205 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
205 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
The Lord Of Spirits
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World Scripture
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THE LORD OF SPIRITS
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The natural world also includes the spiritual realm. Often enough, benevolent
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spiritual beings, angels, and devas are the objects of worship and
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supplication; see Spiritual Benefactors, pp. 366-75. Yet with deeper religious
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insight, it has been revealed that the human being is, in reality, lord of
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spirits. Human beings who have received salvation, who are enlightened, or who
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have achieved the highest goal of life, easily outshine the angels in glory and
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surpass them in wisdom. Saints and sages, and even ordinary believers who have
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strong faith, can command the heavenly hosts to assist them in a righteous
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cause. They can also rebuke and cast out evil spirits in the name of God.
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Furthermore, according to the doctrine of reincarnation, even unreconstructed
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human beings have more opportunity for spiritual advancement than do angels.
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Only when incarnated as human beings may souls have an opportunity progress to
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the point of their final liberation.
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Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining
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to this life!
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1. Christianity. Bible, 1 Corinthians 6.3
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When a man walks on the highway, a company of angels goes before him,
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proclaiming, "Make way for the Image of the Holy One!"
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2. Judaism. Midrash, Psalm 17.8
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For a person in concord with Unity, everything prospers; to one who has no
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personal interest, even the spirits are in obeisance.
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3. Taoism. Chuang Tzu 12
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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1 Corinthians 6.3: This refers not to humans generally, but only to saved
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Christians. Cf. Hebrews 1.14, p. 368; Qur'an 14.22, p. 443. Chuang Tzu 12: Cf.
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Chuang Tzu 13, p. 311.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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The wise ones who are intent on meditation, who delight in the peace of
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renunciation, such mindful, perfect Buddhas even the gods hold most dear.
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4. Buddhism. Dhammapada 181
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Behold, your Lord said to the angels, "I will create a vicegerent on earth."
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They said, "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed
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blood?--while we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy name?" He said,
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"I know what you know not."
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And He taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the
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angels, and said, "Tell Me the nature of these, if you are right."
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They said, "Glory to Thee! of knowledge we have none, save what Thou hast
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taught us: in truth it is Thou who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."
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He said, "O Adam, tell them their natures." When he had told them, God said,
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"Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven and earth, and I know
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what you reveal, and what you conceal."
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5. Islam. Qur'an 2.30-33
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God created all things with forms, but the invisible God does not have any
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form.... However, without form, God could not have dominion over the world of
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form. Therefore, in the created world of material things, God created man, who
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[was to be given divine] personality and spirit, to be the master. God must
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have dominion not only over all earthly things, but also over the infinite
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spiritual world. Archangels and all other spiritual beings are invisible
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substantial beings [having form]. A certain central form is also necessary in
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order to have dominion over the invisible substantial world. Then where was
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that form available? It was only through Adam that God could have such a form.
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Accordingly, through Adam's form, God planned to have dominion over both the
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spiritual world and the physical world, with Adam as the center. That was the
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purpose of creation. God had to have a substantial relationship with the
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substantial being, Adam, in order to have dominion over all things.
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6. Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 10-13-70
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When Moses ascended on high, the ministering angels spoke before the Holy One,
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blessed be He, "Sovereign of the Universe! What business has one born of woman
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among us?" "He has come to receive the Torah," He answered them. They
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replied, "That secret treasure, which has been hidden by You for nine hundred
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and seventy-four generations before the world was created, You desire to give
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to flesh and blood! 'What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, And the son of
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man, that thou visitest him? O Lord our God, How excellent is thy name in all
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the earth! Who hast set thy glory [the Torah] upon the heavens!'" (Psalm 8.5,
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2).
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"Reply to them," said the Holy One to Moses....
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Moses then spoke before Him, "Sovereign of the Universe! The Torah which You
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give me, what is written in it?" "I am the Lord your God, which brought you
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out of the Land of Egypt" (Exodus 20.2). He said to the angels, "Did you go
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down to Egypt; were you enslaved to Pharaoh; why then should the Torah be
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yours? Again, what is written in it? 'You shall have no other gods' (Exodus
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20.3); do you dwell among peoples that engage in idol worship? Again, what is
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written in it? 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy' (Exodus 20.8); do
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you perform work, that you need to rest?... Again, what is written in it? 'You
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shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal' (Exodus
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20.13-15); is there any jealousy among you; is the evil Tempter among you?"
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Straightaway the angels conceded to the Holy One, blessed be He, for it is
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said, "O Lord our Lord, How excellent is Thy name in all the earth," whereas
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"Who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens" is not written (Psalm 8.10).
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7. Judaism. Talmud, Shabbat 88b-89a
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Dhammapada 181: Cf. Anguttara Nikaya i.279, p. 355; Digha Nikaya xi.67-83, pp.
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378f. For a Jain expression of this idea, see Upadesamala 448-49, p. 551.
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Qur'an 2.30-33: Cf. Qur'an 17.61-64, p. 440; Genesis 2.15-3.24, pp. 424ff.;
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10, p. 405. Sun Myung Moon, 10-13-70: Cf. Sun
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Myung Moon, 9-30-79, p. 307. This original blessing of dominion, and God's
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purpose in creating men to dwell on earth, was spoiled by the Fall. Fallen
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mankind has come under the false dominion of the archangel Satan. And God does
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not dwell in the personality of fallen man. Cf. 10-20-73, p. 467; Divine
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Principle I.1.2.3.4, p. 253. Shabbat 88b-89a: This argument between God and
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the angels, with Moses acting as God's spokesman, is a midrash on Psalm 8 (p.
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310), which proclaims the dominion of humankind. The angels quote verse 2 of
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the psalm to argue that God's glory belongs in the heavens, but after Moses'
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arguments, they concede that the psalm concludes in verse 10 with God's name
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found only in the earth. The point seems to be responsibility, which humans
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alone possess. Cf. Qur'an 33.72, p. 311.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Thus I have heard, on a certain occasion the Exalted One was staying near
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Uruvela, on the bank of the river Neranjara, at the root of the mucalinda tree,
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having just won the highest wisdom. Now on that occasion the Exalted One was
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seated for seven days in one posture and experienced the bliss of release.
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Then arose a great storm of rain out of due season, and for seven days there
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was rainy weather, cold winds, and overcast skies. So Mucalinda, King of the
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snakes, coming forth from his haunt, encircled the body of the Exalted One
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seven times with his coils and stood rearing his great hood above the Exalted
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One's head, thinking, "Let not heat or cold or the touch of flies, mosquitoes,
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wind, or creeping things annoy the Exalted One."
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Now after the lapse of those seven days the Exalted One roused himself from
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that concentration of mind. Then Mucalinda, King of the snakes, seeing that
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the sky was clear and free of clouds, unwrapped his folds from the Exalted
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One's body, and, withdrawing his own form and creating the form of a youth,
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stood before the Exalted One, holding up his clasped hands and doing reverence
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to him.
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8. Buddhism. Udana 10, Mucalinda
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Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and
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over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do
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not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your
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names are written in heaven.
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9. Christianity. Bible, Luke 10.19-20
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The Kesin (long-haired sage) bears fire, he bears water,
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the Kesin upholds earth and heaven,
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the Kesin sees all visions of luster,
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the Kesin is called the Light.
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Munis with the wind for their girdle
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wear the soiled yellow robe;
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they go along the course of the wind
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where the gods have gone before.
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"In the ecstasy of Munihood
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we have ascended on the wind,
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and only these bodies of ours
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are what you mortals ever see."
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The Muni flies through mid-air
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while he looks at varied forms,
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and he is of every deva
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a comrade in doing good.
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10. Hinduism. Rig Veda 10.136.1-4
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Udana 10: Mucalinda is not a demon, but a heavenly serpent who represents good
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spiritual forces. His homage to the Buddha expresses the Buddha's lordship
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over the angelic world. The scene is well-known in Buddhist iconography.
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Compare Srimad Bhagavatam 10.16, pp. 626f. Luke 10.19-20: Cf. Psalm 91.11-13,
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pp. 561f.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Blessed is human birth; even the dwellers in heaven desire this birth: for true
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wisdom and pure love may be attained only by man.
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11. Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.13
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The universe is peopled by manifold creatures who are, in this round of
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rebirth, born in different families and castes for having done various actions.
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Sometimes they go to the world of the gods, sometimes to the hells, sometimes
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they become demons in accordance with their actions. Sometimes they become
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soldiers, or outcastes and untouchables, or worms or moths....
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Thus, living beings of sinful actions, who are born again and again in
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ever-recurring births, are not disgusted with the round of rebirth, but they
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are like warriors, never tired of the battle of life. Bewildered through the
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influence of their actions, distressed and suffering pains, they undergo misery
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in non-human births.
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But by the cessation of karma, perchance, living beings will reach in due time
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a pure state and be born as men.
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12. Jainism. Uttaradhyayana Sutra 3.1-7
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