Most people today who tend to be arrogant intellectuals would easily fall into the category of an asura, ‘sura’ meaning ‘divine’ or ‘grace’, asura meaning an evil spirit, demon, or an opponent of the gods (deva) who is filled with hated and jealousy.
In Mahayana Buddhism, what causes one to be reborn with an asura disposition are, namely, their former deeds (karma) of hatred or enmity (dveṣa), self-conceit or arrogance (māna) and doubt or uncertainty (vicikitsā). I would add to this a few words from the Iśa Upaniṣad substituting a Mahayana term Buddha-nature.
Asuras are slayers of Buddha-nature (ātman). They are enveloped in blind darkness and in death return to darkness.
We need to keep in mind that Buddha-nature is also the ātman in Mahayana Buddhism.
"All beings possess a Buddha Nature: this is what the ātman is. This ātman, from the start, is always covered by innumerable passions (klesha): this is why beings are unable to see it" (Mahaparinirvana-sutra [Etienne Lamotte, The Teaching of Vimalakirti, Eng. trans. by Sara Boin, London: The Pali Text Society, 1976, Introduction, p. lxxvii.]).
A kind of madness takes possession of the person who is of an asura disposition and, understandably, they don’t like anything that smacks of rebirth, otherworldliness, transcendence, a higher nature, and may even consider themselves to have always been enlightened.
In his book (a great book for the home library), Vedic Yoga, The Path of the Rishi, Frawley sees the asura as a force that resists evolution. Asuras are the powers of darkness and falsehood. They also represent worldly ambitions. They reflect the quality of aggression. They don’t care about transcending samsara but want to conquer and enslave the world, instead. They only know the carnal person which is bodily identity. This is the self or ātman for the asura.
From an archetypal perspective there is a constant power struggle going on, according to Frawley, between the devas (the higher planes of existence) and the asuras, the lower darker planes of existence. Mankind’s fate is tied to this ongoing power struggle. The force of the devas is not strong enough to win the battle since the main force rests upon too few rishis (P., Isi). The Buddhas and the arhats were called rishi which in Pali is isi. The term means one who goes beyond the mundane world by means of higher knowledge.
Asura, like Varuna, right. I don't really see you leaning deva with those darkzen roots.
It feels like it would make a great car model name. Now presenting..
the 2020 Asura Sedan.
Posted by: plus.google.com/109151834305817727743 | June 20, 2019 at 12:06 PM