Once upon a time,in the land of India, there lived an enlightened arhat (saint) named Upagupta. His way of benefiting others was like that of the Buddha himself. He preached the Dharma and guided many people. All who heard his teachings gained spiritual benefit and were freed from their sins. Crowds gathered to hear Upagupta’s sermons.
One day, a woman came to the place where he was preaching. She was remarkably beautiful, with a refined appearance. Everyone around her was so captivated by her beauty that desire stirred in their hearts, disrupting their focus on the teachings.
Upagupta immediately saw through her.
“This must be Mara the Evil One, who has taken the form of a beautiful woman to disturb those gaining benefit from the Dharma.”
He called the woman to him and placed a keman (a floral garland) around her neck. But when she left, she realized what hung around her neck was not flowers but filthy bones strung together: bones of humans, horses, oxen. The stench and grotesqueness were unbearable.
The woman returned to her original formuras Mara and tried to remove the garland. But she could not. She ran in all directions -east, west, north, and south- seeking someone who could remove it, but no one was able.
Perplexed, the people who had been listening to the sermon watched.
Eventually, Mara went to his leader, Maheshvara, and pleaded:
“Please, remove this from me.”
But Maheshvara replied:
“This must have been done by a disciple of the Buddha. I cannot remove it. You must go and ask the one who placed it on you.”
Maheshvara（a Heian-period illustrated Buddhist manuscript)
So Mara returned to Upagupta.
“I foolishly tried to hinder those listening to the Dharma, disguising myself as a beautiful woman. I deeply regret and lament this. I will never again harbor such a thought. Please, O Saint, remove this burden from me.”
Upagupta removed the garland from his neck and said:
“From now on, you must never again seek to obstruct the Dharma.”
Mara was overjoyed and said, “I wish to repay your kindness in some way.”
Upagupta asked:
“Have you ever seen the form of the Buddha?”
“Yes, I have.”
“I long to see the Buddha. Could you take on his form and show it to me?”
“I can transform easily, but if you worship me, the illusion will break and my dreadful true form will be revealed.”
“I will not worship you. Just show me.”
Mara warned again, “You must not worship me,” and disappeared into the forest.
After a short while, he emerged. The figure that appeared was that of a Buddha: sixteen feet tall, with an indigo crown and a body of golden hue. Light radiated from him like the first rays of the morning sun.
Seeing this, Upagupta despite his resolve not to worship, he could not stop tears from falling. Overcome with emotion, he collapsed to the ground and wept aloud.
In that instant, Mara returned to his true form, again adorned with the gruesome necklace of bones. He sighed with sorrow: “I warned you not to worship me.”
It is said that Upagupta subdued Mara, and his work of benefiting all beings was in no way different from that of the Buddha himself.
[Translation]
Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using ChatGPT and Claude to translate a modern Japanese translation into English, and then making some modifications. There may be errors in the English expressions. Please correct any mistakes.
[Explanation]
Yoko Shibazaki / Siro Inuzuka
It is based on tales from texts such as the Ashokavadana, and versions of the same story are also found in Japanese works like the Jikkunsho (Ten Teachings Anthology).
In this story, Maheshvara is the leader of the demon Mara. Maheshvara is another name for the Hindu god Shiva, one of the highest deities in Hinduism. However, in the Buddhist tradition, he is placed in a much lower position.
Interestingly, this mutual religious reinterpretation goes both ways: in some branches of Hinduism, the Buddha is seen as one of the many avatars of the divine.
Shiva, sharing elements like the white bull (Nandi) with the Buddhist depiction of Maheshvara.
[Cooperation]
Shinichi Kusano
●Japanese
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