FYEO
[eyesonly username=”Lee”]This is for your eyes only
Saraha:
“I prostrate to the one who has vanquished the power of the maras”.
In colloquial language, the term maras refers to external demons that try to tempt one in various ways. But according to the Buddhist tradition, mara in its fundamental sense refers to a factor that brings about suffering for oneself and others; in other words, it
is anything that causes unhappiness and suffering.
There are four types of maras.
The first is called klesa-mara, which means the “mara of afflictions.”
We have within us three major afflictions, or disturbing emotions:
ignorance, attachment, and aversion. The five afflictions are these three
plus jealousy and greed. They all create a great deal of suffering, for when they are present in a person, they can cause further suffering in others.
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