CHAPTER FIVE

TERMINOLOGY CENTERED AROUND MARA The terminology designating an evil personage in the early writings of the Buddhist tradition is, like the Christian tradition, widely varied. The term Mara, however, is the dominant reference throughout the selected literature, and most other names and phrases which refer to an Evil One (piipimii) 1 are understood to be references to Mara. Etymologically the term Mara is related to the Pali maccu and the mrtyu, which mean "." More specifically, whereas macc~t (Skt. mrtyu) indicates "death itself," " 'Mara' is the nomen actoris to the causative miirayati;" 2 Mara therefore etymologically means the one who kills or causes death.3 Often the name "Maccu" is retained as a synonymous reference for Mara,4 as well as the epithet "Antaka" which means "being at the end, or making an en d . "5 "Papima" (the Evil One) is the term most commonly applied to the name Mara.6 Like the term Mara itself, "papima" is a word familiar to the religious vocabulary of ancient India. There is the

1 The rendering of the Pali and Buddhist Sanskrit term papa as "evil" is not done without hesitation, for though the English term "evil" is an accepted rendering (cf. PTSD "Papa," p. 453; MWSD, "papa," p. 618b) it runs the risk of retaining implicit Christian meanings which do not necessarily belong to the Buddhist understanding of papa. Rhys Davids relates the term papa to the Greek It'ij[lIX which the Liddell & Scott Greek-English Lexicon, Il (1940), p. 1401, renclers "misery, calamity." Cf. below p. IS7ff. 2 Winclisch, pp. 185-186. 3 Winclisch's phrase is "cler ti:icltet ocler sterben lasst." Cf. also PTSD, "Mara," p. 530, "killing, clestroying, bringing death, pestilence ". MWSD, "mara," p. 8IlC (VTJ1ri), "killing, destroying ... ," and Ling, , p. 56. 4 Mara's army is called maccusena (hosts of death), SN, I, 122 (KS, I, 152); Mara himself is given the title maccuriija (King of Death), Dh, 46 (DhR, 74-75); the two terms Mara and maccu (mrtyu) are used in apposition, as in ML, I, 279 (MN, I, 227) and BA, XIII, 109 (BAC, XIII, 138). Cf. also below pp. 96-99. 5 PTSD, "Antaka," p. 47. For use of this epithet as applied to Mara see especially the Mara suttas: SN, I, 103-106 (KS, I, 129-133); also Mv, Ill, 416 (Mv], Ill, 417). 6 To cite only a few examples: MN, I, 326-327, 331, 332 (ML, I, 389, 394, 396); MN, Ill, Il5 (ML, III, 158); SN, I, l03ff., II3, II5 (KS, I, 128ff., 142, 145); LV, XXI, 303 (LVF, XXI, 260). 74 MARA-THE EARLY INDIAN BUDDHIST TRADITION obvious relation of Man papima with the Brahamanic figure Papma Mrtyu}:l "Death the Evil One," notes Windisch.7 In the older Sanskrit literature papma was always used as a masculine noun meaning "evil, misfortune and sin."8 According to Windisch, the term indicates "not only the morally bad, but more objectively, misfortune, sorrow and pain .... "9 Also in the older Sanskrit literature papma is found personified as a masculine god similar to "Mrtyu", but in the selected literature of the early Buddhist tradition there is complete identification of papima and Mara. Papima is never used alone as a reference to an evil personage separate from Mara in the texts. Rather the term always refers to Mara.lO In the Majjhima Nikaya, e.g., Moggallana says to Mara, "You, Evil One, are Mara" (Maro tvam asi papima).H Other reminders of the Indian context out of which the Buddhist Mara symbol was created are the occasional use of the proper name "Namuci" as an alternate way of addressing or referring to Mara,I2 as well as the associations of Mara with "" 13 and "Kama."I4 In Vedic mythology Namuci (na-muncati) was a drought demon who "withheld the waters" and was smitten by Indra's thunderbolt for the rains to be released. Such a death-dealing activity is easily associated with Mara.l5 Regarding Mrtyu Yama, the Atharvaveda (VI, 93) describes this "death god" as "fearfully destructive, the destroyer" (Yamo M rtyur aghamaro N irrtho ... ), concepts which have completely merged with the Mara in the selected Buddhist texts. IS Kama, the god of sensual love and worldly enjoyment in the Vedic tradition, when used in the Buddhist tradition as a synonym

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7 Windisch, p. 195. 8 Windisch, p. 192. Ling, Buddhism, p. 56, translates Windisch's phrase "Uebel, U ngliick, Siinde" by "(the) ill, disaster, or sin." 9 Windisch, p. 192. 10 Windisch, p. 195. 11 MN, I, 332 (ML, I, 396). 12 E.g., AN, n, 15 (GS, 11, 15); Sn, 426, 439 (SnR, 426, 439); SN, I, 67 (KS, I, 92); My, I, 208, 264 (My], I, 165,219); My, 11,10,238-239 (My], 11, 10,225-226); My, n, 254, 381 (My], III, 242, 378); LV, XXI, 302 (LFV, XXI,259). 13 E.g., My, 11, 407 (My], II, 362). 14 E.g., BA, XIII, 108-109 (BAC, XIII, 137-139); Dh, 46 (DhH., 74-75). 15 Cf. Ling, Buddhism, p. 55. 16 Cf. Alex \Vayman, "Studies in Yam a and Mara," Indo-Iranian Journal, III (1959), pp. 44ff. and 112££. Windisch, p. 187, translates the Skt. "Yamo Mrtyur aghamiiro Nirrtho ... " by "Yama, der Todesgott, der schlimme T6dter, der Verderber ... " The term Niqthah (Nirrtho) is derived from "nir + l/r: break up," i.e., destroy. Cf. CESD, "niqtih," p. 166.