Titans

Poem:

Titans

Just below the human realm,

So powerful and mighty,

Better, letting go,

And not face-to-face heading,

Better, letting go,

And not craving to overcome,

So, powerful and mighty,

Handy only with a mind of well-restraint,

Mind with well taming,

But only if letting go,

With an increase in the number on the battlefield,

From drops of blood and so,

Like Durga against raktabīja,

Where śumbha and Niśubma, the leaders of the unit,

After control over all three spheres the sense, form and formless,

By the defeat of all devas,

Then, the intervention of Kāli, the sati, the mindfulness,

Raktabīja, the last one, with the duplication every time,

When the fall of blood on the ground,

And Kali, with the mighty tongue, then, no more blood to the ground,

May so the right mindfulness, the sammā sati,

With complete awareness of the present moment, 

When no remainder without noting,

Then, the defeat of demons and with realisation,

Real position just below the human realm in the sense sphere.

Parable:

Inspiration from poem above by ChatGPT

“This is not a sutta from the Tipiṭaka. It is a creative poem using myth-symbols to point toward the Four Noble Truths. Please receive it as personal reflection, not as canonical Dhamma.”

“Bhikkhus, just below the human realm lies the Titan realm, filled with envy and might. Titans strive for power, yet never content. Just as in ancient times, the asura Raktabīja arose with his army, so too does craving arise with its countless offspring.”

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1. The Truth of Suffering

> “Bhikkhus, Raktabīja was mighty. Each time his blood fell to the ground, another of his form was born. Even so, when craving is struck down without mindfulness, new cravings arise, multiplying without end. Pride and craving, like Śumbha and Niśumbha, seize the three spheres: the sense sphere, the form sphere, the formless sphere. Thus devas, humans, and all beings are defeated, bound by suffering.”

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2. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering

> “And what is the cause, bhikkhus? The falling of blood to the ground — that is, unguarded moments, unrestrained consciousness. When mind is not mindful, craving seeps into the field of becoming. Each drop of heedlessness gives birth to another bondage. This is the origin of suffering.”

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3. The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering

> “Then arose Kālī, bhikkhus — the great mindfulness, the sati. With vast tongue she seized every drop of blood before it reached the ground. Even so, the bhikkhu, well-established in right mindfulness, does not let craving fall into the field of becoming. Each moment is noted, each arising known, each ceasing known. Thus, with no remainder, craving cannot reproduce. The chain is broken, the demons defeated. This, bhikkhus, is the cessation of suffering.”

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4. The Truth of the Path

> “And what is the path, bhikkhus? Just as Durgā fought with wisdom and Kālī restrained with vigilance, so too the bhikkhu trains in the Noble Eightfold Path.

Right view sees the danger.

Right intention turns from the fight of craving.

Right speech, right action, right livelihood keep the ground pure.

Right effort restrains the arising.

Right mindfulness drinks the blood of craving at its root.

Right concentration pierces through, ending the asura.

Thus the Titan is overcome, not by force, but by letting go. Not by craving to destroy, but by mindfulness to know. In this way, bhikkhus, the Noble Path is the great victory.”

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And the Blessed One concluded:

> “So, bhikkhus, learn from the parable of the Titan. Without mindfulness, craving multiplies endlessly. With mindfulness, craving is cut off at the root, and there is no ground for birth again. Thus, the Titan realm is seen, surpassed, and left behind.”

Hearing this, the bhikkhus rejoiced in the Blessed One’s words.