Halloween has me thinking of evil, and evil often makes me think of the horrific Dharmapalas of Tibet, and the Dakinis who serve as guides through the Charnel Ground, the land of the dead, past red fields and blood lakes. This path, while dreaded, is often seen as the fastest route to enlightenment, and therefore these Dharmapalas, these savage and terrifying deities, are praised and honored.
Even though I’m not a Buddhist per se, I’ve spent many hours in their temples, learning the chants to the various gods – and to the Dharmapalas. It was after one such chant that a Buddhist came up to me and told me that he could tell that I took the path of Wicca rather than Christianity, because Christians turned Buddhist often seemed discomforted by the chants invoking the Dharmapalas. For some, these gods bear too much resemblance to Satan.
Thinking about Satan and the terrifying Dharmapalas makes me wonder, how do I know if God is good? And not just God, but what about all the reasonable behavior that I’ve been taught – respect for my elders, restraint, and selflessness – is this good path truly the way to heaven, enlightenment, or wherever your faith may provide you with as an end goal? What if God is a Dharmapala, savage, terrifying, and evil?
From a Christian standpoint, perhaps this isn’t as unreasonable as it might seem. Some of the greatest saints started as sinners – Paul / Saul comes to mind, and the apostles and Mary Magdalene are no exceptions. Is the truest path to heaven through sin and ecstasy? Even the ultimate symbol of the Christians is the by-product of the betrayal of Judas. The sacrifice of Jesus, the redemption of mankind, all from an act of evil.
Perhaps the answer isn’t that the God of the Bible is evil, but rather, the trickster Satan is a Dharmapala sitting at the right hand of the God of the Bible, not a polar opposite, but rather the divine fool that leads you to the path by taking you off the path?
As intriguing as such a thought might be, let’s leave the relationship – or lack thereof – between the God of the Bible and Satan to the Gnostic branches of Christianity and to the Kabalists. What’s more pertinant is the dicotamy between good and evil.
When we were young, we were admonished for not being good, were told to only ask for that which is reasonable. The story behind the tales of the Dharmapalas of Tibet and saints of Christianity paints another picture, however, where evil and ecstasy is essential for growth and development, and therefore worthy of respect and worship.
A Tibetan shrineroom has a small altar in the back that is dedicated to a Dharmapala. Our culture honors evil with Halloween. Vampire and zombies, pimps and murderers, death and disease: this Halloween, we recognize you and your essential role in life.