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Mara, the evil one.
ZendoLord84
Veteran
Finding a Piece of the Truth
One day Mara, the Evil One, was travelling through the villages of India with his attendants. he saw a man doing walking meditation whose face was lit up on wonder. The man had just discovered something on the ground in front of him. Mara’s attendant asked what that was and Mara replied, "A piece of truth."
"Doesn’t this bother you when someone finds a piece of truth, O Evil One?" his attendant asked. "No," Mara replied. "Right after this, they usually make a belief out of it."
http://www.myrkothum.com/the-10-very-best-zen-stories/
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This is my problem with al institutions of faith and religion, buddhism also.
Always have been.
Still,
If it's all there is, gotta try to change it from within.
One day Mara, the Evil One, was travelling through the villages of India with his attendants. he saw a man doing walking meditation whose face was lit up on wonder. The man had just discovered something on the ground in front of him. Mara’s attendant asked what that was and Mara replied, "A piece of truth."
"Doesn’t this bother you when someone finds a piece of truth, O Evil One?" his attendant asked. "No," Mara replied. "Right after this, they usually make a belief out of it."
http://www.myrkothum.com/the-10-very-best-zen-stories/
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This is my problem with al institutions of faith and religion, buddhism also.
Always have been.
Still,
If it's all there is, gotta try to change it from within.
4
Comments
It's still a neat idea. That's exactly how it works, we have an insight and then ego cuts in and says: look at me I did it. I can always feel fear when I think I have 'done it.' If I have done it then what if 'the rug' gets pulled? What if I can't keep 'it'?
True enough but I still would see talking animals existing in dreamworlds/other planes of existence or at least not on Earth. That's just my viewpoint.
I see god worlds as only existing in reality for the gods. This world is the one where it is possible to wake up, not the god realms.
Which I actually take issue with because I'm not sure how they would get out of there in order to ever realise our true nature. There must be a way to liberate Mara... Buddha showed him compassion but if we all have Buddha nature, wouldn't Mara also have the power to awaken?
that's one take on it anyway.
The historical Buddha lived at roughly the same time as the birth of the Roman Republic... he can only live in my mind. As for the teachings... the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Mara? I know Mara well... in the same way I know the Buddha.
But I go back to my question, which maybe I didn't make clear. "We" believe Buddha existed...in the flesh. But "we" tend to believe Mara is simply a...well, I'm not sure what to say here...a fable. Why?
Touching the ground has been interpreted in different ways... One way of seeing it is that when fantasies and fabrications are gone, and there is no reaching or grasping.... and the mind is open, simple, bright, and clear.... the solid earth comes forward and bears witness. The sane solid earth alone.
The meditator glimpsed a bit of truth... Mara doesn't dig truth, but a piece of the truth can mislead if worshipped.
That's my take on it, leastways.
the devil tested the Buddha under the bodhi tree before he became enlightend!
That of course, goes to anyone posting any form of quotation, extract, text or article.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Is that where this one comes from, as well?
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn05/sn05.002.olen.html
sorry don't know for sure, these two I stumbled upon,
so it's gotta be
Maya no.
Maya was his mother.
I was referring to Maya(or illusion) of Samsara in Hinduism. I thought Mara was the Pali term for Maya(or illusion) in Sanskrit.
Anyways, good to know that in Buddhism, Maya is the mother of Mara.
Maya was the mother of the Buddha.....
If "Mara is the projection of our conditioned Mind" - how can he have a mother?
:rolleyes:
Did not even thought about it - If "Mara is the projection of our conditioned Mind" - how can he have a mother?
again realized my idiotness :bawl:
Thanks again for correcting me.
Wisdom consists of not exceeding that limit....."
The term mara derives from the Sanskrit root mr, to murder. Thus, mara is what murders or causes interference to us limited beings and to our constructive actions leading to the three spiritual goals of one of the better rebirths, liberation, and enlightenment. Mara is also explained as “what puts an end” (mthar-byed, Skt. antaka) – that which puts an end to spiritual practice.
the mara of death (the Lord of Death),
the mara of disturbing emotions and attitudes,
the mara of the aggregate factors of experience (the five aggregates),
the (Devaputra)Mara who is the son of the gods.
It is only the last one the Devaputra Mara which is an actual being.
"Real" is as "real" does.
A charactor from a story can only do harm if it is believed in and manifested through the actions of the believer.
Mara and Buddha faced off when Buddha was in a meditative state. As "good" as we wish to be is as "bad" as our nemesis becomes within. That's duality for you.
To stay here and be light, Buddha had to overcome the darkside and he did it by showing infinite compassion.
jmo
Guess who out of the Buddha, Mara and you, is the least historically significant or cognoscente of those workings?
IMO...A regular period of meditation, coming and going without the traces of the Buddha and Mara dropping by for a visit,
would first have me ask
does your meditation have a bouncer?
and
what the difference is between a sanitized part of a compartmentalized mentality and your meditation?
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.049.than.html
If we actually believe the Buddha was not myth or a generalization, is it so hard to accept Mara could very well be real also. I am not saying the Buddha was omnipotent and knew every spiritual, otherworldly being in existence. Yet, why would we follow someone's teaching who obviously was hallucinating out of their mind on several occasions. We might as well follow Jimmy Stewart when he talks to the bunny Harvey rather than stick our neck out on a limb with some wacko who might have lived 2,500 years ago.
Does this mean Mara is real? I really don't know, but Mara was controlling force or power on people's lives and tried to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment. If he/she/it was not real, then the Buddha was tripping out of his head from starvation and never recovered from the mental damage he suffered.
You mean an invisible being, residing in an invisible place, with invisible powers to do really dangerous stuff like make people who are mentally ill talk backwards and throw up at the sight of the Buddha or a man nailed to wood reputed to be a god . . .
tsk tsk, the strange things people believe . . . no wonder I talk to trees to get a sense of reality . . .
mara the evil red satin cloaked demon from Bollywood, would make a great musical to scare naughty Catholics and film goers . . .
Hardly surprising a good Hindu boy like the Buddha saw stuff according to his cultural baggage.
As a real Lobster with access to the Internet (we are still in the fantasy realm - right) I never believe what I read, what my mind comes up with or what Hollywood dreams are rampant but of course I can suspend belief as appropriate . . .
Mara and Buddha are fantasies, that have meaning ascribed to them. Some of that meaning is very deep rooted.
As usual I agree with @how
Stop bouncing with mind castles and derelict fabrications.
Find stillness.
no kosher lobsters
no devils
no Buddhas
Know Mind.
:rarr:
From what I get is that Mara is a allegory of the physical world that the 5 senses only perceive. Our 5 senses many times deceive us. Siddhārtha like the rest of us was tempted by the 5 senses that can distract us from our goal if we allow it. It was through his persistent meditation that allow him to see beyond the 5 senses. The 5 senses trick us into believing that we are our experiences which can lead us to stray. When we receive a little bit of truth and make it to a belief we become automatons like those who follow organize religion. Instead of being solders (!!!!!!!) we must always question and be the hump back (?????) instead. Every culture except Christianity-Islam uses allegories to explain something a moral lesson. In this country we have been indoctrinated by Christian doctrine we tend to think other religions take things at face value and worship the same. Religions of the east and even Pagan religions uses allegories to explain nature. Even ancient Judaism used allegories they call the pesher and Satan was originally just a word that meant adversary and used in a allegory. Over time especially when Christianity was born the allegory of Satan and God became to be taken literally.
Check out the movie Little Buddha and you can see the symbolism when Mara temps Siddhartha with lust and then when that failed, he flung arrows, and then he tried the greatest tempt, false pride where he tempt Buddha into having counterproductive pride that he defeated Mara so far. The arrows symbolize those stressful things we face daily. When he saw his own image before him, that is our ego getting in the way.
Mara is the matrix in the movie The matrix. We live in a holographic universe
Hello @Corvus and welcome.....As far as I can remember, Jesus used many allegorical parables to illustrate his teachings....
Thanks, Yes Jesus did, then the Roman government decided what to keep as parables and what to make literal as a way to control the people
No @Corvus - you are making a fundamental mistake - mara is that which you desire to be deceived by. Go conquer... 4NT's... There is nothing like a true beginning!
What are you talking about - ?! The Roman Government had nothing whatsoever to do with it. I think you mean The Roman Catholic council.... something entirely and completely different...