Just because monks and nuns wear robes and take vows does not mean their personalities or attitudes have changed. Many members of the Sangha do not have the proper attitude befitting home-leavers. Spirits have no trouble entering those with improper views of the Dharma, whether they are lay people or Sangha members.

STUDENT:

By demonic obstructions, do you mean external spirits or internal mental states? Or can it be either?

SHIH-FU:

Demonic obstructions can refer either to external forces or to internal mental conditions. For most people, interference by external spirits simply does not happen. When I talk about demonic obstructions and demonic states. I'm usually referring to something that people conjure up in their own minds. It stems from wrong thinking, following the wrong path, having the wrong view or attitude. However, in those rare circumstances when there is external interference from spirits, it goes hand in hand with wrong thinking. Practitioners who follow the correct path, who have a correct view of the Dharma, and who do not have over-anxious or greedy minds, will not be disturbed by such forces.

STUDENT:

Is it possible that a person could be deemed insane by society but really only be in a Ch'an state of realization?

SHIH-FU: