Blog » Sweet Dews Of Dharma Talks » 2008 » When the Host is Unconfused, the Demonic States are Powerless
When the Host is Unconfused, the Demonic States are Powerless2013-01-10
A Dharma talk given by DM Heng Yun
English Translation By Lotus Lee
When talking about the fifty skandha-demon states in the Shuragama Sutra, the Venerable Master said: “As you look at the fifty kinds of skandha-demon states, let me give you a basic idea of what it is. Since this is not anything that ordinary people might encounter, some of you may think of it as science fiction. The truth is, if you are a true cultivator and work hard at your practice, you may encounter some of these states.”
Perhaps when you hear this, you will think, “Let’s not cultivate! This is too scary!” This is not the correct attitude, because not everyone will come across these states. Some people might not encounter them at all, while others might encounter a bit more; it is all determined by your state of mind. There’s a phrase in the Sutra text that says: “the cleansing of your mind has not been proper.” It means that as cultivators, we want to purify our minds. However, we haven’t completely clean our minds, and some wrong thoughts still remain. For example, on the one hand you want to cultivate, but on the other hand, you think that having a boyfriend or girlfriend isn’t too bad either. In situations such as this, your mind is not upholding proper thoughts, and it would be easy for you to fall into the deviant paths, mistaking a thief for your child.
Our body and mind are made up of the five skandhas. In the process of cultivation some changes will occur in our body and mind, giving rise to some states. If you recognize these states for what they are, and do not think that you have realized fruition, you would be fine. That’s why in the text, it says: “If he does not think he has become a sage, then this will be a good state.” But if you think that you have become a sage, then you will be vulnerable to demonic influences. At this point, it would be easy for you to go onto the wrong path, be surrounded by demons, and fall into the evil paths.
The Venerable Master further explained that “Skandha-demons are not limited to fifty kinds; there may be five hundred, five thousand, fifty thousand, or even five hundred thousand kinds. Each kind can further be divided into ten kinds. If analyzed in detail, there are thousands upon tens of thousands of kinds. In general, what is a skandha-demon? Basically it’s nothing but a mass of yin energy, which comes from our yin thoughts. Yin thoughts include thoughts of greed, anger, and stupidity. They give rise to the skandhas of form, feeling, thought, formations, and consciousness; and in each of these skandhas, all kinds of yin phenomena are produced. These yin phenomena naturally appear when your skill reaches a certain level. If your skill hasn’t reached that level, then you won’t encounter these skandha-demons, even if you want to. They manifest only when your skill has reached that level.”
In other words, if your skill has not reached a certain point, you are still considered as a “poor” person. Even if you want to encounter the skandha-demon, it will be impossible. The demons are looking for “rich” people, and you are not there yet. Therefore, we ordinary people should not be too worried. More importantly, I feel that when the Venerable Master was lecturing on the fifty skandha-demons, he repeatedly emphasized a key point—“you must maintain proper thoughts.” You have to recognize the states and uphold correct thoughts at all times. The Venerable Master propagated the six great principles of no fighting, no greed, no seeking, no selfishness, no pursuing personal advantage, and no lying. These are basics for cultivation and for becoming a Buddha. The Venerable Master taught us that following the six great principles is very important. This feeling was especially strong when I was reading the explanation for the fifty skandha-demon states.
For example, on the thought skandha, the Sutra states, “This good person … within Samadhi, his mind craves to roam about, so he lets his subtle thoughts fly out as he greedily seeks for adventure.” Because this good person’s cultivation has already reached this level, his spirit is able to exit his body, and he likes to go out and have fun. However, when he has these greedy thoughts, the demon king in the heavens would send one of his retinue to lure this person into a trap. Then, the demon will possess his body. This was all caused by a thought of greed. That’s why the Venerable Master said that we shouldn’t be greedy.
Our fundamental nature is no different from that of the Buddhas of the ten directions. But because we give rise to ignorance and false thoughts, the five skandhas appear. The five skandhas are like five dark mountains that have buried our true nature at their very bottom. “Skandha” means to gather and accumulate. It accumulates greed, hatred, delusion, and all afflictions and transforms them into an illusionary body, which covers our true nature. That is why we are not like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
The purpose of cultivation is to return to our true nature. But during the process, there will be changes in our body and mind. This change is similar to when we boil water, the liquid eventually changes into vapor. When negative energy surfaces, we should turn it into positive energy. If we can understand the fifty skandha-demon states are just a part of the change process, then whether we encounter internal or external demons, we will remain unmoved and will not be influenced by such states. Likewise, when the water is boiling, we will not say that the water vapor is solid. We know that it is gas and will just evaporate.
Why do the demons and the ghosts want to ruin the work of cultivators? It is because when we cultivate, we are returning to our true nature. When we attain the Shurangama Samadhi, the earth quakes in six ways, and the celestial demon palace will also be broken into pieces because of the quaking. Consequently, the demon king is very scared and angry, and is constantly looking for opportunities to ruin people’s cultivation.
When the Buddha was going through the Eight Stages of Realizing Buddhahood, one of the stages is called “subduing the demon.” The demon king sent his daughters to destroy the Buddha’s cultivation. For the same reason, the demon king is doing this not only to disturb the Buddha. Since the demon king wants to keep his power, he doesn’t want the people in the world to cultivate either; because once a person cultivates, the demon king loses a potential ally. In addition, he is also greedy for the pleasures of a luxurious life. If a person succeeds in his or her cultivation, it will destroy his happiness. So, he wants to disturb people who are cultivating.
The Buddha told us: “When you encounter this kind of situation, do not be afraid. Ultimately, the demon is just a mass of negative energy. Your Buddha nature is shining and bright, you should maintain proper thoughts.” The Buddha then used this example: an unenlightened mind it is like a solid block of ice. You have to use boiling water to melt it. When the boiling water touches the ice, the water vapor will rise, and the ice will melt. You can also say that when one is cultivating, all the states that rise from the changes of the body and mind are like the water vapor rising from the ice. After the ice has melted, what is left is purity. Therefore, the Shuragama Sutra states, “They can succeed in their destructiveness through your mind, which is the host of the five skandhas.” It is not the demons from the heavens and the ghosts that have succeeded in disrupting your cultivation. Rather, they are your impure and improper thoughts. Without proper thoughts, when you encounter a state, you may become afraid, happy, or sad; all of these reactions are all wrong.
You must recognize the states and maintain your stillness. Do not be confused by them. If you, the host, are confused, then you have been turned by the state. Then, the outsider will be able to take advantage of you. For example, if you are at home, and a person from outside comes in to disturb you, if you are calm and still, this person won’t be able to do anything to you. One time, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas was holding a conference of world religions. There was a mob of people outside demonstrating and protesting. At that time, the Venerable Master was very calm. He even went outside to invite the protesters to come in and have something to drink, for it was a very hot day. In the end, many of the protesters went home to change into clean clothes, and came back to participate in the conference. This is an example of when the host (the cultivator) is unconfused, upholds proper thoughts, and is calm and still, the disturbing entity (the state) cannot disturb the host.
