mara vs. satan?

[nathanielfirst]

hello I am trying to comprehend mara's role in buddhism as compared to satan in christianity... satan seems a lot worse.

specifically I am trying to see if mara desires to populate the hells with people by causing grave sins, or if he is just fine with keeping people in samsara, somewhere, even say in a pleasurable heaven.

to me I find the Christian bible merely implies things about satan, you have to add two textually seperated scriptures together to get a meaning that most christians today agree on...
the references to satan I have seen in the bible suggest that he tempts important people - Job, Zechariah, David, Jesus, much like mara himself, and sends minor servants to possess people with uncleanness, or sends major servants to lead people into false religions as a whole... to understand that satan wants every single person to sin as much as possible is an implied thing. so I am trying to gather those things stated, and implied, about satan, and mara, and compare.

satan is the author of sin, equated with the serpent in the garden. Mara is NOT the author of the realm of desire, is he?

Vivartasthāyikalpa - the eon of maintanance, starts when the first being is born in the naraka hell. does mara at any time desire for Vivartasthāyikalpa to begin, thus desire a person to be in a hell?


do mara's servant's and children and fetters attack lay nonbelievers, i.e. a man from a primitive tribe, or a member of another religion?



can a thought of lust, or anger, in a lay nonbeliever, be thought of as mara's work, considering that the thought in a member of sanga is mara's work?

sorry if I've mangled any terms or misused them.

 

[T-Dawg]

Well, I'm sort of biased, but I've always viewed Satan as the good guy, assuming you're referring to the Biblical Satan. Although he is frequently accused of tempting people, there are no specific examples of him doing so except for the tempting of Jesus. And the only examples of Satan killing people was in Job, and even that was part of a twisted bargain with God.
Satan is respectable as the only being to directly stand up to God and live.


Now, I know next to nothing about Mara, so I don't know if he would be better or worse... sorry.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Mara in Chinese Pure Land is a literal demonic entity. He rules over an entire train of demons, but in contrast to the Christian Satan, these demons can only operate inside the mind. They cannot do things Christians often attribute to demons like controlling the weather and causing earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes.

 

[nathanielfirst]

thanks! are you familiar with the viewpoints of other Buddhist sects than your previous one thru exposure?
and, can you think, doesn't mara only wish to keep people in samsara, not place them in a hell? i.e. not so evil.

tell me, what is kemetic orthodox, too? I see it often here

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Nathaniel you may start a thread in the African Religions DIR if you wish to know more about KO. You may also wish to look at my Kemetic QandA thread there. Mara can only keep people in Samsara yes. Mara cannot send people to hell, since in Buddhist sects where hells exist, not all sects believe in hells, your karma is what places you there until your negative karma is exhausted, or you go to a heaven until your good karma is exhausted.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Chinese Buddhism believes in several hells and several heavens. The Pure Land of the gods is the highest heaven, and whoever obtains it either by merrits or by the favour of the gods or Amida Buddha will never be reborn again.

 

[nathanielfirst]

much thanks!