Seated to one side, the Great King Vessavaṇa said to the Buddha, 

“Sir, some high spirits have confidence in the Buddha, some do not. 

Some middling spirits have confidence in the Buddha, some do not. 

Some low spirits have confidence in the Buddha, some do not. 

But mostly the spirits don’t have confidence in the Buddha. Why is that? 

Because the Buddha teaches them to refrain from killing living creatures, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, and drinking alcohol. But mostly they don’t refrain from such things. They don’t like that or approve of it.

https://suttacentral.net/dn32/en/sujato?layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin

Previously, we explored the 4 generic types of spirits. After they have settled down in the congregation, the leader or spokesman for the group, the Great King Vessavaṇa communicate with Buddha.

From the above stanza, we know that the spirit realms consist of various classes of spirits too.

Most of them do not really celebrate the teachings of Buddha. Especially the teachings on morality. This is because they enjoy doing the opposite. Therefore, they do not like Buddha’s messages or approve it.

From the Buddhist perspective, these spirits who indulge in immorality are not inherently evil. (Therefore, using the word demons isn’t exactly suitable?) They are reborn in such a state because of their karma. However, they are not inherently evil, just ignorant of Dharma (Truth).

For example, to an animal in a slaughterhouse, the butcher is a Yaksha. Yet this “Yaksha” might be volunteering to serve the elderly during his day off. And to this “Yaksha”, he may believe that the animal was created as a source of food for man and it is rightful to slaughter animals for food.

The spirits that we are discussing here are not some pitiful ghosts but terrestrial entities that possess a certain amount of supernatural power. That means, their state of being is not one of inherent suffering and punishment. Some of them (high or middling spirits) are even worshipped as tutelary deities. Since they do not represent inherent evil, some of the spirits can be enlightened. For example, the Yaksha in Alavaka Sutta.

Sir, there are disciples of the Buddha who frequent remote lodgings in the wilderness and the forest that are quiet and still, far from the madding crowd, remote from human settlements, and fit for retreat. 

There dwell high spirits who have no confidence in the Buddha’s dispensation. To give them confidence, may the Buddha please learn the Āṭānāṭiya protection for the guarding, protection, safety, and comfort of the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.” The Buddha consented with silence.

From this verse, city dwellers can sigh in relief. Such spirits usually occupy “remote lodgings in the wilderness and the forest that are quiet and still, far from the madding crowd”

The disciples that are mentioned here refer to those Buddhist practitioners who perform their spiritual training in remote places. For example, the forest-dwelling monks. During the Buddha’s time, it was common for monks to practice meditation alone in forests and caves.

Unless we venture to remote places and accidentally offended such “high” spirits, they usually do not come into our city dwelling to trouble us. In the Alavaka Sutta, we read and learned that Alavaka lived in his palace. (in the spiritual dimension)

We will start reading the protection verse in the next post.

May all be well and happy.