Who is Mara in Buddhism?
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- Who is Māra in Buddhism? We'll give an answer to that question by looking at how Māra is both similar to and different from the Christian idea of the devil. We'll also look at a famous simile about Māra from the earliest stratum of Buddhism, using that to illuminate his character and what we can do about the effects that he represents.
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Suttas mentioned:
The Farmer: suttacentral.net/sn4.19/en/bodhi
Māra's Snare (1st): suttacentral.net/sn35.114/en/...
Māra's Snare (2nd): suttacentral.net/sn35.115/en/...
Kappa's Question: www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN... (Thanissaro translates as "lake" what Bodhi translates as "stream". The poem contains metaphors both of a lake -- Pāli: sara -- and of a flood of water -- Pāli: ogha. Probably the most accurate translation would involve a lake in flood, but the metaphor of the stream of saṃsāra is also very prevalent in Buddhism).
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#dougsdharma #dougsseculardharma #buddhism #secularbuddhism
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Please visit the Secular Buddhist Association webpage!
secularbuddhism.org/
This was so clear and understandable. Really love the way you put this into a tangible way to be with and deal with life. Thank you
You're very welcome laughdancesing1! Yes, that's what I'm trying to do. 🙏🙂
Thanks for this overview Doug, succinct as ever, particularly enjoyed the idea that when we get frustrated in doing good there is Mara too. I would as I sure you would too recommend, Living with the Devil, Stephen Bachelor's excellent examination of the topic.
Mara is a great personification of the unskilful lower evolutionary aspects of our own minds which try to maintain our fixed sense of self in the face of the impermanence of life, i.e. death.
I find saying to myself "I see you Mara" very helpful, whilst mindful that this is not an external entity, it is my own mind, the lower orders speaking to me, either craving or hating the world for what it is.
Thank again, Be well be safe. Aye, the best, James
That's right James. I haven't yet read Stephen Batchelor's book on Living with the Devil, though it's one I've wanted to get to eventually.
Thank you so much, just what I needed today. This metaphor was very helpful.
Glad to hear it Earon, you’re very welcome!
Thanks for being so thorough in explaining this subject.. I appreciate it
You’re very welcome Mara! 🙏
Regardless of the metaphor and what body of thought it comes from it is the lesson we take from it without characterizing it any further.
Thanks Joe, yes the lesson we take from it is the most important thing.
This really helped me with a deeper understanding of this (: thank you 🙏 your videos help
You're very welcome Lauren! Glad to be of help! 🙂
well done as usual Sir
Excellent Expressions!
your channel is fantastic! Thank you!
Glad you enjoy it!
Thank you for this. I appreciate your approach.
My pleasure! 🙏
Good video. Best way to promote Buddhism is to make it easy to understand. This channel has done just that. Great job
Thanks Kenny, that’s what I’m trying to do!
Very well explained!
Thanks Hiruy!
Precise & clear. Thank you
Glad it was helpful Asiri! 🙏
Great explanation!
Glad it was helpful!
Mara is inside everyone and has a huge army..it always attacks each one of us everyday with his huge army with many thoughts and when you try to control mara it will be push in past or future and will not allow you to be in present when you do Vipassana.
That's one way to think of it, yes!
Mara has 3 daughters. As for the huge army, it's not confirmed.
Moreover, if you identify his army as thoughts then we can't say it attacks us. Thoughts are not the source of hindering us from being in the present just as well as computers can't hinder us from being free.
Thoughts are neutral mental conditioned events. As we keep blaming thoughts for our issues, we'd never manage to solve them.
@ I’m pretty sure they are talking about the poison one and not just any normal thought, Mara has used both his lusty daughters and The demon army to attempt to tempt Buddha in the myth.
Very informative video about Mara thank you
You’re welcome David, thanks for the comment.
I got an exam on Buddhism in like two weeks so I’m watching your videos, really informative.
Cool, best of luck with the exam!
@@DougsDharma thank you
It is really well explained sir 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks so much Abhishek! 🙏
Well done explanation 👏
Glad it was helpful Lynne!
I find it interesting that even after the Buddha's awakening, Mara continued to visit him for the rest of his life. Would you care to comment about it? Do you think it has any significance?
Buddha was a pretty hot guy, even Mara couldn't stand his magic ;)
It's a good question Aron. I think it is a testament to his real humanity that he discussed being visited by Māra, even if he seems not to have been tempted.
@@AlexEttelis LOL
Mara seems like some alter-ego who wanted to keep his power over Buddha in mortal realm. Mara also rules in divine realms above human upto 11th plane..
@@SusmitaBarua_mita That is one way to look at it. As Doug explains it, Mara is simply the personification of temptation, the thing that would cause craving and clinging and suffering if it could. In a manner of speaking, Mara tempts anybody it can. If one has developed enough concentration over time and practices insight meditation, one can watch thoughts arise and pass away non-judgmentally. Then one can "see" thoughts arise that could lead to unskillful action because of greed, hatred, or delusion. That's Mara at work, I see it in my own life. Now, I have the choice to go with it or not. That's what I call liberation even if it's only for a short period of time. As time goes on, full liberation comes into view. That's what I aspire to accomplish. You might be interested in a book by Stephen Batchelor entitled Living with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil.
Very well explained
Thanks very much KB! 🙏
Beautifully explained. Thank you.
You're most welcome!
Have you ever been beat up? May I teach you?
@@DomoZorroOorroZomoD You enjoy fighting with girls? Men too much to handle?
Given that parts of us that crave different things can be understood as sub-personalities and they all operate under similar patterns, personifying them as controlled by a harmful entity sounds highly practical to me. Perhaps instead of Mara some secular practitioners may prefer to imagine a salesperson who lies about the effectiveness of their products because they themselves have been fed misinformation.
Yes, that's one way to think of it Rufus. I think we have to find whatever tropes and metaphors work best for us.
Personification can be a great tool for overcoming difficulty. By seeing the temptation as an entity trying to control us, we can be much more motivated to overcome than if we just think "I am tempted".
"When a salesperson is fed with incorrect information, you can't conclude that he/she is lying..."
Mara has successfully tempted you to misjudge the event.
I love buddhism
From india ,once buddhism was flourishing on this land
Yes, thanks Monty!
excellent explanation
Thanks for the comment, Vishnu!
This is a brilliant channel
Thanks BlueBoo! 🙏
I believe in Buddha because I went to a temple before in Malaysia and I saw buddha's real relics. Like if you believe me.hope you believe in the Buddha.
Thanks Shamaine. I'm not sure what it is to believe in the Buddha. The Buddha suggested what was most important was to follow his teachings, the dharma. 🙏
You are Buddha.
Thank you very much for a clear and concise explanation.. a quick question " When I know Mara is tempter and not to be trusted why can't I detach from it, the intelligence is there but what if Mara is taking away the will ? " , any tips on this, stay well !
It's hard to detach from Māra because he is very enticing! All that he presents to us looks very good, and does provide great pleasure. Unfortunately it's all temporary.
When I was travelling thailand, I saw lots of mara shrines. Why would they adore her given what you expalin in this video? Many thanks!
That's a great question, I'm not really sure. Would be interesting to know more!
Very interesting video about concept of Mara.Thanks
You're very welcome naga rajan, thanks for watching. 🙏
I can understand both approaches to conceptualizing Mara. Personification of Mara as some sort of entity with Ill intention can cause urgency in the practitioner. A paradoxical urgency, since urgency for, or craving to attain nirvana it is still a form of craving. But it is nonetheless useful I believe. How can one start down their path, if they don't even want to in the first place? On the other hand, personification of Mara is somewhat dangerous. Mara is a force of life, a part of an all in material sense, in a terrenal, or non-enlightened world. A force of vitality, a will to live. That is why it is dangerous to reduce such primal urges in a person to live, to some evil malicious entity. Non to mention, personification of Mara, can ground the concept of it being a reality. When it is an illusion to consciousness. To enlightnened consciousness that. The one that is never asleep or absent. And constantly in harmony with the flow of the world. So, in the end. I believe non-personification is closer to the truth. Else you run the risk or falling in a guilt ridden duality of good and evil, much like Christianity which you mentioned here. Great video!
Thanks, Shogan!
This was definitely useful! Very legit.
I know names may not mean anything per sé.......but I can't help but think that my life up until recently was really effected by Mara. The first part of my last name means "son of" apparently. Son of Mara??? God help me. No wonder everything has been disastrous up until now. I wasn't seeing the world equanimously so I was the perfect prey I guess.
Sometimes I even look back and say WHY did I do that?! I was addicted to everything you can imagine until recently. A few years ago, I had to stop smoking, drinking, smoking joints, laziness, poor diet, I was involved in drama, party life, and all kinds of stuff. And it took EVERYTHING in my ability to turn this stuff around. but I am happy to report that I am free from clinging addictions for the first time in my life. smoke-free, drug-free, no booze, I eat plant-based now, no TV or media. I take my time with my day so that I don't over-react. I do my best to be kind now. And I even had problems with THAT before. I always felt like I was going to explode on someone. And many times I had. Anyone else relate to that?
So, this is HUGE for me. Really eye-opening. All I know, is that Michael doesn't live here anymore. So take that Mara!
😄 That's a great story of personal development Michael, keep it up! Even the Buddha talks about having conversations with Māra every once in awhile, which I take to mean that temptations are always around even if we are wise enough not to indulge them. For the rest of us of lesser wisdom ... well ... it's going to be a struggle sometimes.
@@DougsDharma good point. I shall keep that in mind. because you are totally right, the temptations will always be in the world as long as we are. stay vigilant.
Request: can you do a video that covers "Love". As in, relationships...and how we eventually will part with those individuals. It's hard to say what I fully mean but how do we still love the beings in our lives without it being a clinging attachment? How do we deal with grief from the Buddha's perspective? Do you see where I am going with this? What if I cry when my cat dies? Does this mean I am weak, and clinging? Tough questions...and not easy answers for sure but something tells me you could do a nice talk on this - if you haven't already. In which case you can suggest that video. Thanks!
@@Izzazzo Great questions. I did an earlier video that touches on some of that, take a look and see if it helps: ua-cam.com/video/lAVfyW3S_dY/v-deo.html
This touched on a number of my curiosities. Thank you. You know it's interesting, I left my family at 13. There was too much turmoil in the environment. And even though I loved my parents and siblings, it just wasn't the kind of love that kept me prisoner.
So I ended up growing up in "group homes" and even a couple of foster homes. developing no real attachment to the people or circumstances. In fact, sometimes I only stay in one place for a month or a year, and then moved on.
I always felt like in some weird way that my life experiences were preparing me for something. Still to this day, I do not bother with family much at all. I reached out to an aunt recently because I knew she was gong through a hard time. And I am sending her a care package. It's like charity. I would do that same thing for anyone. Not just because I "love" her.
I guess I just feel vulnerable right now. I spent the last 3 years in recovery from a series of near-fatal injuries from a bad fall. I didn't walk for 2 full years, and my partner (male) helped me a lot through this period. And I feel that my cat was a great comfort during this time as well.
With respect to my partner, it's not that kind of "love". we are not overly expressive. We don't even say "I love you" anymore. For the first couple years I think we did but that's because everyone on TV is gushing like that. So you think that is what you are supposed to do. But in all honesty, this feels more like a friendship, and a business partnership than anything. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't worry that if something happened to him, what would become of me? This last few years was harrowing enough. That sort of thing might just be too overwhelming. So, I don't take anything for granted. And now do my best to keep these things you talked about in mind while I go through the 8-fold path.
I do daily devotionals now and focus on skillful living. And other things that he has zero interest in. In fact, we do not have much of anything in common anymore. And I can only gather in time this will be more so. Obviously, I'm not sure what the future will bring. But everything changes. And I just want to be prepared as I can be. Right now, more than anything, I feel like I need TIME. Advice?
thanks
You’re welcome Rajesh. 🙏
I am unaware of any instance where Mara tempts one to do good or follow Dhamma. In accord with the video, desire is not all bad. Skillful or right desire are part of Right Effort according to DN 22. There is also a sutta that talks about the desire for enlightenment as motivation is no longer needed once enlightened. Like how Dhamma is a discarded raft once the shore is reached.
Yes, agreed, I’ve mentioned these topics in several videos. Not all desire is bad, and there is room for a healthy desire to attain enlightenment. Nevertheless doing worldly good for worldly ends (money, fame, power, praise, etc.) is the purview of Māra even though on the Buddha’s understanding it’s morally OK to do.
Hi Im Mara, knowing all this I took on this name to show this spirit what its like to be on the path of realization
Oh, interesting!
hi douglas.can you give me mara demons mantra
My name is Mara😬
No worries, it's a pretty common name! 😀
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Your temping me! 🤣
I hail you
🚩
Do about three realm of existence.
Thanks, I'll put it on the list! 🙏
The craving for good things is not bad.but desires,craving bind you to the samsara to extend it causing to more reberths and finaly to the more deaths making sadness. so that it inderectly becoms the one of mara.the extrime undertanding of it must control it to be free from it and it is the wisdom,the enlightenment. The life is the great gift ever we got in the world, but we cannot protect it from the termination(mara).
Thanks for your thoughts Sn Thilakarathna. 🙏
Ryan Reynolds’ uncle 😆😆😆
My name is Tamara!
Good for you! Similar name! 😄
What do you think about kali purusha is he similar to mara in anyway?
I don't know enough about Kali to be sure, but I think of him as more a specifically demonic character, that is one who causes immediate harm. Māra doesn't necessarily do that: he may bring about pleasures that keep us attached to saṃsāra.
Great Video Doug Thanks so much, Mara always appears most strongly to me as Sexual Craving/Lust/Desire for other women especially their physical form which is quite a hinderance to contentment in my current long lasting loving relationship. Is this a wholesome craving as it seems biological to Menl? what would be best suggested method to overcome this? I can with some confidence say that I can almost abandon/let go of all other cravings but the sex craving for women seems hard wired into my Karma! I don't suppose marriage would dissolve this? the Mind constantly returns to women of the past that should be pursued and engaged with! Thanks!
33 year old male loaded with seed! 😂
Well for sure that kind of thing is normal. There are ways of dealing with such desire in the early texts, though they are really aimed more at monastics than at laypeople, basically oriented around meditation on the foulness or ugliness of the body. Otherwise it may simply be good to remind yourself of the downsides involved in "sexual misconduct"!
Has the buddha commented about the three jewels,if so why did he say,
you are your own refuge,or your own iland.
Tku much
I have a video on the Buddha's "Two Refuges" here: ua-cam.com/video/HbXG-xMBTTY/v-deo.html . Nevertheless the Three Jewels or Three Refuges were also an important part of early Buddhism. Whether they go back to the historical Buddha, or whether they are a part of practice after the Buddha passed away, is a question of some contention.
Am I getting this correct? So if we desire something, we draw ourselves to our desire and we will suffer for it even if the desire is good or bad. So in Buddhism, they explain this cause and effect that if we desire something, Mara will see us and tempt us leading us to suffer for the consequences. Where in reality, we humans are the ones going and draw ourselves into our desires, no deity to tempt us.
I've always wonder if this is the case, why he is getting the title as demon? Is he just a personification or a really existing supernatural being like a deity or actual character?
Well some desires are healthy, such as the desire for wisdom or enlightenment. But many desires are not, and those are the ones more associated with Māra. As to whether Māra is real or not, what do you think?
What do think about Satan and Mara?? Are they same or not?
I discussed this in the video, I think.
I think you would enjoy hearing my story of first attaining nirodha samapatti. It is described in a video on my channel which has “back-to-back cessation” in the title. I came to a point of maximum bliss in the moment before the attainment then said a prayer to Mara, or rather the Christian equivalent of Lucifer, that I would give myself to him as a student if I could be brought to full enlightenment. It’s interesting how a dissatisfaction with incredible levels of bliss and a higher desire for full enlightenment played into this event. I became one with the desire to awaken beyond anything else to the detriment of any “self” or “soul” which could be referenced. It was actually through a maximization of desire that I reached a state where all desire became eradicated.
Thanks for this Brandon. I wouldn't feel comfortable trusting in an internal view of such an exalted state (even if such a state is possible) without a lot of expert study and practice with known meditation masters.
Mara is, in a sense, like the agent in the Matrix franchise. I feel that way. Neo is in a way more like a person on the way to be a Worthy One.
😄Yes that's one way to see it!
@@DougsDharma Sir, please can you do a video on the magical powers of kasina practice? Heard ancient mendicants who had supernatural powers used this technique to gain those powers.
Haha....you think so...
Mara is your ego, the one that says no is Mara.
It can be thought of that way, sure Brien.
Teal Swan explains it too, yes!
Sir,what is eveil spirit in buddhism?in chirstain tradition priests have the power to cast out eveil spirit from some one whom they belive have one . Eveil spirit is the most cnfusion issue for me.could you pls elaborate this issue.
Thks again.
We are all plagued by the three fires of greed, hatred, and delusion. These are all that "evil spirits" amount to. We cannot get rid of these fires by magic or the intercession of someone else. We have to get rid of them ourselves by careful practice. That is what the Eightfold Path is meant to do. 🙂
Evil spirits are devilish or bad Jinns /demons ( amunussa). These Jinns can take control of a humans body. Persons with strong faith can get rid of them.... It does not have to be a priest. Also some use another Good Jinn to control the bad Jinn. Read "The Jinn" by Bilal Philips
No evil or good spirit that can controlled human seem you misunderstand obviously some traditional cultures influenced Buddhism yes as Doug's said just get rid of greed,hatred & delusion
Mara means 'that which dies'!. Its a combination of thought, feeling, sensation and desire. Its a false 'I'. Due to ignorance we think it's 'me or mine', in fact feelings, sensations thoughts are not ours. When one discard these as not mine, one lands onto reality.
Mara is like mirror image of thyself and due to ignorance you identify yourself with him. This is real bondage!
no megaten comments. I’m disappointed
Sorry, I'm clueless.
*SUCH IS A SAMURAI'S SKILL!*
TheCommentSuperhero BEHOLD MY DEMONS
Budddha meets mara several times even after the enlightment. So this stands as evidence for the fact that the mara is something more than a temptation, doesn't it?
I'm not sure about that one, Crow.
@@DougsDharma If you search theravadha you'll find it. Just a suggestion.
Stephen Batchelor's great book, "Living With The Devil" speaks just to that dilemma ... Western minds built upon the archetypes (and the thicker Ego) of Christianity ... attempting to carry that bridge across to Eastern the mysticism of Buddhist "Mara" are in fact caught in delusion when they try to escape the universal unity of Mara being the same devil as the one who tried to tempt Christ.
"Mara, in Buddhism, is the demonic celestial king who tempted Prince Siddhartha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara is associated with death, rebirth and desire. Nyanaponika Thera has described Mara as "the personification of the forces antagonistic to enlightenment."
In Hinduism, MAYA serves a similar function of purification:
"Maya is the Goddess of Illusion: Maya Maya, the Hindu goddess as a fundamental force of nature that sometimes embodies itself as the enchantress, Maya knows the only thing that counts is appearance. She continually bathes all beings with moha, delusion, and she alone can remove it." (... I'm not so sure about that... because isn't that an illusion too? As with Mara in Buddhism, being in a state of Equanimity prevents Mara from seeing you.. so why not Equanimity as a shield against Maya?... at least a purified Equanimity.. not a "PURE" one as in the false Puritan Christian idea of "purity" ... because how can a human being live in such a state? We haven't so far.)
Thanks Fred, it would be interesting to investigate the relation between Māra and Maya. I'm going to release another video on Māra presently ... 🙂
Could Mara be the shadow in Carl jungian psychology?
I'm not really sure Ryan, I don't know enough about Jungian psychology.
Probably. either that, he's a persona
Yea, I’d like Doug to do a video on The Whole “ not thinking “ that seems to be a major thing in zen and I see in Eckert tolle books, it helped me at one point in my life but it actually ended up causing strange cognitive problems. A lot of this stuff is dangerous if misunderstood.
I'll put it on the list ... 😀
Yessss !!! Mara IS the shadowwwww!!!!
My name! go figure
😄 Don't worry, it's not about you!
Does mara has physical identity or it is a state of mind.
I am a chiristian by birth in my relgion,devil is a kind of ugly looking person who was thrown down to earth to tempt the belivers
is it the same guy who tempted the enlighted one.
Tku
Quick response!
Tku
🙏
There are two types of Mara.
One is deity.
One is delusion made by defilement.
Buddha said Living being Mara supported how much loving-kindness is important between two beings.
Living being Mara was immature.
Living being Mara was niece of Buddha’s very powerful awakening arahatship monk.
Former Buddha saw the wisdom of living being Mara who can become Buddhahood for poor beings. Living-being Mara thought that humen beings are pity and got hells because of him. He has responsibility he thought. So, he didn’t take Nibbana in the Buddha time although he can attain Nibbana with his wisdom. He will save all sentient beings, preaching like the former Buddhas. The former Buddha gave loving-kindness to living-being Mara.
Next Mara is defilement, kilasa Mara came from mental factors (conceive; conceive upon getting life, conceive upon getting body, conceive upon not yet died)
Invisible Mara are four; Kilasa or defilement, conceive upon getting body, conceive upon getting life, conceive upon not yet died
If you're being tempted to something you are necessarily, by definition, tempted away from something.
Good doesn't exist without Bad. That's why God's don't exist if there is no evil. This is simple form of creation. This is what I know about Mara. Mara is everywhere.
While I don't believe in Buddhism, I have a question about Mara. It is said that he lives in the sixth heaven(Paranirmita) which is ruled by Vasavartin/Vasavatti. I've read that Mara and him are two NOT the same being but rather separate beings. But sometimes the two are conflated. Is this true?
I haven't heard that Andrew, but it could be that it is part of some tradition or other. My belief is secular; I take these as mythic fictions.
Sinhala is the best language to learn Buddhism
OK!
Is mara a real being or a symbol of evil?
What do you think?
Did the Buddha teach that there was a literal Mara?
That’s a hard question to answer Joel, but basically yes. He didn’t teach that Mara was only part of our psychology. I have an earlier video on Buddhism and atheism that goes into some of these issues relevant to Mara: ua-cam.com/video/QOQiZbAPtW4/v-deo.html
I came here from Record of Ragnarok
Oh OK I don't know that one Salim.
@@DougsDharma its a very interesting manga (japan cartoon books) there's this chapter when Buddha against bishamonten. while Bishamonten lost, suddenly Mara/Hajun/Devil King took over his body to fights Buddha.
My name is MARA lol
😄I wasn't talking about you though! No worries! 😄
@@DougsDharma 🤣🤣🤣 its ok I embrace the name and came to you to learn about the meaning 😉
Mara is Bliss.
How so Karl?
Karl Schmidt lol no it’s not . That’s moksha , moksha is unworldly understanding, a state of bliss.
Karl Schmidt lol no it’s not . That’s moksha , moksha is unworldly understanding, a state of bliss.
According to Buddhism, there is no god. So, how can it be then, there is a devil please?
In traditional Buddhist belief there are gods of all kinds (Māra is not a "devil"), though they are mortal and neither morally perfect nor all knowing nor all powerful.
@@DougsDharma I am from Sri Lanka, and buddhist don't believe in a god, but they believe in demons. Is it right to conclude then that buddhism is tripitakaya plus traditions and anybody can believe whatever they want please?
@@JesusIsLord- technically Satan itself is not the embodiment of evil in the bible it's just in the pop culture Satan isn't that much of a bad guy he only killed 12 to 14 people meanwhile there is a archangel of death who has killed thousands Satan judges people he still does the job of god mara is basically the embodiment of evil he is said to be everywhere and has borderline omnipotence and nearly all knowing
There is no creator god but there are devas
@@Nova67827 Have you met any of them? Have you seen them, or hear from them? How can you say this without evidence just because somebody say so?
Instead, you can meet God today. Why don't you? Jesus is alive!
The Bible put it as the HEART and Buddha put it as CRAVE. No, the devil cannot condemn, it is not Christian teaching.
In Buddhism the Mara is the force that makes a person to do things that are against the Buddhist teachings and avoids a person to attain enlightenment... In the abrahamic faiths the satan is the force that makes you do things that are against the faiths teachings and avoids you to enter heaven... For me it is the same.... It is how you look at it.
Yes that's another way to look at it Roshan, thanks. They are similar in going against the main teachings. 🙂
Why is it you make comparison to Christianity, are you unable to make a point without the Bible
Many people in my audience will be more familiar with Christianity than Buddhism. That said, I very rarely mention the Bible in my videos.
Incorrectl killing can be fun. You are in an ego controlled view
In my opinion it's a sad way to live. A wasted life but that's my subjective feelings towards all those teachings and literally denial of life almost at all costs, the ultimate form of escapism. A lot of it is pretending and fighting with desires and many other things and programming oneself into somebody dead while being alive so might as well just commit suicide or die. It's hard for me to see anything selfless in it. I'm past the stage of believing in fairy tales or any other mumbo jumbo values or weird practices of self denial. I tried. I lived those lifestyles a little bit and I don't find myself happy and wish I never even gave a thought for any teachings. To me monks and monastics and all those dogmatic practitioners are bottom of the barrel in society, people who lost drive to live because of not fitting in or having any ideas for themselves. They resign life. It's good that many people respect them otherwise I have no idea how they would live or even want to live. I'm sorry if I come off malicious or rude but I myself am disappointed in many things and not even those teachings offer anything that can heal this.
Eastern religions like to PRETEND demon or evil spirits or entities are not real.
Only in the Bible does it take them HEAD ON. Demons SPIRITS want to hurt, demean, destroy you and eat your light, the
DEVINE spark that God gave you when he, yes "HE" created you.
I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. - 82nd Psalm
Your presentation is not adequate. You are promoting ignorance. At present time, this is not optimum.
Is an obstacle an architect in a matrix