བདུད་བཞི། | Glossary of Terms

The deities ruled over by Māra are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. These four personifications are (1) devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures, (2) mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of the Lord of Death, (3) skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the skandhas, which is the body, and (4) kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictive emotions.

The deities ruled over by Māra are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. These four personifications are (1) the divine māra (devaputra­māra, lha’i bu’i bdud), which is the distraction of pleasures, (2) the māra of the Lord of Death (mṛtyumāra, ’chi bdag gi bdud), (3) the māra of the aggregates (skandhamāra, phung po’i bdud), which is the body, and (4) the māra of the defilements (kleśamāra, nyon mongs pa’i bdud).

Four personifications: devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud) the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud) the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud) māra of the afflictions.

Personification of the four factors that keep beings in saṃsāra‍—afflictions, death, aggregates, and pride arising through meditative states.

The deities ruled over by Māra are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. These four personifications are (1) devaputra­māra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures, (2) mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of the Lord of Death, (3) skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body, and (4) kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictive emotions.

Four symbols or personifications of the defects that prevent awakening. These four are devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictions.

In the sūtra system, these four types of demonic influence are: the māra of aggregates, the māra of afflictive emotions, the māra of death, and the māra of divine pride.

The four māras are personifications of the practitioner’s pitfalls‍—inappropriate exhilaration during meditation is the divine māra (devaputramāra), being controlled by afflictions is the māra of afflictions (kleśamāra), identifying with the five skandhas is the māra of the skandhas (skandhamāra), and having one’s life cut short by Yama is the māra of Yama (mṛtyumāra).