Māra disturbs the Buddha in meditation (SA-2.25)

Thus have I heard, once, the Buddha was staying in Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove of Kalanda. At that time the Buddha spent the latter part of the night practicing walking meditation in the forest. In the morning, having washed his feet, he sat upright and focused his attention in front of him. At that time King Māra had this thought: “The renunciant Gotama is in Rājagaha. During the latter part of the night he practiced walking meditation in the forest. In the morning, having washed his feet, he entered his silent abode; he is now sitting upright and focusing his attention in front of him. I should go and disturb him.” Having thought thus, he suddenly transformed himself into a young man, stood before the Buddha and spoke a verse:

“My mind can weave /
a net pervading every space;
Renunciant, where I am /
you never will be free.”

The Buddha thought: “Māra has come to disturb me,” and spoke a verse:

“The world holds five sensual pleasures /
and the foolish are bound by them;
if these desires can be cut /
all suffering ends forever.
I have cut off these desires /
my mind is undefiled.
The Bad One should know: /
I tore apart desire’s net long ago.”

Then, having heard this verse, King Māra, his wish unfulfilled, became depressed and dispirited. He made himself invisible, left and returned to his heavenly palace.

Translation by Marcus Bingenheimer, 2005–8 (minor revisions 2009). First version published in Buddhist Studies Review vol. 23.1 (2006). The translations used here were revised by the translator and published in his Studies in Āgama Literature—with Special Reference to the Shorter Chinese Saṁyuktāgama, Dharma Drum Buddhist College, 2010.

Translated from the Taishō text of the CBETA-Database (Version Feb. 2006). All sutta titles added by the translator.

This series of translations were part of the project “A Digital Comparative Edition of the Bieyi za ahan jing” conducted at the Chung-hwa Institute for Buddhist Studies (中華佛學研究所) and the Dharma Drum Buddhist College (法鼓佛教研修學院), funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (蔣經國國際學術交流基金會). The full project, including parallel Chinese, Pali, and Sanskrit texts, is available online here.

Used with kind permission of the translator.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.