Quieted Mind: Mara the Guest

James of Quieted Mind discusses an old story about the Buddha and Mara and what we can learn from it in this Dharma talk.

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Transcript

“Every house guest brings you happiness. Some when they arrive, and some when they are leaving.”

Confucius

“This being human is a guest house. Every morning is a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor...Welcome and entertain them all. Treat each guest honorably. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”

Rumi

You’re listening to The Quieted Mind. I’m James Buckley.

There’s an old story about the Buddha and Mara. Most of us have a basic idea about who the Buddha was, but not as many are familiar with Mara. In Buddhism, Mara is portrayed as a sort of demon god, what some of you might think of as a Satan character. According to one legend, the night before the the Buddha attained enlightenment, he was visited by Mara, who attacked and tempted him with doubts, trying to water seeds of greed, anger, and lust to direct him away from the path he was on. As you probably now know, Mara’s efforts failed, but he was nothing if not persistent. Even after the Buddha’s enlightenment, Mara would randomly show up along the Buddha’s path. The Buddha’s cousin and personal attendant, Ananda, was on constant alert for anything that might threaten the Buddha, and would inform him upon the appearance of Mara that the “Evil One” was back. Instead of trying to avoid Mara, the Buddha would greet him, saying, “I see you, Mara,” and  invite him as a guest and serve him tea. Mara would stay and chat for a while and eventually leave. The entire time, the Buddha would remain calm and treat Mara as a guest.

We all have versions of Mara in our lives. Presences that visit us, often unexpectedly, to taunt us, to make us feel less than. To bring up past or present failures, to say “I told you so.”

When Mara shows up in our lives, we can fall prey to their accusations and taunts and walk away defeated. Or we could run from Mara in an effort to put negative thoughts and emotions out of our mind. Or, maybe we take inspiration from the Buddha’s approach, saying, “I see you, Mara,” and invite them to sit for a while. Treating unwelcome thoughts and emotions as a welcome guest, we affirm the impermanence of these things, knowing that, as with all guests, they didn’t come to stay. We acknowledge their presence, treat them with kindness and compassion while they are here, and once the visit has run its course, they will depart.

All of this is part of learning to move through life with resilience though the practice of love and compassion, a journey that begins within. Thich Nhat Hanh said “Love is the capacity to take care, to protect, to nourish. If you are not capable of generating that kind of energy toward yourself, it is very difficult to take care of another person. In the Buddhist teaching, it’s clear that to love oneself is the foundation of the love of other people. Love is a practice. Love is truly a practice.” 

Bell hooks expounded on this idea, saying, “To begin the practice of love we must slow down and be still enough to bear witness in the present moment. If we accept that love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust, we can then be guided by this understanding. We can use these skillful means as a map in our daily life to determine right action.” bell hooks

If we are to move through life with ease and resilience, to liberate ourselves and others from suffering, the practice of love and compassion for ourselves is a great place to begin. 

Thank you for listening. Until we meet again: May you be safe, may you be happy, and may you be free.