Memetic Virus - Asura

The Asura Virus

And now a psychic virus on a mass scale, the Asura, that is the emodiment of Rākshasa energies that are way past their due date, and get fossilized into societal framework.

Which is why when Devas engage with them they come out in mass quantities, like hordes of zombies, and threaten to poison the system.

Ideologies

Many seek a well established framework by which to live their lives that does not require them to think too hard about making everyday decisions.

Such as an Ideology.

An Ideology is not a bad "idea" at all, so to speak, if it matches mine, because most of us don't have the luxury of time or experience to craft a personalized framework to life.

An Ideology is a group of related concepts packaged up as commandments to which its flock is beholden, such as: 

• in religion, political history, economic doctrine, or even scientific systems, 

• where unquestioned wisdom is dispensed from some authority source.

"All -ism's cause schisms, and eventually a chasm." - T-shirt quote

Although an ideology is useful to initially frame a set of concepts, it invariably is not a long term solution, and needs to be flexible enough to adapt to changed contexts, which it rarely does because it is treated as received wisdom from a source long gone irrelevant, either past their prime or literally past their lifetime. 

With Thought having taken such a central role in human development, the world is riddled today with ideologies long past their due-date.

Thus what comes to life is actually a zombie concept, partly living only because we have given it our life energy but otherwise meaningless to our existence.

In contrast, notice that our entire system of Yoga is predicated on giving Moksha to our entire cast of psychic Beings, for that is how we too get Moksha, or liberation from small-mindedness - this is what makes the Yoga model NOT an ideology.

Mind Control Asuras

Fossilized thus beyond relevance, the Human Mind is obstructed from producing fresh creative Thought, leaving us subject to deliberate Mind Control propaganda, stunting the further development of intelligence.

In Yoga stories we would say that any Mind Controlling ideology is the Asura psychic virus, combating which is an advanced technique, and thus the imagery of a horde of zombies is quite fitting.

Thankfully, many of us have seen through the simplistic approach of Mind Control frameworks, and their pernicious effects, so we seek a more personalized approach by which to conduct our lives, unwilling to cede our individuality to hardened frameworks.

Who

Asuras are formulated by those whose Purpose is to impose simplistic frameworks to govern Thought, in order to create machine-like structure in the outside world, but this imposition could cause visible conflict within/between societies. 

Asuras essentially stem from unexamined, irrelevant Ideologies.

Asuras are therefore Framework-level Psychic Viruses, and could also be considered Meta-Viruses - a virus that systematically enables other viruses to be installed.

Asura psychic viruses have inherently simple models that do not promote deep enquiry.

Typically the adherents believe in a One Book/Ideology, One Prophet/Leader, One Life/YOLO model, that demonizes the Other, a binary perspective to life, and brings an inflexible lens by which to look at societal issues. One World Government to rule them all.

How

An Asura Virus arises from a Meme - a Thought form cleverly crafted to spread widely, and hence it can be seen also as a Memetic Virus.

The Asura Virus is installed maybe because we are not consciously aware of what is coming in from our senses, or maybe because we are weakened in the first place by the entangled processes of Rākshasas that have taken over our Mind, and thus we allow an external influence to shape the way we think mindlessly, even mechanically.

In that sense, recognizing Asura impact helps us to differentiate between what is essentially Human vs being a Machine.

Where

Asuras breed in systems that discourage Thought unless informed by a rigid code of conduct that is inviolable and unforgiving.

Asuras originated in cultures where there is scarcity of basic resources, like in a desert, or in materially rich by unevenly prosperous cultures, so that rogue individuals do not hog the trough it requires tight controls.

As Asuric societies spread though, rarely do Humans question the source of their Thinking, so even materially abundant societies are infected with Asuras, and the impact has become immeasurably higher because Machine technology helps them scale globally.

Convergence by Framework

Asuras are useful as Frameworks for a structured way to organize Thought and to converge onto a practical solution in the material world, otherwise we could end up entangled by Thought itself, unable to translate ideas into action.

But useful only in societies that require inherent discipline from borderline lawlessness.

This clear organization of Thought is why: 

• we laud the Industrial Revolution that has given us ever smarter Machines to outsource our mechanical tasks, 

• but its original roots stem from the loot of colonization that financed materially & intellectually the whole enterprise.

Convergent Thinkers, are further able to easily pursue their way in life because there is usually no need to think too hard about moral/ethical dilemmas since it’s all been clearly spelt in some authoritative book. 

Enslavement by Lobotomy

But when there is a situation that falls outside of their rigid code, like when confronting so many human frailties, then their failure to cope is abject - witness the centuries of child molestation in the Church and its inability to reconcile their dogma with human needs.

Asuras allow no wiggle room for individual human quirks and weaken us through the guilt of sin and claim to infallible authority, and more often than not objectifies Humans to comply as well mannered robots.

Convergent Thinking, when unchecked, lobotomizes our Minds, like stunted Bonsai trees or potted plants that are limited in their self-expression, but very orderly, and hence manageable.

When Asuras take over our Minds, our entire society is unable to think for itself and suffers from a loss of collective identity in a factory-like Education system. 

This leaves us open to becoming co-opted by a trifecta of organized Religion, unquestioning Military service, and soulless Corporatization, resulting in Dystopian mechanistic living evident in lack of human connection in many highly industrialized societies.

A perfectly landscaped garden would seem like a welcome expression of Convergent Thinking, but do note its dependence on an army of well-trained, obedient servants, made glaringly visible during colonial and slavery periods.

Brhma-Asura

When scaled up in social impact an Asura becomes a ब्रह्मासुरा Brhma-Asura and can infect entire civilizations.

The most dystopian of AGI scenarios would be aptly characterized through the lens of Brhma-Asura, where the God-Machine rules over the Universe, concerned only about efficiency in computing, and not about the more organic nature of intelligence.

The Brhmāsura (Brhma + Asura) is the Father of all Psychic Viruses, and we use this masculine term to indicate the deliberate approach to Mind Control by which they take over all of Humanity.

Characteristics

• The devastating Brhmāsura has all the basic characteristics of a Brhma-Rākshasa.

• Furthermore, they are able to scale their Thought forms with a machine-like approach to impact entire civilizations, not just individuals, families, or neighborhoods.

• Brhmāsuras so completely take over & corrupt the source of their original framework of Thought, in order to push their monomaniacal agenda over Humanity, it is unlikely the founders of these Thought Systems would even recognize what is being done in their name.

Evidence

• Propaganda When codes of living are rigidly defined in a simplistic framework of do-s & don’t-s, and Minds are further weakened through fear-mongering by other-ing the unknown, then propaganda is easy to push and allows the Brhmāsura virus to scale.

• Patriarchy When the natural paternal approach of Humans gets fossilized into a rigid framework of patriarchy, it’s easy to control the masses like in how Generals structure & order their soldiers not giving them any room for creativity - useful in war surely - but how about in Life? 

This results in a condition of perennial war & strife.

The devastating impact of Brhmāsura Viruses is evident in the Kali Yuga apocalypse we have been enduring these past many centuries:

• Paranoia, and conspiracy theories, sets in en masse in civilizations at the center of this strife,

• Tortured societies that have suffered physical colonization have been genocided into near extinction,

• Sadistic destruction of other cultures by means of physical terror has caused human slavery, and

• Delusion of our fundamental mindset by mass brainwashing has caused cultural extermination.

Preparing for it

Eliminating the Brhmāsura infection is the most challenging task of any, so for those wishing to move to the battle against the Asuras, we should have been fortunate enough to first find and rid ourselves of the Brhma-Rākshasa in our midst.

In other words, we should have successfully internalized the Rākshasa model that is brought to us by the Rāma-Avatār in the epic Rāmāyana, and given Moksha to all its characters

Understanding it

Countering the basic Asura infections in our society requires us to observe where the Machine has taken on the human connections in our societal fabric.

Then at an individual level, we first taking responsibility for the disconnectedness relationships in our communities, and planning out how to play an active role in reconnecting Humanity.

Taming it

Finally we are ready for the Brhmāsura. 

Taming a Brhmāsura, and harnessing it for good measure, would require us to go through a Yogic perspective of a civilizational battle, such as the Mahābhārata, and its Yogic concepts are detailed in our Cosmic Churn section section, and is what we are going  through right now in the world.

Unlike iconoclastic ideologies such as :

• Communism which only know how to destroy structures, or 

• Socialistic model that worms its way into the levers of production, 

but have no clue how to rebuild a new socioeconomic world, the Cosmic Churn does a thorough job. 

Origins

Asuras come into the lore in the पुराण Purāna period, literally really old, much before the Itihās stories we are more familiar with. 

Although in historical timelines the Purānas are recorded in more recent times compared to Itihās, it is likely because that first humans had to figure out their own humanity and then only they had the luxury of looking at overall origin issues.

These are stories of how the entire Universe itself came into being, and not about humans and their antics, so there are no stories about Rākshasas because Rākshasas are purely a human concern that humans have to figure out how to deal with.

In these stories Asuras are in direct conflict with the Devas - as we see in the churning of the ocean story, and we will see why soon from the perspective of the System of Thought.

Asuras emerge, as did the Rākshasas, from Brhma-deva but at the origin of the Universe, alongside Brhma when he himself emerges from हिरण्यगर्भे Hiranya-garbha the “golden egg”.

Story

There is a story in the छांदोग्य Chhāndogya Upanishad, meaning the Upanishad that everything is based on Chhandas or chanting of the Veda, that Virochana (king of the Asuras) and Indra (king of the Devas) approached Brhma-deva to enquire on the nature of the Cosmic Being of Brhman.

As usual the answer is given in stages, at first starting by saying that Brhman is in fact everything we perceive in our Waking state. 

The Asura king accepts this obvious answer and rushes off since it is so simple and he cannot be bothered with further investigation. 

असु Asu in Sanskrit indicates our inner sense-organs, so an Asura is a Meme (carefully crafted message) which comes from the material world and is framed through mediation by our senses. 

This meaning corresponds to the story above because what is perceived through the senses is our obvious reality, it is simplistic enough for the basics of a mechanical life, but insufficient to unlock its true nature.

On the other hand Indra the king of the Devas is not satisfied because everything perceived in the waking state perishes, so how could this be the imperishable One? 

So systematically Brhma-deva leads Indra from Waking state, to Dreaming state, to Deep Sleep - and at each stage Indra is not yet satisfied. 

Through this systematic process of meditation to cultivate sensitivity, the final stage beyond all of this, bereft of all mental concepts, is Brhman which is thus established in Indra. 

This is why Devas, led by Indra, because of their cultivation of sensitivity are lauded as psychic Intelligences.

Interestingly, this is why our sense-organs are called Indriya, and when cultivated properly we are able to enjoy their actions as the Devas are seen enjoying themselves in the literature - until of course they no longer integrated or aligned.

Though we have outlined this entire process in great detail, and it might seem there is a winning formula in all this, a creative Storyteller reminds us through the concept of Karma that any Life story has its seemingly unpredictable twists & turns.