Mara (demon)#Mara's conversion

{{Other uses|Mara (disambiguation){{!}}Mara}}

{{Buddhist term|fontsize=100%|title=Māra|sa=मार, Māra|pi=Māra|en=Mara; Demon|bo=བདུད|bo-Latn=Wylie: bdud|ja=魔羅; マーラ; 天魔|ja-Latn=Mara; Māra; Tenma|ko=마라|ko-Latn=Mara|th=มาร|zh=天魔; 魔羅; 魔罗|zh-Latn=Tiān Mó; Mó Luó; Mó Luó|km=មារ|vi=Thiên Ma|si=මාරයා|si-Latn=Mārayā|th-Latn=Māra|km-Latn=Méru|my=မာရ်နတ်|my-Latn=Marnat|id=Mara; Setan; Iblis|image=Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita Mara Demons.jpeg|caption=The demons of Mara, palm leaf manuscript, Nalanda, Bihar}}

File:Māra.JPG style, found in Swat Valley]]

File:MaraAssault.jpg representation: the Buddha is only symbolized by his throne), 2nd century, Amaravati Stupa, India]]

File:Dunhuang_Mara_Budda.jpg]]

Mara,{{langx|sa|मार}}, {{IAST|Māra}}; {{langx|si|මාරයා}}; {{Lang-zh|s=天魔|p=Tiānmó}} or {{Lang-zh|t=魔羅|s=魔罗|p=Móluó|first=t}}; {{langx|ja|魔羅|Mara}}; also マーラ, Māra or 天魔, Tenma; {{langx|ko|마라|Mara}}; {{langx|vi|Thiên Ma}}; Tibetan Wylie: bdud; {{langx|km|មារ}}; {{langx|my|မာရ်နတ်}}; {{langx|th|มาร}}; {{langx|tl|Mara}} in Buddhism, is a malignant celestial Asura king who tried to stop Prince Siddhartha from Awakening by trying to seduce him with his celestial Army and a vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters.See, for instance, SN 4.25, entitled, "Māra's Daughters" (Bodhi, 2000, pp. 217–220), as well as Sn 835 (Saddhatissa, 1998, p. 98). In each of these texts, Mara's daughters (Māradhītā) are personified by sensual Craving (taṇhā), Aversion (arati), and Passion (rāga).

In Buddhist cosmology, Mara is associated with death, rebirth and desire.{{cite book|last=Trainor|first=Kevin|title=Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=34|year=2004|isbn=9780195173987}} Nyanaponika Thera has described Mara as "the personification of the forces antagonistic to enlightenment."{{cite book|last=Thera|first=Nyanaponika|title=The Roots of Good and Evil: Buddhist Texts translated from the Pali with Comments and Introduction|publisher=Buddhist Publication Society|year=2008|page=22|isbn=9789552403163}}

He is Yama's fearsome persona and all beings associated with him, darkness and death, become forces of Mara. These forces consist of Asuras, Rakshasa, Pisacas, Aratis and animals.Karetzky (1982): 78.

Raksases can have the form of male terrestrial goblins and animals (owls, vultures and dogs). They can also have the body of a human but these have deformities like three heads or horn on their heads. They act as messengers of Yama.

Pisacas are connected with the death as they are described as flesh-eaters and corpse devourers.

Aratis are female goblins who symbolise illiberaty.

(Karetzky (1982): 79)

Origin

His name is first mentioned in the Atharva Veda (1200 BCE–1000 BCE) as Mrtyu and Agha Mara, the evil slayer. He is called the "evil one who kills" and "Papiyan", denoting a being which is not only morally bad but intertwined with sorrow, pain and misfortune.Karetzky, Patricia Eichenbaum. "Māra, Buddhist Deity of Death and Desire." East and West, vol. 32, no. 1/4, 1982, pp. 75–92. {{JSTOR|29756628}}. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024. p. 77.

While Mara's origin is of Hindu nature, the development of the symbolism of Mara was spread by Buddhism.Ling (1962): Buddhism and the Mythology of Evil. London. p. 30.

Etymology

The word Māra comes from the Sanskrit form of the verbal root mṛ. It takes a present indicative form mṛyate and a causative form mārayati (with strengthening of the root vowel from ṛ to ār). Māra is a verbal noun from the causative root and means 'causing death' or 'killing'.{{cite book|last=Olson|first=Carl|title=The Different Paths of Buddhism: A Narrative-Historical Introduction|url=https://archive.org/details/differentpathsof0000olso|url-access=registration|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=2005|page=[https://archive.org/details/differentpathsof0000olso/page/28 28]|isbn=9780813537788}} It is related to other words for death from the same root, such as: maraṇa and mṛtyu. The latter is a name for death personified and is sometimes identified with Yama.

The root mṛ is related to the Indo-European verbal root *mer meaning "die, disappear" in the context of "death, murder or destruction". It is "very wide-spread" in Indo-European languages suggesting it to be of great antiquity, according to Mallory and Adams.{{cite book|author1=J. P. Mallory|author2=Douglas Q. Adams|title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC |year=1997|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-884964-98-5|pages=150–153}}

Four types of Māra

In traditional Buddhism, four or five{{Citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=citation seems to claim 4 only}} metaphorical forms of Māra are given:{{cite book|editor1-last=Buswell|editor1-first=Robert Jr|editor2-last=Lopez|editor2-first=Donald S. Jr.|editor1-link=Robert Buswell Jr.|editor2-link=Donald S. Lopez Jr.|title=Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.|pages=530–531, 550, 829|date=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, NJ|isbn=9780691157863}}

Kleśa-māra – Māra as the embodiment of all unskillful emotions, such as greed, hate and delusion.
Mṛtyu-māra – Māra as death.
Skandha-māra – Māra as metaphor for the entirety of conditioned existence.
Devaputra-māra – the deva of the sensuous realm, who tried to prevent Gautama Buddha from attaining liberation from the cycle of rebirth on the night of the Buddha's enlightenment.

Character

Early Buddhism acknowledged both a literal and psychological interpretation of Mara.{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Paul|title=Buddhism: The early Buddhist schools and doctrinal history; Theravāda doctrine, Volume 2|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2005|pages=105–106|isbn=9780415332286}}{{cite book|last=Keown|first=Damien|title=Buddhism|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company|year=2009|page=69|isbn=9781402768835}}

Mara is described both as an entity having an existence in Kāma-world,{{cite web|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/mara/index.html|title=Mara, Māra: 13 definitions|website=www.wisdomlib.org|date=10 August 2008 }} just as are shown existing around the Buddha, and also is described in pratītyasamutpāda as, primarily, the guardian of passion and the catalyst for lust, hesitation and fear that obstructs meditation among Buddhists. The Denkōroku refers to him as the "One Who Delights in Destruction", which highlights his nature as a deity among the Parinirmitavaśavarti devas.{{cite web |last1=Jokin |first1=Keizan |translator=Hubert Nearman |title=The Denkōroku: The Record of the Transmission of the Light |url=https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/bookDenk02.pdf |publisher=OBC Shasta Abbey Press |access-date=2019-12-06 |location=Mount Shasta, California |date=2003}}

"Buddha defying Mara" is a common pose of Buddha sculptures.{{cite book|last1=Vogel|first1=Jean Philippe|last2=Barnouw|first2=Adriaan Jacob|title=Buddhist Art in India, Ceylon, and Java|publisher=Asian Educational Services|pages=70–71|year=1936}} The Buddha is shown with his left hand in his lap, palm facing upwards and his right hand on his right knee. The fingers of his right hand touch the earth, to call the earth as his witness for defying Mara and achieving enlightenment. This posture is also referred to as the bhūmisparśa "earth-witness" mudra.

In certain Sri Lankan traditions, the mount of Mara is said to be Girimekhala, a gargantuan elephant with black hide, and reaching 250 yojana in height.

=Three daughters=

In some accounts of the Buddha's enlightenment, it is said that the demon Māra did not send his three daughters to tempt but instead they came willingly after Māra's setback in his endeavor to eliminate the Buddha's quest for enlightenment.{{cite book|last=Keown|first=Damien|title=A Dictionary of Buddhism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|page=174|isbn=9780191579172}} Mara's three daughters are identified as {{IAST|Taṇhā}} (Thirst), Arati (Aversion, Discontentment), and Rāga (Attachment, Desire, Greed, Passion).{{cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/guruge/wheel419.html#fn-26|title=The Buddha's Encounters with Mara the Tempter: Their Representation in Literature and Art|website=www.accesstoinsight.org}}See, e.g., SN 4.25 (Bodhi, 2000, pp. 217–20), and Sn 835 (Saddhatissa, 1998, p. 98). In a similar fashion, in Sn 436 (Saddhatissa, 1998, p. 48), {{IAST|taṇhā}} is personified as one of Death's four armies (senā) along with desire (kāmā), aversion (arati) and hunger-thirst (khuppipāsā). For example, in the Samyutta Nikaya's Māra-sa{{IAST|ṃ}}yutta, Mara's three daughters were undressing in front of the Buddha; but failed to entice him:

:They had come to him glittering with beauty –

:Taṇhā, Arati, and Rāga –

:But the Teacher swept them away right there

:As the wind, a fallen cotton tuft.SN 4.25, v. 518 (Bodhi, 2000, p. 220).

The three daughters of Māra were inspired by Aratis, a type of feminine goblin that was associated with avarice.Karetzky (1982): 79.

=Mara's conversion=

The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp and the Denkoroku both contain a story of Mara's conversion to Buddhism under the auspices of the monk Upagupta.

According to the story, Upagupta journeyed to the kingdom of Mathura and preached the Dharma with great success. This caused Mara's palace to tremble, prompting the deity to use his destructive powers against the Dharma. When Upagupta entered samadhi, Mara approached him and slipped a jade necklace around his neck.

Upagupta reciprocated by transforming the corpses of a man, a dog, and a snake into a garland and gifted it to Mara. When Mara discovered the true nature of the gift, he sought the help of Brahma to remove it. Brahma informed him that because the necklace was bestowed by an advanced disciple of the Buddha, its effects could only be assuaged by taking refuge in Upagupta.

Mara returned to the human world where he prostrated before the monk and repented. At Upagupta's recommendation, he vowed never to do harm to the Dharma and took refuge in the Three Jewels.{{cite web |last1=Jokin |first1=Keizan |translator=Hubert Nearman |title=The Denkōroku: The Record of the Transmission of the Light |url=https://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/bookDenk02.pdf |publisher=OBC Shasta Abbey Press |access-date=2019-12-06 |location=Mount Shasta, California |date=2003}}

In popular culture

Mara appears in Roger Zelazny's 1967 novel Lord of Light as a god of illusion.{{cite web|title=Lord of Light Summary |url=https://www.shmoop.com/lord-of-light/summary.html|publisher=Shmoop|access-date=August 18, 2019}}

Mara has appeared as a recurring Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise, as well as in its spinoffs. Here, Mara takes the appearance of a giant penis riding a golden chariot. Mara has consistently been one of the most popular demons in the series, even reaching #1 popularity on some demon popularity polls.{{Cite web |last=Reggy |date=2017-10-25 |title=Shin Megami Tensei Favorite Demon Official Poll Results [Update] |url=https://personacentral.com/shin-megami-tensei-favorite-demon-official-poll-results/ |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Persona Central |language=en-US}}

In 2020, the singer-songwriter Jack Garratt released a song entitled "Mara". Inspired by the story of Mara's distraction of the Buddha, "Mara" describes Garratt's experience of intrusive thoughts.{{cite web|title = Mara Inspiration| date=5 February 2020| url=https://www.ladygunn.com/music/interviews-music/after-a-rollercoaster-debut-jack-garratt-was-left-broken-today-hes-back/|publisher=ladygunn|access-date=April 5, 2020}}

In the manga/anime, Record of Ragnarok, the character Hajun (Papiyas in the English translation) was inspired by Mara and becomes an enemy to Buddha in the sixth round of the Ragnarok tournament.

Naruto, Madara Uchiha’s plans of keeping human beings in an eternal genjutsu are similar to Mara’s plans of trapping humans in the Samsara of life through the temptation of pleasure. Madara was never liked by people as they feared and dreaded his presence, similar to the hatred and detest Mara received from people of his time. Another similarity between the two is their use of manipulation and lies to gain followers, since neither one could understand the true meaning of compassion.

Notes

References

Sources

{{cite book |author-link=Bhikkhu Bodhi |last=Bodhi |first=Bhikkhu (trans.) |year=2000 |title=The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya |place=Boston |publisher=Wisdom Publications |isbn=0-86171-331-1}}
{{cite book |last=Saddhatissa |first=H. (trans.) |year=1998 |title=The Sutta-Nipāta |place=London |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon Press |isbn=0-7007-0181-8}}

External links

[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/guruge/wheel419.html The Buddha's Encounters with Mara the Tempter: Their Representation in Literature and Art]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090203173540/http://dhamma.damith.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=115 Taming the Mara] (archived 3 February 2009)
[http://realtruthlife.blogspot.com/2011/08/maha-buddhavamsa-vanquishing-vasavatti.html Mara, the Evil One_99]

Category:Demons in Buddhism

Category:Buddhism and death

Category:Destroyer gods

Category:Evil gods