Led Zeppelin and the Occult: An Analysis
Spiritualism and the Occult
 |
| Om system in Thai Forest Tradition |
They dwell in various realms and on various planes of existence, some higher and happier than this world, others, such as so-called "hungry ghosts" (petas), more miserable.
They are relatively real — tha is, no less "real" than we ourselves in this [illusory] world. They all, without exception, are in samsara or "birth-and-death." Therefore, their stay in any of the many realms within the 31 Planes of Existence they may inhabit is temporary, though in some cases it may be unbelievably long-lasting by human standards, feeling like an eternity.
There is in line with the idea of rebirth on earth, since what realm one is reborn in depends on one's karma (deeds), the human condition being only one of the various possibilities (though a specifically important one, since enlightenment and liberation from any other realm is held to be virtually impossible).
- [While this would seem to be true, devas in various realms seemed to have a greater success rate than humans in achieving knowledge-and-vision of what the Buddha was teaching humans. The Buddha was a "teacher of gods (devas) and men (humans)." The percentage of devas who took an interest is unknown, nor is it known how many devas there are (or how many "humans" there are existence since this world is not the only human world. Humans occupy a plane of existence not a singular planet. And there are countless such worlds. Every world-system or cakkavala has a human plane. (Human beings in Buddhism). Regardless of how many there are, more devas attained liberation through wisdom than humans. The Buddha devoted a portion of his daily schedule to teaching devas to ensure their success. Humans got the rest of his time. The full range and influence of the Buddha is imponderable.]
"Stairway to Heaven" is diabolically occult?
Therefore, a human rebirth is considered as desirable as it is rare — a precious opportunity that would be a folly to waste. It is also stated in the texts that humans have a "mind-made [subtle] body, complete in all its parts," which would seem to correspond to the "astral" or "etheric" body referred to by occultists.
Responsible occultists — of whom there are many — are, of course, aware of the dangers of incautious involvement with these matters, which they often stress. The inhabitants of the various realms are not enlightened beings. While some are undoubtedly much wiser and more advanced than the average human, others are not and can exert a malevolent power.
It is outside the province of Buddhist monastics to practice any of the occult arts. It is in fact forbidden that they do so, although it is not infrequently found being done in the East.
Western Buddhists should not concern themselves with such matters. If they nevertheless do so (as many will, whatever is said to the contrary), they should at least be extremely careful to consult only responsible and conscientious practitioners of a high moral standard.
Such people are not hard to find and are often very fine characters. But it should always be borne in mind that even genuine messages from the dead and departed can be misleading, since they are still, in varying degrees, ignorant. For this reason, the well-known triviality of many "spirit" messages proves nothing about their genuineness.
Beings in higher worlds are known in Buddhism as devas, and it seems certain that many of them are truly concerned to help humankind as far as is possible with their power. It might even be suggested that there is no essential difference between the higher devas and the bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism.
Some people are naturally psychic, and some even develop psychic powers as a result, or byproduct, of (jhanic, samadhi) meditation. Such powers are real, but it is unwise to seek after or cling to them if attained. If they are gained with insufficient insight or moral purification, they can be disastrous.
It is another of the many illusions of the modern liberal humanist that such things as "witchcraft" do not exist. Righteous indignation at the cruel treatment of real or alleged witches in the past should not lead us to imagine that the whole thing was completely mythical. So we should be very wary of seeking contact with the psychic planes, not because they do not exist, but because they do. (If they did not exist, comparatively little harm would be done by seeking them out). Source
- The Eleusinian Society (video), Sept. 13, 2023; Maurice O'Connell Walshe, Buddhism and Death (2005); Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
No comments:
Post a Comment