When Robert had me throw the I Ching, I threw hexagram 7 ‘The Army’. He read this as I continued to talk. He did not know I saw many armies come out of the sea just before I died. I was victorious over all of them. There was no need for a strong leader, or powerful general. The task now at hand, was to melt down the weapons and return the people to peace. To have peace, everyone should feel they are not powerless, and indeed, own access to the Truth. My return journey, had begun. I was going home to my farm and look for my wife to be. There was nothing more to do, nor more victory to be had.

When Rena Easton came out of that dark doorway, I could have seen her as my temptress. I asked the sea for a reward, and thus she appeared – my Muse. I picked up my brush again.

She is not a Daughter of Mara, who reminds me of my brother Mark, who suffered dearly from boredom, because he believes he defeated me a long time ago. I could have relieved him of his suffering if I let him near my inner self.

In 1986 a crazy man put a gun to the back of my head and pulled the trigger over and over again. I was on my knees, holding out my arms, surrounded in a white light. I spoke this word “Baba” meaning “father”. I was ready to go home.

Not one of his bullets fired.

Jon

But war is always a dangerous thing and brings with it destruction and devastation. Therefore it should not be resorted to rashly but, like a poisonous drug, should be used as a last recourse.

This hexagram is made up of the trigrams K’an, water, and K’un, earth, and
thus it symbolizes the ground water stored up in the earth. In the same way
military strength is stored up in the mass of the people—invisible in times of
peace but always ready for use as a source of power. The attributes of the two
trig rams are danger inside and obedience must prevail outside.

Of the individual lines, the one that controls the hexagram is the strong
nine in the second place, to which the other lines, all yielding, are
subordinate. This line indicates a commander, because it stands in the
middle of one of the two trigrams. But since it is in the lower rather than the
upper trigram, it represents not the ruler but the efficient general, who
maintains obedience in the army by his authority.

THE JUDGMENT

THE ARMY. The army needs perseverance
And a strong man.
Good fortune without blame.

An army is a mass that needs organization in order to become a fighting force.
Without strict discipline nothing can be accomplished, but this discipline
must not be achieved by force. It requires a strong man who captures the
hearts of the people and awakens their enthusiasm. In order that he may
develop his abilities he needs the complete confidence of his ruler, who must
entrust him with full responsibility as long as the war lasts. But war is always
a dangerous thing and brings with it destruction and devastation. Therefore
it should not be resorted to rashly but, like a poisonous drug, should be used
as a last recourse.

THE IMAGE

In the middle of the earth is water:
The image of THE ARMY.
Thus the superior man increases his masses
By generosity toward the people.

Ground water is invisibly present within the earth. In the same way the
military power of a people is invisibly present in the masses. When danger
threatens, every peasant becomes present in the masses. When danger
threatens, every peasant becomes a soldier; when the war ends, he goes back
to his plow. He who is generous toward the people wins their love, and a
people living under a mild rule becomes strong and powerful. Only a people
economically strong can be important in military power. Such power must
therefore be cultivated by improving the economic condition of the people
and by humane government. Only when there is this invisible bond between
government and people, so that the people are sheltered by their
government as ground water is sheltered by the earth, is it possible to wage a
victorious war.

THE LINES

Six at the beginning means:
An army must set forth in proper order.
If the order is not good, misfortune threatens.

At the beginning of a military enterprise, order is imperative. A just and
valid cause must exist, and the obedience and coordination of the troops must
be well organized, otherwise the result is inevitably failure.

Nine in the second place means:
In the midst of the army.
Good fortune. No blame.
The king bestows a triple decoration.

The leader should be in the midst of his army, in touch with it, sharing good
and bad with the masses he leads. This alone makes him equal to the heavy
demands made upon him. He needs also the recognition of the ruler. The
decorations he receives are justified, because there is no question of personal
preferment here: the whole army, whose center he is, is honored in his
person.

Six in the third place means:
Perchance the army carries corpses in the wagon.
Misfortune.

Here we have a choice of two explanations. One points to defeat because
someone other than the chosen leader interferes with the command; the
other is similar in its general meaning, but the expression, “carries corpses in
the wagon,” is interpreted differently. At burials and at sacrifices to the dead it
was customary in China for the deceased to whom the sacrifice was made to
be represented by a boy of the family, who sat in the dead man’s place and was
honored as his representative. On the basis of this custom the text is
interpreted as meaning that a “corpse boy” is sitting in the wagon, or, in
other words, that authority is not being exercised by the proper leaders but has
been usurped by others. Perhaps the whole difficulty clears up if it is inferred
that there has been an error in copying. The character fan, meaning “all,” may
have been misread as shih, which means “corpse.” Allowing for this error,
the meaning would be that if the multitude assumes leadership of the army
(rides in the wagon), misfortune will ensue.

Six in the fourth place means:
The army retreats. No blame.

In the face of a superior enemy, with whom it would be hopeless to engage in
battle, an orderly retreat is the only correct procedure, because it will save the
army from defeat and disintegration. It is by no means a sign of courage or
strength to insist upon engaging in a hopeless struggle regardless of
circumstances.

Six in the fifth place means:
There is game in the field.
It furthers one to catch it.
Without blame.
Let the eldest lead the army.
The younger transports corpses;
Then perseverance brings misfortune.

Game is in the field—it has left its usual haunts in the forest and is
devastating the fields. This points to an enemy invasion. Energetic combat
and punishment are here thoroughly justified, but they must not degenerate
into a wild melee in which everyone fends for himself. Despite the greatest
degree of perseverance and bravery, this would lead to misfortune. The army
must be directed by an experienced leader. It is a matter of waging war, not of
permitting the mob to slaughter all who fall into their hands; if they do,
defeat will be the result, and despite all perseverance there is danger of
misfortune.

Six at the top means:
The great prince issues commands,
Founds states, vests families with fiefs.
Inferior people should not be employed.

The war has ended successfully, victory is won, and the king divided estates
and fiefs among his faithful vassals. But it is important that inferior people
should not come into power. If they have helped, let them be paid off with
money, but they should not be awarded lands or the privileges of rulers, lest
power be abused.

Mara (demon)

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Mara’s assault on the Buddha (an iconic representation: the Buddha is only symbolized by his throne), 2nd century, Amaravati, India.

Mara depicted in the Burmese style, attempting to tempt Buddha.
Mara (Sanskrit, also Māra; Tibetan Wylie: bdud; Burmese: မာရ်နတ်; Thai: มาร), in Buddhism, is the demon that tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara’s daughters.[1] In Buddhist cosmology, Mara personifies unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness, the “death” of the spiritual life. He is a tempter, distracting humans from practicing the spiritual life by making mundane things alluring, or the negative seem positive.
The early Buddhists, however, rather than seeing Mara as a demonic, virtually all-powerful Lord of Evil, regarded him as more of a nuisance. Many episodes concerning his interactions with the Buddha have a decidedly humorous air to them.
In traditional Buddhism four senses of the word “mara” are given.
Klesa-mara, or Mara as the embodiment of all unskillful emotions.
Mrtyu-mara, or Mara as death, in the sense of the ceaseless round of birth and death.
Skandha-mara, or Mara as metaphor for the entirety of conditioned existence.
Devaputra-mara, or Mara the son of a deva (god), that is, Mara as an objectively existent being rather than as a metaphor.
Early Buddhism acknowledged both a literal and “psychological” interpretation of Mara. Mara is described both as an entity having a literal existence, just as the various deities of the Vedic pantheon are shown existing around the Buddha, and also is described as a primarily psychological force — a metaphor for various processes of doubt and temptation that obstruct spiritual practice.
“Buddha defying Mara” is a common pose of Buddha sculptures. The Buddha is shown with his left hand in his lap, palm facing upwards and his right hand on his right knee. The fingers of his right hand touch the earth, to call the earth as his witness for defying Mara and achieving enlightenment. This posture is also referred to as the ‘earth-touching’ mudra.

Contents
 [hide] 
1 Etymology
2 Three daughters
3 See also
4 Notes
5 Sources
6 External links
Etymology[edit source | edit]
The word “Mara” comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *mer meaning to die, and so it is related to the European Mara, the Slavic Marzanna and the Latvian Māra. Mara in Latvian mythology means — The Mother of Earth and has positive meaning. She is wise and generous. [2]
Three daughters[edit source | edit]
In some accounts of the Buddha’s enlightenment, it is said that the demon Māra sent his three daughters to tempt the Buddha to give up his quest. Mara’s three daughters are identified as Taṇhā (Craving), Arati (Boredom), and Raga (Passion).[3][4] For example, in the Samyutta Nikaya’s Māra-saṃyutta, Mara’s three daughters fail to entice the Buddha:
They had come to him glittering with beauty —
Taṇhā, Arati, and Rāga —
But the Teacher swept them away right there
As the wind, a fallen cotton tuft.[5]
Some stories refer to the existence of Five Daughters, who represent the Three Poisons, Attraction, Aversion and Delusion, accompanied additionally by Pride and Fear.