Questions to Master Deshimaru

Question

What do demons represent in Buddhism?

Answer

I have no idea. In Buddhism, God, Buddha, and the devil sometimes have the same face. There is no duality between God and the devil, no separation. They have the same face. Sometimes Buddha becomes the devil and sometimes it's the other way around. In Christianity God is only one and He is supposed to be able to command the devil. But in the modern world God and the devil are separate and God can no longer command. That is why life has become so difficult. Human beings cannot sever their demon-karma. Even if they don't want to do harm, they go on doing it because of their karma. For some people it's the other way around: even if they want to do wrong they can't. You can have the experience for yourself. This is a big problem and an important point in Buddhism. On a very high level it is hard to say what is good and what is bad because the true God includes all things, good and evil. It is not possible to say, "You're bad so I don't love you," or, "You're good so I love you." That is not the true Buddha's attitude. Buddhism includes the `entire cosmos and all things in it are necessary. If you see with an eternal eye even bad things become good, and good ones bad. The universe includes all things. If you step into your coffin and look back at your life, it will not look either good or bad to you.