{"collection":"Samyutta Nikaya","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/suttacentral_sn4.25/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/suttacentral_sn4.25","id":"suttacentral_sn4.25","license":"CC0","rights_basis":"suttacentral_bilara_data_cc0","source":"suttacentral","source_url":"https://suttacentral.net/sn4.25/en/sujato","summary":null,"tags":["Early Buddhist Texts","Samyutta Nikaya"],"text":"And then M\u0101ra the Wicked, after reciting these verses of disillusionment in the Buddha\u2019s presence, left that place. He sat cross-legged on the ground not far from the Buddha, silent, dismayed, shoulders drooping, downcast, depressed, with nothing to say, scratching the ground with a stick. Then M\u0101ra\u2019s daughters Craving, Malignancy, and Lust went up to M\u0101ra the Wicked, and addressed him in verse: \u201cWhy so downhearted, dad? What man are you upset about? We\u2019ll catch him with the snare of lust, like an elephant in the wild. We\u2019ll tie him up and bring him back\u2014 he\u2019ll fall under your sway!\u201d \u201cIn this world he is the perfected one, the Holy One. He\u2019s not easily seduced by lust. He has slipped free of M\u0101ra\u2019s dominion; that\u2019s why I\u2019m so upset.\u201d Then M\u0101ra\u2019s daughters Craving, Malignancy, and Lust went up to the Buddha, and said to him, \u201cWe serve at your feet, ascetic.\u201d But the Buddha ignored them, since he was freed with the supreme ending of attachments. Then Craving, Malignancy, and Lust withdrew to one side to think up a plan. \u201cMen have a diverse spectrum of tastes. Why don\u2019t we each manifest in the form of a hundred young maidens?\u201d So that\u2019s what they did. Then they went up to the Buddha and said to him, \u201cWe serve at your feet, ascetic.\u201d But the Buddha still ignored them, since he was freed with the supreme ending of attachments. Then Craving, Malignancy, and Lust withdrew to one side to think up a plan. \u201cMen have a diverse spectrum of tastes. Why don\u2019t we each manifest in the form of a hundred women who have never given birth?\u201d So that\u2019s what they did. Then they went up to the Buddha and said to him, \u201cWe serve at your feet, ascetic.\u201d But the Buddha still ignored them, since he was freed with the supreme ending of attachments. Then Craving, Malignancy, and Lust \u2026 each manifested in the form of a hundred women who have given birth once \u2026 women who have given birth twice \u2026 middle-aged women \u2026 old women \u2026 But the Buddha still ignored them, since he was freed with the supreme ending of attachments. Then Craving, Malignancy, and Lust withdrew to one side and said, \u201cWhat our father said is true: \u2018In this world he is the perfected one, the Holy One. He\u2019s not easily seduced by lust. He has slipped free of M\u0101ra\u2019s dominion; that\u2019s why I\u2019m so upset.\u2019 For if we had come on to any ascetic or brahmin like this who was not free of lust, his heart would explode, or he\u2019d spew hot blood from his mouth, or he\u2019d go mad or lose his mind. He\u2019d dry up, wither away, and shrivel up like a green reed that was mowed down.\u201d Then M\u0101ra\u2019s daughters Craving, Malignancy, and Lust went up to the Buddha, and stood to one side. M\u0101ra\u2019s daughter Craving addressed the Buddha in verse: \u201cAre you swamped by sorrow <j>that you meditate in the forest? Have you lost a fortune, or do you long for one? Or perhaps you\u2019ve committed <j>some crime in the village? Why don\u2019t you get too close to people? And why does no one get close to you?\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve reached the goal, peace of heart. Having conquered the army <j>of the likable and pleasant, alone, practicing absorption, I awakened to bliss. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t get too close to people, and no one gets too close to me.\u201d Then M\u0101ra\u2019s daughter Malignancy addressed the Buddha in verse: \u201cHow does a mendicant who has crossed five floods usually meditate here while crossing the sixth? How do they usually practice absorption <j>so that sensual perceptions are blocked out and don\u2019t get hold of them?\u201d \u201cWith tranquil body and mind well freed, without making choices, mindful, homeless; understanding the teaching, <j>they practice absorption without placing the mind; they\u2019re not shaking or drifting or rigid. That\u2019s how a mendicant who has crossed five floods usually meditates here while crossing the sixth. That\u2019s how they usually practice absorption <j>so that sensual perceptions are blocked out and don\u2019t get hold of them.\u201d Then M\u0101ra\u2019s daughter Lust addressed the Buddha in verse: \u201cHe lives with his community after cutting off craving, and many of the faithful will cross over for sure. Alas, this homeless one will snatch many men away, and lead them past the King of Death!\u201d \u201cThe great heroes they lead by means of the true teaching. When the Realized Ones are leading by the teaching, how could anyone who knows be jealous?\u201d Then M\u0101ra\u2019s daughters Craving, Malignancy, and Lust went up to M\u0101ra the Wicked. M\u0101ra the Wicked saw them coming off in the distance, and addressed them in verse: \u201cFools! You drill into a mountain with lotus stalks! You dig up a hill with your nails! You chew iron with your teeth! You seek a footing in the abyss, as it were, while lifting a rock with your head! After attacking a stump with your breast, as it were, you leave Gotama disappointed.\u201d They came dazzling\u2014 Craving, Malignancy, and Lust. But the Teacher brushed them off right there, like the gale, a fallen tuft. The Linked Discourses with M\u0101ra are complete.","title":"M\u0101ra\u2019s Daughters","tradition":"Samyutta Nikaya","translated_text":null,"word_count":868}