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The Lotus Sutra
Chapter 1, Introduction, Page 4
F. The Audience, continued...
3. The Spiritual Forces from the Realm of Life & Death (Samsara):
Next we reach the members of the audience who are in
the mortal realm of Life & Death (Samsara), also know as the six spiritual
realms and
the twenty-five realms of existence.
Those in audience described here are in
the realm of good spiritual conditions, that is:
1. The realm of heaven (the gods)
2. The
realm of personality (ordinary people)
3. The realm of asuras (demons, competitive forces)
In
the Vedic and Brahmanic tradition there were various kinds of spiritual beings that characterize
and describe the different facets of our spiritual make-up inherited from nature. Generally
speaking, these beings are partly good, partly evil, and partly neither good
nor evil. Also, generally
speaking, all these groups can be basically broken down as being either Devas
(Gods - the higher or supernatural spiritual forces) or Asuras (Demons - our lower or
natural forces). This is not
really the same thing as distinguishing ‘good and evil’. These spiritual beings
include:
A. Devas: Gods, celestial beings,
the residents of heaven. These Devas are also called ‘Suras’ - those with soma,
the wine or ambrosia of heaven. Soma is the elixir of ecstasy, joy and contentment.
The heavens are divided into three parts, the realms of desire, the realms of
form, and the realms of formlessness:
B. Asuras: Demons, rivals and enemies of Sakra Devendra (Indra) and the Devas (Gods) with whom they are constantly at war. The Asuras dwell in the oceans (the atmospheres, the realms of turbulence) whereas the gods (S. Devas) dwell in the serene palaces of heaven. Asura literally means ‘one without the ambrosia of heaven (soma)’ - that is, they are restless, without the bliss, joy and contentment of heaven - they must ever struggle in the realms of strife and turbulence. They appear in many forms, including Nagas (water spirits), Yaksas (earth spirits), Daityas (genies), Dasyus (barbarians), Kalakanjas (stellar spirits), Kalejas (demons of time), Khalins (threshers), Nivata-kavacas (wearers of armor), Pisacas (flesh eaters), Raksasas (night wanderers) and a host of others forms. There are four classes, according to their manner of their rebirth: #1 egg-born #2 womb-born #3 metamorphosis born #4 water/spawn born. They are the competitive forces of nature that are forever battling for dominance over one another. In human nature they represent the assertion & clash of rival egos.
The rest of these spiritual beings can
be seen as different forms of Asuras, the spiritual beings below heaven.
C. Nagas:
Serpents, Dragons - Associated with water, they are the cyclonic forces that
control the seas, the rivers and
lakes. In spring they take to the sky and in
winter they enter the ground and hibernate in the deep. They control storms and the wild & instinctive
forces of nature. They are powerful natural instinctive forces within
us.
D. Yaksas: Asuras and malignant
demons from the earth, they were later accepted by the gods (Suras). They are
guardians of the earth’s treasures and protectors of the gates & moats of
their king Kuvera (the God of Wealth), one of the four Kings of
Heaven.
E. Gandharvas: Spirits of fragrance & music, celestial musicians
of Sakra Devendra (Indra), with the King of Heaven Dhritarastra (Protector of
the Nation - The Strong) as their lord. They are said to feed on fragrance and
cause ecstasy. They are the erotic forces of nature and are the patrons of
marriageable girls.
F. Kinnaras: The Kinnaras are the musicians of Vaisravana (also known as Kuvera, theGod of Wealth), described as having men’s bodies & horses’ heads. They are analogous to the Kentauros (Centaurs) of Greek mythology - in fact the words Kinnaras and Kentauros have the same Indo-European origin. They are called the ‘doubtful (mythical) spirits’ because they are ‘human but not human’. The males have horns & play on lutes, and the females sing & dance. They rank below Gandharvas - the music of the Kinnaras may be likened to popular ('pop') music compared to the classical, heavenly music of the Gandharvas. The Kinnaras are first of all entertainers.
G. Garudas: (Literally 'Devourers') The king of birds, with golden wings, living below heaven but above the highest trees of the earth. The Garudas are associated with the legends of the Roc and the Phoenix, and they are said to be able to travel a hundred thousand miles in a single day. They are the enemies and devourers of serpents (Nagas). They are called 'The Wings of Speech', and they represent the spiritual power and magic of the spoken word, which conquers nature, invokes and inspires the mind and carries it far and wide. The god of knowledge (Vishnu) is said to ride on the Garuda's back and the Garuda is said to carry the 'Wish-Fulfilling (Cintamani) Gem' around its neck.
H. Mahoragas: Demons shaped like boas or pythons, with large
bellies; also called ‘human but not human’. Demons of reptilian personality.
These spiritual beings can all be forces for good and spiritual enlightenment when embracing the Sutra and the teachings of the Buddha. In embracing and protecting the Sutra, they are known as the Naga Kings, Yaksa Kings, Gandharva Kings, etc.
Next: These different spiritual beings as described in the introductory chapter.
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