Despite The Buddha's victory over Mara,
Mara refused to concede defeat.
Unrepentent and filled with vengence and conceit,
Mara relentlessly continued to hound and attack The Buddha,
And tried to stop The Buddha from sharing The Dhamma throughout The Buddha's life.
There was an exchange between The Buddha and Mara just after The Buddha enlightened the 5 ascetics and others,
Which I find is very cute -
One of shameless sour pettiness,
The other of firm integrity.
As such, I'm putting it down to share with all.
Enjoy!
Mara (thinking to himself) : 'As if planning to wage a big war, this monk Gotama (i.e. The Buddha) is sending out 60 Arahants to disseminate The Dhamma.
How will I be if all the 60 Arahants teach The Dhamma as planned by the monk Gotama?
I shall now deter the monk Gotama from doing so!'
So thinking, Mara went to the presence of The Buddha.
Mara : 'O monk Gotama! You are bound and caught in all the snares of impurities such as craving and greed,
BUT especially the snare of craving and greed for sensual pleasure of devas and the humans.
You are tied down in the bondage of kilesa (i.e. defilements) in my prison of the 3 existences!
O monk Gotama, you will not for that reason be able to escape in any way, from my domain of the 3 existences!'
The Buddha : You evil Mara! I, The Buddha, am, in fact, one who have successfully and completely free myself from ALL the snares of such impurities as craving and greed said by you.
I have cleared myself from the snare of craving and greed for sensual pleasure
Especially of the devas and the humans.
I am also one who Truly escaped,
Once and for all,
From the bondage of kilesa in the prison of the 3 existences.
As a matter of fact, I have totally vanquished you in this battle of kilesa.
You have in fact suffered total absolute defeat!'
Mara : O monk Gotama! Such a snare as passion/lust is generated in the minds of ALL beings and NONE is capable of escaping from it.
Even individuals and monks who possess high knowledge and great supernatural powers are bound.
You, monk Gotama, is likewise bound by me.
And I shall kill you with that snare of passion.
You shall in no way, escape from my domain of the 3 existences.'
The Buddha : You evil Mara, heretic and murderer of all beings in the world.
There are undeniably the 5 objects of sensual pleasure -
Various sights, sounds, taste, odours/smells, and contacts,
Which can delight and give pleasure to the devas and humans.
Your threat of passion will only be able to bind those who are NOT freed from craving and greed for attachment and enjoyment of the said 5 objects of sensual pleasure.
I, The Buddha, however, am entirely freed from craving, greed, desire, passion and lust for the attachment and enjoyment of these 5 objects of sensual pleasure.
In this context therefore, I have TOTALLY vanquished you.
You have, whether you admit it or not,
Suffer Absolute DEFEAT !!'
Looking sad and dejected, Mara muttered to himself :
'The Glorious Buddha has known me for what I am.
The Buddha of Truth has known me for what I am!"
With that, Mara disappeared from the presence of The Buddha.
" 'O Ascetic Gotama, if you know the good secure path leading to Nibbana,
Go alone.
Why do you want to teach others?'
'O Mara, however hard you try to stop/hinder me, I shall keep on teaching The Dhamma - The correct Path leading to Nibbana.
If I am asked about the good Path and Nibbana, which is free from death
By the devas, humans and Brahmas, who are desirous of reaching Nibbana,
I Shall Teach them.' "
- The Buddha, The Padhana Sutta
"And I discovered that profound Truth,
So difficult to perceive, difficult to understand,
Tranquilizing and sublime,
Which is NOT to be gained by mere reasoning
And is visible ONLY to The Wise.
The world, however, is given to pleasure, delighted with pleasure, enchanted with pleasure.
Truly such beings will hardly understand
The Law of Conditionality, The Dependent Arising of Everything,
Incomprehensible to them will also be The End of existence conditions;
The forsaking of every substranum of rebirth;
The fading away of craving, detachment, extinction, Nibbana.
Yet there are beings whose eyes are only a little covered with dust -
They will understand The Truth."
- The Buddha, Majjhima Nikaya Sutta no.26
.
"He who is free from craving and from attachment,
Who is skilled in the knowledge of the significance of terms,
Who knows the grouping of letters and their sequence,
Is indeed called, 'One who has lived his last,
A man of great wisdom,
A Great Man'. "
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 352
"Through many a birth in Samsara have I wandered in vain
Seeking the builder of this house of life.
Repeated birth is indeed suffering!
O house builder you are seen -
You shall build NO house ever again.
For thy rafters are broken
Thy ridgepoles shattered.
My mind has reached The Unconditioned
I have attained The Destruction of Craving! "
- The Buddha, Dhammapada verse 153/154
* * * So, on this Lunar New Year,
As you go about enjoying yourselves through the 5 Senses,
Do remember The Buddha's words,
If you do NOT want to be bound by Mara.
Have A Happy 'Sensual-Free' Lunar New Year, Everyone!
With Love,
Maitre-Light
