Demons : Evil Spirits

In texts, there are various descriptions of evil spirits, but they all come down to one thing – clinging self righteousness. This can take many forms, increasing in intensity. It’s important to understand that evil spirits have no inherent existence, and are only created by the mind…our mind.

If you consider reincarnation to be valid, in any moment there are countless beings in the out of body state, as well as those with bodily forms….the universe is a crowded place 😉

Q. Are there external evil spirits?
A. No, and Yes.

If this self righteousness is in our mind, then it stands to reason that it’s in everyone else’s mind as well. So there are external evil spirits: we can see their effects every day in the news. We are all little demons with enlightened potential…more or less.

Good karma can easily turn evil by conceit.

We hear stories of practitioners not clearing the thorns away from the entrance to their cave because, in the next moment, enlightenment may occur, so why waste time? I never understood that properly, until life become ‘fortunate’.

Good karma is like living on a knife’s edge – there is no wish to contaminate a good thing! We have to be on “smug” alert, “self congratulatory” alert, and “samsaric master” alert 😉 When we acquire certain abilities, we are very much in danger of becoming Mr. Devil himself…Hieronymus Bosch depicted this hypocrisy perfectly in his paintings.

As ordinary sentient beings, we live on a blunt knife’s edge: everything in the mind is contaminated – full of demons. We don’t notice who we tread on and squish underfoot.

Evil spirits have no inherent existence,
and are created
only by the mind.

Q. Are there formless, external demons?
A. Here we will have to rely on our own understanding: that which makes sense to us. The way in which this can affect us psychologically is something to ponder.

We, as sentient beings, are at this moment, embodied in a human form. All creatures, being sentient, take on one form or another, and all our existences (the form we take) are controlled by our minds (our attitude).

After death we are out of body, in the formless realm, but still carry the same attitudes, either perceiving everything to be real, or merely projections of the mind…more or less.

If we accept that enlightenment is possible, then there must be enlightened beings who constantly bless all sentient beings with unconditional love, wishing them well (I would, wouldn’t you?!).

Likewise, there must be confused, self righteous beings who hate this purity: this is evident in daily life, where people wish to destroy everything. These beings hate pure light, as they are themselves impure but long for purity.

When we open our heart, we invite the light.
When we close our heart, we invite the dark.

This is created
only by the mind.