18. Why is it necessary to defeat the evil mara(s) or satan?
Why is it necessary
to defeat the evil mara (satan)?
By Pittaya Wong (www.meditation101.org)
6 October 2017
The evil mara(s) or satan are like mafia gangsters of the existence. They always attempt to cause troubles to the Holy Buddhas, enlightened disciples, and sentient beings for ever since. When the Lord Gotama Buddha tried to prolong his lifespan by the late period of his life, the evil mara obstructed the Lord Gotama Buddha. So, the Lord Gotama Buddha had to pass away to the Nirvana and end his only 45 years of human Buddhahood despite the fact that he had to pursue perfections and cultivate virtues as well as accumulating merit energy for as long as 20 aeon and 100,000 sub aeon.
The Buddhas and fully enlightened disciples, who disembodied themselves and passed away to the promising Nirvana which is the realm of permanent pure blissfulness which subjects to no more reincarnation, normally deepen into sublime meditation (nirodha samapatti) almost at all time. However, there is still a harm in the Nirvana when the evil mara(s) invade the Nirvana. When the evil mara(s) invade the Nirvana, the Lord Buddhas and enlightened disciples who are deepening into meditation had to retreat and scatter away as an avoidance.
Then, the Transcendental Imperial Buddhas (Buddha-Chakkavatti) who are responsible for securing specific area of Nirvana had to rush out from their places to attack the evil mara(s). This results their body to be weakened and downsized. Thus, the Transcendental Lord Buddhas and enlightened disciples in the Nirvana quickly fill their pure energy from meditation into the Transcendental Imperial Buddhas. This causes the Transcendental Imperial Buddhas’ body to enlarge and become powerful again. The Transcendental Imperial Buddhas keep battling until the evil mara(s) retreat and return to the evil mara realm (mara loka) or else. Also, some senior transcendental Lord Buddhas and Imperial Buddhas come to help defeating the invading evil mara(s), either the evil transcendental Buddha or the evil transcendental Imperial mara lord. As a result, some invading evil lords are defeated in the Nirvana while others escape and return to their evil realm (mara-loka). The battling in Nirvana between Holy Lords and evil lords rarely occur, and the Holy Buddhas and Imperial Buddhas in Nirvana are aware of the evil lords' arrival when they pass through the Nirvana's wall which is the thick pure mass. By the way, we can still say that there is threat to the Nirvana.
This is the reason why the Most Venerable Phramongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro), the Great Master of Dhammakaya Meditation, attempts to defeat the evil mara(s) completely. If the Lord Buddhas and enlightened disciples pass away to the Nirvana with only tens of aeon of merit cultivation or perfections pursuance, they can hardly encounter the invading evil mara(s) who may have hundreds or even thousands of aeon of cultivation. So, this is why the Most Venerable Phramongkolthepmuni and most of his Dhammakaya Meditation disciples decide not to pass away to the Nirvana as they wish to continue their mission to defeating the evil mara(s) and achieve longer cultivation of merit.
Asking that as the Nirvana is still unsafe like this, why should we pursue virtues perfections and merit energy accumulation to enter the Nirvana, the answer is that even though the Nirvana has a harm from the evil mara(s), it is safer and more blissful when comparing to the samsara (cycle of birth). So, common humans should cultivate virtues in order to enter the Nirvana as usual whereas the Most Venerable Phramongkolthepmuni, the Great Master of Dhammakaya Meditation (the ‘avatar’ of the Wholesome Primordial Lord of Element and Essence), and his team who are the ‘avatar’ human bodies of and Senior Holy Buddhas and Senior Holy Imperial Buddhas, will carry on the mission and duty to defeat the evil mara(s) and secure the Existence.
Asking if it would not be better to pass away to the Nirvana in the way that all of one’s elements and essences are completely ceased, the answer is that this is a possible option, but one will not enjoy the bliss as other Buddhas and enlightened disciples do by way of deepening into meditation (nirodha samapatti) in the Nirvana. In addition, one will no longer be supportive to the wholesome party (the Kusala). We may say that this kind of ceasing is an individual escape, but it is not wrong to do so since only the ones who have duty to defeat mara(s) will do their duty until they become successful at last. It does not mean that all sentient beings have to join the mara(s) defeating mission.
Note: If you have any doubts about this article, please meditate and ask the crystal ball shown on this page.
