Mara's temptation

youtu.be/O2kEiXycE0Q?si=h_-MOFhGSik6bAzI

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Dinesh ^club

Mara, sitting astride his mountainous war elephant, approached the Bodhi tree. Towering over the scrawny man sitting on his throne of grass, he commanded him: “Get up from that seat, it does not belong to you! It is meant for me!” Opening his eyes, Siddhartha looked up at the Angel of Death and spoke for the first time: “It is not you who have perfected the ten virtues. It is not you who have renounced yourself and diligently sought after knowledge, wisdom, and the salvation of the world. This seat does not belong to you, Mara, it belongs to me. Who is witness to your charity?” Mara smirked and waved his hand to indicate the numberless ranks of his army: “There are so many!” And at that the host of the Evil One shouted as one: “We are his witness! We are his witness!” Scenting victory, Mara looked down and laughed: “An you? Who is your witness?”

“You have living witness,” replied Siddhartha, “I have none. But let this great solid Earth, unconscious though it is, be my witness.” Then he raised his right hand from his lap and touched the ground: “Are you or are you not my witness?” And the great Earth replied with the voice of thousands of millions: “I am your witness!!” Hearing that ear-splitting sound, the war elephant fell to its knees before the Enlightened One sending Mara tumbling head over heals to the ground, and seeing their master defeated, his great army fled. ~ Page 276