VVAA - Textos Sagrados Sobre El Mal y Los Demonios

7/28/2019 VVAA - Textos Sagrados Sobre El Mal y Los Demonios

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DEMONIC POWERS

The scriptures of all religions testify to demonic beings andpowers. Some regard them as real and rival powers to God (Dualism);others consider them to be a manifestation of ignorance and ultimatelyunreal (Monism). They testify that at their head is a chief, known byvarious names: Satan, Beelzebul, Lucifer, Iblis, Mara, Angra Mainyu,among others. We have already met some of them in the various accountsof the human fall and the origin of evil. But the demonic powers arecontinually active, drawing people's hearts to do wickedness. Whilerationalists have difficulty accepting the reality of the Devil, merelylooking at the horrors of the twentieth century causes one to realizethat the capability of human beings to inflict evil on one anothertranscends the realm of reason. Scriptures teach that when a person hasthe desire to do a small evil, the devil has a claim and may influencehim to do something far worse. Conversely, many people on the religiouspath experience the temptations of the devil precisely at the point whenthey are about to make great progress in their path.

We begin with descriptions of the Evil One from the texts of manyreligions. Some emphasize the devil's power, some his enmity to God,and some his wrong teachings. Some identify him with death and disease,others with lusts and selfish desires. We then include two passages,one from Zoroastrianism and one from Native American religions, which

describe a dualism in which the Evil One creates all evil in the worldto counter God's good creation. However, for the monotheistic faithsthat emphasize the goodness of God's creation, the demons themselves areresultant beings who must have fallen from being good creations of God.Thus, the following group of passages in this section portray the fallof the angels. A fourth selection of passages treats the theme of thedevil's disguises as a being of light, and next come two passages on thedevil's positive role to test and prove the faith of human beings.Finally, we give texts on the devil's temptations and the manner inwhich people make themselves vulnerable to his influence.

The Evil Ruler spoils the Word,

the plan of life, by his teachings.He, indeed, deprives me

of the exalted goal of Good Thought.With the word of my spirit,

I pray to You, O Wise One, and to truth!

Zoroastrianism. Avesta, Yasna 32.9

O believers, follow not the steps of Satan; for whoever follows thesteps of Satan will assuredly be bid to indecency and dishonor. But forGod's bounty to you and His mercy not one of you would have been pureever; but God purifies whom He will; and God is All-hearing,

All-knowing.

Islam. Qur'an 24.21

Jesus said to them... "Why do you not understand what I say? It isbecause you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father thedevil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murdererfrom the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because thereis no truth in him. When he lies, it is according to his own nature,



for he is a liar and the father of lies. But, because I tell the truth,you do not believe me."

Christianity. Bible, John 8.43-45

For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against theprincipalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of thispresent darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in theheavenly places.

Christianity. Bible, Ephesians 6.12

The foremost of your armies is that of Desire, the second is calledDislike. The third is Hunger-Thirst and the fourth is Craving. Thefifth is the army of Lethargy-Laziness and the sixth is Fear. Theseventh is Doubt and the eighth is Obstinacy-Restlessness. Then thereare Material Gain, Praise, Honor, and Fame... These, O Mara, are yourforces, the attackers of the Evil One. One less than a hero will not bevictorious over them and attain happiness.

Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 436-39

- - - - - - - - - - - -Yasna 32.9: See Videvdad 19.1-7, pp. 622f.; cf. 2 Corinthians 4.4, p.400. Qur'an 24.21: Cf. Qur'an 4.116-17, p. 405; 4.118-20, p. 454. John8.43-45: Cf. Matthew 12.22-29, p. 379. Sutta Nipata 436-39: Cf.Buddhacarita 13, pp. 623f.- - - - - - - - - - - -

The Essence of Mind or Suchness is the real Buddha,While heretical views and the three poisonous elements [greed, anger

delusion] are Mara.Enlightened by right views, we call forth the Buddha within us.When our nature is dominated by the three poisonous elements

We are said to be possessed by the devil;But when right views eliminate from our mind these poisonous elementsThe devil will be transformed into a real Buddha.

Buddhism. Sutra of Hui Neng 10

You, trees, hear my words, and you, grass, hear my words, and you,Divinity, hear my words and you, earth, hear my words. Repeat, ee! ODivinity, because of sickness, you help out my tongue. For we havededicated the ox and invoked over it. And if a man has hated Akol [andhis sickness is the result of malice] then that man will find what hedeserves.... And you, ox, we have given you to the Power [the illness].

And you fetish-bundles, they say that you kill people. Leave off, youare shamed. You fetish, I have separated you, cease! And you Macarditthey say that you kill people, I have separated you, cease! Thus!

African Traditional Religions. Dinka Invocation at an OxSacrifice (Sudan)

Seated on his golden throne, blazing like flame, Ravana resembled agreat fire kindled on an altar kept alive by sacrificial offerings.



Unconquered by gods, gandharvas, rishis or other creatures, thatwarrior, who resembled death itself with wide-open jaws, bore on hisperson the wounds inflicted by the thunderbolts in the war between godsand titans... He, the scourge of the gods, who transgressed every morallaw, the ravisher of others' wives, the wielder of celestial weapons,the destroyer of sacrifices, who descended into the city of Bhogavatiand subdued the serpent Vasuki, from whom, on his defeat, he stole thegentle consort; he who scaled Mount Kailasha and overcame Kuveradepriving him of his aerial chariot Pushpaka, which transported himwherever he desired; he who in his anger destroyed the garden ofChaitaratha, the lotus pool and the Nandana Grove and all thepleasurable retreats of the gods... proud of his strength, he stole theSoma juice, sanctified by mantras, before its pressing by the twice-bornin the sacrifice; this perverse wretch, Ravana of evil deeds, slayer ofthe brahmins, ruthless, pitiless, delighting in causing harm to others,was verily a source of terror to all beings.

Hinduism. Ramayana, Aranya Kanda 32

- - - - - - - - - - - -Sutra of Hui Neng 10: Buddhism traditionally identifies Mara withcravings and delusions, the nature of our own (evil) mind, just asBuddha is within us, a the nature or our own true mind. Cf. Dhammapada

46, p. 328. Dinka Invocation: An ox is being sacrificed in order topropitiate the evil powers that are causing illness in a man named Akol.These evil powers include Macardit, the malign divinity who is for theDinka the final cause of suffering and death. A fetish is a bundle ofmedicine imbued with black magic. It is used to gain influence overanother person or cause him harm. But if the owner of a fetish neglectsit, its magic will come back upon his head. Ramayana, Aranya Kanda 32:Ravana is the chief of the demons, who terrorizes the worlds of gods andhumans. Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, appears on earth to defeat him.Cf. Ramayana, Bala Kanda 15, p. 625. Cf. Yasna 30.3-5, p. 388.- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The first of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,created, was Paradise, by the good river Araxes. Thereupon came AngraMainyu, who is all death, and he counter-created by his witchcraft theserpent in the river and winter, a work of the devils.

The second of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,created, was the plains in Samarkand. Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, whois all death, and he counter-created by his witchcraft the fly Skaitya,which brings death to the cattle.

The third of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,created, was the strong, holy Merv. Thereupon came Angra Mainyu, who isall death, and he counter-created by his witchcraft sinful lusts....

The eighth of the good lands and countries which I, Ahura Mazda,created, was Urva of the rich pastures. Thereupon came Angra Mainyu,who is all death, and he counter-created by his witchcraft the sin ofpride.

Zoroastrianism. Videvdad 1.3-11

Many winters in the past, the Earth was entirely covered by a great



blanket of water. There was no sun, moon, or stars and so there was nolight. All was darkness. At that time, the only living creatures ofthe earth were water animals such as the beaver, muskrat, duck, andloon. Far above the earth was the Land of Happy Spirits where livedRawennio, the Great Ruler. In the center of this upper world was agiant apple tree whose roots sank deep into the ground.

One day, Rawennio pulled this giant tree up by its roots. TheGreat Spirit called his daughter, who lived in the Upper World, andcommanded her to look into the pit caused by the uprooted tree. Thiswoman, who was to be the mother of the Good and Evil Spirits, came andlooked into the hole by the uprooted tree. She saw far below her theLower World covered with water and surrounded by heavy clouds. "You areto go to this world of darkness," said the Great Spirit. Gently liftingher, he dropped her into the hole. She floated downward....

[The water animals then dive beneath the water to find some dryland for her to land upon; they erect the land on the back of a giantturtle.]

After a time, the Sky Woman gave birth to twins. One, who becamethe Good Spirit, was born first. The other, the Evil Spirit, whilebeing born, caused her mother so much pain that she died during hisbirth.

The Good Spirit immediately took his mother's head and hung it inthe sky. It became the sun. From his mother's body he fashioned themoon and stars and placed them in the sky. The rest of his mother'sbody he buried under the earth. That is why living things findnourishment in the soil. They spring from Mother Earth.

The Evil Spirit put darkness in the western sky to drive the sunbefore it. The Good Spirit created many things which he placed upon theearth. The Evil Spirit tried to undo the work of his brother bycreating evil. The Good Spirit made tall and beautiful trees such asthe pine and hemlock. The Evil Spirit stunted some trees. In others heput knots and gnarls. He covered some with thorns, and placed poison

fruit on them. The Good Spirit made animals such as the dear and thebear. The Evil Spirit made poisonous animals, lizards and serpents todestroy the animals of the Good Spirit's creation. The Good Spirit madesprings and streams of good, pure water. The Evil Spirit breathedpoison into many of the springs. He put snakes into others. The GoodSpirit made beautiful rivers protected by high hills. The Evil Spiritpushed rocks and dirt into the rivers causing the current to becomeswift and dangerous. Everything that the Good Spirit made, his wickedbrother tried to destroy.

Finally, when the earth was completed, the Good Spirit fashionedman out of some red clay. He placed man upon the earth, and told himhow he should live. The Evil Spirit, not to be outdone, fashioned a

creature out of the white foam of the sea. What he made was the monkey.

After mankind and the other creatures of the world were created,the Good Spirit bestowed a protecting spirit upon each of his creations.He then called the Evil Spirit, and told him that he must cease makingtrouble upon the earth. This the Evil Spirit refused to do. The GoodSpirit became very angry with his wicked brother and challenged him tocombat, the victor to become ruler of the earth. They fought for manydays; finally the Evil Spirit was overcome. The Good Spirit now becameruler over the earth. He banished his wicked brother to a dark cave



under the earth. There he must always remain.

But the Evil Spirit has wicked servants who roam the earth.These wicked spirits can take the shape of any creature that the EvilSpirit desires them to take. They are constantly influencing the mindsof men, thus causing men to do evil things. The Good Spirit continuesto create and protect mankind. He controls the spirits of good menafter death. The Evil Spirit takes charge of the souls of wicked menafter death.

That is why every person has both a bad heart and a good heart.No matter how good a man seems, he has some evil. No matter how bad aman seems, there is some good about him. No man is perfect.

Native American Religions Mohawk tradition

How you are fallen from heaven,O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground,you who weakened the nations!

For you said in your heart,"I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation,in the sides of the north;I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will be like the Most High."Yet you shall be brought down to hell,

to the depths of the pit.

Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Isaiah 14.12-15

And when We said to the angels, "Bow yourselves to Adam," theybowed themselves, save Iblis; he said, "Shall I bow myself to one whom Youhave created of clay?" He said, "What do you think? This [creature] You

have honored above me, if You defer me until the Day of Resurrection Ishall assuredly master his seed, save a few."

Said He, "Depart! Those of them that follow you--surely hell shallbe your recompense, an ample recompense! And startle any of them whom youcan with your voice; and rally against them your horsemen and your foot[soldiers], and share with them in their wealth and their children, andpromise them!"

But Satan promises them naught, except delusion.

Islam. Qur'an 17.61-64

The Lord God spoke to Moses, saying, "That Satan... is the same who wasfrom the beginning, and he came before me, saying, 'Behold, here am I; send me,I will be Thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that not one soul shall belost. Surely I will do it; therefore give me my honor.'

"But my Beloved Son, who was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, saidto me, 'Father, Thy will be done, and the glory be Thine forever.'



"Therefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroythe agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that Ishould give to him my own power; by the power of my Only Begotten [Christ], Icaused that he should be cast down;

"And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, todeceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many aswould not hearken unto my voice."

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Pearl of GreatPrice, Moses 4.1-4

- - - - - - - - - - - -Isaiah 14.12-15: In the Christian tradition these verses are taken todescribe the primeval fall of Lucifer and the beginning of sin. Luciferwas the angel of the intellect who was puffed up with willful pride. Hisambition was to exceed God. But he was cast down from heaven and becameSatan, who would then work his malignant will on humankind. This story ofthe primeval rebellion of the angels is greatly elaborated in the Book ofEnoch. The word 'Lucifer,' which is Latin for 'light-bearer,' was firstused in the Vulgate; however most modern Bibles return to the Hebrew andtranslate 'Morning Star' or 'Day Star.' This passage by the prophet Isaiahis a taunt against the king of Babylon. He makes use of a Canaanite

variant of the myth of the rebellious angel, one which identified theangel with the atmospheric phenomenon of the morning star, which shinesbrightly in the sky until it is quenched by the brightness of the risingsun. Cf. Psalm 82, p. 377. Qur'an 17.61-64: Cf. Qur'an 2.30-33, p. 313;Qur'an 7.11-27, pp. 426f.; Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20, p. 380; BrihadaranyakaUpanishad 1.4.10, p. 405. Pearl of Great Price, Moses 4.1-4: Satan'srequest to God contained two errors: he wanted to claim all the glory andcredit for man's salvation when credit is due only to God, and he wouldsave humanity by compulsion--'not one soul shall be lost,' without regardfor man's free agency. Christ, the Beloved Son, correctly offers to Godthe credit for salvation. God then ordered Christ to cast Satan down tothe earth, where he continues to seek to enslave humankind.- - - - - - - - - - - -

The gods and the demons, both having the Creator as their origin, wererivals of each other. So the demons, swollen with pride, said, "In what,pray, should we place the oblation?" And they proceeded to place theoblation in their own mouths. The gods then proceeded to place theiroblations each in the mouth of one of his fellows. And the Creator gavehimself over to them. In this way they became owners of sacrifice, forsacrifice is really the food of the gods.

Hinduism. Satapatha Brahmana 5.1.1.1-2

Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Christianity. Bible, 2 Corinthians 11.14

Mara the Evil One will expound to the bodhisattva a counterfeit of thePath.

Buddhism. Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom 382



O men, God's promise is true; so let not the present life delude you, andlet not the Deluder delude you concerning God. Surely Satan is an enemyto you; so take him for an enemy. He calls his party only that they maybe among the inhabitants of the Fire.


When I first heard Buddha preaching the Greater Vehicle,In my heart I was greatly alarmed:

"Surely Mara is playing Buddha,Confusing my thoughts!"

The Buddha by resort to various means,Parables, and cunning phrases preaches,

But his thought is as calm as the sea;When I hear him, my net of doubt is severed...

The World-Honored One preaches the Real Path,While Mara has none of this.

By this token I know for a certaintyThat this is no Mara playing Buddha,

But that I, through having fallen into a net of doubt,Thought this was the work of Mara.

When I hear the Buddha's gentle voice,

Profound, far removed from the ordinary understanding, andextremely subtle,Setting forth the pure Dharma,

My heart is overjoyed,My doubts and second thoughts are cleared away forever.

Buddhism. Lotus Sutra 3

- - - - - - - - - - - -Satapatha Brahmana 5.1.1.1-2: There are two orders of spiritual beings:gods and demons; cf. Bhagavad Gita 16.6, p. 388; Vishnu Purana 3.17-18, p.448. The chief difference between demons and gods is that the demons are

self-centered while the gods are generous and share with others. 2Corinthians 11.14: Cf. 1 John 4.1, p. 380; Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20, p.380; Sun Myung Moon, 1-1-68, p. 830. Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom 382:Cf. Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines 17.2, p. 447. Qur'an35.5-6: Cf. Qur'an 22.52-53, p. 621.- - - - - - - - - - - -

The Maras who play the devil in the innumerable universes of the tendirections are all bodhisattvas dwelling in the inconceivable liberation,who are playing the devil in order to develop living beings through theirskill in liberative technique. Those miserable beggars who come to thebodhisattvas to ask for a hand, a foot, an ear, a nose... a kingdom, a

wife, a son, gold, silver, jewels... these demanding beggars are usuallybodhisattvas living in the inconceivable liberation who, through theirskill in liberative technique, wish to test and thus demonstrate thefirmness of the high resolve of the bodhisattvas. Why? Bodhisattvasmust demonstrate that firmness by means of terrible austerities.

Buddhism. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 6

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before



the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, "Whencehave you come?" Satan answered the Lord, "From going to and fro on theearth, and from walking up and down on it." And the Lord said to Satan,"Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on theearth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away fromevil?" Then Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for naught? Hastthou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on everyside? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions haveincreased in the land. But put forth Thy hand now, and touch all that hehas, and he will curse Thee to thy face." And the Lord said to Satan,"Behold, all that he has is in your power."

Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Job 1.6-12

- - - - - - - - - - - -Lotus Sutra 3: The 'Greater Vehicle' is the teaching of the Lotus Sutra,the doctrine of the One Vehicle. Shariputra's initial doubts were due tothe novelty of the Sutra's teaching, which set forth a single pathembracing and transcending the three vehicles of shravaka, pratyekabuddhaand bodhisattva. For a story where Mara in fact comes in disguise to givea false teaching, see Samyutta Nikaya v.2, pp. 383f. On discerning thespirit, cf. 1 John 4.1, p. 380. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 6: This

passage explains that the Maras and other temptations are not to be seenas fundamentally evil, but should rather be appreciated as offering trialsand lessons to humans on the path to enlightenment. They may even beliberated bodhisattvas disguised as Maras as an expedient device (upaya)for the purpose of guiding and educating living beings. According toUdana 21-24, pp. 1022f., even the Buddha once tempted his disciple Nandawith visions of heavenly damsels in order to spur him to enlightenment.For another instance of a bodhisattva's deception, see MahaparinirvanaSutra 424-33, pp. 753f. On the unreality of evil, cf. Nectarean Shower ofHoly Doctrines, p. 402; Science and Health, 480, p. 402.- - - - - - - - - - - -

Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like aroaring lion, seeking some one to devour.

Christianity. Bible, 1 Peter 5.8

One of the nights [when I "lamented"] the bad spirits came and startedtearing the offerings off the poles; and I heard their voices under theground, and one of them said, "Go and see if he is crying." And I heardrattles, but all the time they were outside the sacred place and could notget in, for I had resolved not to be afraid, and did not stop sending myvoice to Wakan-Tanka for aid.

Native American Religions. Black Elk (Sioux)

When a man grasps at things, Mara stands beside him.

Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 1103

The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenancefallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do



well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you mustmaster it."

Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Genesis 4.6-7

The Messenger of God said, "There is none among you with whom is not anattache from among the jinn (evil spirits)." The Companions said, "Withyou, too?" He said, "Yes, but God helps me against him and so I am safefrom his hand."

Islam. Hadith of Muslim

And Satan says, when the issue is decided, "God surely promised you a truepromise; I also promised you, then I failed you, for I had no authorityover you, but that I called you, and you answered me. So do not blame me,blame yourselves."

Islam. Qur'an 14.22

"We do not do all the evil that we do because of our own desire," said theRakshasa. "It is because of your evil karma, and your disfavor toward us.

Our faction increases because of the brahmins who behave like Rakshasasand the evil actions of the other three classes. Those who dishonorbrahmins become Rakshasas, and their ranks are swelled by the sexual sinsof evil women."

Hinduism. Vamana Purana Saromahatmyam 19.31-35

- - - - - - - - - - - -Job 1.6-12: In Job, as in the previous Buddhist passage, the devil is notfundamentally evil and opposed to God, but is rather the one whom Godallows to test Job's integrity. In proving Job, Satan is serving a divinepurpose. For more of this story, and Job's legendary patience, see Job

1.13-22, p. 747; 2.9-10, pp. 707f. God often tries people throughconfronting them with evils; cf. 2 Corinthians 12.7-10, p. 573, on Paul'sthorn; Genesis Rabbah 56, pp. 621f. on the temptation of Abraham; andQur'an 21.35, p. 571. 1 Peter 5.8: Cf. Sun Myung Moon, 1-1-68, p. 830.Genesis 4.6-7: Cf. Mahabharata, p. 391. Hadith of Muslim: Cf. Qur'an 114,p. 56. Qur'an 14.22: Cf. Qur'an 5.105, p. 678.- - - - - - - - - - - -

Whoever lives contemplating pleasant things, with senses unrestrained, infood immoderate, indolent, inactive, him verily Mara overthrows, as thewind blows down a weak tree.

Whoever lives contemplating the impurities of the body, with sensesrestrained, in food moderate, full of faith, full of sustained energy, himMara overthrows not, as the wind cannot shake a rocky mountain.

Buddhism. Dhammapada 7-8

Shall I inform you on whom it is that the devils descend? They descend onevery lying, wicked person, into whose ears they pour hearsay vanities,and most of them are liars. And the Poets--it is those straying in Evil,



who follow them: do you not see them wandering distracted in every valley?They preach what they never practice.


Endowed with two dharmas does the Bodhisattva become one hard to assail bythe evil Maras: he surveys all phenomena from emptiness, and does notabandon any being. Endowed with two other dharmas does the Bodhisattvabecome one hard to assail by the evil Maras: as he speaks so he acts, andhe is brought to mind by the Buddhas, the Lords.

Buddhism. Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom 431

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