Satan and Man's Potential for Evil

"Satan is cool" — George Carlin

I wonder if George ever heard of the UK band, Satan. :p

No matter.

Since I'm Buddhist, I am open to the LaVey form of satanism, which is a symbolic interpretation.

Anything else which involves unnecessary violence and deluded people totally missing the point is diabolism.

Satan is cool but being a supernatural entity, he can only make suggestions about exploring the dark side of morality, and man's potential for evil.

Oh, and I don't worship satan. As a Buddhist, I view him as the monotheistic version of Mara, who represents human temptation.

As well, the Bahá'í view of satan is closest to my view:

"This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan — the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside." - Abdu'l-Bahá

In Buddhism, the demon Mara was conquered by the Buddha. Yet Buddhists view demons differently from the way they are in the West. Being nuisances, their purpose is to distract the Buddhist from practising the Dharma, the Buddha's teachings.

Likewise, I view satan as a pest rather than the actual embodiment of evil.

For evil is an impediment to Enlightenment when it leads to disrespect of the Buddha, his teachings, and fellow Buddhists.

Indeed, we all make choices, and the fruit of those choices ripen in our life. That fruit is called "karma". Choices which harm us are deemed "bad", "evil", or "negative", while choices which do not harm us are deemed "good" or "positive"; but choices which have no consequence are deemed "neutral".

To me, "Satan is cool" means "the potential for evil in human beings is fascinating". Yet such fascination would not lead me to worship satan.

Instead, my open-mindedness regarding Satan as the symbol of rebellion is tempered by my adherence to Buddhist ethics.

For I hold no belief of evil as a supernatural entity because it violates the Buddhist principle of non-self (anattā), the illusion of "self".

Belief in satan is to worship him. In not believing in satan, I show respect in Buddha's teaching that all things, including "self", are temporary.

Given that satan was invented by men as symbolic of the potential for evil in people, he has no existence in this world, for such inventions are temporary.

Still, the potential for evil in people is fascinating.

Destiny (poem)

He who looks at someone's misfortune,
and laughs with glee
is himself devoid of compassion.

She who looks at someone's good fortune,
with great envy
is herself unfortunate.

On hearing of misfortune,
cry with the unfortunate ones.
In this way do the wise develop compassion.

On learning of someone's fortune,
be happy for them.
That is all the wise wish for others.

For fortune and misfortune are
two sides of the coin called "destiny",
and those of us who choose
to see clearly will follow theirs.

Short Meditation on Illness

For the Buddhist who seeks the validity of the Buddhadharma, illness becomes another welcome challenge for its symptoms to teach one of the limits of the human body.

Though fever and chills may ravage the body, she who mindfully practices knows that the well-trained mind is abley withstand the pain of suffering which illness brings.

Yet the wise ones know too that when there is medicine for a sickness, it is wise to take it.

Despite the fever, the chills and even the aches that illness brings him, the illness itself has much to teach the mindful one about the transient nature of life.

No pain, no fever, no chills - none of these are distractions to the Buddhist who learns from her experience to accept the help of trusted friends to relieve her of the misery that illness sometimes brings by seeking medical advice.

Grateful is this one to the Buddha and his Dharma, for illness validates his teaching of dependent arising.

Indeed, it has a past cause in a previous illness, and a present cause in a sudden change in immunity; but through the use of medicine to treat this illness, it has an end.

Thus does physical illness teach this one about the spiritual illness of the six senses, and its cure, the Eightfold Noble Path.

All Living Beings Are Buddha (Poem)

All living beings are buddha,
for everyone we encounter in this life -
from father and mother, brother and sister,
friends, teachers, and loved ones -
teach us the sacredness of life, and thus
verify the truth of the Buddhadharma.

Many Buddhas Point the Way

Over 2500 years ago, on his deathbed, Gautama Buddha said, to his followers: "Work out your own salvation with diligence."

Afterwards, ancient followers of the Buddhadharma path worked out their salvation, each in their own way.

Influenced by Hindu scholars, the early Buddhist community graciously begged to differ many times, and evolved into three paths of today: the monastic path of Theravada; the bodhisattva path of Mahayana, salvation through one's own power and the other power of Buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities; and, Vajrayana, salvation through Mahayana Buddhist tantric ritual.

Salvation for a Buddhist means spiritual awakening, be it gradual or sudden. Since the Theravada path is not for everyone, the Mahayana path has as many Buddhas as there are schools of Buddhism. Though the Mahayana way has many Buddhas, bodhisattvas and dieties, all of them are symbolic of the Buddhadharma.

For, just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, so too do Buddhas point the way.

Reference:

Death of a Buddha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parinirvana
Vajrayana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana_Buddhism
Mahayana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana
Hinayana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinayana
Theravada: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theravada