Chapter 18 Chapter 2 Emotions and Pain

After years of meditation and penance, Siddhartha remained steadfast in finding the source of suffering in order to end his own and others' suffering.He went to Magadha in central India to continue his meditation practice.On the way, he met a grass vendor named Sutia who offered him a handful of auspicious grass.Siddhartha regarded this as an auspicious omen; in ancient Indian culture, auspicious grass was considered a peaceful thing.Siddhartha did not move on, but decided to stay in the area and meditate.He found a flat stone under a nearby pippala tree and spread it with auspicious grass as a cushion.He swore silently,

It was not unknown that Siddhartha was sitting under a tree meditating.Mara the Maharaja heard the oath of Prince Siddhartha and felt the strength of his determination.Mara could not sleep because he knew the potential within Siddharth, capable of throwing his entire domain into chaos.Being a resourceful warrior, the devil then sent the five most beautiful daughters to seduce the prince and distract him.When these girls (we call them apsaras) set out, they were confident in their ability to charm.But as soon as he got close to Siddhartha who was meditating, his beauty began to disappear.They were shriveled and old, with warts and foul-smelling skin.Siddhartha was unmoved.These despondent celestial daughters returned to their father, and the Maharaja was furious.How dare someone reject his daughter!In a fit of rage, Mara gathered his men and formed a great army, armed with every fine weapon imaginable.

The Maharaja's army attacked Siddhartha with all their might.But to their dismay, all the arrows, spears, stones, and catapults aimed at Siddhartha turned into a shower of flowers as they approached him for a moment.After a long and fruitless battle, the Demon Lord and his army were exhausted and completely defeated.Finally, the demon king came to Siddhartha and tried all diplomatic means to persuade Siddhartha to give up his quest.Siddhartha said that after so many trials, it was impossible for him to give up.The Maharaja asked him, Siddhartha answered, and at the same time he touched the ground with his hand.At this time, the earth shook, and the Demon King disappeared without a trace on the spot.Thus, Siddhartha attained liberation and became a Buddha.He finally found the way to stop suffering at its source, not just for himself, but for everyone else.The place where he last fought the demon king is now called or Bodhgaya, and the tree is called Bodhi tree.

For generations, this is the story Buddhist mothers have told their children.