Blackwell Reference Online

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[ xi ] In B uddhist mythology a tempter figure who is in certain respects analogous to Satan in J udaism , I slam and C hristianity . His name means ‘bringer of death’ and his most common epithet is ‘Bad One’ ( papimant ). Not exactly a personification of evil, Mara rather appears as the hold which the world – in particular the world of the senses – can have on the mind, and as the power of all kinds of experience to seduce and delude the unwary mind; seduced by Mara and his helpers one remains enchanted by S amsara and fails to find the path to the cessation of suffering. The B uddha's enlightenment is thus commonly conceived of as the defeat of Mara and his armies, which include desire, aversion, hunger and thirst, craving, tiredness and sleepiness, fear and doubt. The subject is a favourite of Buddhist art: in response to Mara's challenge the Buddha touches the ground with his right hand, calling on the earth to witness that he has perfected such qualities as generosity and wisdom over countless lifetimes ( see P aramtta ). [55] ... log in or subscribe to read full text