Trouble imagining and empathizing with asuras

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Boomerang
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Trouble imagining and empathizing with asuras

Post by Boomerang »

When I'm trying to generate compassion for all sentient beings I always have trouble with the asuras. I think it's because I can vividly imagine the sufferings of the beings of all the other realms, but I've never encountered a description of the problems asuras go through that tugged at my heartstrings. I can empathize with horrible burning pain, intense thirst, the precarity of animals, and the despair of falling from the god realm, but jealousy isn't an emotion I'm very familiar with. I've also never been in a fight in my life, much less a war; I'm not prone to violence.

Does anyone have advice? Is there a text that describes the experience of asuras I detail? All I know is that they're jealous and constantly fighting.
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: Trouble imagining and empathizing with asuras

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

The feeling of very deeply wanting or needing to win, to be correct, of painting 'the incorrect' as some sort of conspirators...is I believe the feeling you're looking for. Trungpas Book of the Dead has excellent psychological descriptions of the six realms. It's actually a common emotional state to be in on internet forums, lol.

Mind, I am not trying to reduce the six realms purely to psychology, just saying..if you want to know that emotional quality, get in a heated argument about something you cannot be wrong on...err, well, don't do that, but you get the point.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha
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Re: Trouble imagining and empathizing with asuras

Post by A Ah Sha Sa Ma Ha »

Even asuras have been our mothers in a past life ?

When I think of all sentient beings, the ones that have committed the most henious crimes pop out, and I have a hard time conjuring up compassion....but then they just blend in with everyone else, as really....who is who...we are all one................... :jawdrop:
Urgyen Dorje
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Re: Trouble imagining and empathizing with asuras

Post by Urgyen Dorje »

What I find useful is understanding that while there are certainly other realms of existence we can't say, it's also true that these six realms of being are not *necessarily* physical places with unique taxonomies of beings that life there. They are also embodiments of certain psychological states. We can see beings of the six realms in the world that we are able to see because of our karmic habituation, such as in the human world. We can see the asura mind state in those beings who are so pained and tortured by the success of others, that they fight with others, even going as far as stealing and sabotaging the wealth and work of others. These are the people who just can't accept and enjoy the realive luxury they have, but spend their liesure fighting with others who have more.

I think we can see this in the people like Donald Trump who have much, but still spend their energies fighting and bickering with others who get more air time or who manage to be successful politically. Like his attack on Rosie McDonald. We see this with politicians who have power and success, but who attempt to sabotage the efforts of politicans who are more successful or more popular. Your Mitch McConnel's and Newt Gingrich's who deal with President Obama and his political allies not through legislation but by malinging their character and sabotaging what they attempt to-- we want to see that Kenyan anti-colonialist fail, is he even a citizen?. We see it in people like Kanye who are at the top of their game yet feels the need to steal the microphone from a teenage Taylor Swift, stealing her moment at the MTV awards, to promote beyonce.. not to mention how he belittles and attacks everyone else in his industry. We can see this is people like Tom Cruise who are powerful and rich, but who attack whole institutions simply because they threaten his Scientolgist world view.

It's not the god realm experience of people like Hugh Heffner basking with maidens and money. It's also not the god experience of the very rich, who never even see suffering and misery because their lifestyles prevent it. The rich who have never shopped for groceries or filled their tanks with gas. Or the fantastically famous, the rock stars with very singular desires, sex and drugs and fame, who are just burroughing into bliss like a worm in soil. These are the beings who have not yet see the finitude of their selves and their enjoyment so there is no subtle fear and anxiety.

That's sort of how I started working with it, trying to see it in my superficial littel world, and then seeing it inside myself. Those little moments when one is praised or rewarded and somebody one feels is unworthy is praised or rewarded more-- and one goes to "war" in one's mind.
joy&peace
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Re: Trouble imagining and empathizing with asuras

Post by joy&peace »

The world is so vast and there are so many ways to help beings. . Animal liberation and so forth is one way, peace and justice work a second, and planting trees or taking care of the environment yet a third. What I mean is, from my perspective it's not necessary to take it all in at once, or focus on any particular group of living beings - the asuras, or even any other; women, or gay's rights, or class discrimination. And even if those were my goals, I would probably seek to aid those causes by pouring all of my energy into art, with those as my central or relating themes. . . I have found, the best way to effect change is to do this. .

As the Buddha said, only loving-kindness can overcome fear-mindset; I've come to realize that's very true, and really seems to apply in the world by sharing art. .

That is, poetry, paintings, songs, anything, pictures or statues; that beautifies the Dharma, the attempts to illustrate or share the Dharma, for the crafter, the artist, can really imbue a lot of wisdom, light and beauty into it - and sharing those things is really, to me, as real as sharing any other real life. . . One creates an art work and shares, depicts a sort of beauty, that is lasting. .

Sometimes I think of Buddha's teachings and life as poetry. . the best kind. . . and other kinds of poetry, the best kinds that I like, are always centered around the experiences of the poet - Whitman, Goethe - whoever you may choose, what they said is only of how much value they experienced it. . and other things, but centrally that - if I speak about something without having experienced it, that's hardly of much value.Oh and when I say beautify the Dharma, also that which beautifies nature and life in general are very much in line with the Dharma, I believe.


'Even asuras have been our mothers in a past life ?'

I think this really might be true. :)


My general approach is along the lines of something Maitripa sang;


10
An ox's footprints filled with water
Will soon dry up; so with a mind that's firm
But full of qualities that are not perfect;
These imperfections will in time dry up.

(the next verse is pretty nice, too)

11
Like salt sea water that turns
Sweet when drunk up by the clouds,
So a firm mind that works for others turns
The poison of sense-objects into nectar.


As well as the basic general idea of Milarepa's, that the best thing any of us can do is seek our own liberation, our own Buddhahood, so that we can share that with all living beings.
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
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