I did not know that there are five Mara's, so thank you for that! The Mara i had in mind is the one that appears to advanced practitioners who are close to breaking away from sensuality. It is the one that the Ajahns i was listening to referred to. In the story of the lord Buddha's awakening, his encounter with Mara is portrayed as a last encounter before breaking free.Coëmgenu wrote: ↑Wed Apr 13, 2022 2:47 pmFour out of five Māras are metaphorical. The one you seem to be singling out is the "Māra of afflictions," particularly of the affliction of greed. Certainly Māra "personally" might trouble some great contenplatives, but most often the fall comes from within, from one of the metaphorical Māras, such as the Māra of the Khandhas or Kilesas. I don't know if the "five Māras" is sūtric or abhidharmic. I don't think I've seen them outlined as such in a sutta or āgamasūtra, but my memory might be failing me.
While the Jhana's are presented as a different/separate loka from Kamma, the progress in insight seems to coincide with higher degrees of control in the sensual realm. If Mara's realm ranks at the top of kamma loka, having this particular Mara as a final encounter makes sense. It might manifest as a power over natural elements, and it could be an independent element in nature.
Where can i read about the five Mara's? In the past, i read "letter from Mara" by Ven. Punnadhammo. He portrayed Mara as having ten armies resembling the fetters and hindrances.