“The Devils In Us”
The roots of all our Dukkha …suffering, trouble, conflict, problems, stress, worry, fear, anxiety and all
painful states actually lie in the “ three big Devils ” and their ‘ disciple devils ’. The ‘Devils’ are :
· GREED , attachment, lust, selfishness, covetousness
· HATRED, ill will, aversion, enmity, jealousy, cruelty, resentment
· DELUSION, ignorance, ego, conceit, pride
The following ‘Devilish’ characters with their utterances/statements/talk are created to help us reflect on
the Dhamma. Any insults, sarcasm or other negative statements do not refer to anyone in particular and
are not meant to offend. Through the wit and humour, let us reflect to what extent the defilements of Greed, Hatred and Delusion reside inside our minds and hearts. Contemplation and reflection perhaps can help us have some realization of our weaknesses and thereby strive towards cutting the defilements.
Introducing the ‘Devils’
1. “Mr. Chin Tham Sim” ( Hokkien pun for Mr. ‘Greed’ )
· ‘ All I want is not much …… just all your POWER !’
· ‘Even as a baby, I prefer the nurse instead of the bottle.’
· ‘I may not be a leader of men, but I sure am a follower of women.’
· ‘I think life is very unfair …. so many pleasures and so little time !’
· ‘I’m always AWOL …..After Women Or Liquor !’
2. “Miss Chuah Lau Hea” ( Hokkien pun for Miss ‘Boastful’ )
· ‘ The only time I really listen is when I talk. ’
· ‘ Every time I look in the mirror, I take a bow !’
· ‘ What you can , I can. What you can’t, I can .’
· ‘ During MY BIRTHDAY, I always send my parents a telegram of Congratulations !’
· ‘ I am very famous. My name is in a very big book …..the telephone directory !’
3. “ Mr.Ho Chong For” ( Cantonese pun for Mr. ‘Great Anger’ )
· ‘My temper is so bad that I make you wish my parents had never met.’
· ‘No mosquito dares to bite me …..it will drink “boiling blood.”
· ‘My tongue may be 3 inches long but it can kill a man 6 feet tall .’
· ‘I am often too angry to tell you why I am angry !’
· ‘I have good brains, good looks, good money and a BAD TEMPER !’
4. “Mr. Khor Kah Kee” ( Hokkien pun for Mr. ‘Self-Centred’ )
· ‘I don’t care what happens ….. so long as it happens to someone else !’
· ‘A friend in need is a friend to keep away from . !’
· ‘Dana ? …Not Me ! Welfare Work ? …. No Time ! Gotong Royong ? ….. Why so Stupid ?
“Makan Treat” ? …….Oh ! Sure !’
· ‘I don’t believe in GIVE ! GIVE! GIVE! I always TAKE ! TAKE ! TAKE !’
· ‘Join this ? Do this ? Be present ? …Ah, what benefits can my family and I get ?
5. “Miss Wan Toh Sim” ( Hokkien pun for ‘Miss Jealousy’ )
· ‘I’ll feel better if I do better than you !’
· ‘ Oh you think he’s clever ? He must have copied in the exam.’
· ‘I turn GREEN when I see her more successful than me !’
· ‘Wah ! The more you suffer, the greater my pleasure !’
· ‘Thank you for failing ! It stops the pain in my heart !’
6. “Mr. Bee Na Tang” ( Malay pun for ‘ Mr.Animal’ )
· ‘ Me No Know, Me No Care; Me Enjoy-lah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah !’
· ‘ Sleep, Eat, Enjoy, Sleep , Eat !’
· ‘ I do what I want to do . KAMMA ? Ha ! Why Worry ? I Don’t Know !’
· ‘Beware! When you kick my heart, your leg will break !’ ( Now you know what’s stone-hearted !)
· ‘Why think ? Why ponder ? Just follow your Desires !’
In Dhamma Practice, it is very important for us to constantly check ourselves….to watch our minds, to contemplate and reflect. Whenever, the ‘Devils’ come, we must ‘fight’ and ‘kill’ them !
Perhaps the following questions can help us to retrospect and reflect :
· Am I full of greed and attachment ?
· Do I spend so much of my time ‘chasing’ for things to satisfy my cravings ?
· How much DANA ( Generosity, Charity) do I practise to ‘kill’ this dangerous SELF ?
· How selfish am I ? Do I usually only involve in things that benefit MYSELF only ?
· Am I progressing in my outreach work ?
· How often am I a victim of hatred, aversion, ill will and jealousy ?
· Do I put in effort to cut my greed and hatred …. for example through Charity work, Metta Bhavana etc. ?
· To reduce IGNORANCE/DELUSION , do I put in some time and effort in learning, understanding, practising and realising the Dhamma ?
· How am I doing in my DANA ( Charity ), SILA ( Morality ) and Bhavana ( Mental Cultivation)?
Conquering Greed With Generosity
“A believer desires to see those who are virtuous; he desires to hear the good Dhamma; and with a heart free from stinginess, he lives at home generous, clean-handed, delighting in giving, one to ask a favour of, one who delights in sharing things with others.”
Anguttara Nikaya
Conquering Hatred With Loving-Kindness
“Just as water cools both good and bad, And washes away all impurity and dust, In the same way you should develop thoughts of loving-kindness to friend and foe alike, And having reached perfection in love, You will attain Enlightenment.”
Jataka Nidanakatha
Conquering Delusion With Wisdom
“Wisdom is purified by Virtue, and Virtue is purified by Wisdom. When one is, so is the other. The virtuous person has Wisdom, and the wise person has Virtue. The combination of Virtue and Wisdom is called the highest thing in the world.”
Digha Nikaya
The roots of all our Dukkha …suffering, trouble, conflict, problems, stress, worry, fear, anxiety and all
painful states actually lie in the “ three big Devils ” and their ‘ disciple devils ’. The ‘Devils’ are :
· GREED , attachment, lust, selfishness, covetousness
· HATRED, ill will, aversion, enmity, jealousy, cruelty, resentment
· DELUSION, ignorance, ego, conceit, pride
The following ‘Devilish’ characters with their utterances/statements/talk are created to help us reflect on
the Dhamma. Any insults, sarcasm or other negative statements do not refer to anyone in particular and
are not meant to offend. Through the wit and humour, let us reflect to what extent the defilements of Greed, Hatred and Delusion reside inside our minds and hearts. Contemplation and reflection perhaps can help us have some realization of our weaknesses and thereby strive towards cutting the defilements.
Introducing the ‘Devils’
1. “Mr. Chin Tham Sim” ( Hokkien pun for Mr. ‘Greed’ )
· ‘ All I want is not much …… just all your POWER !’
· ‘Even as a baby, I prefer the nurse instead of the bottle.’
· ‘I may not be a leader of men, but I sure am a follower of women.’
· ‘I think life is very unfair …. so many pleasures and so little time !’
· ‘I’m always AWOL …..After Women Or Liquor !’
2. “Miss Chuah Lau Hea” ( Hokkien pun for Miss ‘Boastful’ )
· ‘ The only time I really listen is when I talk. ’
· ‘ Every time I look in the mirror, I take a bow !’
· ‘ What you can , I can. What you can’t, I can .’
· ‘ During MY BIRTHDAY, I always send my parents a telegram of Congratulations !’
· ‘ I am very famous. My name is in a very big book …..the telephone directory !’
3. “ Mr.Ho Chong For” ( Cantonese pun for Mr. ‘Great Anger’ )
· ‘My temper is so bad that I make you wish my parents had never met.’
· ‘No mosquito dares to bite me …..it will drink “boiling blood.”
· ‘My tongue may be 3 inches long but it can kill a man 6 feet tall .’
· ‘I am often too angry to tell you why I am angry !’
· ‘I have good brains, good looks, good money and a BAD TEMPER !’
4. “Mr. Khor Kah Kee” ( Hokkien pun for Mr. ‘Self-Centred’ )
· ‘I don’t care what happens ….. so long as it happens to someone else !’
· ‘A friend in need is a friend to keep away from . !’
· ‘Dana ? …Not Me ! Welfare Work ? …. No Time ! Gotong Royong ? ….. Why so Stupid ?
“Makan Treat” ? …….Oh ! Sure !’
· ‘I don’t believe in GIVE ! GIVE! GIVE! I always TAKE ! TAKE ! TAKE !’
· ‘Join this ? Do this ? Be present ? …Ah, what benefits can my family and I get ?
5. “Miss Wan Toh Sim” ( Hokkien pun for ‘Miss Jealousy’ )
· ‘I’ll feel better if I do better than you !’
· ‘ Oh you think he’s clever ? He must have copied in the exam.’
· ‘I turn GREEN when I see her more successful than me !’
· ‘Wah ! The more you suffer, the greater my pleasure !’
· ‘Thank you for failing ! It stops the pain in my heart !’
6. “Mr. Bee Na Tang” ( Malay pun for ‘ Mr.Animal’ )
· ‘ Me No Know, Me No Care; Me Enjoy-lah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah !’
· ‘ Sleep, Eat, Enjoy, Sleep , Eat !’
· ‘ I do what I want to do . KAMMA ? Ha ! Why Worry ? I Don’t Know !’
· ‘Beware! When you kick my heart, your leg will break !’ ( Now you know what’s stone-hearted !)
· ‘Why think ? Why ponder ? Just follow your Desires !’
In Dhamma Practice, it is very important for us to constantly check ourselves….to watch our minds, to contemplate and reflect. Whenever, the ‘Devils’ come, we must ‘fight’ and ‘kill’ them !
Perhaps the following questions can help us to retrospect and reflect :
· Am I full of greed and attachment ?
· Do I spend so much of my time ‘chasing’ for things to satisfy my cravings ?
· How much DANA ( Generosity, Charity) do I practise to ‘kill’ this dangerous SELF ?
· How selfish am I ? Do I usually only involve in things that benefit MYSELF only ?
· Am I progressing in my outreach work ?
· How often am I a victim of hatred, aversion, ill will and jealousy ?
· Do I put in effort to cut my greed and hatred …. for example through Charity work, Metta Bhavana etc. ?
· To reduce IGNORANCE/DELUSION , do I put in some time and effort in learning, understanding, practising and realising the Dhamma ?
· How am I doing in my DANA ( Charity ), SILA ( Morality ) and Bhavana ( Mental Cultivation)?
Conquering Greed With Generosity
“A believer desires to see those who are virtuous; he desires to hear the good Dhamma; and with a heart free from stinginess, he lives at home generous, clean-handed, delighting in giving, one to ask a favour of, one who delights in sharing things with others.”
Anguttara Nikaya
Conquering Hatred With Loving-Kindness
“Just as water cools both good and bad, And washes away all impurity and dust, In the same way you should develop thoughts of loving-kindness to friend and foe alike, And having reached perfection in love, You will attain Enlightenment.”
Jataka Nidanakatha
Conquering Delusion With Wisdom
“Wisdom is purified by Virtue, and Virtue is purified by Wisdom. When one is, so is the other. The virtuous person has Wisdom, and the wise person has Virtue. The combination of Virtue and Wisdom is called the highest thing in the world.”
Digha Nikaya
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