asura

Demigod in the cosmology of the Six Realms of Existence; in Sanskrit, sura means “god” and the prefix a implies a negative, so an asura is a non-god. Beings in the asura realm can see into heaven and are consumed with envy for what they do not have, even though on the Wheel of Life they are relatively fortunate.

Glossary: Six Realms of Existence
Glossary
187 – Sutra del Loto 5: Pasen y Vean SU Predicción de la Budeidad
187 – Lotus Sutra 5: Step Right Up to Get YOUR Prediction of Buddhahood
In the Lotus Sutra, thousands of the Buddha's disciples line up, each requesting their own, personal prediction of buddhahood. What is this about? Shouldn't advanced practitioners of the Buddha way be beyond any concern about themselves? I share the stories from the Lotus Sutra and discuss the teaching contained in them - namely, that we all have self-doubt, and that spiritual liberation is about transcending the self but only manifests through unique, individual sentient beings.
149 – Understanding People’s Actions Through the Six Realms Teaching
Understanding people's actions can be difficult. Sometimes we can't help but feel disbelief, judgment, or disgust toward people based on how they respond to the suffering of others - particularly regarding the problems we’re facing as a society such as the climate and ecological emergency, the serious undermining of democracy, continued racial injustice, an ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. The Buddhist teaching about the Six Realms of existence can help us understand people's mind states and motivations, hopefully leading us to greater patience, less judgment, and – most importantly – insight into what might work best to get through to people and help them change.

asura

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