The five aggregates and Mara

sarahliz

I have to write a research paper relating the model of the Five Aggregates to the problem of Mara. Any suggestions, opinions...

SherabDorje

Good luck. It seems to me that you'll be going into uncharted territory. Why anyone would make an assignment to relate these two is beyond me. The five aggregates are contained within a field of philosophy we in the west would call "phenomenology", while Mara would be within a field of philosophy called "myth" (in the Jungian sense, I think). Sounds like apples and oranges to me. Do you want to try to clarify the question?

I don't know how the moderators feel about help with assignments like this and so forth, and I myself have an unreliable internet signal, but I'd be curious to see how this plays out.

It really sounds to me on the surface that whoever made the assignment doesn't know the material either. Could this be a high school teacher that also teaches PE?

person

Like SD said it is kind of like comparing apples to oranges. Mara can be seen as a symbol of our kleshas (or mental defilements) so maybe trying to relate the aggregates to delusions would be an easier path, but I'm personally ignorant to their relation, so don't have any advice on the matter. Good luck.

DhammaDhatu

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.063.wlsh.html

more, later, too busy now

DhammaDhatu

DhammaDhatu

DhammaDhatu

DhammaDhatu

DhammaDhatu

DhammaDhatu

Māra [fr. mṛ, later Vedic, māra killing, destroying, bringing death, pestilence, cp. Lat. mors death, morbus illness, Lith. māras death, pestilence] death; usually personified as Np. Death, the Evil one, the Tempter (the Buddhist Devil or Principle of Destruction).

Māraṇa (nt.) [fr. Caus. māreti] killing, slaughter, death D ii.128; Sdhp 295, 569.

http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.3.pali.218

The above, from the PTS Pali Dictionary, shows the words "mara" and "marana" (death) have the same linguistic root or meaning.

DhammaDhatu

Now we turn to a rather strange word, the word "Mara" (the tempter, the devil).

The Mara of everyday language is conceived as a kind of monster with body, face, and eyes of repulsive and terrifying appearance.

Mara in Dhamma language, however, is not a living creature but rather any kind of mental state opposed to the good and wholesome and to progress towards the cessation of dukkha. That which opposes and obstructs spiritual progress is called Mara.

We may think of Mara as a living being if we wish, as long as we understand what he really stands for.

No doubt you have often heard the story of how Mara came down from the Paranimmitavasavatt realm to confront the Buddha-to-be. This was the real Mara the Tempter. He came down from the highest heaven, the Paranimmitavasavatt realm, which is a heaven of sensual enjoyments of the highest order, a paradise abounding in everything the heart could desire, where someone is always standing by to gratify one's every wish. This is Mara the Tempter, but not the one with the ugly, ferocious countenance and reddened mouth, who is supposed to go around catching creatures to suck their blood. That is Mara as ignorant people picture him. It is the Mara of the everyday language of ignorant people who don't know how to recognize Mara when they see him.

In Dhamma language, the word "Mara" means at worst the heaven known as Paranimmitavasavatt, the highest realm of sensuality. In general it means any mental state opposed to the good and wholesome, opposed to spiritual progress. This is Mara in Dhamma language.

http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books5/Bhikkhu_Buddhadasa_Two_Kinds_of_Language.htm

DhammaDhatu

Lord Yama holding "The Wheel of Life"

Yama and Mara

In Buddhism the two beings that are often confused with the Christian concept of the devil, Yama and Mara, are also Bodhisattvas. Lord Yama's job is to make sure beings receive the appropriate karmic retribution in the appropriate hell realm. The hell realms as described in Buddhism are not so different from those visualized by Dante in The Inferno. Lord Yama is the Bodhisattva assigned by the Buddhas to rule the ghosts and hell realms, but he must not be thought of as the King of the Ghosts, because he is a Bodhisattva and ghosts are ordinary beings. He resides in the Suyama Heaven, the third heaven of the Desire World. He is also considered a dharma protector and as one of the “Eight Guardians of the Law.” This is why Lord Yama is often shown holding the "wheel of life" with its six realms of existence and the twelve links of dependent origination.

Mara, the tempter who is also called the Evil One, has the job of testing living beings to make sure they are progressing on the path. He and his demon followers are emanations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who test those engaged in self-cultivation. He appears in the texts both as a real being (i.e. as a deity who is the King of Demons of the Paranirmita Heaven, the sixth and highest heaven in the desire realm) and as a symbol of everything that hinders the arising of wholesome roots and progress on the path of enlightenment. This includes the internal difficulties encountered by the practitioner. There are four kinds known as the Four Maras: 1) skandha-mara or incorrect view of self; 2) klesha-mara or being overpowered by negative emotions; 3) matyu-mara or death that interrupts the spiritual practice; and 4) devaputra-mara or becoming stuck in the bliss that comes from meditation.

Seeing these fearsome beings as bodhisattvas who are really responsible for helping us on our evolutionary path puts the so called "devil" in a very different light.

http://www.zhaxizhuoma.net/SEVEN_JEWELS/SAINTHOOD/Yama-Mara.html

DhammaDhatu

The Figure Holding the Wheel: Impermanence

The wheel is being held by a fearsome figure who represents impermanence. The exact form of the figure varies. The Dalai Lama states:

The fierce being holding the wheel symbolizes impermanence, which is why the being is a wrathful monster, though there is no need for it to be drawn with ornaments and so forth... Once I had such a painting drawn with a skeleton rather than a monster, in order to symbolize impermanence more clearly.[18]
This figure is often depicted as Yama, the lord of death; but the inner meaning remains the same. The meaning is that the entire process of cyclic existence (samsara) is transient; everything within this wheel is constantly changing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavacakra

DhammaDhatu

So, to end, although Yama meters out punishment for bad karma and although Mara is the temper, their meanings are very similar because they both represent the "death" (marana) of the spiritual life or peace. Mara is not only "the temper", Mara is also "the killer" (as the Buddha said in the attached scriptures).

Although Yama symbolises punishment or suffering, the Dalai Lama (quoted above) aligns Yama with "impermanence", which is closer to the meaning of "death" (marana) than punishment.

Why have I brought up Yama?

Because the five skulls on Yama's head represent the five aggregates. Yama punishes people or minds that cling to and won't let go of the five aggregates, which are subject to impermanence (birth, aging, illness & death).

OK. Good luck. There is more than enough above.

DhammaDhatu

Yama, like Mara, is also "the killer" of the spiritual life & spiritual peace.

santhisouk

This might help to understand the meaning of the wheel in the picture above. It starts with ignorance (depicted as the blind man) as a requisite condition comes fabrications (the pottery maker).. and so on.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.002.than.html

DhammaDhatu

The meaning of the wheel is very simple, namely, due to ignorance of not comprehending universal impermanence & not-self, the mind clings to & is possessive towards the impermanent five aggregates and thus creates suffering for itself when the five aggregates are subject to aging & death (alteration & change).

That is all.

Imo, any further explanation will complicate the topic for the student.

The wheel is summarised in the following quote:

Regards

There is the case where an uninstructed person assumes form (the body) to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. He is seized with the idea that 'I am form' or 'Form is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his form changes & alters, and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes feeling to be the self, or the self as possessing feeling, or feeling as in the self, or the self as in feeling. He is seized with the idea that 'I am feeling' or 'Feeling is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his feeling changes & alters, and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes perception to be the self, or the self as possessing perception, or perception as in the self, or the self as in perception. He is seized with the idea that 'I am perception' or 'Perception is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his perception changes & alters, and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes (mental) fabrications to be the self, or the self as possessing fabrications, or fabrications as in the self, or the self as in fabrications. He is seized with the idea that 'I am fabrications' or 'Fabrications are mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his fabrications change & alter, and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over their change & alteration.

He assumes consciousness to be the self, or the self as possessing consciousness, or consciousness as in the self, or the self as in consciousness. He is seized with the idea that 'I am consciousness' or 'Consciousness is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his consciousness changes & alters, and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair over its change & alteration.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.001.than.html

federica

DD, try to combine a few posts. I know your knowledge is ultimate and limitless, but take a breath, dear....;)

DhammaDhatu

:om:

SherabDorje

DD, do you mean "tempter"? Is that a typo?

Jason

In some cases, Mara is portrayed as an actual being who apparently considers himself the head of the kamavacara (literally 'sensuous sphere') world, especially by traditionalists who tend to take a more literalist approach. Nevertheless, looking at the texts more critically, it's evident that in most contexts, Mara is used in reference to death (marana), the psychological clinging to the aggregates that gives rise to suffering and/or to the mental defilements of greed, hatred and delusion. For more information, see G. P. Malalasekera's entry in the Dictionary of Pali Names, this selection from the "Mara-samyutta" of the Samyutta Nikaya and these various suttas from throughout the Pali Canon.

thickpaper

I have to write a research paper relating the model of the Five Aggregates to the problem of Mara. Any suggestions, opinions...

My suggestion is not very deep:

Mara is the personification/demonification of Tana.

The arisen-aggregated mind inherently oozes the kinds of delusions, illusions and wrong understandings that allow Mara to endlessly cause dukkha.

I guess it would be important to stress in your paper that there is no Mara outside of experience.

Good luck!

sarahliz

Thanks guys! My teacher is actually extremely well versed in the buddhist philosophy. I just finished a retreat with him up in Mount Baldy. I am a senior in college. He was trying to be creative I guess and see what we would come up with. His perspective is that the five aggregates create the personality which then, through sankhara mostly, creates clinging and attachment, also the sense of self comes from sankhara. Mara is also tied to clinging, attachment and other causes of suffering. So he was hoping we would do our own research and come up with a connection between the two, a way they are similar. It is difficult question, hence why I asked for advice! Hope that clears it up a little.