The whole “if you can measure it, it exists and if you can’t measure it then it doesn’t exist” approach reflects (as Ken McLeod has pointed out) the preoccupation of Western philosophy with onthology, in contrast with the Buddhist emphasis on epistemology. Frankly, I think the arrogant interpretative prerogative of the quantitative paradigm of the Enlightenment will be the bane of Western culture and civilization. It is a great and powerful servant, but a merciless master. This paradigm cannot account for life in full because not everything can be measured. Nor can it adress the great questions of life. And how would you quantify, and measure “Boddhichitta”?

Furthermore, if demons are mere psychological projections and not real in a relative sense, then presumably other disembodied entities do not exist either. (Unless one thinks all disembodied entities are non-demonic – which seems blantantly absurd in a Buddhist perspective.) If there are no disembodied entities, then it will be very difficult to make sense of the concept of pure land, form and formless realms. It would then also seem that of the six realms only the animal and human realm would be “real” while the other realms would presumably only be reflecting various states of mind. From that, I gather that one could only be reincarnated as a human or animal which would invalidate the endlessness of Samsara. I could go on and on and on, but my (albeit ignorant) concern about the deeply problematic implications of reducing demons to the status of psychological projections in Tibetan Buddhism should be clear enough. Or did I miss something?

The solution is simply more research on the part of the practitioner. You can not pick and choose the warm and fuzzy parts. You need to extensively read the lives of the Bodhisattvas and Mahasiddhas. Even b4 that, just read accounts of Buddha Shakyamuni´s life himself. He met more than once with the maras. And not figuratively. Take the story of Lord Dzambhala who saved Buddha Shakyamuni from an attack by the maras. This was after his illumination.

My god people, who do you think is running most of the world these days? People entranced by demons.

And if no demons, what the need for Dharmapalas? And all those weapons? Logic and research quickly dispells the theory of only demons as kleshas. While they sure do make use of them!

Sarva Mangalam

People have done the opposite to Buddhism as to what they have to other religions. They have made it more figurative than it is.