One day Ananda asked Buddha about Nirvana. And Buddha told his disciples about the temptation of Mara, who tried to seduce him from the true path of salvation:
— When I became enlightened, the evil Mara approached me with the words: “Now plunge into Nirvana, Great One; plunge into Nirvana, perfect one; the time of Nirvana has now come for you.” And I said to the evil Mara like this: “I will not plunge into Nirvana until I acquire disciples among monks, wise and knowledgeable, prophetic listeners... I will not plunge into Nirvana, an evil spirit, until I acquire followers among nuns. I will not plunge into Nirvana until the holy teaching I have taught becomes stronger, strengthened, adopted by all peoples and, spreading further and further, becomes the property of all mankind.”
Mara offered Buddha dominion over the entire Earth for refusing his calling; he tempted the Great One with his daughters (their names are lust, anxiety, lust), for Mara influences vanity and carnal aspirations of man.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru