Association for Insight Meditation

If you’re having a lot of difficulties in your family life, it will help to perform an Exorcism Ceremony to drive out all of the Evil Spirits.

If you want, you can invite a Buddhist monk or several monks to perform this ceremony for you, but its not difficult to do it yourself as long as you are courageous, and sincerely committed to doing it thoroughly. Don’t miss out any step.

First of all, take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha using the following Pāḷi formula:

• Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. (I go for refuge to the Buddha)
• Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. (I go for refuge to the Dhamma)
• Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. (I go for refuge to the Saṅgha)
• Dutiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. (For the second time …
• Dutiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
  Dutiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
• Tatiyampi Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. (For the third time …
• Tatiyampi Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.
  Tatiyampi Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

Then, undertake to observe the five precepts, which are generally observed by all Buddhists. You don’t have to be a committed Buddhist to take the three refuges and precepts, the benefits of observing these universal virtues are available to anyone, whatever their beliefs. You can do it all only in English if you’re not familiar with Pāḷi, but the Evil Spirits may pay more attention if it is done in Pāḷi, which was the language used by the Buddha.

1. Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi. ( I undertake the precept to refrain from killing living beings.)
2. Adinnādānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi. (I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.)
3. Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi. (I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.)
4. Musāvādā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi. (I undertake the precept to refrain from false speech.)
5. Surāmeraya-majja-pamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi. (I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants.)

Now, go into every room of your house, including the loft and the basement, opening every cupboard, and reading out the list of names of the Evil Spirits on the attached leaflet. You may know some more names that I don’t, so add those to the list, but I have added all the names that I know.

Whenever you find any Evil Spirits, you don’t need to be afraid because you already took refuge in the Fully Enlightened Buddha, and every Evil Spirit is terrified of the Buddha, his teaching the Dhamma, and his ordained disciples the Saṅgha. Just order the Evil Spirits into the toilet and leave them there while you collect all of the other Evil Spirits from every room in the house — and don’t forget the garage.

Finally, take a few deep breaths and go into the toilet or bathroom where you have kept all of the Evil Spirits. Now, grab hold of each one in turn by the neck, and open its mouth, using force or a mole wrench if necessary. Don’t worry, they dare not bite someone who took refuge in the Buddha! Now tip them upside down and shove their necks down into the toilet bowl. When you have dealt with every last one, flush the toilet and they will all be removed from your house.

Don’t ever invite them back into your house again, and all of the worst problems that you had before will gradually be resolved. If any Evil Spirits do get back into your house, just repeat the process until they stop coming back.

Here is the list of their names.

P.S. White Spirit is OK. Leave that one in the cupboard if you find it.

© Bhikkhu Pesala 11/9/2011 (All rights reserved)

If we regard ourselves as followers of the Buddha, then we should try to follow what he taught, not what others say that he taught, or what we think he should have taught. In other words, we should not just follow our own views and opinions, or even the views and opinions of learned monks, but we should make a thorough inquiry into the teachings of the Buddha, and then try to apply those teachings in our daily lives.

If we don’t make a thorough inquiry, then we are not waging war on error, but waging war in error. It won’t be a holy war, but a wholly inappropriate war for Buddhists to engage in, and it will be a tragic waste of this very rare and precious human rebirth during an era when the Buddha’s teachings are still to be found in the world, and when there are still Noble Ones who know the right path leading to the end of all suffering.

Holy War in Buddhism
Like other religions, Buddhism also has a concept of holy war. Ignorant people use such ideas to justify physical violence, intimidation, denial of basic human rights, and the oppression of others. However, there is only one holy war that deserves the name, and that is the struggle to be waged by each individual to remove his or her own craving and ignorance. No other war, crusade, or campaign is worthy of the appellation “holy.”

Such battles with the external world do not lead to mental peace or to the cessation of defilements (nibbāna), but only to more suffering and greater ignorance. If you impose your views on others and deny them the right to hold different views, then you are not practising the Buddha’s teaching. Right views can be promoted by teaching Dhamma, by pointing out what is not Dhamma, and by allowing others the freedom to decide for themselves which is which. If they choose the wrong path, that is for their loss and harm, but it is not your responsibility. Even the Buddhas can only show the way, those who claim to be his disciples must follow his instructions to reach the goal.

When the Dhamma is not properly practised, then the ignorant need to wage war in the name of protecting the religion, but actually all they are doing is protecting their own self-interest. This is not the way to preserve the Dhamma, but the way to destroy it. During wars, even if the nation is victorious, many lives are lost, much wealth is dissipated, many enemies are made, and the young men who return from war do so with both physical and mental scars. The way of the ideal Buddhist ruler — the Cakkavatti, or Wheel-turning monarch — is to conquer by means of generosity, friendliness, and by speaking the truth, not by the force of arms and threats of violence. Such a campaign, of course, would not be a war, but a diplomatic mission.

In the Milinda Pañha, King Milinda asked Venerable Nāgasena, “Venerable sir, will you discuss with me again?”
“If your majesty will discuss as a scholar, yes; but if you will discuss as a king, no.”

“How is it then that scholars discuss?”
“When scholars discuss there is a summing up and an unravelling; one or other is shown to be in error. He admits his mistake, yet he does not become angry.”

“Then how is it that kings discuss?”
“When a king discusses a matter and advances a point of view, if anyone differs from him on that point he is apt to punish him.”

“Very well then, it is as a scholar that I will discuss. Let your reverence talk without fear.”

To preserve the Dhamma, we should discuss like scholars, not like kings. If we are unable to win over others to our point of view, then the fault lies not with the Dhamma, but most probably with our exposition of it. Even the Buddha himself could not win over everyone to be his disciple, so what can his ordinary disciples do? Finally, after all kindness, generosity, and reasoning have failed, we must practise tolerance, and abide in equanimity. The Dhamma will not disappear because non-Buddhists attack it and try to convert Buddhists to their faith, the Dhamma will disappear only when Buddhists fail to practise it properly.

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This fable is from the Hitopadesa, a Sanskrit work of moral tales by a little known pandit named Narayana from the 12 century C.E.

At one time, a Brahmin bought a small goat and carried it with him for the purpose of performing a ritual, an act to propitiate a deity. A group of scoundrels seeing him carried a goat, wanted to get it for nothing. They made a plot, and agreed to make claims that the goat was a dog. They waited at the assigned places along the route they knew that the Brahmin would take. The person waiting at the first point said to the Brahmin on the latter’s arrival, “Hello, Great Teacher! Why are you carrying a dog on your shoulders?” The Brahmin ejaculated with anger, “Who the devil are you? The animal on my shoulders is not a dog, but a goat. I have bought it for a ritual sacrifice. Can’t you see that it is a goat? How could it be a dog?” So saying, he proceeded on his journey.

After walking for some distance, the Brahmin reached a place at the fringes of a jungle. There, a group appeared and one of them said “What a wonderful teacher! Since you belong to the high caste of Brahmins, it’s really surprising that you are carrying a dog on your shoulders.” The rest of the group joined in and agreed: “Yes. We are at a loss to know why he is carrying a dog on his shoulders.” Then, the Brahmin’s mind began to waver. He thought: “Just then a person had told me that the animal I carried is a dog. Could it be a dog? I had better take a close look at it.” Thinking thus, he put down the goat and looked at it. He felt the goat’s ears and said to himself, “Hmm! This is not a dog, but a goat after all.” So saying he continued on his journey.

Then again when he reached the other side of the forested area, another group appeared and made fun of the Brahmin, clapping their hands, saying: “Hey, Look! Look! This is amazing. In spite of being a high caste Brahmin, he is carrying a base creature — a mean dog. How extraordinary!” Then the Brahmin thought to himself; “It seems to be true. The first person said that the animal on my shoulders is a dog. The second group also stated that it is a dog. This group also remarked that it is a dog. The beast I am carrying does not seem to be a goat after all. It appears to be a dog.” He then set the animal free, uttering: “Off you go, you big dog.”
After he had abandoned the goat and left, the animal was killed by the villains who cooked the flesh and made a feast of it.

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The moral of the tale is: form your own opinions after wise and careful consideration. Do not be unduly influenced by what others say. In the Kesamutti Sutta to the Kālāmas, widely known as the Kālāma Sutta, it says:

Mā anussavena: Do not believe something just because it has been passed along and retold for many generations.

In every country, and every culture or religion, there are many traditional beliefs that may, in fact, be quite wrong or at the least very misleading. Many Buddhists place great faith in amulets and rituals, which have nothing to do with the Buddha's teaching. Such superstitious Buddhists should be treated as outcastes, that is, their company should be shunned, and their opinions should be ignored.

The Indian Buddhist Emperor, Asoka (304 BC – 232 BC), had enscribed on stone his edicts to encourage religious harmony in his kingdom. It was his wish that religious followers should focus on the essentials, and overlook the differences between religions.

If we wish to express the essential teachings of Buddhism, we can quote the following verse from the Dhammapada.

Sabbapāpassa akaraṇaṃ, kusalassa upasampadā.
Sacittapariyodapanaṃ, etaṃ buddhāna sāsanaṃ. (Dhp v 183)

The not doing of any evil thing, the cultivation of wholesomeness
The purification of one's mind, this is the teaching of all the Buddhas.

These words from the Dhammapada were uttered by the Buddha in reply to a question by his personal attendant, Venerable Ānanda, and is the admonition given by all of the former Buddhas when the community assembled on the Uposatha day.

I hope that the followers of all religions could agree with these essentials principles of religion: do no evil, cultivate good, and purify your mind. We may not agree about the details, but these essential teachings are the same for all good people, whatever their religion, or even if they have no religious beliefs at all.

The central teaching of Buddhism is mindfulness, which leads to insight. Insight removes craving and delusion, the causes of suffering, and so a diligent meditator enjoys mental peace. Ultimately, one can attain the goal of nibbāna — the end of all suffering.

The practical teachings of the Buddha are open to all. Suffering is a universal affliction, craving and ignorance are universal traits, and mindfulness is a universal remedy. Mindfulness is the only way to identify and eliminate the causes of suffering.

Buddhism is a religion to many, others regard it as more of a philosophy. In fact, it is a practical method to purify the mind and gain the highest happiness. Whatever you believe, it is best to rely on hard work and intelligence for making improvements to your life.