The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology

by Jack Kornfield

I felt like the Buddha under the bodhi tree, when he faced his own inner demons in the form of Mara. As the story is told, on the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment, he took a seat under the bodhi tree in northern India. He resolved to sit there, unshakably, and not to rise from his seat until he had achieved complete freedom. After a short time, Mara, the Indian god of delusion and evil, appeared, intent on stopping the Buddha from this goal. To do so, Mara sent his daughters, the most beautiful temptresses imaginable. But the Buddha was unmoved and simply said, “I see you, Mara.” When desire failed to work, Mara got angry and sent in his vast armies. There were fierce demons with frightening faces and war cries, hurling cudgels, flaming arrows, and deadly spears. Again, the Buddha sat unmoved, saying simply, “I see you, Mara.” Then the Buddha raised his hand to touch the armies of Mara with compassion and all the spears and arrows fell as flower petals at his feet. Finally Mara attacked the Buddha with doubt: “Who do you think you are? What right do you have to sit here to become enlightened?” At this, the Buddha placed a hand on the ground and said, “The earth is my witness.” And with this gesture, the earth goddess arose and bore witness to the lifetimes of patience, dedication, truthfulness, compassion, generosity, and wisdom that had prepared the Buddha for this night. Out of her hair came a flood of water and the armies of Mara were washed away.