Then Māra’s daughters taṇhā, arati, ragā went up to Māra the Wicked, and addressed him in verse:

“Why so downhearted, dad?
What man are you upset about?
We’ll catch him with the snare of lust,
like an elephant in the wild.
We’ll tie him up and bring him back—
he’ll fall under your sway!”

Mara:
“In this world he is the Perfected one, the Holy One.
He’s not easily seduced by lust.
He has slipped free of Māra’s dominion; that’s why I’m so upset.”

- Māradhītusutta (SN 4.25)

Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research by Bhikkhu Anālayo

In four chapters, Rebirth in Early Buddhism and Current Research leads readers through:

1. The presentation of rebirth in the earliest Buddhist sources and the way it relates to core doctrine.

2. The debates about rebirth throughout Buddhist history and up to modern times, including the role of confirmation bias in the evaluation of evidence.

3. The current research on rebirth, including near-death experiences, past-life regression, and childhood recollection of previous lives.

PDF Available here: https://audiobuddha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Rebirth-in-Early-Buddhism-and-Current-Research-Bhikkhu-Analayo.pdf

Monks, I do not see a single sight that obsesses a man’s mind like the sight of a woman.

Monks, I do not see a single sound that obsesses a man’s mind like the sound of a woman.

Monks, I do not see a single smell that obsesses a man’s mind like the smell of a woman.

Monks, I do not see a single taste that obsesses a man’s mind like the taste of a woman.

Monks, I do not see a single touch that obsesses a man’s mind like the touch of a woman.

- Buddha, Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN 1.1 - AN 1.5)

Unshakeable Mind

A mind that,
when touched
by the ways of the world,
is unshaken, sorrowless, dustless, secure:
This is the highest blessing.

-Buddha, Maṅgala Sutta

The Great Hero

Yes, you are a sage, rightly self-awakened.
You have no hindrances.
Your despairs are fallen down,
cut from the stem.
Cooled, attained to self-control,
steadfast, enduring in truth:
In your words, Nāga of nāgas, great hero.

Homage to you, O thoroughbred man,
Homage to you, O superlative man,
in the world with its devas
there’s no one to compare with you.

-Sabhiya Sutta, Snp 3.6

Snare of Māra

These five objects of sensual pleasure are seen in a woman’s body: forms, sounds, tastes, and odors, and also delightful touches.

If, Bhikkhus, one could rightly say of anything: ‘Entirely a snare of Māra,’ it is precisely of women that one could say this.

- Buddha, Mātāputta Sutta (AN 5.55)

Downfall of a Man

He is addicted to women,
is a drunkard, a gambler,
and wastes all of his earnings.
Uncontent with his own wife,
debauches himself with prostitutes,
& the wives of others.

That leads to his downfall.

-Buddha, Snp 1.6

Unshakable

My freedom is unshakable.
The peaceful one delights
in the peaceful state, Nibbāna.
Having conquered Māra and his army,
he bears his final body.

- Buddha, Indriya Sutta (Itivuttaka 62

New Year celeberation in China at the Spring Temple Buddha in Lushan County, Henan Province.