[Ingeborga]

Dear friends,

I saw this article on the internet and wondered if anyone had any comments.

Mara Looks Just Like Buddha

By Lewis Richmond



Mara is the master illusionist of Buddhism. He/she appears before Siddhartha the Buddha-to-be, who is sitting under the Bo tree on the verge of his final enlightenment, to co-opt and destroy Siddhartha's spiritual quest. Mara says, "How presumptuous of Siddhartha ... to assume the cross-legged posture on the seat of Wisdom! He is desirous of passing beyond my control but I will never allow it." (These and subsequent quotes are from "The Buddha: His life Retold by Robert Allen Mitchell.")

Mara is the classic narcissist. He wants to own and control everything -- including Siddhartha's spiritual accomplishment. Mara tries various strategems on Siddhartha; he sends hailstorms, beautiful women, the promises of gain, fame, honor and glory -- all to distract Siddhartha from his goal. These strategies are not idle; Mara could not be a true threat to Siddhartha's efforts unless Mara is some version or shadow of Siddhartha himself.

Mara is Siddhartha's unconscious double; Mara has experienced everything Siddhartha has experienced -- though he has no real understanding of it all. Mara knows all about the spiritual journey, and speaks Siddhartha's spiritual language. In fact -- or so I imagine -- Mara looks and feels just like Siddhartha, both to Siddhartha himself and to other people. Mara seems to have all the talents and attributes of a truly realized spiritual leader. That is why he is so dangerous.

As his last challenge to Siddhartha, Mara says, "Get up from this seat, Siddhartha. That seat does not belong to you, it belongs to me." Siddhartha responds, "You are not striving for the welfare of the world, or for enlightenment. This seat belongs to me."

And then -- in a famous gesture replicated in Buddha statues the world over -- Siddhartha touches the earth, asking her to witness his spiritual sincerity. In response she roars (for the earth is feminine), "I, EARTH, BEAR YOU WITNESS!" This defeats Mara for good, and he flees at last. Thus Siddhartha grounds himself in the wholesome motivation of his dedication to the welfare of all beings. That is the one approach Mara cannot understand. Mara is self-absorbed; he just wants the benefits of realization for himself.

I think we in the West are at a stage where we find it difficult to distinguish clearly between Mara and Buddha. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, according to the Dalai Lama, a person should closely observe a teacher for three years before consenting to be his/her student. It takes that long, apparently, to clearly differentiate Mara from Buddha.

As we live in a modern world of instant gratification, we don't wait three years or often even three weeks. I know of people who ask to be a teacher's student one hour after meeting him/her. Easy come, easy go -- that is the style of much that passes for real spiritual activity these days. The real path is full of pitfalls, including the difficulty of knowing which teachers are real and reliable, and which just seem to be.

So how do we differentiate Mara from Buddha? What are criteria and how do we test for them?

Continued at the link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lewis-...b_1804369.html

[andreas]

I think that's really pertinent Aloka-D!



I am amazed by how many fakes, phoneys and crack pots are out there posing as Teachers, monks ,Rinpoches etc.

I was fairly recently in Nepal and was quite shocked by how many westerners appeared to be Ordained Monastic and Non-monastics circumnabulating the Stupa. I asked a local monk who informed me " they are not all monks or Yogis" he said laughing " some buy the robes by themselves and some have teachers who say it is ok" Then he shook his head and looked serious "they are dressing up" this quite shocked me!

Some teachers even re-invent the Vinaya!

I think we will have all heard of the scandals surrounding some teachers whether it be misconduct of a sensational type (drugs and sex) or just the old money chestnut.
Sadly many people have really suffered and a few have died because they put their faith in false teachers!

It really does seem that as more people expect instant results without compromising their ego or clinging, more and more 'teachers' are willing to supply the less than efficacious goods.

[nikolapegayyyaasss]

I don’t claim to be a teacher in anyway accept some simple English but being in China made me see things somewhat differently. I don’t know if this contribution has relevance and I could be completely wrong.

I think it's true that western society is prone to want instant results rather than being careful and patient in their decisions. I'm not sure if my observations have value but where I am in China people have much more of a collective way of thinking and doing. I’m not talking about Communism. They are raised to rather consider the consequences with respect to the whole than the self. It’s very frustrating for a western guy like me that is use to a more individualistic approach to making decisions. I’m constantly struggling with the idea that they can’t make up their minds for themselves. It really threw me after I heard a woman saying I was ‘impetuous’. It was the biggest English word I’ve ever heard here and she said that after I told her that she was being kind.

When I read the quoted article about the Buddha’s struggle with Mara and that his selfless decisions gave him the final victory, I felt that I’ve seen it being practiced to a certain degree in societies with a long Buddhist history like here in China and Thailand. It makes me wonder about how tough it really is to let go of the 'Self' and what some western 'Buddhists' think they are doing, including me.

Thus Siddhartha grounds himself in the wholesome motivation of his dedication to the welfare of all beings. That is the one approach Mara cannot understand. Mara is self-absorbed; he just wants the benefits of realization for himself.

[Hetgvwic]

I am amazed by how many fakes, phoneys and crack pots are out there posing as Teachers, monks ,Rinpoches etc.

I was fairly recently in Nepal and was quite shocked by how many westerners appeared to be Ordained Monastic and Non-monastics circumnabulating the Stupa. I asked a local monk who informed me " they are not all monks or Yogis" he said laughing " some buy the robes by themselves and some have teachers who say it is ok" Then he shook his head and looked serious "they are dressing up" this quite shocked me

Interesting that you should mention that Ngagpa. I haven't been to Nepal but I can remember a couple of years or so ago a westerner posing as a tulku and calling himself 'rinpoche' on the internet with a photo of himself in Tibetan monks robes and a ritual hat and asking for personal donations. He was exposed as a fraud by some people in an internet group who investigated his alleged credentials
.
We've also had people joining BWB and then announcing their imagined attainments and one guy said he was an enlightened Buddha and had come to teach us, lol !

Returning to the article again, I'm not sure what my opinion is about investigating a teacher for 3 years first.... I guess it also depends on how often one sees him in that time.

[dubGucKcolo]

Gaoxing , I think you make some valid points.

Aloka-D it seems there is a proliferation of fakes in the Dhamma game. Vajrayana has had it's fair share and many have been handled badly by a 'spiritual' hierarchy who are often out of touch with its western sanghas.

Very sad

[PeterPatrickJohn]

I think that's really pertinent Aloka-D!



I am amazed by how many fakes, phoneys and crack pots are out there posing as Teachers, monks ,Rinpoches etc.

I was fairly recently in Nepal and was quite shocked by how many westerners appeared to be Ordained Monastic and Non-monastics circumnabulating the Stupa. I asked a local monk who informed me " they are not all monks or Yogis" he said laughing " some buy the robes by themselves and some have teachers who say it is ok" Then he shook his head and looked serious "they are dressing up" this quite shocked me!

Some teachers even re-invent the Vinaya!

I think we will have all heard of the scandals surrounding some teachers whether it be misconduct of a sensational type (drugs and sex) or just the old money chestnut.
Sadly many people have really suffered and a few have died because they put their faith in false teachers!

It really does seem that as more people expect instant results without compromising their ego or clinging, more and more 'teachers' are willing to supply the less than efficacious goods.

I have not seen such people in Nepal, I have not been there for some time though.

It is not difficult to read about scandals - in whatever we are exploring, discernment is required.

[Appeselve]

I thought this observation from the author was interesting because years ago I remember hearing a lot of speculative fantasy about some teachers, from people who behaved rather like the fans and groupies of rock or movie stars ...and probably still do, bless them !


Another sign that we are in the presence of Mara, not Buddha, is a quality of hypnotic glow. Because of their seeming immunity from ordinary human failings, narcissists hold a powerful attraction for needy and suffering people.

[Fegasderty]

I thought this observation from the author was interesting because years ago I remember hearing a lot of speculative fantasy about some teachers, from people who behaved rather like the fans and groupies of rock or movie stars ...and probably still do, bless them !

Yes, it's one of those statements that cut down to how we practice. I've always had issues with 'Important personalities'. Even motivational speakers of some kinds. The Buddha's teachings just never seem to allow for this but then I don't think we can expect to be living in a perfect world.

How much attention do we pay to not cause desire in others?

[shumozar]

"As we live in a modern world of instant gratification, we don't wait three years or often even three weeks. I know of people who ask to be a teacher's student one hour after meeting him/her. Easy come, easy go -- that is the style of much that passes for real spiritual activity these days. The real path is full of pitfalls, including the difficulty of knowing which teachers are real and reliable, and which just seem to be."

So, so true. I look at the people around me and everyone wants what they want, now and with no limitations. They don't think about the consequences, big or small. And one of the most serious consequences I see these days, is misunderstanding something, chasing after things that are not what you think they are.

In the past year I have come to realize that you need to understand what something truly is and how it will affect you. You need to recognize whether it is Mara or the Buddha; and that takes time and careful examination. You need to take the time and ask the difficult questions, not trust on first impression that things are how you think they are (or perhaps want them to be).

[soyclocky]

Although there can definately be difficulties in finding genuine teachers, I think that its very important to at least investigate some Buddhist centres and meet some monks, nuns and other lay practitioners. Even if there isn't one nearby, its still possible to travel further afield and stay somewhere for at least a weekend every few months, to get some meditation instruction.

As far as "Mara" is concerned, I like what Buddhadasa Bhikkhu had to say here:

"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.

http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Bo...DS OF LANGUAGE

[JorgiOLusinio]

Hi Aloka

Thank you for your very good advice about seeking a Sangha, I think it a great pity that many people who have an interest in the Buddhist path do not develop their interest through lack of Sangha support, forums like this are a great resource, and retreats do develop practice but the retreat format does not normally allow the developement of community, and there is a lot to gain from meeting and casually talking to other like minded people, not necessarily a teacher type relationship but just other people at different places in understanding the path.

I think that the interest is there, particularly in Vipassana practice, and if people had a way to contact people in there own area and form study type groups I am sure it could benefit many

Personally I think that when the Buddha said " I see you Mara" he was showing us the path