Angels in Battle vs. Meditation Advice (sutra)

Ashley Wells and Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly based on Ven. Piyadassi Thera translation (accesstoinsight.org), "Banner Protection" (Dhajagga Sutta, SN 11.3)

The Buddha high atop pyramid, pagoda, and pedestal (Linc060/flickr.com)

 

Dispelling fear (Mikecogh/flickr)

Thus have I heard.  On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling near Savatthi at Jetavana in the monastery [provided by] Anathapindika. He addressed the monastics saying, "O meditators!" -- "Venerable sir!" they replied. Then he said:

"I shall relate a former incident. There arose a battle between the devas (angels, light beings, "gods") and asuras (fallen angels, titans, "demons"). Then Sakka, the King of the Devas, addressed the devas of the World of the Thirty-Three in this way:

Sakka can adopt any form (ChristyB30/flickr)

"'Happy ones, if the devas who have gone into battle should experience fear or terror or suffer hair standing on end, let them behold the crest of my banner! If one does so, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end will pass away.

"'If one fails to look up to the crest of my banner, look at the crest of the banner of Pajapati, King of the Devas. If one does so, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end will pass away.

"'If one fails to look up to the crest of Pajapati, King of the Devas, look at the crest of the banner of Varuna, King of the Devas. If one does so, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end will pass away.'

"Meditators, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end in those who look at the crest of the banner of Sakka, the King of the Devas... of Pajapati... of Varuna... of Isana, the King of the Devas, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end may pass away OR it may not pass away.
 
"What is the reason for this?

"Sakka, the King of the Devas, O meditators, is not free from lust, is not free from hate [aversion including fear], is not free from delusion, and is therefore liable to fear, terror, fright, and flight.

• [That is to say, Sakka may be a "god," an archangel, a stream enterer, and a being with a great deal of merit and glory, but he is nevertheless not enlightened, not accomplished, not an arhat.]

Fearlessness

Banner, Wat Doi Suthep (ChristyB30/flickr)

"I also say to you, O meditators -- if any fear, terror, or hair standing on end should arise in you when you have gone into the forest or to the foot of a tree, or to an empty house (or to any quiet place suitable for meditating), then only think this of me in this way:

"'Such indeed is the Blessed One, arhat (a consummate one), supremely enlightened, endowed with wisdom and virtue, a welcome being, knower of worlds, peerless trainer of persons, teacher of devas and humans, the Buddha (Enlightened One), the Blessed One.'
 
"Meditators, if you think of me, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end that may arise in you will pass away.

"If you fail to think of me then think of the Dharma (Teaching) in this way: 'Well expounded is the Dharma by the Blessed One, a Dharma to be realized for oneself which gives immediate (timeless) results, a Dharma which invites investigation and leads up to nirvana (freedom from all suffering), a Dharma to be understood by the wise each for oneself.'
 
"Meditators, if you think of the Dharma, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end that may arise in you will pass away.

Devas over the Buddha (a1eatoire/flickr)

"If you fail to think of the Dharma then think of the Sangha (the Community of Awakened Ones) in this way:
 
"'Of good conduct (practicing correctly) is the Order of Disciples of the Blessed One, of upright conduct is the Order of Disciples of the Blessed One, of wise conduct is the Order of Disciples of the Blessed One, of dutiful conduct is the Order of Disciples of the Blessed One.

"'This Order of Disciples of the Blessed One -- namely those four pairs of persons [Note 1], the eight kinds of individuals [Note 2], is worthy of offerings, is worthy of hospitality, is worthy of gifts, is worthy of reverential greetings, is an incomparable field of merit for the world.'
 
"Meditators, if you think of the Sangha, any fear, terror, or hair standing on end that may arise in you will pass away.
 
"What is the reason for this?

"The Tathagata [Buddha], O meditators, who is an arhat, supremely enlightened, IS free from lust, is free from hate, is free from delusion, and is (therefore) not liable to fear, terror, fright, or flight."

So said the Blessed One. Having spoken, the teacher, the Welcome One (Sugata), further said:

Whether in forest wilds or foot of tree,

Or any secluded spot, O meditators,

Call to mind the Buddha supreme.

Then will there be no fear for you at all.

If you think not of the Buddha, O meditators,

Light of the world and chief among humans,

Then think, O meditators, of the Dharma

Well proclaimed and leading to nirvana.

If you think not of the Dharma, O meditators,

Well proclaimed and leading to nirvana,

Then think, O meditators, of the Sangha,

That incomparable field of merit for all.

To those recalling the Buddha supreme,

To those recalling the Dharma sublime,

And to those recalling the Sangha,

No fear, no terror will make them quiver.

NOTE 1. The "four pairs of persons" = the four kinds of "noble" (arya) disciples who have attained the four paths-and-fruits (magga and phala) of enlightenment, namely: the "stream-enterer," "once-returner," "non-returner," and the arhat, the final stage when ALL fetters are severed and taints finally uprooted.

NOTE 2. The four pairs become eight when the paths and fruits are regarded separately. This is an interesting distinction because it strongly suggests that one may enter upon the "path" but not consummate it immediately, yet the fruition is guaranteed in that life. This is how the eight persons were regarded in the past. The American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi devotes a portion of his anthology, In the Buddha's Words, to explaining this distinction and providing textual support.

Greenpeace unveils Mt. Rushmore banner

Greenpeace protest at Mt. Rushmore
Greenpeace activists break laws to post a message to President Obama on Mt. Rushmore. What they want
Photo
G8 leaders vow to fight global warming

Tibet Activists Detained for Unfurling Banner

A protester descends a pole to an awaiting policeman after hanging a banner which reads "Tibet will be free" near the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, before the Beijing Olympic Games in this photo released by Students for a Free Tibet, August 6, 2008. Four foreign protesters were held by police after displaying the banners on Wednesday, state media reported, as the Olympic Games torch made its way through the city (REUTERS/Students for a Free Tibet/Handout, China).

-

By Audra Ang with Stephen Wade (AP)

BEIJING - Police led away four activists from the U.S. and U.K. on Wednesday after they unfurled pro-Tibet banners outside Beijing's National Stadium, the site of the Olympic Games' opening ceremony later this week.

Two men from Students for a Free Tibet each climbed an electrical pole in front of the so-called Bird's Nest and put up the banners at dawn, said Lhadon Tethong, the New York-based group's executive director. The other two — a man and a woman — provided support from the base of the poles, she said. One of the black-and-white banners said "Tibet will be free" and "Tibet Freedom" in Chinese. The other said "One World, One Dream" — the slogan for the Beijing Olympics — followed by "Free Tibet." One of the men also flew the flag of the Dalai Lama's former Tibetan government. It was the first such demonstration at a venue for the games, which open Friday.

"We've done this action today to highlight the Chinese government's use of the Beijing Olympics as a propaganda tool to whitewash their human rights record on Tibet," protester Iain Thom said from his perch about 50 feet off the ground, according to a recorded cell phone conversation posted on the group's Web site. The activist group identified the protesters as Thom, 24, of Scotland; Phill Bartell, 34, of Bridgewater, N.J.; Tirian Mink, 32, of Portland, Ore.; and Lucy Marion, 23, of England.

Beijing organizers, who have taken great pains to put in place strict security measures to show that Beijing is capable of hosting the event, condemned the protest. "We express our strong opposition," said Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee. "In terms of assembly and demonstrations, China has related laws and regulations. We hope that foreigners will respect the related Chinese laws and regulations." Sun said the demonstrators were "persuaded to leave" by police, who received tips from local residents about the protest. The four were not arrested or taken to a police station, he said.

Tethong said the demonstrators were peacefully led away by police and members of the internal security force after about an hour. No contact had been made with them because their phones were off, she said. "It's absolutely critical that ... a message is sent to the Chinese government to meaningfully address and end violence and repression in Tibet or they will never be truly accepted by the international community," Tethong said.

International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said organizers should expect people to "use the platform of the Olympic Games to draw attention to their causes." "The IOC are confident Beijing city authorities will assess the situation reasonably and act with tact and understanding," she said.

Tibet has been an extremely sensitive topic since protests against almost 50 years of Chinese rule turned violent in the region's capital of Lhasa in March. Many Tibetans insist they were an independent nation before communist troops invaded in 1950, while Beijing says the Himalayan region has been part of its territory for centuries.

Similar demonstrations were sparked in Tibetan communities throughout Western China and a massive crackdown by Chinese security forces ensued. Pro-Tibet groups say scores of monks and nuns have been arrested, imprisoned, and beaten since March. It could not be immediately confirmed if members of the group had breached the stadium's security perimeter. Canadian Television said the protest was outside a fence separating the public from the Olympics area.

While Beijing has announced that it would allow applications for public protests in three designated areas, it isn't immediately clear if any had been accepted. China's human rights record and its policies in Tibet and Sudan have been a flash point in the run-up to the Aug. 8 Olympics as activists use the games to highlight their causes.

Former Olympic speedskater Joey Cheek had his visa revoked by Chinese authorities Wednesday, hours before he was set to travel to Beijing to urge the Chinese government to help make peace in the war-torn Darfur section of Sudan. Cheek, the president and co-founder of a collection of Olympic athletes known as Team Darfur, had been planning to spend about two weeks in China.

One of his key initiatives was urging the international community to persuade Sudan to observe the ancient tradition of the Olympic truce during the Beijing Games. More than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in fighting in the western Sudanese region since ethnic African tribesmen took up arms in 2003.

• Students for a Free Tibet Olympics site: http://freetibet2008.org/

PHOTO 2: Cheerleaders rehearse as they wait for the Olympic flame to arrive in Tiananmen Square during the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in Beijing Wednesday Aug. 6, 2008 (AP Photo/Greg Baker).