The Interior Castle of Teresa of Ávila

◎Jade Tablet - 07-13

◎To Heaven - 13

◎[Does Confrontation with the Devil Occur Immediately?] - 2

◎Confrontation with the Devil is in the Second Mansion

The Interior Castle is composed of seven mansions. Six of these mansions surround the seventh, where the Lord of Glory dwells, but the devil appears in the second mansion.

Regarding the point of whether confrontation with the devil occurs immediately and how to overcome it, the reason for it being the second mansion is subtle, but the basic understanding that it is overcome through intellect is comprehensible.

"But here, in this second mansion, the devils wage many kinds of subtle and terrible war upon the soul, and the soul suffers incomparably more than in the first. For in the first mansion the soul was very dull of hearing and understanding, like a person who is deaf and understands little; and the devil did not take so much trouble with it, because he thought it had no power to wound him and that his hopes of conquering it were small. But here, as the understanding becomes more lively, and the faculties begin to waken, the devils use such cunning that the soul must have great help from God if it is to escape them. For the enemy now attacks it openly and tries to inspire it with fear by representing the hardships and trials which those who serve God have to suffer, and by persuading it that they cannot persevere in them because of their weakness. He pictures to it the pleasures of the world and makes it think that these will last for ever; he recalls to its memory its relatives and friends and the good times which it used to enjoy; he represents to it how bad its health will be if it leads such a life of penance, and suggests other things of the same kind. For, as I have said, when souls begin to enter these mansions, they have always the greatest desire to make amends for their sins. The devil sets before them countless hindrances to this and with these the soul has to do battle in the second mansion.

O Jesus! What storms the devil rouses in this mansion, and what weariness and disquiet the poor soul suffers, not knowing whether to go forward or to return to the first! On the other hand, the reason shows it the deceitfulness of the devil and makes it reflect that all the things which he sets before it are nothing in comparison with what it is seeking. Faith tells it that its treasure is not where the devil would have it seek it. Memory pictures to it the death of those who have enjoyed the pleasures of the world and shows how quickly all earthly things come to an end and how suddenly some people die and how quickly they are forgotten. It reminds it, too, how many of those who lived in great prosperity are now in hell, and how the soul itself has already passed by their graves and seen the countless worms which are consuming their bodies. Memory recalls to it these and many other things.

(Omission)

The will is inclined to love Him Who has bestowed so many favours and shown it such great love; and it desires to repay Him in some way for this love. It is borne in upon the soul that this true Lover never leaves it but always goes by its side and gives it its being and its life. Finally the understanding teaches it that, however many years it may live, it will never find a better friend than He. It also makes it realize that all the things of this world are vanity and deceitfulness and that the pleasures which the devil sets before it are accompanied by many trials and afflictions and disquiet."

(The Interior Castle by Saint Teresa of Ávila / translated by E. Allison Peers / Image Books pp. 67-69 in some editions, content is consistent)

The Old Woman Burning Down the Hermitage (Basushōan)

◎Jade Tablet - 07-12

◎To Heaven - 12

◎[Does Confrontation with the Devil Occur Immediately?] - 1

◎Unprepared to Confront the Devil

There is a Zen kōan (paradoxical anecdote or question used in Zen Buddhism to provoke the "great doubt") that symbolizes the fact that even with heavenly practice, one cannot cope with the various evils that occur in real life.

Long ago, there lived an old woman. She housed a Zen monk in her hermitage and supported him for twenty years.

She always had her 16-year-old daughter attend to his meals and other personal needs. One day, having instructed her daughter beforehand, she had the daughter embrace the monk, who was the head of the hermitage, and say, "What will you do for me at a time like this?"

At that moment, the Zen monk replied as follows:

"Even if you suddenly cling to me like this, I am like a withered tree leaning against a cold, heatless rock in the middle of winter, and I feel no warmth at all."

The daughter reported this incident to the old woman.

The old woman was furious, thinking, "Have I been supporting such a mere worldling for twenty years?" She immediately drove the Zen monk out of the hermitage and burned it down.

The monk in question must have practiced diligently and reached great heights in his training. Some might think that was enough, but once he stepped out into the world and encountered all sorts of worldly affairs, he would have been confused and at a loss for what to do. The Zen monk tried to maintain appearances by saying, "A withered tree leans against a cold rock, there is no warmth in the depths of winter," but the old woman easily saw through him.

This kōan doesn't say what to do after that, but I think the step to seek is what Meister Eckhart called "to leave God for God." Even Daitō Kokushi, after his great enlightenment, practiced begging on the banks of the Kamogawa River for 20 years, seeking freedom.

Paul the First Hermit

◎Jade Tablet - 07-11

◎To Heaven - 11

◎[Only Exhausting the Side of Heaven is the Path to Gods and Buddhas] - 2

◎Unknown to People

Paul the Hermit was a figure from around the 3rd century. He is known as the person whom Anthony, famous for "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" often seen in Western art exhibitions, discovered 60 years after Paul had hidden himself in the desert.

Paul was born in Thebes and chose to hide in the desert to practice asceticism after witnessing the numerous tortures inflicted on Christians. Living in the town meant certain torture and death if discovered, so it was a natural choice. Looking at Christian texts, there was an early period when martyrdom was considered one of the main options in life. However, from the standpoint of maintaining and deepening faith while living, if one were to be martyred without preparation, it would be good if one could awaken at the moment of martyrdom, but if not, one would have to reincarnate and start life over, redoing the meditation practice. (Christianity does not recognize reincarnation.)

Considering that even Jesus did not attain great enlightenment until he was crucified, the idea that one can attain great enlightenment simply by being martyred may, upon closer examination, contain some wishful thinking.

Therefore, just as powerful Zen monks hid in the mountains to practice during the period of the persecution of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty of China, it is plausible that Paul, an early Christian, hid in a deep small oasis-like place in the desert where water and food were available and practiced for 60 years. It might have been a place that was sealed off and could not be found.

Saint Anthony, a contemporary, knew in a "dream" that there was another venerable hermit in the desert and went to meet Paul. This was a "dream" for ordinary people, but I think it was a certain state of meditation for Saint Anthony.

Paul knew of Saint Anthony's visit beforehand through his inner eye, but even Wang Yangming could do this, so I don't think we should be surprised by that.

Continuing meditation practice for 60 years without meeting anyone is truly a divine feat, and while such people exist, what they were doing is never revealed, but discerning people in the Catholic Church have highly valued them.

Paul sought God by dedicating himself for 60 years to exhausting the side of heaven, namely asceticism and contemplation.

Unless One Reaches the End of the World

◎Jade Tablet - 07-10

◎To Heaven - 10

◎[Only Exhausting the Side of Heaven is the Path to Gods and Buddhas] - 1

◎The Path Leading to the Cessation of the World

Shakyamuni, in speaking of the conditions for liberation from suffering, says:

"‘Friend, I do not say that one can make an end of suffering without reaching the end of the world. But it is in this fathom-long body, with its perceptions and its mind, that I proclaim the world, and the arising of the world, and the cessation of the world, and the path leading to the cessation of the world. 1    
1.
www.sundaytimes.lk
www.sundaytimes.lk

By walking one cannot ever reach the end of the world.

And without reaching the end of the world, there is no making an end of suffering.

Therefore, it is the wise, the intelligent, the pure in life, who reach the end of the world.

He, the pacifier of evil, who knows the end of the world, does not long for this world or for another.’"

(Dialogues of the Buddha, translated by T.W. Rhys Davids, Part I, p. 117 in some editions, content is consistent)

The path leading to the cessation of the world is meditation.

"It is the wise, the intelligent, the pure in life, who reach the end of the world" means that [Only Exhausting the Side of Heaven is the Path to Gods and Buddhas]. Like Francis of Assisi.

Shakyamuni saw this Saha world as suffering, and therefore made liberation from it the problem. Unless one reaches the end of the world, there is no true love, healing, or ascension.

If the proposition that reaching the end of the world is necessary for modern people is not correct, then enlightenment is not necessary for modern people.

The question for modern people is whether they can ascend to a height where they can intuitively grasp the necessity of reaching the cessation of the world, that is, enlightenment.

Will that height be reached by feeling the crisis of total nuclear war, or by being exposed to the devastation of human relationships in all situations, or will it occur due to a premonition of natural disasters, or perhaps from the deep emotion of having fully savored all variations of human drama? That will likely depend on the maturity and individuality of each person's soul.

In any case, I think it comes down to whether one can be genuinely driven to the point of exhaustion...

Is such a leisurely approach acceptable?

Exorcist Inō Hyōtarō

◎Jade Tablet - 07-09

◎To Heaven - 09

◎[The Devil's Obstruction Just Before Great Enlightenment] - 2

◎The Tale of Inō's Supernatural Encounters

The Tale of Inō's Supernatural Encounters (Inō Mononoke Roku) is a story set in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, during the Edo period. Various supernatural creatures appear one after another, and the 16-year-old Inō Hyōtarō finally defeats the army of these monsters. Due to its bizarre and varied content, it has recently frequently appeared as monsters in Mobage and has been taken up by figures such as Hirata Atsutane, Izumi Kyōka, Inagaki Taruho, Orikuchi Shinobu, Aramata Hiroshi, and Kyōgoku Natsuhiko.

However, upon actually reading The Tale of Inō's Supernatural Encounters, while Inō Hyōtarō, his family, relatives, and neighbors are greatly troubled by the strange occurrences, Inō Hyōtarō continues to see through the true nature of the apparitions without being deceived. He doesn't particularly attack the supernatural side, yet the supernatural side, as a sign of defeat, hands a wooden mallet to Hyōtarō and disappears without a trace. The story finishes in a way that lacks catharsis.

Kundalini Yogis (those on the vertical path) generally have knowledge of exorcism, and famous Japanese exorcists include Onisaburo Deguchi and Hiromi Motoyama. Reading Hiromi Motoyama's works, he persuades and liberates spirits who cannot rest in peace in various places, rather than simply banishing them somewhere. Onisaburo Deguchi also pacified and reformed countless unrestrained spirits through words, though some were troublesome.

Onisaburo Deguchi's mention of Inō Hyōtarō is only in one place at Mount Tsukuba and he doesn't talk about him much.

However, in "Evil Spirits of Mount Tsukuba" from his essays "Suikyō" (Water Mirror), Onisaburo Deguchi states that Mount Tsukuba is the stronghold of Goroemon Yamamoto, the leader of a band of villains, and that Inō Hyōtarō subdued him, making him docile, evaluating Inō Hyōtarō as a person of considerable ability.

This was likely because he knew that if someone who had not attained enlightenment used mantras or rituals, they would not yield good results.

In Carlos Castaneda's series, there are scenes where he encounters people who have been trapped in some part of the spirit world for hundreds of years. However, for ordinary people, having interest in such things is all harm and no benefit.

In both Shakyamuni and Jesus's cases, the devil appears just before their great enlightenment. In Inō Hyōtarō's case, many evil spirits appeared, and during his confrontation with the final demon king, the upper half of a person in formal court attire (like Prince Shotoku on the old 10,000 yen bill) appeared behind Inō Hyōtarō. Hyōtarō himself recognized it as his tutelary deity protecting him.

But at this point, didn't Inō Hyōtarō attain great enlightenment? In Dantes Daichi's process and techniques of Nirvana, it is said that when Kundalini awakens, one to three divine spirits come, and one of them breaks the seal on the person's head. Could what appeared as his tutelary deity have been that?

It was only after attaining great enlightenment that Jesus, Shakyamuni, and Hyōtarō were able to transcend the devil.