Description

In Buddhism, the Asura is of the six domains in the realm of desire; and is also said to be a titan or a demigod. The Buddha teaches about the eight sufferings a human will go through in this life: birth, old age, sickness, death, being apart from loved ones, having to associate with those we dislike, unhappiness due to unfulfilled wishes and desires, and a suffering of the flourishing of the five skandhas. The six domains where a human can be reincarnated into can further be classified as: Good (god, asura, human) and Bad (Hungry ghost, hell, animal). Hence, the practice of Buddhism allows one to break away from these six domains of reincarnation. It disallows the sufferings of life to bring about negative effects and outcomes. Instead, it helps to find strength within sufferings so that one is able to rise up with maturity and experience the fruits of kindness.

Asuras are depicted as kind and having good intentions. However they often deviate from their true nature as they are frequently preoccupied with fighting and strife. In the absence of love, it becomes jealous and hateful. He also gets angry when his desires are unfulfilled. Once an Asura repents and calms down, the fire within extinguishes instantly. Without the vigor, the meaning for existence is also lost.

In life, sometimes we take chances on risk and gambles. Without this fighting spirit, living becomes lackluster and turns humdrum. Though we may go through unhappy times, experiencing negative emotions helps us to draw out the good in us as we grow in strength and learn from experience. Depending on our attitude towards life, multiple outcomes can exist for the same problem. These attitudes are largely dependent on the environment and societal factors that surround us. After all, from the general point of view, what is good and bad is defined by humans and not by the laws of nature.