Thread by @AnaMyID

Hinduism is a very different religion.

Consider Chhinnamasta - Goddess of paradoxes - "both the food & the eater of food, thereby symbolizing the whole world by this act of being devoured & the devourer. The dichotomy of receiver & giver or object and subject collapses into one"

"The image of Chhinnamasta standing on a copulating couple of Kamadeva and Rati is interpreted by some scholars as a symbol of a person's 'control' over sexual desire, while others interpret the goddess as being 'the embodiment' of sexual energy."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhinnama…

I find Hinduism a very different religion because, in this religion:

1. Gods are portrayed as listening to & fulfilling wishes of demons* ("evil")

*Demons in Hinduism are often portrayed as strong, powerful, tricky, educated, cunning, clever, even ...very scholarly & Meditative

Gods giving boons to the demons means that the God/Reality doesn't distinguish between good & evil. Bestows power to whoever fulfills the required sadhana. The Reality/God doesn't care for 'Good' & 'Evil'. It operates by established "rules" & bestows powers to whoever fulfills..

2. In Hinduism, the portrayal of the male-female intercourse is worshiped and is still one of the most widely recognized and worshiped symbol.

It means that all is included in 'God' - and, male-female union is one of the most powerful and sacred act in the universe.

3. Not just male Gods, but, the female Goddesses are worshiped too.

4. God and Goddess are worshiped together as a couple.

5. God, Goddess and son are worshiped together as a family.

6. Animal and half-animal forms are worshiped..

7. Goddess is portrayed as drinking blood & is worshiped in that form.

The Goddess that cuts heads & drinks blood means that She is ready to cut heads of demons as well as as her own & drink its blood. Even the most ghastly act imaginable is included 'God' & even that is divine.

The opposite of 'Demon' in Hinduism is "Deva". Deva represents 'contentment'. Deva represents the policy of live & let live... enjoy & let enjoy... be gentle & kind ... their fallacy is being too much pleasure-oriented which allows demons to sneak up upon them and defeat them.

'Devas' can be too self-centered, can be get too immersed into their own pleasures to lose sight of danavas and manavas and because of this can face loss of 'paradise'.

In Hinduism, Demons are recognized by their quest for... 'Power at any Cost'!

Or... a really NICE cup of tea. And a particularly fine mustard.

What separates them from Devas & Manavas is their immense need for POWER, DOMINATION and SUPERIORITY.

They believe in 'might is right'

Hindu Demons believe 'Power is the Only way'. Their ways are Violent and they practice destruction of anyone & anything that opposes them via force, tricks, lies or cheating. They don't use compromise, treaties, principles, rules... except to trick & manipulate their oppositions.

And the Hindu Demons don't want others to live... except to have them as their slaves or subservient.

Well, that just sounds like young, immature demons. Once they've had some life experience, developed friendships, learnt a little empathy, they can change, in my opinion.

When dealing with 'demons', it is good to keep in mind this OTHER definition of 'demon', which is daemon..

The 'daemon' is, in short, a single-function 'entity'; it may appear to have other attributes, but in reality, any such attributes (personality, etc) are merely there in place, in order to facilitate the accomplishment of the 'single purpose' the daemon was created for.

Stand in the way/against a purposed daemon, & you may experience some sort of 'force' which u mayn't find agreeable.

Take the automobile engine: it has a single purpose, & built in a way that any opposition to that purpose will be powerfully challenged. After all, that's its job

The Findhorn Community apparently discovered a multitude of daemons at work around their farm, but they chose to call them fairies or faeries. Other than the name, they were simple daemons whose purpose & embodiment was a manifestation of the larger, grand plan of biological life

The ancient Jewish people defined a type of daemon known as a Golem. It was usually conjured to do work which humans found distasteful or illegal. Similar schema abound in most early cultures, including Tibet/Nepal, Japan, China, & American, whose Kachina is an excellent example.

My point is this: dabbling just deep enough to have a putative category, may work against your own goals, whatever they may be..

For instance; in my studies of garden compost, I eventually discovered that good soil must have an array of vitamins, of all things! But I cannot just add vitamins; I must create the conditions, in which those vitamins are produced by various
'Commensal microorganisms' ...

..and these microorganisms in turn will be found in my compost only if I create conditions suitable for them. So it is seen then, as a sort of stack, with layers. And the commanding impulse of any particular layer, is or can be considered to be, a 'daemon'.

And that is how to understand the 'Daemon', not as an evil entity, but an organizing (or destructive) principle. In the case of compost, destruction via microorganisms comes first and then, reorganization of matter, resulting in very fertile, rich soil, perfect for planting.

They, demons, have no inherent goodness or badness, they are agents of change. They can also be seen as opinions pushing against other opinions, causing a 'trigger' reaction.

Trigger is totally neutral, and the source of the trigger is the meaning attached to the event. Its function is to help re-evaluate and re-define meanings that are applied to things. Contrast is good. An energetic force helping to temporarily take a stance and create change.