came into being. Your amulet is actually no more ancient than the soil we trod upon before we entered this house."

Just that one statement alone made me free to take that amulet from around my neck, relinquishing, with the highest confidence, my attachment to such things.

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When someone once asked if it was good to wear a Buddhist amulet around one's neck, Luangpor replied, "It's good, but there is something much better than wearing an amulet. Would you like that?"

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Luangpor was on one occasion asked by a man whether the amulet he owned really had the supernatural, miraculous power widely attributed to it.

"Is its maker still alive?" Luangpor asked the man.

When informed that the amulet's maker was long dead, the amulet having been passed down as an heirloom, Luangpor commented, "Since even its maker himself has died, how can we hope that this thing can help us to avoid death?"


Source: Misplaced the book. Will update and acknowledge the source when found. Thanks.

The Teachings of Ajarn Fuang Jotiko

Wat Dhammasathit (Rayong Province)


Mind What You Say.

‘Before you say anything, ask yourself whether it’s necessary or not. If it’s not, don’t say it. This is the first step in training the mind – for if you can’t have any control over your mouth, how can you expect to have any control over your mind?’ (p. 1)

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‘Litter’ is Thai slang for idle chatter, and once Ajaan Fuang used the term to dramatic effect. It happened one evening when he was teaching in Bangkok. Three young women who were long-time friends happened to show up together at the building where he was teaching, but instead of joining the group that was already meditating, they found themselves an out-of-the-way corner to catch up on the latest gossip. As they were busy talking, they didn’t notice that Ajaan Fuang had gotten up to stretch his legs and was walking right past them, with an unlit cigarette in his mouth and a box of matches in his hand. He stopped for a second, lit a match, and instead of lighting his cigarette, tossed the lit match into the middle of the group. Immediately they jumped up, and one of them said, ‘Than Phaw’! Why did you do that? You just barely missed me!’.
‘I saw a pile of litter there,’ he answered, ‘and felt I should set fire to it’. (p. 3)
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One day Ajaan Fuang overheard two students talking, on eof them asking a question and the other starting his answer with, ‘Well, it seems to me…’ Immediately Ahaan Fuang cut him off: ‘If you don’t really know, say you don’t know, and leave it at that. Why go spreading your ignorance around?’ (p. 3)


On the Cult of Amulets

Thailand has a number of monk magazines, somewhat like movie-star magazines, which print the life stories and teachings of famous and not-so-famous monks, nuns and lay meditation teachers. The life stories tend to be so heavily embellished with supernatural and miraculous events, though, that they are hard to take seriously. From the occasional contact he had with the editors and reporters responsible for these magazines, Ajaan Fuang felt that, by and large, their primary aims were mercenary. As he put it, ‘The great meditation teachers went into the wilds and put their lives on the line in order to find the Dhamma. When they found it, they offered it free of charge on their return. But these people sit in their air-conditioned offices, write down whatever comes into their heads, and then put it up for sales’. As a result, he never cooperated with them when they tried to put him in their magazines. (p.4)


People practicing the Dhamma.

One of Ajaan Fuang’s students – a seamstress – was criticized by a customer: ‘You practice Dhamma, don’t you? Then why are you so greedy, charging such high prices? People practicing the Dhamma should take only enough profit just to get by.’
Although she knew her prices were fair, she couldn’t think of a good answer, so the next time she saw Ajaan Fuang she told him what had happened. He replied, ‘The next time they say that, tell them – ‘Look, I’m not practicing the Dhamma to be stupid.’ (p. 9)

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Another student was meditating in Ajaan Fuang’s presence when – in a spasm of mindfulness – she slapped a mosquito that was biting her arm. Ajaan Fuang commented: ‘You charge a high price for your blood, don’t you? The mosquito asks for a drop, and you take its life in exchange’. (p. 11)

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Even in a Buddhist country like Thailand, some young people who practice the Dhamma find that their parents are against it, and feel that they should be spending their time in more practical ways. Once the parents of the seamstress tried to put a stop to her visits to Wat Makut, and this got her very angry. But when she told her feelings to Ajaan Fuang, he warned her, ‘You owe huge debt to your parents, you know. If you get angry with them, or yell at them, you’re stoking the fires of hell on your head, so watch out’. And remind yourself: If you wanted parents who would encourage your practice, why didn’t you choose to be born from somebody’s else? The fact that they’re your parents shows that you’re made past karma with them. So just take up your old karma debts as they come. There’s no need to create any more karma by getting into arguments’. (p. 14)

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Once, while the Chedi at Wat Dhammasathit was being built, some of the students working on the chedi got into a serious argument. One of them became so upset that she went to tell Ajaan Fuang, who was staying in Bangkok at the time. When she finished her report, he asked her, ‘Do you know what gravel is?’
Taken aback, she answered, ‘Yes’
‘Do you know what diamonds are?’
‘Yes’
‘Then why don’t you gather the diamonds? What good do you get out of gathering gravel?’. (p. 14)


The Highest Refuge

Channeling spirits has long been popular in Thailand, and even some people who practice the Dhamma also like to attend seances. But Ajaan Fuang once said, ‘If you want results from your practice, you have make up your mind that the Buddha is your one and only refuge. Don’t go taking in anything else’. (p. 14)

Heart

‘If you practice the Dhamma, you don’t have to be amazed by anyone else’s powers or abilities. Whatever you do, say or think, let your heart take its stand on the principles of reason’. (p.15)


Student/Teacher

On occasion people would present Ajaan Fuang with amulets, and he would hand them out among his students – but only rarely among those who were especially close to him. One day a monk who lived several years with him couldn’t help but complain, ‘Why is it that when you get good amulets, you never give any to me, and always to everybody else?’

Ajaan Fuang replied, ‘I’ve already given you lots of things better than that. Why don’t you accept them?’. (p. 16)




Living in the World

‘Other people criticize us and then forget all about it, but we take it and keep thinking about it. It’s as if they spit out some food and we pick it up to eat. When that’s the case, who’s being stupid?’ (p. 21)


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‘Beware of the fall-in-the-well kindness: the cases where you want to help other people, but instead of your pulling them up, they pull you down’. (p.22)

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‘To have a partner in life is to suffer. To have a good partner is really to suffer, because of all the attachment’. (p. 23)

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Lingas & Phalakits

‘When we see Hindus worshipping Siva lingas it look strange to us, but actually everyone in the world worships the Siva linga – i.e. they worship sex, simply that the Hindus are the only ones who are open about it. Sex is the creator of the world. The reason we’re all born is because we worship the Siva linga in our hearts’. (p.23)


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“If there are any sensual pleasures you really hunger for, it’s a sign you enjoyed them before in a previous life. That’s why you miss them so much this time around. If you think about this long enough, it should be enough to make you dispassionate and dismayed’. (p.24)

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The Celibate Life

‘Some people say that monks don’t do any work, but actually the work of abandoning your defilements is the most difficult work in the world. The work of the everyday world has its days off, but our work doesn’t have any time off at all. It’s something you have to do 24 hours a day. Sometimes you may feel you’re not up to it, but still you have to do it. If you don’t, who’s going to do it for you? It’s your duty, and nobody else’s. If you don’t do it, what are you living off the donations of other people for?’. (p.25)


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The relationship of a monk to his supporters is something of a balancing act. One of Ajaan Fuang’s favorite reminders to his monk disciples was, ‘Remember, nobody’s hired you to become a monk. You haven’t ordained to become anybody’s servant.’ But, if a monk complained that the monastery attendants weren’t doing as they were told, he’d say, ‘Did you ordain to have other people wait for you’. (p.27)

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‘Monks who eat the food that other people donate, but then don’t practice, can expect to be reborn as water buffaloes next time around, to till the fields and work off their debts’. (p. 27)



Meditation

When Ajaan Fuang taught meditation, he didn’t like to map things in advance. As soon as he had explained the beginning steps, he’d have the student start sitting right in his presence, and then take the steps back home to work on there. If anything came up in the course of the practice, he’d explain how to deal with it and then go on to the next step.

Once a layman who had known more than his share of meditation teachers came to discuss the Dhamma with Ajaan Fuang, asking him many questions of an advanced nature as a way of testing his level of attainment. Ajaan Fuang asked him in return, ‘Have you had these experiences in your own meditation yet’
‘No, not yet’.
‘Then in that case, I’d rather not discuss them, because if we discuss them when they’ve not yet a reality for you, they’ll just be theories, and not the real Dhamma.’ (p. 34)

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Visions and Signs

One evening a school teacher was meditating at home and began remembering her previous lives all the way back to the time of King Asoka. In her vision she saw King Asoka beating her father mercilessly over a trivial infraction of palace etiquette. The next morning she went to tell Ajaan Fuang about her vision, and it was obvious that she was still furious with King Asoka for what she had seen him do.
Ajaan Fuang didn’t affirm or deny the truth of her vision. Instead, he spoke to her anger in the present, ‘Here you’ve been carrying this grudge for over 2,000 years, and where is it getting you? Go ask forgiveness of him in your mind and have done with it’. (p. 52)

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‘Don’t have anything to do with the past or the future. Just stay with the present – that’s enough. And even though that’s where you’ve supposed to stay, you’ve not supposed to latch onto it. So why do think you should latch on to things where you’ve not even supposed to stay?’ (p. 53)


Right at Awareness

One of Ajaan Fuang’s students was feeling mistreated by the world, and so went to him for consolation. He told her, ‘What’s there to feel mistreated about?’ You’re the one that’s swayed under the events that have hit you, that’s all. Contemplate what’s happening and you’ll see that the mind is something separate. Events come passing in and then go passing by. So why be influenced by them? Keep your mind right at the simple awareness that these things come and soon they’ll be gone, so why follow them?. (p54)

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‘Whenever anything hits you, let it go only as far as ‘aware’. Don’t let it go all the way into the heart’. (p.55)


Contemplation

‘Everything that happens to you has its causes. Once you contemplate it skillfully until you know its causes, you’ll be able to get past it’. (p.57)


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‘Our defilements have made us suffer enough already. Now it’s our turn to make them suffer’. (p.57)

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‘Even though your views may be right, if you cling to them you’re wrong.’ (p. 58)

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A meditator in Singapore once wrote a letter to Ajaan Fuang describing how he applied the Buddha’s teachings to everyday life: Whatever his mind focused on, he would try to see it as inconstant, stressful and not self. Ajaan Fuang had me write a letter in response, saying, ‘Do things ever say that they’re inconstant, stressful and not self? They never say it, so don’t go faulting them that way. Focus on what labels them, for that’s where the fault lies’. (p.58)

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A high school student once said that in practicing meditation, if his mind thought good thoughts he’d let them pass, but if it thought bad thoughts he’d put a stop to them right away. Ajaan Fuang told him, ‘Just watch them. See who it is that’s thinking good thoughts and bad thoughts. The good thoughts and bad thoughts will disappear on their own, because they fall under the Three Characteristics of inconstancy, stress and not-self’. (p. 58)

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‘If the mind is going to think, let it think, but don’t fall for its thoughts’. (p. 58)

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Advice for a woman who had to live one illness after another: ‘Use your mindfulness to contemplate the body until you can visualize it as bones falling down in a heap, and you can set them on fire until there’s nothing left. The ask yourself: Is that your self? Then why does it make you suffer and feel pain? Is there any ‘you’ in there? Keep looking until you reach the true core of the Dhamma – until there’s nothing of yours at all. The mind will then see itself as it really is, and let go of its own accord.’ (p. 61)



Release

‘Our practice is to go against the stream, against the flow. And where are we going? To the source of the stream. That’s the ‘cause’ side of the practice. The ‘result’ side is that we can let go and be completely at ease. (p. 70)

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Source: Excerpts from: Awareness Itself,
The Teachings of Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, Compiled and translated by Thanissaro Bhikku (Geoffrey DeGraff) 1993A.D./2536B.E.

Some Photos from Ajarn Chah's Museum

Teachings from Luong Phor Waen

On Amulets

‘After Man’s death his own amulets were produced and made their way into the tortuous and circuitous market-place, which the master would surely have frowned upon. In his old age Ajaan Waen blessed amulets bought to him by the laity (quote …) and saw this in terms of dispensation of goodwill or love-kindness to his many visitors. According to a monastic informant who was with Waen at the time, he once said in dismay that ‘I nearly gave up my life many times in pursuance of my practice and when people come to see me [instead of asking about how they can practice theselves] all they want is for me to bless a medallion!’ (Taylor, 1993, p. 184).

‘As explained to me, in the fetish (in the literal sense) process of exchange, the ‘giver’ has no control over the functional use to which the relic or amulet is put (whether for local prestige, political or personal power, thaumaturgic, and so on). To put this another way, the concentrated moral vigour manifest in the artifact is transformed by the receiver (at the coarser spiritual level) and used for worldly gain or to legitimate entrenched secular power. Indeed, every sanctified amulet manifests radiating energy (te’cho) which the Buddha himself possessed in immense (quote…..). Some of the laity may consider this as a protective or manipulative force (as in saksit powers), while others might argue that by reminding the wearer of the Doctrine [dhamma], and particularly that part of it that counsels alertness, it enables him [the amulet owner] to keep out of harm’s way. (quote…). (Taylor, 1993, p. 189).

Dharma Sessions from Luong Phor Dun (Atulo)

Amulets of No Importance

On the 8th of May, 1779, a group of about ten army officers came to pay their respects to Luang Pu (Dun) before running to Bangkok that evening. In this group there were two Lt. Generals who, after speaking with Luang Pu for a time, removed their amulets which they wore around their necks and put them on a tray for Luang Pu to admire and bless for the, Luang Pu did so and then returned the amulets to the officers. One of the officers asked Luang Pu, “We know that you have made many amulets at various times, which of these is the most famous?’

Luang Pu replied, ‘None’.


Different Outlooks

Once three young men from another province came to see Luang Pu as he was sitting in a pagoda. Their behavior indicated that they were influenced by some disreputable monk from the way they sat lazily and talked in whatever they wanted. Worse still, they apparently thought that Luang Pu was interested in magical amulets and they told him of the various great monks who gave them ‘good and extraordinary things’. Finally they displayed these ‘extraordinary’ things and began to compare the, each bragging to his friends in front of Luang Pu. One of them had an amulet made from the tusk of a wild boar, one a tiger’s fang and one of rhino horn. They argued amongst themselves as to which of these was the most powerful and exceptional in many ways. One of the young men finally looked at Luang Pu saying, ‘Ah, Luang Pu, which of these is the most powerful, huh?’, Luang Pu appeared to be particularly amused and said with a smile, ‘None of them are good, none are special, all of them are just parts of dead animals.’


Acting according to Social Norms

Sometimes, I felt uncomfortable and afraid of wrong doing in being party to those who coaxed Luang Pu (Dun) into doing things he was not interested in. The first time was at the opening of the Acarn Mun museum in the Province of Sakhon Nakhorn at Wat Pa Suthavat where Luand Pu was attending the ceremony. There were many senior meditation monks attending. The lay people went to visit the different teachers there to pay respects and ask for favors. There were many that asked Luang Pu to blow their heads. When Luang Pu did nothing but just sat there, I said to Luang Pu, ‘Please just do it and get it over with’. Luang Pu then capitulated and blew on their heads. After that, when he couldn’t get out of it, he blessed cars, and after being begged by many, he consented to having an amulet made. Finally he attended an event at Wat Thumongkol for the blessing of a new amulet.

I was relieved when Luang Pu said, ‘My doing these things is just external bodily behavior following social norms. There is no involvement of my heart which leads to states of becoming or effects the Way, the fruits or Nibbana at all.’

SOURCE: EXCERPTS FROM:
THE TEACHINGS OF LUANG PU DUN (ATULO)
(taken from the Web. Translated from the book ‘Atulo’ Bhikkhu Khemasanto)

Dharma Sessions from Luong Phor Doon

Dharma from Ajarn Chah

Magic

There is only one real magic, the magic of Dhamma. Any other magic is like the illusion of a card trick. It distracts us from the real game: our relation to human life, to birth, to death and to freedom. (Para 21, p. 8)

Contacting the Dhamma

The Buddha wanted us to contact the Dhamma, but people only contact the words, the books, and the scriptures. It is contacting that which is ‘about’ Dhamma, and not contacting the ‘real’ Dhamma as taught by our Great Teacher. How can people say that they are practicing well and properly if they only do that? They are a long way off. (Para 26, P. 9)

Peace

Know what is good and bad, whether traveling or living in one place. You can’t find peace on a mountain or in a cave. You can even go to where the Buddha attained enlightenment without getting closer to the truth. (Para 101, p. 27)

Heart and Mind

There are those who do battle with their defilements and conquer them. This is called fighting inwardly. Those who fight outwardly take hold of bombs and guns to throw and to shoot. Conquering others is the way of the world. In the practice of Dhamma we don’t have to fight others, but instead conquer our own minds, patiently resisting all our moods. (Para 41, p. 13)

Impermanence

Sometimes I’d go to see old religious sites with ancient temples. In some places they would be cracked. Maybe one of my friends would remark, “Such a shame, isn’t it? It’s cracked.” I’d answer, “If they weren’t cracked there’d be no such thing as the Buddha. There’d be no Dhamma. It’s cracked like this because it’s perfectly in line with the Buddha’s teaching.” (Para 49, p. 15)

Dhamma Practice

Some people get bored, fed up, tired of the practice and lazy. They can’t seem to keep the Dhamma in mind. Yet, if you go and scold them, they’ll never forget that. Some may remember it for the rest of their lives and never forgive you for it. But when comes to the Buddha’s teaching, telling us to be moderate, to be restrained, to practice conscientiously, why do they keep forgetting these things? Why don’t people take these things to heart? (Para 160, p. 42)

Purpose

We must learn to let go of conditions and not try to oppose or resist them. And yet we plead with them to comply with our wishes. We look for all sorts of means to organize them and make a deal with them. If the body gets sick and is in pain, we don’t want it to be so, so we look for various sutras to chant. We don’t want the body to be in pain. We want to control it. These sutras become some form of mystical ceremony, getting us even more entangled in clinging. This is because we chant them in order to ward off illness, to prolong life and so on. Actually, the Buddha gave us these teachings in order to help us know the truth of the body, so that we can let go and give up our longings, but we end up chanting them to increase our delusion. (Para. 162, p. 43)

Madness

People outside may call us mad to live in the forest like this, sitting like statues. But how do they live? They laugh, they cry, they are so caught up that at times they kill themselves or one another out of greed and lust. Who are the mad ones? (Para. 166, p. 44)

Why like that?

When someone asked Ajahn Chah why there was so much crime in Thailand, a Buddhist country, or why Indochina was such a mess, he said, “Those aren’t Buddhists who are doing those unwholesome things. That isn’t Buddhism doing those things. Those are people doing those things. Buddha never taught anything like that.’ (Para 169, p. 44)

Price to Pay

You say you love your girlfriend one hundred percent. Well turn her inside out and see how many percent of her you still love. Or if you miss your lover so much when she’s not with you, then why not ask her to send to you a vial of faeces in it. In that way, whenever you think of her with longing, you can open the vial and smell it. Disgusting? What is it, then, that you love? What is it that makes your heart pound like a rice pounder every time a girl with a really attractive figure comes walking along or you smell her perfume in the air? What is it? What are these forces? They pull and suck you in, but you don’t put up a real fight, do you? There’s a price to pay for it in the end, you know! (Para 173, p. 45)

Label

It was Christmas and the foreign monks had decided to celebrate it. They invited some laypeople as well as Ajahn Chah to join them. The laypeople were generally upset and skeptical. Why, the asked, were Buddhists celebrating Christmas? Ajahn Chah the gave a talk on religion in which he said, “As far as I understand, Christianity teaches people to do good and avoid evil, just like Buddhism does, so that is the problem? However, if people are upset by the idea of celebrating Christmas, that can be easily remedied. We won’t call it Christmas. Let’s call it ‘Christ-Buddhamas.” Anything that inspires us to see what is true and do what is good is proper practice. You may call it any name you like.” (Para 176, p 46)

Enlightenment

Someone once asked Ajahn Chah to talk about enlightenment; could he describe his own enlightenment? With everyone eagerly waiting to hear his answer, he said, “Enlightenment isn’t hard to understand. Just take a banana and put it into your mouth, then you will know what it tastes like. You have to practise to experience realization, and you have to preserve. If it were so easy to become enlightened, everyone would be doing it. I started going to temple when I was eight years old, and I have been a monk for over forty years. But you want to meditate for a night or two to go straight to nibbana. You don’t just sit down and – zip! – there you are, you know. You can’t get someone to blow your head and make you enlightened either.” (para 180, p. 48)

Theory and Practice

Theory and practice – the first knows the name of a medicinal plant, and the second goes out to find it and uses it. (Para 87, p 24)

Smile

A madman and an Arahant both smile, but the Arahant knows why while the madman doesn’t. (para 134, p. 36)

Towards true faith.

Outward scriptural study is not important. Of course, the Dhamma books are correct, but they are not right. They cannot give you right understandings. To see the word ‘anger’ in print is not the same as experiencing anger. Only experiencing for yourself can give you true faith. (Para 137, p. 36)

Source: Excerpts from:

ON AJAHN CHAH ‘REFLECTIONS’

Compiled and edited by Dhamma Garden, Buddhist Fellowship, Burmese Temple, Singapore.

On Countering Superstition

‘On of the characteristics that Ajahn Chah was most well known for was his keenness to dispel superstition in relation to Buddhist practice in Thailand. He strongly criticized the magic charms, amulets, and fortune-telling that pervaded so much of the society. He rarely spoke about past or future lives, other realms, visions, or psychic experiences. If anyone came to him asking for a tip about the next winning lottery number (a very common reason why some people go to visit famous ajahns), they would generally get very short shrift. He saw that the Dhamma itself was the most priceless jewel, which could provide genuine protection and security in life, and yet it was continually overlooked for the sake of the promise of minor improvements to samsāra.’ (Chah, p. 33)

According to Ajahn Chah, Buddha images and sacralized water have no inherent power; that ghosts and deities have existence only in our minds; that monasteries should not be the venues of festivals, fairs, games, and idle gossip; and that meditation and direct contemplative experience are more important than the study of books. The Dhamma of the Buddha is not found in books. (pg. 138 – Tambiah, S.J. 1988, The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets)

Evil Spirits and the Medicine of Dharma Practice

Two predominate themes emerge in the Dharma view of ‘demons’. One, from the level of absolute truth, they do not exist. Like everything else, they have no self-nature. They are in fact empty. Two, from the level of relative truth, they are conditioned existence. One should protect oneself form their negative influence.

The lamas explain that ghosts arise from the conceptualization; they come from the duality of mind. Whether they are real or not real is up to the practice of the perceiver. If one has the ‘pure vision’ of the Vajrayana wisdom mind, then they are experienced as pure phenomena, just as samsara and nirvana are inseparably experienced as the tri-kaya.

Approaching ghosts and spirits from the level of absolute truth, we realize the nature of emptiness, theirs and ours, so nothing can harm us. The wisdom of the present awareness of emptiness is the Dharmakaya; nothing can affect it. By realizing shunyata, all sickness and negativity is subdued or dissolved. Those distinctions simply do not exist.

In this wisdom there is no hope or fear. Therefore even if a ‘demon’ appeared to rush towards one with a flaming dagger, the person whose mind is identified with emptiness is immovable, adamantine, and no demon can harm him. The demon disappears. All is primordially pure nature of mind. Then even protective measures against negative spirits (exorcisms and the like) are subsumed in the realization of emptiness. As said in a tantra:

When the nature of Mind has been realized

As making offerings and performing exorcism

And all other sorts of work and duties

(Then you understand that) everything is encompassed by it.

So, we can defeat all demons and ghosts with the supreme medicine – the realization of radiant emptiness, absolute truth, from which compassion spontaneously arises.

On a relative level, these negative forces and demons are understood to have an actual existence, but the absolute truth, that all phenomena has no self nature and is generated by the ego-habits of countless lives, is kept in mind. (pp. 161-2, Clifford, 1984).

Source:

Tibetan Buddhist & Medicine Psychiatry: The Diamond Healing. By Terry Clifford (1984)al Banarsidass Publishers Pte Ltd, Delhi.