The Buddha’s Perfections over Maras

The Bodhisattva was sitting in meditation under the Bodhi tree in the evening. He tried to make his mind very still and empty of all thoughts and emotions to reach perfect enlightenment. Instead of achieving supra-mundane state, he was thinking of the mundane state which is about worldly happiness when he was being a laity. The author of Genesis Sombodhikatha (the first book about life of the Lord Buddha) illustrates the association between the Bodhisattva and mundane happiness with a symbolic way of encountering Maras.

 

Wassawadee Mara, the God of the Evil who kept stopping the Bodhisattva from reaching enlightenment, once hindered the Bodhisattva by riding the elephant named Kirimekhara and letting his troops try to threaten and tempt the Bodhisattva from his throne. The Mara had expected the Bodhisattva to be terrified and run away eventually. Surprisingly, the Bodhisattva stayed still and calm like nothing happened. The Mara was very frustrated. He had his troops besiege to kill the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva reminded to the Thirty Perfections which he had practiced and developed all his previous lives. He summoned the Mother Earth to be his witness. She then rose up from the earth and twisted her long hair. Torrents of water collected there from the innumerable donative libations of the Bodhisattva over the ages created a flood. The flood washed away the Mara and his troops. The Mara was defeated in the end.

 

As mentioned previously, I imagined and created a new form of work. While working, I got a feeling that Maras in my own mind were greed, hatred and delusion. I then made the symbolic portrait to show meaning about clearing one’s mind from impurity by molding Buddha statue in the attitude of subduing Mara. The upper part of the statue signifies purity of mind. Those beasts and animals at the base of the statue means demon troops.

 

The Buddha’s Perfections over Maras connotes controlling mind over sadness or those Maras.

 

Therefore, to live a peaceful life, one must control his mind over sadness habitually. It will bring the one and his family a true happiness.