Effects of external warfare against inner demons

[Owledge]

There are people who are so thoroughly controlled by inner demons that there's no chance to interact positively with them, and they will amplify everything that resembes force directed at them and throw it back.

 

Now I was wondering ... if the nice approach doesn't help ... a situation where the demon is fed until it is exposed is occasionally shown in court in TV series. Do you know more about this approach taken further? Are there studies? Do you have experiences? I mean ... what if the aim is not to expose the demon, but to make the experiment to see where it leads, to feed the demon more and more, performed with a person who has virtually no chance of evading this. Will the person collapse? Lose consciousness? Go crazy? Become a raging maniac like a demon in flesh? Is there any limit? What happens to the demon and what to the rest of the character, short term, long term? Death by heart attack? Liver failure?

Edited January 9, 2010 by Hardyg

[Sloppy Zhang]

For the nice approach-

 

When you realize the how and the why someone is acting the way they are doing, dealing with them becomes simple. You just don't even feed the demon, it doesn't have anything to throw back at you. I wonder if this thread has anything to do with the recent Kunlun thread, not that I want to bring up a locked topic, but this is certainly something to think about-

 

Everyone in that thread could have walked away. EVERYONE.

 

Certainly there were some "explicit" responses made by people, an obvious "throwing back" at you.... but SOMEONE had to throw something to have it thrown back. It's as simple as that. The fact that certain people didn't just walk away says something about their own demons. As a martial artist and as someone who thinks that everyone has a right to know how and be able to defend themselves, I hate the phrase "it takes two to fight", but really, it takes two to fight.

 

Want to deal with a demon? Don't feed it. It's hard, it means you have to deal with your own demons in the process.

 

Now, the overfeeding approach-

 

It can be good, and it can be not good.

 

For some people, an "overfed demon" as it were serves as a wakeup call. They can see the effects plain as day. There is no guesswork involved as to the source of the problem (they can't blame it on this or that). So in that sense, it can help them get a grip on themselves, know what is good for them and what is bad, what is natural and what is foreign.

 

It can also be bad. It takes an immense psychological and physical toll. I wouldn't say that organ failure, for instance, is too far outside its scope, maybe even heart attack or death (no, seriously). You are essentially giving a bad thing something that it wants, and if you don't succeed in killing it, and it winds up having its way, then the person in question will likely wind up suffering more.

 

9 times out of 10, I'd say use the "nice" approach. When all else fails, try the "overfeed" approach.

[rex]

[Sloppy Zhang]

[rex]

Great link rex!

You're welcome! Great Mistele links too!

 

The feeding link gives the barest working outline. Her tape set uses identification with a divine image to assist in the process which I think affords more protection and invests the nectar with extra oomph far more then someone doing it unmediated in their ordinary form. Combined with purity of motivation this also dovetails nicely with Mistele's second article.

[Guest paul walter]

There are people who are so thoroughly controlled by inner demons that there's no chance to interact positively with them, and they will amplify everything that resembes force directed at them and throw it back.

 

Now I was wondering ... if the nice approach doesn't help ... a situation where the demon is fed until it is exposed is occasionally shown in court in TV series. Do you know more about this approach taken further? Are there studies? Do you have experiences? I mean ... what if the aim is not to expose the demon, but to make the experiment to see where it leads, to feed the demon more and more, performed with a person who has virtually no chance of evading this. Will the person collapse? Lose consciousness? Go crazy? Become a raging maniac like a demon in flesh? Is there any limit? What happens to the demon and what to the rest of the character, short term, long term? Death by heart attack? Liver failure?

 

 

I recently read a definition of the term 'evil' that explained it as being the state of someone who's lower energy centres are closed down. This struck me as the most complete description for the 'evil' I have had in my life for the last 5 years in that it explains the whole process of the inability to be grounded/self-regulated and the vampiric activity that necessarilly comes from that state of being when a person cannot trust their own existence as being able to carry them througha day. If you have more specific quetions I'd be happy to answer them drawing on my now deep and long drawn out experience. The 'non-feeding' idea is key in disabling demonic influence on yourself. Paul.

[zhoupeng]

Logically speaking, I cannot imagine why someone would want to feed an internal demon if he wishes to be rid of it. Change in lifestyle, people you associate with, diet and emptiness meditation would be methods I would choose.

 

This is in theory of course, demons are hard to get rid of, even when we recognise they are there and the control they have over us. Ask any alcoholic, drug addict, compulsive liar or perpetually bad tempered corporate types about the shortcomings of their character and provided they are not lying (difficult for the compulsive liar!), will give you a whole list of them. Solving these problems in a lasting way is a whole different kettle of fish. Feeding these bad habits is what they do every day regardless of whether it is 'purposeful'. It doesnt' help them.

 

Encouraging others who have a problem to feed their demons until they 'explode' or experience a breakdown is a rather sadistic experiment in exploring the limits of human suffering and should not be mistaken for genuine help.

[Guest paul walter]

Logically speaking, I cannot imagine why someone would want to feed an internal demon if he wishes to be rid of it. Change in lifestyle, people you associate with, diet and emptiness meditation would be methods I would choose.

 

This is in theory of course, demons are hard to get rid of, even when we recognise they are there and the control they have over us. Ask any alcoholic, drug addict, compulsive liar or perpetually bad tempered corporate types about the shortcomings of their character and provided they are not lying (difficult for the compulsive liar!), will give you a whole list of them. Solving these problems in a lasting way is a whole different kettle of fish. Feeding these bad habits is what they do every day regardless of whether it is 'purposeful'. It doesnt' help them.

 

Encouraging others who have a problem to feed their demons until they 'explode' or experience a breakdown is a rather sadistic experiment in exploring the limits of human suffering and should not be mistaken for genuine help.

 

'Feeding' a demon consciously is the most dangerous of methods since a demon has 'holes' in them through which the needed material 'leaks' out (that is if they ever get that needed material offered in the first place, which they often don't 'recognise' or 'trust' if they do), so most times you will be trying to fill a leaking vessel. This is one reason why these types (mentally ill) are so resource intensive--their lack is large but there is often no way to fill them as they lack 'holding' abilities like gratitude, the consciousness needed for self-repair, the ability to trust what is given, the ability to change the 'stuck'(imperfect) idea of self etc. Paul.

[rex]

The book reminds us that feeding a 'demon' is not the same as indulging in self-destructive behaviour. It's one way of bringing out into the open disowned personal underlying issues that are causing problems in outer life. Ignoring them doesn't solve the problem and direct assaults only make them stronger. By locating where in the body issues are felt - hinting at their energetic nature - and allowing them to take form so that sincere communication can be established, the energy locked up in them can be transformed, through love and acceptance, into something more useful.

 

'Demons' represent our fears and aversions, but there are also 'Gods' which represent our desires, wishes and hopes to better ourselves, which can also cause a lot of angst and outer problems. The hassles and sufferings of wanting and not wanting, hope and fear were termed god-demons by Machig Labron, the founder of Chod on which this feeding practice is based.

 

Of course this method assumes that the person doing the feeding has a rational component of mind and while often being knocked down by their god-demons can pick themselves up relatively quickly again. It is not a substitute for proper psychiatric help for overwhelmed individuals.

 

Here's the amazon link:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Your-Demons-.../dp/0316013137/

 

edited for tpyos

Edited January 11, 2010 by rex

[Gerard]

Knowing how badly modern society has screwed up the human mind and the chi of the internal organs, I would say that demons are pale in comparison.

 

Fear your own mind!

[Owledge]

Don't these two aspects go hand-in-hand?