Buddha Art & Artifacts
In Buddhism, Mara is the demon who assaulted Gautama Buddha beneath the Bodhi tree, using violence, sensory pleasure and mockery in an attempt to prevent the Buddha from attaining enlightenment. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara personifies the "death" of the spiritual life. He is a tempter, distracting humans from practicing the Buddhist Dharma through making the mundane seem alluring, or the negative seem positive. Buddhism utilizes the concept of Mara to represent and personify negative qualities found in the human ego and psyche. The stories associated with Mara remind Buddhists that such demonic forces can be tamed by controlling one's mind, cravings and attachments.
"Then and there the Exalted One reached out his right hand to touch the earth in what is called the Bhumisparsha Mudra, and Mae Thorani appeared. The water (representing the good merit accumulated by Buddha) that Mae Thorani wrings from her hair caused a flood that drowned Mara's army. The earth-mother herself spoke: 'Bless him/her who sits on the Axis Mundi, for One can only transcend time and space if One is Immovable."
Certain events in the Life of The Buddha are thought to have occurred on certain days. The Buddha Images representing these events are also associated with the days on which they occurred.
In Traditional Buddhism, people who are born on a certain day of the week may be most interested in a Buddha Image corresponding to that day. This would be their "lucky" or "birth" Image of Lord Buddha.
