El demonio devorador de ira
Recuento de una antigua historia budista, por Nyanaponika Thera
Una vez vivía un demonio que tenía una peculiar dieta: se
alimentaba de la ira de los demás. Y como su campo de la alimentación era el
mundo humano, no le faltaba alimentos. Él encontraba muy fácil provocar una
riña familiar o el odio nacionalista y racial. Incluso suscitar una guerra no le
era muy difícil. Y cuando lograba causar una guerra, él podía atiborrarse adecuadamente
sin mayor esfuerzo; porque una vez que comienza una guerra, el odio se multiplica
por su propio impulso y afecta incluso a la gente normalmente amable. De esta
manera se enriqueció tanto el abastecimiento del demonio que a veces tenía que
contener su sobre alimentación contentándose con sólo un pequeño trozo de resentimiento
que encontraba cerca de él.
Pero como suele suceder con las personas exitosas, el
demonio se convirtió un poco arrogante y un día cuando se sintió aburrido
pensó: "¿por qué no intento con los dioses?" Reflexionando eligió el
cielo de las treinta y tres deidades, gobernado por Sakka, Señor de los dioses.
Sabía que sólo algunos de estos dioses habían eliminado totalmente los
grilletes de la mala voluntad y la aversión, aunque estaban muy por encima de
las disputas mezquinas y egoístas. Así que por su poder mágico se trasladó a
ese reino celestial y tuvo la suerte de llegar en un momento cuando estaba
ausente el divino rey Sakka. No había nadie en la gran sala de audiencias y sin
más demora el demonio se sentó en el trono vacío de Sakka, esperando
tranquilamente que las cosas sucedan, lo que esperaba que le trajeran una buena
alimentación. Pronto algunos de los dioses llegaron a la sala y primero apenas
podían creer lo que veían sus propios ojos divinos cuando observaron al feo
demonio sentado en el trono, agazapado y sonriente. Habiéndose recuperado de su
choque, comenzaron a gritar y a lamentarse: "Oh feo demonio, ¿Cómo puedes
atreverte a sentarse en el trono de nuestro Señor? ¡Qué descaro total! ¡Qué
crimen! ¡Deben tirarlo de cabeza al infierno y directo hacia un caldero
hirviente! ¡Tú debes ser descuartizado vivo! ¡Vete! ¡Vete!"
Pero mientras que los dioses fueron montando más y más
en cólera, el demonio se mostraba muy satisfecho porque de momento a momento crecía
en tamaño y en fuerza, en poder. La cólera que absorbió en su sistema comenzó a
rezumar de su cuerpo como una neblina plena de humo rojo encendido. Esta mal aura
alejaba a los dioses y su resplandor era menguado.
De repente, apareció un brillante resplandor en el otro
extremo de la sala y se convirtió en una luz deslumbrante de donde surgió
Sakka, el rey de los dioses. Él que había entrado firmemente en la corriente indefectible
que lleva a los reinos del Nibbana, se mostró invencible ante lo que vio. La
cortina de humo creado por la ira de los dioses se difuminó cuando él lenta y
amablemente se acercó el usurpador del trono. "¡Bienvenido, amigo! Por
favor, permanezca sentado. Puedo tomar otro sillón. ¿Puedo ofrecerle la bebida
de la hospitalidad? Nuestro Amrita no está mal este año. ¿O prefiere una bebida más fuerte, el Soma
Védico?"
Mientras Sakka decía estas palabras amigables, el
demonio rápidamente se redujo a un tamaño diminuto y finalmente desapareció, dejando
tras de sí un tufillo de humo maloliente que además pronto se dispersó.
— Basado en
el Samyutta Nikaya, Sakka Samyutta, No. 22
Lo esencial de esta historia se remonta a los discursos
del Buda. Pero incluso ahora, más de 2500 años más tarde, nuestro mundo es como
si grandes hordas de demonios come ira hubieran aparecido y se mantuvieran bien
alimentados por millones de esclavos en toda la tierra. Fuegos de odio y vastas
olas de violencia amenazan con abrazar a la humanidad. También las bases de la
sociedad está envenenadas por el conflicto y la discordia, que se manifiesta en
palabras y pensamientos iracundos y en hechos violentos. ¿No es hora de acabar
con esta esclavitud autodestructiva del hombre hacia sus impulsos de odio y
agresión que sólo sirven a las fuerzas demoníacas? Nuestra historia cuenta cómo
estos demonios del odio pueden ser exorcizados por el poder de la gentileza y el
amor. Si este poder del amor puede ser probado y demostrado, en las bases, en
la ampliamente difundida red de relaciones personales, en la sociedad en
general, el mundo en general, no quedará afectada por la actual situación.
The Anger-eating Demon
Retold from an ancient Buddhist Story, by
Nyanaponika Thera
Once there lived a demon who had a peculiar diet: he fed on the anger of
others. And as his feeding ground was the human world, there was no lack of
food for him. He found it quite easy to provoke a family quarrel, or national
and racial hatred. Even to stir up a war was not very difficult for him. And
whenever he succeeded in causing a war, he could properly gorge
himself without much further effort; because once a war starts, hate multiplies
by its own momentum and affects even normally friendly people. So the demon's
food supply became so rich that he sometimes had to restrain himself from
over-eating, being content with nibbling just a small piece of resentment found
close-by.
But as it often happens with successful people, he became rather overbearing and one day when feeling bored he thought: "Shouldn't I try it with the gods?" On reflection he chose the Heaven of the Thirty-three Deities, ruled by Sakka, Lord of Gods. He knew that only a few of these gods had entirely eliminated the fetters of ill-will and aversion, though they were far above petty and selfish quarrels. So by magic power he transferred himself to that heavenly realm and was lucky enough to come at a time when Sakka the Divine King was absent. There was none in the large audience hall and without much ado the demon seated himself on Sakka's empty throne, waiting quietly for things to happen, which he hoped would bring him a good feed. Soon some of the gods came to the hall and first they could hardly believe their own divine eyes when they saw that ugly demon sitting on the throne, squat and grinning. Having recovered from their shock, they started to shout and lament: "Oh you ugly demon, how can you dare to sit on the throne of our Lord? What utter cheekiness! What a crime! you should be thrown headlong into the hell and straight into a boiling cauldron! You should be quartered alive! Begone! Begone!"
But while the gods were growing more and more angry, the demon was quite pleased because from moment to moment he grew in size, in strength and in power. The anger he absorbed into his system started to ooze from his body as a smoky red-glowing mist. This evil aura kept the gods at a distance and their radiance was dimmed.
Suddenly a bright glow appeared at the other end of the hall and it grew into a dazzling light from which Sakka emerged, the King of Gods. He who had firmly entered the indefectible Stream that leads Nibbana-wards, was unshaken by what he saw. The smoke-screen created by the gods' anger parted when he slowly and politely approached the usurper of his throne. "Welcome, friend! Please remain seated. I can take another chair. May I offer you the drink of hospitality? Our Amrita is not bad this year. Or do you prefer a stronger brew, the vedic Soma?"
While Sakka spoke these friendly words, the demon rapidly shrank to a diminutive size and finally disappeared, trailing behind a whiff of malodorous smoke which likewise soon dissolved.
— Based on Samyutta Nikaya, Sakka Samyutta, No. 22
The gist of this story dates back to the discourses of the Buddha. But even now, over 2500 years later, our world looks as if large hordes of Anger-eating Demons were haunting it and were kept well nourished by millions slaving for them all over the earth. Fires of hate and wide-traveling waves of violence threaten to engulf mankind. Also the grass roots of society are poisoned by conflict and discord, manifesting in angry thoughts and words and in violent deeds. Is it not time to end this self-destructive slavery of man to his impulses of hate and aggression which only serve the demoniac forces? Our story tells how these demons of hate can be exorcised by the power of gentleness and love. If this power of love can be tested and proven, at grass-root level, in the widely spread net of personal relationships, society at large, the world at large, will not remain unaffected by it.
But as it often happens with successful people, he became rather overbearing and one day when feeling bored he thought: "Shouldn't I try it with the gods?" On reflection he chose the Heaven of the Thirty-three Deities, ruled by Sakka, Lord of Gods. He knew that only a few of these gods had entirely eliminated the fetters of ill-will and aversion, though they were far above petty and selfish quarrels. So by magic power he transferred himself to that heavenly realm and was lucky enough to come at a time when Sakka the Divine King was absent. There was none in the large audience hall and without much ado the demon seated himself on Sakka's empty throne, waiting quietly for things to happen, which he hoped would bring him a good feed. Soon some of the gods came to the hall and first they could hardly believe their own divine eyes when they saw that ugly demon sitting on the throne, squat and grinning. Having recovered from their shock, they started to shout and lament: "Oh you ugly demon, how can you dare to sit on the throne of our Lord? What utter cheekiness! What a crime! you should be thrown headlong into the hell and straight into a boiling cauldron! You should be quartered alive! Begone! Begone!"
But while the gods were growing more and more angry, the demon was quite pleased because from moment to moment he grew in size, in strength and in power. The anger he absorbed into his system started to ooze from his body as a smoky red-glowing mist. This evil aura kept the gods at a distance and their radiance was dimmed.
Suddenly a bright glow appeared at the other end of the hall and it grew into a dazzling light from which Sakka emerged, the King of Gods. He who had firmly entered the indefectible Stream that leads Nibbana-wards, was unshaken by what he saw. The smoke-screen created by the gods' anger parted when he slowly and politely approached the usurper of his throne. "Welcome, friend! Please remain seated. I can take another chair. May I offer you the drink of hospitality? Our Amrita is not bad this year. Or do you prefer a stronger brew, the vedic Soma?"
While Sakka spoke these friendly words, the demon rapidly shrank to a diminutive size and finally disappeared, trailing behind a whiff of malodorous smoke which likewise soon dissolved.
— Based on Samyutta Nikaya, Sakka Samyutta, No. 22
The gist of this story dates back to the discourses of the Buddha. But even now, over 2500 years later, our world looks as if large hordes of Anger-eating Demons were haunting it and were kept well nourished by millions slaving for them all over the earth. Fires of hate and wide-traveling waves of violence threaten to engulf mankind. Also the grass roots of society are poisoned by conflict and discord, manifesting in angry thoughts and words and in violent deeds. Is it not time to end this self-destructive slavery of man to his impulses of hate and aggression which only serve the demoniac forces? Our story tells how these demons of hate can be exorcised by the power of gentleness and love. If this power of love can be tested and proven, at grass-root level, in the widely spread net of personal relationships, society at large, the world at large, will not remain unaffected by it.
