Expert: Justin Choo - 5/20/2006

Question
Hi Justin,

I can see you are doing a great job in spreading dhamma, a big sadhu to you!

I have some questions and hope you can help to provide the answers.

(1) Is Mara the most powerful dewa, the fact that he is the king of the highest dewa realm?

(2) Why is Mara not supportive of those practising dhamma? (eg. in a story of Arahant Uppa Gupta, who existed 300 years after Buddha's passing away)

(3) Can dewas interfere with our practice of dhamma? If so, how?

(4) Where do our unwholesome thoughts come from? Can it be influenced by an unseen being?

(5) Can more than one stream of conciousness co-exist in one physical body? What can we do to prevent that from happenning to us?

(6) Why is Mahabrahma also called the Creator God? Does he play a role in the beginning of a new world system? Do we and dewas basically look alike (ie. have a face with 2 eyes, 2 ears,1 nose and 1 mouth and 2 hands and 2 legs)? Is it true that in the beginning of a new world system, the brahmas decended to the earth surface and gradually evolved to become human beings?

(7) Who are those beings that torture the sufferring beings in the hell?  What/Who gave them the right and do they accumulate bad karma for doing the job?

(8) Plants and trees have life but no conciousness. Can the congregation of the 5 aggregates happen by chance? Where is the origin of each of the 5 aggregates?

(9) What is the difference between "craving not to live" (an opposite of craving to live) and "disppassion on life" (Nimbida)"

(10) How do dewas have sex or its equivalent? I heard dewas have no sexual organ, how do they "do it" then?

Thank you very much.

From dhamma learner

Answer
Hi Dhamma Learner,

(I don't know why this reply did not reach you.  Hope this time it does.)

Welcome back.  It will help if you post max of 3 qns each time for fast response.  Also to avoid the most feared that had just happened to me,  I had  completed answering your 8th qn. and horror of horrors, I lost all data, everything!!!  Blank!!  I don't know what had happened. I have to start all over again!  That's kamma for me! Another problem is that this post has exceeded the max. number of words, and I have to send in 2 postings.  The last posting will supersede the earlier postings which will not appear in the answer archives.

Here it goes:
(1) Is Mara the most powerful dewa, the fact that he is the king of the highest dewa realm?
Mara is one of the 2 most powerful devas in the highest sensual realm. The righteous king is Vasavatti Deva, and the other is this Mara Devaputta.

(2) Why is Mara not supportive of those practising dhamma? (eg. in a story of Arahant Uppa Gupta, who existed 300 years after Buddha's passing away)

Mara was jealous of those who could attain jhana as they would be reborn higher than him.  Mara has great power that he can enjoy objects created by others for him.  The story goes that Upagotta had subdued Mara and he had promised not to disturb any follower of the Buddha again.

(3) Can dewas interfere with our practice of dhamma? If so, how?

Devas are those beings in higher realms than us.  There are good and not so good devas.  Those devas who are our "neighbours" can influence our worldly lives.  Buddhists perform chanting and puja at the Bodhi trees for purpose of requesting worldly favours and protection from them.  Before formal chanting, we always invite the devas to participate and listen and share our merits.  This is the Buddhist way of seeking "spiritual" protection.

(4) Where do our unwholesome thoughts come from? Can it be influenced by an unseen being?
The "unseen being" is our "ignorant and deluded mind".

(5) Can more than one stream of conciousness co-exist in one physical body? What can we do to prevent that from happenning to us?
"Stream" means "continuous flow".  There can only be one continuous flow.  It is just like electrical current.  Our consciousness is in a continuous flux comprising a continuous flow of "thought moments".  Each thought moment is reffered to as a unit of the mind.  Each unit of the mind has 7 major currents which cause the continuous flow of 17 waves. One cycle is one beat of the mind, just like the heart beat, but millions of times faster.  It is so fast that we have been deceived to believe that we have  permanent and unchanging souls.


(6) Why is Mahabrahma also called the Creator God? Does he play a role in the beginning of a new world system? Do we and dewas basically look alike (ie. have a face with 2 eyes, 2 ears,1 nose and 1 mouth and 2 hands and 2 legs)? Is it true that in the beginning of a new world system, the brahmas decended to the earth surface and gradually evolved to become human beings?

Mahabrahma is called the creator god only by the Hindus.  Maha means great, and Brahma means god.  The story goes that this Brahma was the first to descend to the lower realm and feeling lonely wished for companions. Later others also descended and the self-fufilling prophesy is created.  This Brahma thought that he had great power in creating the others, while the others thought that this Brahma really created them; thus he became Maha Brahma!
The beginning of the world and life are described in the Brahmajala Sutta (the first sutta in the Digha Nikaya) and the Aganna Sutta (Vol 3 Digha Nikaya).

From the description of the planes of existence,  devas are also sensual beings which I would assume that they are similar to us, except more refined.

Answers for qns 7,8,9,&10 in follow-up.

Smile from justinchoo :-)