Buddhists believe that everyone has Buddha nature and can be enlightened, but they also believe that people are born to succumb to their most basic desires, such as greed, selfishness, desire and anger.

The existence of the demon is crucial to a religious system. And the existence of these terrifying Buddhist demons is not only to scare you, but also symbolizes the evil side of human nature. Buddhists believe that everyone has Buddha nature and can be enlightened, but they also believe that people are born to succumb to their most basic desires, such as greed, selfishness, desire and anger. Therefore, the terrible demons in Buddhism usually represent impure thoughts and desires that lead to negative behavior, although some are just to simply remind people to do good deeds.

This world is full of good and bad, and so is the demons in Buddhism. There are merciful and evil intentions troublemakers. But they all have one thing in common: supernatural abilities and otherworldly appearances, which also makes them even more terrifying.

Of course, in addition to being a terrible fictional species, demons are also the core of the belief systems of many Buddhist sects, giving them the power to influence human behavior. Ultimately, no matter what your religious beliefs are, these Buddhist demons will scare you.

Jikininki

Japanese Buddhist "Jikininki" in the mythology belongs to the category of hungry ghosts, but it shows unique enough characteristics. They are described in Buddhist literature as a kind of evil spirit with a disgusting face. The most famous story about these demons comes from "The Strange Talk" (Kwaidan), a Japanese ghost story collection compiled by Greek/Irish traveler and writer Koizumi Yabu (Lafcadio Hearn).

The cannibals were originally greedy and selfish people, and after their death, they were cursed to eat human bodies. Sadly, they can also realize what they are and hate themselves as such disgusting creatures. The existence of human-cannibal ghosts also makes the living feel scared: Japanese Buddhist scriptures tell us that they are very scary and disgusting, and seeing them can make them weak in all limbs.

Mara, Demon King Bethun

Demon King Bethun has a terrible appearance and an evil character, and is very worthy of his title - King of Death. It is the incarnation of evil and temptation, and according to some scriptures, the devil tempted and attacked him before Gautama Siddhartha enlightenment. Demon King Pasun is one of the oldest Buddhist demons and one of the first non-human creatures to appear in Buddhist works. Initially, Buddhism was atheistic, but after the death of Buddha , the story of gods and devils gradually became integrated.

When Demon King Besun meets Siddhartha, he tries to use his delusional power to make the Buddha's spirit die with the help of his daughter. After his failure, the demon king Besun immediately summoned his demon army to attack Siddhartha again. In general, Demon King Besun is an anti-Buddhist demon that will cause diseases to humans.

Rakshasa

Rakshasa , refers to the evil ghost who eats human flesh in Buddhism . Since the Buddha in history came from India, many ideas of Hindu provided a lot of information for Buddhism at the beginning of its founding. Rakshasa appears in the ancient Indian Buddhist texts " Mahabharata " and " Alavoka ", in which the Buddha convinces the demons to abandon the evil path and strive to gain enlightenment.

Traditional Hindu and Indian Buddhism Rakshasa, possesses black magic and long and poisonous nails, besides that they are obsessed with devouring humans. However, they are by no means the ordinary terrible beasts, some of them are very smart and cunning. There are also some stories that mention Rakshasa trying to eat gods and mortals. Outside India, Rakshasa also appears in many forms, as you will see in this post.

Evil oni

Evil oni is an ogre in Japanese Buddhism, depicted as a giant beast waving with huge iron rods, a terrifying giant beast with bright skin (usually blue or red), different numbers of horns, toes, fingers, and sometimes even different numbers of eyes.They are generally reincarnated from the souls of those who die in famine or epidemics, while punishing the bad guys and serving the demon lord Yama .

Their power is also very powerful, and can regenerate the body parts they lost in battle, can fly, can change their shape at will, and cause illness, insanity and death to the target. Smart and extremely evil, reveling in the destruction caused to society, and his favorite food is human flesh.

Yanlu

Yanlu is one of the eight great Dharmakaya and is the protector of Buddhism. Although Yan Luo is a good man, he looks terrible. As the king of hell, Yama would wear a skull crown to approve the dead, emphasizing his connection to death and hell. Yama created aging and disease to teach mankind to value the value of life and encourage them to be good at being a good person when they are alive. Those who do not obey His warnings will face eternal suffering.

Yan Luo is a popular mythical figure in many Asian countries, appearing in Tibet and Southeast Asian Buddhist , as well as in the myths of Japan, South Korea and China, even though he is of Indian origin.

The'u Rang

The'u Rang is a group of souls, and according to different statements, they have 9, 11, or 360 members. Before Buddhism was introduced to Tibet, they had already integrated into Buddhist beliefs because most Tibetans converted to Buddhism. Charles F. Keith and E. Valentine Daniel, author of the book "Karma: An Exploration of Anthropology", describe the 'u Rang people as "naughty goblins", while some Tibetans believe that they are ghosts of dead children.

In some cases, The'u Rang is considered good. However, some Tibetans believe they are evil souls that can cause violence, bring lightning and even make women pregnant. Debrong Pano is a type of the 'u Rang, with 9 heads, 18 arms and 1000 eyes (each head has about 111 eyes).

hungry ghost

sanskrit sanskrit litou (Preta), the old translation is hungry ghost. Salix appears in various myths and religions, and in their most common forms, they are often in a state of hunger and thirst, and have been manifested as insane. In Buddhism, they are often merciful, and some monks will leave food and drink to them.

However, in some cases, hungry ghosts cannot eat or drink because their throats are too narrow. However, in other cases, they will continue to eat and drink, but they cannot satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst. Hungry ghosts are usually not dangerous, although in some cases their desire for something makes them contradict humans, for example, blood. They also come in many forms, and sometimes they look like mummies. And in Japanese scrolls, Hungry Soul (called gaki and jikininki in Japanese) is very thin, but has a swollen belly.

The hungry ghosts of Japanese Buddhism are those cursed souls whose desires and greed ruin their original lives. Therefore, their existence is a warning to excessive desire and greed. Hungry ghosts in Japan often feed on disgusting things (corpses, feces) as punishment for their behavior during their lifetime.

Wiulang

Wiulang is a zombie in Tibetan folk legend. A weak man is gradually formed. After a person dies, the corpse will moan and then try to sit up. After you finally succeed, you will start talking to yourself, and after you become strong enough, you can stand up and walk around.

is like a zombie. A weak man can turn a living person into a weak man by biting someone. The history of Tibetan Buddhism mentioned that the weak man would cut off the weak man's tongue, turn it into a sword, and turn the weak man's body into gold. It is also possible to prevent the corpse from becoming a weak man. In a story, a Buddhist monk performs "powa" for a corpse that is on the verge of death, that is, is transformed consciously. Through such operations, the human soul can be guided to Pure Land .

Aravaga

Aravaga (Alavaka) from Indian Buddhism, and the story of Mara and Siddhartha, are very similar. They may be based on another, or they originate from the same myth. According to this story, Aravaka is an evil man who feeds on human flesh and does other very terrible operations, so he is called the "demon". For some people, he is not a human at all, but a person who turns into a demon.

When he met Alavaga , the Buddha was still an ascetic. When he arrived in the city of Alawi, the city was under terrorist attacks by alawaga . So, the Buddha visited the demon every day. Although the demons kept trying to deceive the Buddha and intimidate him, it was all in vain.

In the end, the demon tried to defeat the Buddha, but after a series of questions and answers, the Buddha showed the value of compassion to Alavaga , so the demon became the Buddha's assistant.

Naga

Naga (the meaning of "snake" in Sanskrit) is a giant dragon with horns , which exists in various forms in chronicles of various religions. Naga appears in Hindu mythology, and also in Buddhism and Jain . Moreover, Naga is similar to Magala , both serpentine and protectors of Buddhism. However, Naga looks more like a dragon, although it has no legs and sometimes appears in the form of a half-human and half-snake.

Although Naga is a mythical figure protecting scriptures, they are also sensitive and moody and can be very destructive if irritated. In the Himalayas, Naga is also considered a divine beast that protects water from pollution.

Asura

In Buddhist works,Asura is a low-level demigod, and is sometimes described as an anti-god. Their name, usually translated as "ogreat" or "titan", is one of the six states of existence in the samsara, and this name also distinguishes them from God and man. This also means that for Buddhists who believe in reincarnation, they may be reborn as Asura. Although Asuras are usually kind, they are sometimes called demons.

In their demonic form, Asura is jealous and bad tempered, always looking for trouble or excuses to fight. Asura has three faces on his head, and four or six arms. The demon Asura is jealous of the gods and lives a miserable life under the negative emotions associated with anger and pride.

mamo

mamo (Mamos) works together with Ekadzati, one of whom is a sacred female protector who strives to protect the earth from the evil of human beings, and causes death to those who cause excessive harm to the environment by spreading diseases.

Some people think that Mamo is evil and spreads the disease with bags full of diseases, and therefore is often described as a demon rather than a god.

Yaksha

Yaksha 0 Like humans,Yaksha can also be divided into good or bad. Good Yaksha will protect Buddhists and their precious objects such as temples and various treasures of their treasures. And the evil Yasha lurks in the wilderness, entangling and devouring travelers or those isolated from the world. Among them, the male Yasha is huge, occasionally a little obese, with a big mouth, sharp teeth, painted face, and big and bulging eyes. The female Yasha is portrayed as a beautiful woman with plump breasts and buttocks.

Yaksha appears in Buddhist, Jain and Hindu mythology, especially in Southeast Asia - you will see them all over Thailand, especially in Buddhist temples, and Bangkok Airport .

Nyen

Nyen is a kind of Rakshasa in Chinese Buddhist , which is usually described as evil ghost . They often live in fields and woods, with cattle-like bodies and yellow or green skin, which can lead to many diseases, including cancer.

Chinese Buddhists warn that without checking the altar, do not cut down trees at will, because when Nyen is nearby, you cut down their homes and obviously will provoke them.

Molu

Molu can change different forms, but often appear in human form.

There are two types of Morro, pan-kike belu and panswé belu. The former has straight fangs and is a vicious ogre. Panswé belu is a kind creature that feeds on flowers and fruits, distinguishing it from pan-kike belu through curved or hooked fangs.

Dorje Xiongtian

Dorje Xiongtian is the ghost of a slaughtered monk. Perhaps the strangest one in this article, because he is not an ancient folk culture in religious cosmology, but a person who once really existed. He died in the 17th century, after which his ghost was revered as a god.

In the 1970s, Tibetan Buddhism split. Some believe that Dorje Shugden is an angry, vengeful soul who intimidates Buddhists and hinders Buddhist work, while others think he is kind. Now, Dorje Xiongtian's ghost is portrayed as a human figure, riding a roaring lion, standing in the middle of a burning circle of fire. Sometimes he uses his third eye to symbolize his awakened consciousness.

Nat

Myanmar's religion is a bit like a prickly jungle. Unlike Japan, where the gods, Taoism and Buddhism are completely separated from Buddhism, Buddhism is completely intertwined with local beliefs and customs in Myanmar. Before Buddhism was introduced to Myanmar, Nats were a group of 37 gods worshipped. After Buddhism was introduced to Myanmar, Nats were worshipped together with Buddhism. Scholars who study Burmese religion have also been arguing whether a nation is part of Buddhist belief or something completely different.

So what exactly is Nath? They are the souls of humans who died in violent circumstances. Burmese worship their supernatural powers and offer sacrifices such as coconuts, fruits, and erect its statues. They believe that Nath retains human traits, desires and needs. Therefore, they will be happy and angry. Because of the supernatural powers they possess, the Burmese hopes to win Nath's favor and benefit from their abilities rather than irritating them and suffering.

Moji

Moji is a huge marine life in Indian mythology, and soon it entered Buddhism and spread in most Buddhist countries in Asia. Many Southeast Asian Buddhist temples, such as Thailand and Myanmar, have famous statues of Moji. This monster is the guardian of the evil souls, protecting temples, monks and believers.

Moge also has crocodiles, snakes and elephants' bloodlines. According to different descriptions, Mott may have the chin of an alligator, the trunk of an elephant, the fangs of a wild boar, the feathers of a peacock and the eyes of a monkey.

Garula

Garula is the mount of Vishnu , and Vishnu is one of the three great gods of Hindu cosmology. He also appeared in Buddhist mythology. Garulo, though kind, did not make him less weird or terrible. This creature has human torso and limbs, and bird's head, wings and claws. With his strange physique and barbaric power, Garuda is able to cause serious damage, although only to the evil ones.

Garulo's wingspan can reach thousands of meters wide. With just a few flaps, you can create a powerful hurricane . If this power is not enough to scare the bad guy, Garuda can also appear and disappear instantly.