Mara, Delusions & Mindstream.

'Prince Siddhartha Gautama & Mara.

Before Historical Buddha reached Enlightenment, he was known as prince Siddhartha Gautama.

Recalling story of his life, he was tempted & attacked by Mara with his countless servants.


Who or what is Mara?

Mara in buddhist texts is a character that personifies evil coming from lack of Enlightenment.

In Buddhism satan (evil) is not really a person, but different uncontrolled mind states, that take away our peace & light. Mara is a symbol of unenlightened world, of all negative traits characteristic to unenlightened existence.

Doubts, fears, lacks in trust, lack of faith in Buddha's Teachings and oneself, uncontained desire for sex, fame, rulership, wealth - is a 'world' (world in mind) really sinister - cold, alien, lonely. If we let such disturbing feelings to arise and take roots in our heart, then we are under Mara's rule. Mara is all of listed above detrimential mind states, and not any man or woman with bad intentions toward our souls and all of humanity. No one special comes to buy our souls. If we go to hell, it's because we send ourselves that way on our own.

In buddhism no one is interrested in a devil waiting for us with his fork, and all of our attention is directed to our life, mindset, maturity and responsibility, our conduct and belief in Buddha's Teachings. Satan is a self-harmed by own delusions, hindered by fears personality, that has access to us only when we feel same thing as he. But then his face is only too familiar to us, because it's not any other face than our own.'

Source: an article found in the internet.


Getting Rid of Delusions.

When we see clearly enough how perfect is our mind, when we see 'ocean under waves', 'truth not distorted by a mirror', when our mind perceives itself without veils - we gain certainty that it's worth to pursue a way to Enlightenment despite of how difficult parts of the Way might be.

Mara is just a delusion, a phenomenon in our mind, a monster of our ego that makes us feel separated from others, a monster of our ego that makes us suffer disturbing feelings, veils that hinder our percepts of our innately perfect & enlightened Mind.

i think these delusions can be fought with patience, with mantras, with a wish to win - perhaps with other ways as well.

Source: Buddhist books, my own experience & my insights.


Mindstream: a personal 'film' played before our senses and Mind.

Mindstream, also called stream of consciousness is a 'film' played before our senses through which mind perceives world around. What is a cause of that film? It's just our karma from past lives & current life up to this point, when we thought, spoke and acted - we seeded the seeds of what happens in that 'film'.

Through body & senses we perceive the world around, our brain filters stream of consciousness, our senses convey the film through brain to the Mind. Thus our Mind is experiencer of results of past thoughts, words and actions.

Everyone has his or hers own 'film', perceives world differently, though often these worlds are similar enough for us to communicate, to find a common language.

This film, this world is not real, it's illusory and nonpermanent - what we perceive as real is just a distorted truth. Distorted by our disturbing thoughts & feelings, by veils of perception, by our egos, by our delusions and imperfect view (in this case by view i mean: knowledge about the world and knowledge about mind's nature). World changes constantly as well, by the time light of the sun comes to our eye, a time has passed - we see things from the past and think it's now. By the way we learn something in tv, world already has changed or changes at this moment. i do not know people who can follow the whole of current scientific progresses as these are now, for example - but perhaps Buddhas can, however.

Source: Buddhist books, Buddhist Lectures & my insights.


Worlds - 'inner' and 'outer'.

i read in Lama Ole Nydahl's book that what we experience as an external world is in fact illusion that appears before our Mind - it's internal experience instead.

i know that advanced physics science is in conflict about that; parts of scientists agree that world is subjective, that act of observation affects both observer as well as an observed object, that these three are in fact inseparable; another parts of scientists believe that world is objective, that 'moon exists even when no one is looking at it'.

i wish to Protect our Inner Values with my scientific efforts, to investigate the physical truths & add my efforts to works on theories that will benefit our ways, abolishing stupidity that delays Enlightenment for all beings; human beings often believe what science says, stupid & harmful theories only seed detrimential feelings & thoughts, increase public lack of wisdom & delusions, and delay the Enlightenment & truth recognition by public.