Ananda W.P. Guruge [info icon]
The Buddha's Encounters with Mara the Tempter: Their Representation in Literature and Art, by Ananda W.P. Guruge (2005; 20pp./59KB) [PDF icon]
An exploration of various canonical and extra-canonical accounts of the Buddha's encounters with Mara, the symbolic embodiment of desire and death, in his role as the Tempter. By referring to later Sanskrit literature and Buddhist art, the author traces the development of the Mara legend through history, and paints a more complete portrait of Mara than can be discerned from his fleeting appearances in the Suttas alone.