Tales of Mysticism and Spiritual Path (Chimdada continued...)

Story 3. Chimdada performing exorcism

Translation by ngoc xuan.

Chimdada’s senior colleague is a monk at a Cambodian monastery in the west of South Vietnam. He was telling one of Old_Guru’s disciples a story in which Chimdada performed an exorcism for a son of a Thai general who was possessed. This event had stirred up much excitement and everybody in the whole town was talking about it. Many people gathered to the place to watch including Thai policemen.

Chim (short for Chimdada) had used a basket of boiling water to pour over the person being possessed by the evil spirit with the result of complete cure. Subsequently Old_Guru did meet Chim. Old_Guru asked Chim to clarify the story and was told that the water used was not hot and that the possessed was in fact a son of a Cambodian general living in Thailand.

Here, Old_Guru will briefly present for our readers a few rules regarding exorcism:

1. The exorcist must have the ‘Official Seal’ (or license) from Saints or Deities and must be knowledgeable in the field of metaphysics. The methods used to exorcise varies between different schools of mysticism, sects or faiths: some exorcists will use a rattan rod to whip into thin air whilst chanting some mantra. Some will use ritual hand gestures (Mudras) from a distance. Some will use a branch still with leaves dipped in water and scattered over the possessed.
All of these methods as well as others can result in the evil
spirit to scream and beg for forgiveness and finally being
exorcised. However it is strictly prohibited to beat the human
body of the possessed.

2. If you are not experienced in exorcism then you should not attempt it. Do not try to use images of Buddha, Jesus Christ mantras, yantras or any magic spells to suppress the evil spirits. They may attack and chase after you causing you to lose face.

3. You must know whether the involved spirit is a Saint, Deity or an entity from the lower realm, (spirit from the deceased. If it is the latter then are there any unsettled debts with the family of the possessed? And what does the spirit want?

4. Do not think that if someone who practices magic arts or has a high and revered standing in their faith or religion will know how to perform exorcism. This includes professional exorcists (their knowledge may only be partial)


The following are a few factual examples:

- A spiritual teacher nicknamed Cold water (because he uses cold water when he exorcises) was standing in front of his mandala (altar) to conduct the exorcism ceremony. The possessed person with a gesture of his hand struck the teacher very hard on the face. So angry, he and two of his disciples knocked the possessed woman over, pinned her down and brutally beat her.
- They are certainly beating the human body and not the evil spirit!.

- A monk who was renowned for performing exorcism, very proud of himself as he was a vegetarian and thinking he was a man of virtue. His disciples considered him as a living Buddha. Once he was performing an exorcism, the possessed, a young girl, jumped and settled in his lap. He was so annoyed that he slapped her a few times (the spirit may be ,laughing at him in jest: how can a living Buddha be so afraid of temptation from a girl and from losing his reputation that he would cruelly strike the persona)

- An elderly abbot of a provincial monastery, not particularly adept at exorcism, had heard that the mantra in the Lankavatara sutra has supreme power capable of dealing with very powerful evil spirits, including the ones in the heaven’s realm. Armed with this knowledge the over confident abbot started the exorcism ritual. He placed a tocsin on top of the possessed‘s head and repeatedly knocked on it while he chanted the Lankavatara mantra. Right in front of the altar, the possessed person brushed off the tocsin and cursed him: ‘how much virtue do you have that gives you the right to place this tocsin on my head?! ’ (this is so embarrassing for the abbot as there were about 30 disciples who stayed over after they had finished reciting the Buddhist scriptures in the evening).

- Pope John Paul II was performing an exorcism a few years ago. The possessed was a Catholic girl (this was after the time when the Catholic Church announced the forming of a committee to revise exorcism rituals). The Pope invoked the name of God to order the spirit to leave the girl’s body. The devil mocked the pope, saying: “Not even your church (head) can send me away.”

- The press has also written many articles about exorcists from various faiths because of their anger during the exorcism had killed the possessed and as a result had ended up in jail.


In summary, one has to be in a position of authority (in the tangible or intangible world) in order to deal with cases involving the law (in the tangible or intangible world).

Old_Guru 13-08-08

Note: From now on all English readers can go to "Real Stories and Metaphysical Principles"