The Devil

2025, May, Issue 149

Thinking it is separate,

This demon of mind, this

figment of our imagination

persuades us,

This demon crashes to Earth,

enslaving everyone,

keeping everyone enthralled

by their own ignorance,

their own hate and desire, thinking

that good and bad must be,

must be, must be, because

the slaves of this great demon

have succumbed to its poisons of mind,

and so,

and so they

serve it willingly, without

question, without

the slightest hesitation, by

building their own ego, this

great mist of delusion, by

making enemies, and friends who

have enemies, by

embracing the evil that is

ignorance, attraction and aversion, by

not wishing to awaken,

not ever, not in any way;

And this devil is you, in your own mind,

keeping you from awakening;

It is not other, it is not not other,

it is this belief in magic itself, thinking

we are separate, not understanding

True Knowledge that we are all

One in the Source, not seeing

that nothing anywhere at any time

can be separate;

If something exists, it is

because we have all made it so.

A poem by Robert Aho © 2025

One of the most controversial things that I tell people; well, actually, by far the most controversial thing that I tell people is that we must awaken and that any other effort is a complete act of futility. I further explain that awakening is really the only thing that will help in any way that will last. All the problems we see in this world, all the tremendous suffering, all the pain, all the agony, all these many tragedies are because we have not awakened. We can help somebody in a limited way, and they might feel good for a day; however, the suffering will return very quickly, simply because we have not evolved sufficiently enough, we have not awakened. People get very angry when I say this.

I’ve witnessed people breaking down in anger when I suggest that awakening will benefit all beings. This really surprises me when Buddhists have this response, because the first step for a Buddhist is this realization that the world itself is an endless effort in futility. The first step on the Spiritual Path is to decide once and for all that it is time to awaken.

It seems that the problem is really the ignorant view of what awakening means. It’s certainly not closing yourself off from everything, nor is it becoming unaware of the world’s problems. In reality, awakening means becoming so aware that the problems of the world become painful. It means opening your heart and mind to what is, as it is. This means that you have made the simple realization that the world’s problems will go on forever, and that by participating in this agitated embroiled battle, you will only contribute to more of the same, regardless of what side you may be on, or what position you take. You become a slave of this devil, this imaginary phantasm who keeps our deluded mind going on forever.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the devil is as real as anything else in this world. I’m not saying that you need to pretend that it’s not there or that you’re not its servant. I’m saying that this devil only exists because you haven’t yet awakened. It controls you completely because you can’t see what is unreal, and you resist this idea of awakening. You still think that you are separate, that this material existence is somehow real; and, therefore, you remain under the spell of an illusory devil created by your own poisons of mind.

If you awaken, you discover that you are not separate, that this world is just a figment of your imagination, that you bring relief from all suffering by simply awakening to what is real. You have the power to overcome any and all demons, even the demon who has enslaved all sentient beings since time immemorial. How do you do this? You look within by meditating, by looking at mind, by finding ways to overcome your own disturbing emotions. You look at the world around you, not as you think it might be, but as it is.

We find that awakening requires total commitment. It requires us to develop a supernatural level of perseverance. Awakening means that everything will rush in, and we will either be there to greet it with great compassion, or we will be swept away by our own demons. This is why we cannot simply awaken without a Spiritual Practice. We must make ourselves ready to meet the ineffable reality, this bright condition beyond all concept, beyond all belief.

The devil who controls this world demands our participation, our continued offerings of a disturbed mind, a tribute of greed, stupidity and hatred. These are the main qualities of politics and of worldly concerns. This world demands that we join the battle, that we choose enemies and allies, that we enlist in the religion of materialism, of militarism, of manipulation, all leading to more of the same dysfunction, to famine and genocide, to the endless toil of useless undertakings.

Understand, as you embark upon your Path to Awakening, that you do not need to listen to anything that distracts you. You must awaken!

Blessings in Light,

Robert Aho