266 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
266 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
Spiritual Error And The Occult
|
|
World Scripture
|
|
|
|
SPIRITUAL ERROR AND THE OCCULT
|
|
|
|
Within the major religions, there is a current of deep distrust for spirits and
|
|
their communications. Since they are not comparable to Ultimate Reality,
|
|
spirits are not privy to the highest truth. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
|
|
have a tradition that groups of the angels have fallen into error and
|
|
misunderstood the will of God. Buddhism even regards the Creator god (the
|
|
Hindu god Brahma) as one of these subordinate deities, subordinate to the
|
|
Dhamma revealed by the Buddha, as shown in the text from the Digha Nikaya
|
|
reprinted here.
|
|
|
|
Spirits are often viewed as fallible, motivated by selfish ends, and liable to
|
|
mislead those who rely on them for guidance. Furthermore, the spiritual world
|
|
is also populated by evil spirits, demons, fallen angels, and Satan--see
|
|
Demonic Powers, pp. 435-44, as well as intermediate spiritual beings including
|
|
the jinn, spirits of the dead, and various classes of ghosts. Therefore, a
|
|
person should 'test the spirits to see whether they are of God,' based on the
|
|
higher authority of revealed truth. Occult practices, such as seeking
|
|
information from mediums, witches, astrologers, and otherwise penetrating the
|
|
world of spirits, is condemned in many scriptures because it can lead people
|
|
astray through communication with spirits from the lower realms. Attachment to
|
|
revelations from spirits can sometimes rival genuine faith in God. Belief in
|
|
miracles can also lead astray. Faith, purity, adherence to revealed truth, and
|
|
performance of good deeds are superior ways to insure fellowship with spiritual
|
|
beings of the highest levels.
|
|
|
|
Even in his servants he puts no trust,
|
|
and his angels he charges with error.
|
|
|
|
1. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Job 4.18
|
|
|
|
O Lord, how can a god or a demon know all the extent of your glory? You alone
|
|
know what you are, by the light of your innermost nature.
|
|
|
|
2. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 10.14
|
|
|
|
They say, "The All-merciful has taken to Him a son." Glory be to Him! Nay, but
|
|
they [whom they call 'sons'] are honored servants, that do not outstrip Him in
|
|
speech; they perform as He commands. He knows what is before them and behind
|
|
them, and they do not intercede except for the man with whom He is
|
|
well-pleased. They tremble in awe of Him. If any of them says, "I am a god
|
|
apart from Him," such a one We recompense with hell, even as We recompense
|
|
those who do evil.
|
|
|
|
3. Islam. Qur'an 21.26-29
|
|
|
|
God has taken his place in the divine council;
|
|
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
|
|
"How long will you judge unjustly
|
|
and show partiality to the wicked?
|
|
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
|
|
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
|
|
Rescue the weak and the needy;
|
|
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
|
|
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
|
|
they walk about in darkness,
|
|
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
|
|
I say, "You are gods,
|
|
sons of the Most High, all of you;
|
|
nevertheless you shall die like men,
|
|
and fall like any prince."
|
|
Arise, O God, judge the earth;
|
|
for to thee belong all the nations!
|
|
|
|
4. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Psalm 82
|
|
|
|
Say, It has been revealed to me that a company of the jinn gave ear. Then they
|
|
said, "We have indeed heard a Qur'an wonderful, guiding to rectitude. We
|
|
believe in it, and we will not associate with our Lord anyone. He--exalted by
|
|
our Lord's majesty!--has not taken to Himself either consort or a son.
|
|
|
|
"The fool among us spoke against God outrage, and we had thought that men and
|
|
jinn would never speak against God a lie. But there were certain men of
|
|
mankind who would take refuge with certain men of the jinn, and they increased
|
|
them in vileness, and they thought, even as you also thought, that God would
|
|
never raise up anyone.
|
|
|
|
"And we stretched towards heaven, but we found it filled with terrible guards
|
|
and meteors. We would sit there on seats to hear; but any listening now finds
|
|
a meteor in wait for him. And so we know not whether evil is intended for
|
|
those in the earth, or whether their Lord intends for them rectitude.
|
|
|
|
"And some of us are righteous, and some of us are otherwise; we are sects
|
|
differing. Indeed, we thought that we should never be able to frustrate God in
|
|
the earth, neither be able to frustrate Him by flight. When we heard the
|
|
guidance, we believed in it; and whosoever believes in his Lord, he shall fear
|
|
never paltriness nor vileness.
|
|
|
|
"And some of us have surrendered, and some of us have deviated. Those who have
|
|
surrendered sought rectitude; but as for those who have deviated, they have
|
|
become firewood for hell."
|
|
|
|
5. Islam. Qur'an 72.1-15
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Qur'an 21.26-29: This is directed against both polytheism and certain popular
|
|
forms of Christianity which take Jesus to be a separate god, the offspring of
|
|
God the Father. Orthodox Christianity denies this: God the Son, second Person
|
|
of the Trinity, is not begotten, nor is he "a God apart from" the Father. Jesus
|
|
as the incarnation of the Son was always obedient to the Father's will. The
|
|
Trinity is One God; it should never be misunderstood as tri-theism. Cf. Qur'an
|
|
5.75, p. 655; also Qur'an 4.116-17, p. 405, and 21.19-20, p. 84.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
Once upon a time, Kevaddha, there occurred to a certain monk in this very
|
|
company of monks, a doubt on the following point: "Where now do these four
|
|
basic elements--extension, cohesion, heat, and motion--pass away, leaving no
|
|
trace behind?" Then that monk worked himself up into such a state of ecstasy
|
|
that the way leading to the heaven of the gods became clear to his ecstatic
|
|
vision.
|
|
|
|
Then that monk went up to the realm of the Four Great Kings and asked the gods
|
|
there, "Where, my friends, do the four basic elements--extension, cohesion,
|
|
heat, and motion--pass away, leaving no trace behind?" The gods of the heaven
|
|
of the Four Great Kings replied, "We do not know that. But there are the Four
|
|
Great Kings, more powerful and glorious than we. They will know."
|
|
|
|
Then that monk went up to the Four Great Kings and asked, "Where, my
|
|
friends..." The Four Great Kings replied, "We do not know that. But there are
|
|
the gods of the heaven of the Thirty-three... They will know."
|
|
|
|
Then that monk, putting the same question and getting the same reply, went to
|
|
Sakka, king of the heaven of the Thirty-three... up to the Yama gods... to the
|
|
Tusita gods... to the Nimmana-rati gods... to the Vasavatti gods... to the
|
|
retinue of the gods of the Heaven of God Almighty....
|
|
|
|
Finally the monk drew near to God Almighty [Brahma] and asked, "Where, my
|
|
friend, do the four basic elements--extension, cohesion, heat, and motion--pass
|
|
away, leaving no trace behind?"
|
|
|
|
And the greatest god replied, "I am the Great God, Almighty, the Supreme One,
|
|
the one who cannot be conquered by others, All-seeing, All-powerful, the Ruler,
|
|
the Creator, the Excellent, the Almighty, the One who has already practiced
|
|
Calm, the Father of all that are and all that are to be!"
|
|
|
|
The monk said, "I did not ask you as to whether you were indeed all that you
|
|
now say you are; but I ask you where do the four basic elements cease, leaving
|
|
no trace behind?" Then the god gave the same reply. And yet a third time the
|
|
monk put the same to question to god as before.
|
|
|
|
Then, Kevaddha, that greatest god took that monk by the arm and led him aside
|
|
and said, "These gods, the retinue of God Almighty, think me, friend, to be
|
|
such that there is nothing I cannot see, nothing I have not understood, nothing
|
|
I have not realized. Therefore, I gave no answer to your question in their
|
|
presence. I do not know the answer to your question. Therefore, you have done
|
|
wrong, acted unskillfully, in that, going past the Buddha, you have undertaken
|
|
this long search for an answer to this question. Go back now to the Exalted
|
|
One and accept his answer."
|
|
|
|
6. Buddhism. Digha Nikaya xi.67-83, Kevaddhasutta
|
|
|
|
Men of ignorance worship spirits and ghosts.
|
|
|
|
7. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 17.4
|
|
|
|
Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them:
|
|
I am the Lord your God.
|
|
|
|
8. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Leviticus 19.31
|
|
|
|
My follower does not study the practice of magic and spells. He does not
|
|
analyze dreams and signs in sleep and movements in the Zodiac.
|
|
|
|
9. Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 927
|
|
|
|
Cursed be occult and miracle-making powers.
|
|
|
|
10. Sikhism. Var Sorath 20, M.3, p. 650
|
|
|
|
Confucius never discussed abnormal phenomena, physical exploits, disorderly
|
|
conduct, or spiritual beings.
|
|
|
|
11. Confucianism. Analects 7.20
|
|
|
|
Because I see danger in the practice of miracles, I loathe and abhor and
|
|
repudiate them.
|
|
|
|
12. Buddhism. Digha Nikaya ix.66, Kevaddhasutta
|
|
|
|
Then a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to [Jesus], and he healed him, so
|
|
that the dumb man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said,
|
|
"Can this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard it they said, "It
|
|
is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."
|
|
|
|
13. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 12.22-24
|
|
|
|
Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw
|
|
signs [that I am the Christ] but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do
|
|
not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to
|
|
eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you."
|
|
|
|
14. Christianity. Bible, John 6.26-27
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Bhagavad Gita 17.4: Cf. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10, p. 405. Matthew
|
|
12.22-24: Jesus performed many miracles for the people. Yet to the skeptical
|
|
leaders they proved nothing; the devil can also do miracles. John 6.26-27: The
|
|
common people also were more impressed by the miracle of multiplying the loaves
|
|
and fishes (see Mark 6.30-44, p. 638) than by Jesus himself and his message,
|
|
and followed him to see the show rather than to receive his wisdom. Miracles
|
|
are not conducive to lasting faith.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
|
|
are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
|
|
|
|
15. Christianity. Bible, 1 John 4.1
|
|
|
|
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed.
|
|
You know that when you were heathen, you were led astray to dumb idols, however
|
|
you may have been moved. Therefore I want you to understand that no one
|
|
speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say
|
|
"Jesus is Lord!" except by the Holy Spirit.
|
|
|
|
16. Christianity. Bible, 1 Corinthians 12.1-3
|
|
|
|
Indeed, even the devas are jealous of a yogin, striving as he does to surpass
|
|
them by attaining Brahman. They therefore try to lead him astray, in various
|
|
ways, if they find him off his guard.
|
|
|
|
17. Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20
|
|
|
|
God is the protecting friend of those who believe. He brings them out of
|
|
darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false
|
|
deities. They bring them out of light into darkness.
|
|
|
|
18. Islam. Qur'an 2.257
|
|
|
|
Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion also worship Me, Arjuna,
|
|
even if they do not observe the usual forms. I am the object of all worship,
|
|
its enjoyer and Lord. But they know not My pure being, and because of this
|
|
they must be reborn.
|
|
|
|
Those who worship the gods will go to the realm of the gods; those who worship
|
|
their ancestors will be united with them after death. Those who worship
|
|
phantoms will become phantoms; but My devotees will come to me.
|
|
|
|
19. Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 9.23-25
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
1 John 4.1: Cf. 1 Timothy 4.1-2, p. 447; 2 Corinthians 11.14, p. 441; Qur'an
|
|
6.112, p. 447; Lotus Sutra 3, pp. 441f. 1 Corinthians 12.1-3: Cf. John
|
|
14.13-14, p. 835; Srimad Bhagavatam 6.1, p. 832; John 14.15-21, p. 645; Romans
|
|
8.26-27, p. 648. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.20: Cf. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10,
|
|
p. 405; Mahabharata 13.40.5-12, p. 433; Vishnu Purana 3.17-18, p. 448; Qur'an
|
|
17.61-64, p. 440. Qur'an 2.257: Cf. Qur'an 4.116-17, p. 405. Bhagavad Gita
|
|
9.23-25: Cf. Vacana 616, p. 404.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
To maintain the existence of a ghost,
|
|
Only brings about mischief;
|
|
To understand the non-existence of a ghost
|
|
Is the way of Buddha;
|
|
To know that ghost and Reality are one
|
|
Is the way to Liberation.
|
|
Knowing that the ghosts are all one's parents
|
|
Is the right understanding;
|
|
Realizing that the ghost itself is Self-mind
|
|
Is glory supreme.
|
|
|
|
20. Buddhism. Milarepa
|
|
|