History and archeology of giants (video)

G.P. Malalasekera (BDPPN); Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

(TO) This video concerns the giants of old, which are variously called "Titans" in Buddhism (Asuras) and ancient Greek mythology and Judaism and Christianity (Hebrew) Nephilim, Rephaim and Anakim, Sumerian Annunaki, and the like.

Who are the "giants" in Buddhism?

Titans (asuras) remembered in Buddhism

In ancient Buddhist texts preserved in the exclusively Buddhist language of Pali (a cognate of Sanskrit but simpler and spoken by non-Brahmins), the asuras are classified among inferior beings from space.

They are spoken of alongside avians (supannas), lowly angelic messengers (gandhabbas), ogres (yakkhas, DA.i.51), eagles garulas, and reptilians (nāgas, Mil.117).

 

Rebirth as an asura is considered one of the four unhappy rebirths or subhuman states (apāyā), the others being states of tormented-hellions (niraya), animals (tiracchāna-yoni), and hungry-ghosts (pettivisaya, e.g., It.93; J.vi.595; J.v.186; Pv.iv.11).

 

The asuras and devas at war in space (DA)

The celestial war(s) between the devas (see also wiki) and the asuras is mentioned even in the oldest books of the Threefold Collection of Buddhist Texts (Tipitaka) and is described in identical words in several passages (e.g., D.ii.285; S.i.222; iv.201ff; v.447; M.i.253; A.iv.432; also S.i.216ff).

 

Sakka as "St. Michael"

A chief or king of the asuras is often referred to as asurinda.*

• Sakka, King of the Devas, is also called asurinda and asurādhipa; see, e.g., J.i.66 (Asurindena pavitthadevanagaram viya) and J.v.245, where we are told that from the time he conquered the asuras he was called asurādhipa.

Several asuras are credited with the role of leader, most commonly, however, Vepacitti [a kind of Lucifer figure like the more terrible Tempter Mara Devaputra or the "The Killer, Son of God," a term which simply means "born among devas"] (e.g., S.i.222; iv.201ff; J.i.205) and Rahu (A.ii.17, 53; iii.243). More
 

Ardent Christian Steve Quayle is a leading expert on giants of the past and present.