Forty-six Faults That Cause Interference for Spiritual Study and PracticeAlexander Berzin

In A Filigree of Realizations (mNgon-rtogs rgyan, Skt. Abhisamayalamkara), Maitreya enumerates forty-six faults that cause interference for developing the wisdoms applicable to bodhisattvas (sbyor-ba’i skyon). These faults can occur up to the seventh-level bhumi mind of an arya bodhisattva, as formulated in the Svatantrika scheme. Although they are formulated in terms of studying the Prajnaparamita (Far-reaching Discriminating Awareness, Perfection of Wisdom) literature, these faults can pertain to other aspects of Dharma study and practice as well. 

Twenty Faults Concerning Just Students

Twelve General Faults Concerning Students(1) Having to spend a long time with great difficulty to understand Prajnaparamita. This refers to both internal and external obstacles causing this fault. 

(2) Learning very quickly, and feeling arrogant about that, but neglecting to learn the details. (3) When writing down the Prajnaparamita teachings, or painting a thanka, experiencing

physical obstacles such as yawning, laughing, joking, or making fun of it. (4) When writing down the Prajnaparamita teachings, experiencing mental obstacles such as

doing a sloppy job, only paying half attention, while the rest of our mind is attracted to a person or other things. 

(5) Experiencing obstacles of speech, such as reciting a sutra or doing a puja just to gain respect, money, or personal service. 

(6) Turning away from Mahayana practice to another tradition, when we are already following Mahayana and we see it’s correct, but then getting discouraged when no Buddha predicts where and when we will become enlightened. 

(7) Decreasing our confidence in the Mahayana path when first we have great enthusiasm for it, but then getting discouraged when we see how difficult it is and how long it will take. 

(8) Instead of getting a proper taste of Buddha’s teachings on Prajnaparamita, having deep involvement in (tasting deeply) worldly things. 

(9) Trying to find the omniscient awareness of a Buddha by means of practicing Hinayana. (10) After having understood the main points of the Mahayana teachings, instead of following

them, changing to Hinayana because it is easier. (11) Believing that from following just the Hinayana teachings, we can gain enlightenment. (12) Believing that Hinayana and Mahayana are the same and bring the same results. 

Eight Faults that Cause Mental Wandering(13) Acquiring many biased, predisposed, or prejudiced thoughts because of being attracted to certain desirable sense objects. 

(14) When copying or writing down books, such as Prajnaparamita, instead of regarding the book itself as just as a book, regarding the book itself as the true wisdom of the Buddhas. 

(15) Trying to find security in unimputedly existing phenomena, such as books. (16) Having attraction to and attachment for printed books in general. (17) Having attraction to and attachment for oral teachings and recitations as the actual wisdom

of the Buddhas. (18) Having attraction to and attachment for beautiful places and sights, and for money. 

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(19) Experiencing satisfaction at being praised or flattered, and mentally wandering about how wonderful we are. 

(20) Seeking liberation by following the words of mara (demonic forces), who take the form of monks and teach falsely. 

Twenty-three Faults Concerning both Students and Their TeachersThese faults pertain to after we, as students, have thoroughly examined a spiritual teacher and taken him or her as our teacher, then finding and becoming obsessed with thinking about the following faults in the teacher, in comparison to us. Obviously, if we find these faults in a teacher before accepting him or her as our teacher, we need to avoid such a teacher. 

Fourteen Faults on the Side of the Teacher in Comparison to the Student(21) We, as the student, have great admiration and enthusiasm for Prajnaparamita, but the teacher is lazy and doesn’t make an effort to teach it. The teacher isn’t interested in teaching it and always postpones. 

(22) The student wants to learn Prajnaparamita, but the teacher wants to teach something else. The teacher is insensitive to what the students want or need to learn, and only wants to teach what he or she likes. This can also be that the student wants to study at one location, and the teacher at another. 

(23) The student is content, but the teacher is filled with desires for sensory objects. (24) The student follows the twelve positive trainings, such as living in cemeteries, not under a

roof, and so on, but the teacher does not. (25) The student has positive qualities such as confident belief, but the teacher does not. (26) The student is generous, but the teacher is miserly. (27) The student wants to make many offerings to the teacher, but the teacher refuses to accept

them. (28) The student can understand and learn things with just a brief mention of a topic, but the

teacher requires extensive and expansive explanations. (29) The student has scriptural knowledge of the twelve scriptural categories, but the teacher

does not. (30) The student has developed the six far-reaching attitudes (six perfections), but the teacher

has not. (31) The student is expert in ways to attain enlightenment, while the teacher is expert in ways

to attain worldly goals. In other words, the student knows more and better methods for reaching enlightenment than the teacher does. 

(32) The student has the ability to remember the teachings very well, but the teacher does not. (33) The student wants to write down all the Prajnaparamita teachings, but the teacher is

reluctant to write them down or to allow them to be written down. (34) The student has overcome the problems of everyday interferences such as sleepiness,

doubts, regret, pride, conceit, and mental wandering about such things as beautiful scenery, but the teacher has not. 

Three Faults on the Side of the Student in Comparison to the Teacher(35) The teacher speaks about the joyless hell realms, and the student freaks out and withdraws from wanting ever to be reborn there in order help the beings trapped in those realms. 

(36) The teacher speaks about the joys of the divine heavenly realms, and the student develops desire for them and wants to be reborn there. 

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(37) The teacher wants to teach a small group of students, but the student brings a large crowd of other students with him or her, going against the teacher’s wishes. 

Six Faults on Both Sides(38) The teacher is unfair, such as wanting the student not to study with any other teachers, and the student disagrees and goes and studies with others. 

(39) The teacher wants and demands certain things from the student, and the student doesn’t want to give them. 

(40) The teacher wants to go to a place that is dangerous to life and wants the student to come with, and the student disagrees and won’t go. 

(41) The teacher wants to go to a place where there is a great famine, and the student won’t come with. 

(42) The teacher wants to go to a place where there are many thieves and robbers, and the student won’t come with. 

(43) The teacher wants to go to a place where people make plentiful offerings and donations, and the student won’t come with. 

Three Faults Concerning So-Called Teachers Who Are Actually Misleading Teachers(44) When we are studying the authentic Prajnaparamita teachings and a so-called teacher comes and says, “What you’re studying is no good. Come study with me,” when what he or she will teach instead are so-called Prajnaparamita teachings, which he or she has in fact made up. 

(45) When we are meditating properly on voidness and a so-called teacher comes and says, “Don’t meditate like that. Meditate instead on the ugly aspects of the body, or other such things, in order to gain the insight of voidness.” In general, this means meeting a so-called teacher who tells us that our correct methods of meditating are wrong. 

(46) Mistakenly believing that a so-called teacher – “a manifestation of mara” – is actually an enlightened being.

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The Fourteen Questions to Which Buddha Remained SilentThere are fourteen unspecified points (lung-du ma-bstan-pa bcu-bzhi), which are points about which Buddha did not specify an answer when asked. Often this set of fourteen is referred to as the “fourteen questions to which Buddha remained silent.” 

The Mahayana VersionTo those who believe in a true findably existent “me” or “self” (bdag, Skt. atman) and a true findably existent universe, Buddha did not answer when they asked are the “I” or the “self” and the universe:

eternal, not eternal, since they undergo gross impermanence at the time of their destruction, as both, in the sense that some beings and their environments, like the Creator Brahma

and his heaven, are eternal; while all else, such as his creations, are not eternal and end at the time of their destruction,

neither, since it is impossible to  know? 

Are “I’s” or “selves” and the universe: finite, infinite, both finite and infinite, in the sense that limited beings (sentient beings) are infinite in

number, but the universe is finite in size, neither, since it is impossible to know? 

Does the “I” or the “self” of a Buddha: continue to exist after death, not continue after death, both, in the sense that the body does not continue, but the life-force (srog) does, neither? 

Buddha did not answer these because there is no such thing as a true findably existent “me” or “ self” for either limited beings (sentient beings) or a Buddha, and no such thing as a true findably existent universe. Therefore, there can be no question whether such things are eternal or not eternal, or finite or infinite. It is like asking do rabbit-horns, turtle-hair or chicken-lips last forever or only a limited time. If Buddha said the “me,” and so on are eternal, these people would fall to the position of eternalism. If he said they are not eternal, they would fall to the position of nihilism, since they would not understand his answer. Therefore, it was more skillful not to specify an answer at all. 

To those who believe in a true findably existent body and life-force, Buddha did not answer when they asked are the body and life-force:

the same entity, totally separate and different entities? 

He remained silent for a similar reason, since they would only misunderstand anything he said. 

The Theravada VersionAn earlier, abbreviated list of ten unspecified points appears in the Pali canon in the Sutta of Shorter (Instructions) to Malunkya (Pali: Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta, within the The Collection of Middle-Length Discourses (Pali: Majjhima Nikaya). In this version, the monk Malunkyaputta was continuously distracted by metaphysical speculation during his meditation. In order to turn him back to his intensive meditation practice, Buddha remained silent when Malunkyaputta asked whether:

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the universe is eternal, the universe is not eternal, the universe is finite, the universe is infinite, after death, a Buddha continues to exist, after death, a Buddha does not continue to exist, after death, a Buddha both continues to exist and not to exist, after death, a Buddha neither continues to exist or not to exist, the body and the “self” are the same entity, the body and the “self” are totally separate and different entities.

The Sixty-two Wrong ViewsThe Net of Brahma Sutra (Tshangs-pa’i drva-ba’i mdo, Skt. Brahmajvala Sutra), both in its Mahayana and Theravada versions, presents sixty-two wrong views (lta-ba ngan-pa, bad views) propounded by the eighteen non-Buddhist extremists (mu-stegs, Skt. tirthika). Although the two versions present slightly different lists, all sixty-two wrong views are based on considering the self or “soul” of a person (gang-zag-gi bdag) to be self-sufficiently knowable (rang-rkya thub-pa’i rdzas-yod) and the universe to be truly existent. (bden-par grub-pa). 

The Eighteen Wrong Views Concerning the Past and the PresentEighteen of the sixty-two wrong views concern the past and the present, which arises from the past. Looking to the past and depending on how far in the past the various proponents can see, or which realms they can see, there are: 

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(1) Four proponents that the self in its current rebirth state (for instance, as a long-lived god) and the universe are eternal (have no end). 

(2) Four proponents that some beings in their specific rebirth states and some aspects of universe have no end and some have an end. 

(3) Two proponents that selves in their current rebirth state and the universe have no cause. The Pali version explains that they assert that these occur just by chance. 

(4) Four proponents that the universe: is finite, infinite, both, or neither. (5) Four proponents who wriggle like an eel and give irrelevant answers. When asked whether

constructive actions are what have brought happiness and destructive actions suffering, they say that the self when in a pure realm doesn’t need to rid itself of (abandon) anything anymore. The Pali version explains these as those who are evasive because they do not know the answer and are afraid of debate. 

The Forty-four Wrong Views Concerning the FutureThen, there are forty-four wrong views concerning the future. There are: 

(6) Sixteen proponents of a self-sufficiently knowable self that, after death, has awareness. Their positions are that such a self, after death,

has form (Pali: is material), no form (immaterial), both, or neither; has an end (is not eternal), no end (is eternal), both, or neither; has pleasure, no pleasure (only pain), both, or neither; has cognition of just one thing and is uniform, or has cognition of many things and is

varied – in other words, it has perception that is limited, or perception that is unlimited. 

(7) Eight proponents of a self-sufficiently knowable self that, after death, has no awareness. Their positions are that such a self, after death,

has form (Pali: is material), no form, both, or neither; has an end (Pali: is not eternal), no end, both, or neither. 

(8) Eight proponents of a self-sufficiently knowable self that, after death, has neither awareness nor no awareness. Their positions are that such a self, after death,

has form (Pali: is material), no form, both, or neither; has an end (Pali: is not eternal), no end, both, or neither. 

(9) Seven proponents of annihilation of a self-sufficiently knowable self. Their positions are that such a self becomes totally nonexistent only after a rebirth as

a human, a divine being (a god) of the plane of sensory desire (Desire Ream), a divine being of the plane of ethereal forms (Form Realm), a divine being in each of the four divisions of the plane of formless beings (Formless

Realm). 

(10) Five proponents of release in this lifetime through indulging in desirable sense objects in this lifetime, through attaining each of the four states of mental stability (four dhyanas). 

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The Four Maras (The Four Demonic Forces)

Mara in Hindu MythologyIn Hindu mythology, Mara (bdud) is equivalent to Kama (‘ dod-pa’i lha), the god of desire. This equivalence is accepted in Buddhism as well. The Kalachakra Buddha figure, for example, has Kama under his right foot, representing all four maras. Kama was one of the sons of Krishna and Rukmini, and Kama’s wife was Rati. The gods had sent Kama to rouse Shiva from his meditation so that Shiva would take interest in Parvati and have a child Karttikeya, who was prophesied to be able, when he would be seven days old, to kill the demon Taraka. To rouse Shiva, Kama shot five arrows from his bow. These arrows were

to make one ecstatic (dga’-byed), to make one crave (sred-byed), to make one stupefied (rmongs-byed), which perhaps suggests making one spaced out or

senile , to make one thin, emaciated and dried out (skem-byed), which, in this context, could

mean worn out, hungry, and thirsty, so that one gives up meditation. In other contexts, perhaps it is the work of Mara that we become dried out and have no moisture of compassion.

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to make one dead (‘chi-byed), which, in this context, could perhaps make Shiva worry that he will die while meditating, so being afraid of that, he would get up. 

These five are called the five types of troubles that are the work of Mara. Shiva was annoyed, and burned Kama to a crisp with fire from his third eye. But, then, at the

request of Rati, Shiva allowed Kama to be reborn as Pradyumna. When Pradyumna was six years old, he was stolen by the demon Shambara who threw him in the sea, since there was a prophecy that Pradyumna would kill Shambara. Pradyumna was swallowed by fish, but a fisherman caught the fish, and gave the boy inside its stomach to Shambhara’s mistress Mayavati, who raised him. Mayavati developed desire for Pradyumna’s beauty, but Pradyumna reproached her since he thought she was his mother. She revealed to him that he was the son of Krishna and Rukmini, and that Shambara had thrown him in the sea. Pradyumna got angry at Shambara, and killed him using his power of emanations. Then Mayavati took him to the house of Krishna, and Pradyumna and Mayavati became husband and wife. 

Thus, Mara can be personified in the form of a divine being. In Buddhist cosmology, he resides in the highest of the divine realms of the plane of sensory desires (Desire Realm), on top of Mount Meru. This is called the Heaven of Those Who Have the Power of Emanations over Others (gZhan-‘ phrul dbang-byed, Skt. Paranirmita-vashavartin). Buddhists usually explain this heaven as where gods have the power to enjoy the emanations of others, but the Tibetan and Sanskrit terms make more sense when they are understood in accord with the Hindu myth. 

Mara in Buddhist MythologyIn Buddhism, Mara then personifies incorrect non-Buddhist views, which were the final thing Buddha needed to overcome with the third-eye of wisdom. This is analogous to the account in Hindu mythology that when Kama tried to disturb Shiva, Shiva destroyed him with the fire of his third eye.

Several accounts in various sutras describe Buddha’s defeat of Mara. For example, in The Striving Sutta (Padhana Sutta) in the Pali canon, Mara comes to Shakyamuni when Shakyamuni is doing ascetic practices, and says, “You are so thin and pale. Don’t seek liberation and release – which would mean leaving the world – but stay in the world and do good.” In other words, he enjoins Shakyamuni to lead a worldly life, albeit one that is involved with helping others. Mara sends an army to defeat Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni enumerates the armies of Mara as: sensual desire, discontent, hunger and thirst, craving, laziness, fear, indecisive wavering (doubt), restlessness, longing for the transitory things in life (gain, praise, honor, and fame), and praising oneself and belittling others. Buddha saw that to overcome all of these, he must stop identifying with thoughts of these things. 

Later, Mara appears as a poor farmer and as an old wheezing brahmin – symbolizing the world. Shakyamuni recognizes Mara is in all the aggregates that appear, but he tells Mara that he cannot hide. Shakyamuni sees him for the pathetic creature that he is, as is symbolized by the pathetic form of the farmer and the brahmin. Mara then appears as natural disasters and dangerous wild beasts. But Shakyamuni has no fear of death. Mara then sends his three daughters to try to seduce Shakyamuni, but to no avail. Mara then tries to trick Shakyamuni by agreeing that death is nothing to fear, and therefore one can ignore it. But based on that reasoning, he tries to convince Shakyamuni that life is long and so just enjoy life. Shakyamuni says no, the life span is short, so one needs to live as if one’s head is on fire – which means to ignore personal danger. Since life can end abruptly at any time, one needs to take advantage immediately of one’s precious human life. Mara then gives up and slinks away. 

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The Four MarasThe term mara derives from the Sanskrit root mr, to murder. Thus, mara is what murders or causes interference to us limited beings and to our constructive actions leading to the three spiritual goals of one of the better rebirths, liberation, and enlightenment. Mara is also explained as “what puts an end” (mthar-byed, Skt. antaka) – that which puts an end to spiritual practice. 

There are four types of mara:

the mara of death (the Lord of Death), the mara of disturbing emotions and attitudes, the mara of the aggregate factors of experience (the five aggregates), the Mara who is the son of the gods. 

The Mara of DeathDeath, of course, causes the greatest interference to our spiritual practice. It is not certain that in our next lives we will have precious human rebirths with all the respites and enrichments allowing us the most unhindered practice. Even with such a rebirth, we need to start our spiritual path once more as a child. Moreover, death recurs uncontrollably at the end of each lifetime. 

Thus, Mara is also considered Yama (gShin-rje), the Lord of Death (‘ Chi-bdag); while in the anuttarayoga tantra system, Buddha is Yamantaka (gShin-rje gshed), the One Who Puts an End to Yama. In tantra, however, Yama is not simply death itself, but rather there are three levels of Yama, which detail three levels of what is involved with death:

outer Yama is death itself, inner Yama is the disturbing emotions and attitudes, which activate karmic aftermath and

thus propel us into a subsequent rebirth and perpetuate the birth and death cycle. hidden or secret Yama is the three subtlest conceptual minds that make appearances of

true existence: threshold (nyer-thob, near attainment, black appearance), light diffusion (mched, increase, red appearance), and appearance congealment (snang, appearance, white appearance). Each rebirth begins with these three subtlest conceptual minds making appearances of true existence. Based on unawareness, we believe that the appearances they make correspond to reality, and thus we have grasping for true existence and all the disturbing emotions and attitudes based on that unawareness and grasping. 

There are six shortcomings of not being mindful of death, which cause interference to our spiritual study and practice.

We will not be mindful of the Dharma measures. Even if we are mindful of them, we will not put them into practice, Even if we do put the Dharma into practice, we will not do so purely. We will lose our determination to practice earnestly at all times. By our destructive actions, we will disable ourselves from gaining liberation. At the time of our death, we will have to die with regrets. 

We don’t practice the Dharma purely because, being unmindful of death, we get caught up in the eight transitory things of this life (‘ jig-rten-pa’i chos-brgyad, the eight worldly Dharmas). We are pleased and delighted with the first of each of the following pairs and displeased, depressed, or disappointed with the second:

praise or criticism, hearing good or bad news – including hearing or not hearing from our loved ones, and

hearing pleasant sounds or unpleasant noise, gains or losses – such as of money or possessions,

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things going well or poorly – such as being healthy and happy  or being sick and depressed. 

[See: Dispelling Discomfort at the Eight Transitory Things in Life.] We can gain equanimity toward the eight transitory things in life through adopting the ten gem-

like innermost attitudes from the Kadam Tradition (bka’-gdams phugs-nor bcu). These are the four trusting acceptances (gtad-pa bzhi), the three diamond-strong convictions (rdo-rje gsum), and the mature attitudes toward being expelled, finding and attaining (bud-rnyed-thob gsum). 

The first four trusting acceptances are: as our innermost outlook on life, being willing to accept with total trust the Dharma

measures, as our innermost attitude towards the Dharma measures, being willing to accept with total

trust even becoming a beggar, as our innermost attitude towards becoming a beggar, being willing to accept with total

trust even having to die, as our innermost attitude towards death, being willing to accept with total trust even

having to die friendless and alone in an empty cave. 

The three diamond-strong convictions are to go ahead with our Dharma practice without consideration for what others think about

our doing so, to keep the constant company of deep awareness and our commitments, to carry on continuously without getting caught up in useless concerns. 

The mature attitudes toward being expelled, finding and attaining are being willing to be expelled from the ranks of so-called “normal” people, being willing to find ourselves regarded among the ranks of dogs, being completely involved in attaining the divine rank of a Buddha. 

On a deeper level, of course, we can only overcome the mara of death with the understanding of voidness (emptiness), so that we gain liberation and are no longer subject to samsaric death and rebirth. 

The Mara of the Disturbing Emotions and AttitudesWhen we develop the disturbing emotions and attitudes (nyon- mongs, Skt. klesha), they cause enormous interference to our spiritual study and practice. The major ones are longing desire or attachment, hostility or anger, naivety, pride, disturbing indecisive wavering, and disturbing attitudes with an outlook, such as a deluded view toward a transitory network. 

[See: Mind and Mental Factors: The Fifty-one Types of Subsidiary Awareness.] When we have any of these disturbing emotions or attitudes strongly, we can practice tonglen

(gtong-len, giving and taking). We think of all others who have the same disturbing emotion or attitude, and how this is a problem not only for us, but for everyone. Thinking in this way is reasonable because, since this is a problem of all samsaric beings and we are one those beings, we need to tackle this general problem for everyone. It is like if we are a woman facing prejudice in the work place, prejudice against women is not just our problem; it is the problem of all women. Therefore, to get rid of our problem with prejudice against us as a woman, we need to take on the problem of prejudice against all women. 

[See: Accepting Suffering and Giving Happiness.] In the Seven-Point Attitude-Training (Blo-sbyong don-bdun-ma) by Geshe Chaykawa (dGe-

bshes ‘Chad-kha-ba), one of the four actions (sbyor-ba bzhi), in the point concerning

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transforming adverse conditions into path to enlightenment, is to make offerings to harmful spirits (maras) and ask them to give us more difficult circumstances. So, this practice of “feeding the demon” is somewhat like tonglen. But here, we practice “giving” first and then we ask the demon to help us take on more suffering from others. 

[See:General Explanation of   Seven-Point Attitude Training , Part 1: The First Four Points .] In Vajrayogini and some other tantric offering rituals, feeding the demon is part of making

offerings to various guests: specifically, to guests who are our enemies. 

The Mara of the AggregatesThe mara of the aggregates refers to the tainted aggregates (zag-bcas-kyi phung-po, contaminated aggregates), as the example of the all-pervasively affecting suffering (khyab-byed-kyi sdug-bsngal) of samsara. Remember, in the Pali Sutta, Shakyamuni identified Mara as being in all the aggregates. 

In Treasure-House of Special Topics of Knowledge (Chos mngon-pa’i mdzod, Skt. Abhidharmakosha), Vasubandhu defines “tainted phenomena” as nonstatic phenomena that derive from a disturbing emotion or attitude. When such items are the objects cognized by either our own or someone else’s limited mind, the result is further disturbing emotions or attitudes on the mental continuum that cognizes them. Also tainted are the five aggregate factors that are in the company of disturbing emotions or attitudes. Thus, Vasubandhu specifies tainted phenomena to be all nonstatic (impermanent) phenomena other than those that constitute the fourth noble truth. 

In Anthology of Special Topics of Knowledge (Chos mngon-pa kun-las btus-pa, Skt. Abhidharmasamuccaya), Asanga elaborates, with Vasubandhu’s definition being just one category of tainted phenomena. He includes aggregate factors that are thrown by craving, and those that bring further samsaric situations. So, this is the situation that the aggregate factors of our experience derive from craving and unawareness (which activate throwing karma), they contain unawareness, and they perpetuate unawareness. 

Thus, the hardware of our aggregates – our limited bodies and minds – is the mara of aggregates because they limit us with more and more suffering and kill our chances for liberation. 

The Mara That Is the Son of the GodsIn origin, the Mara that is the son of the gods seems to refer back to Mara as Kama, who was the son the god Krishna, and his trying to cause interference to Shiva. Buddhism takes this mara to be the deluded views of the non-Buddhists, or from the Prasangika viewpoint, even the views of the lower Buddhist tenet systems, which although helpful, need to be overcome. 

This mara can also refer to the sixty-two wrong views (lta-ba ngan-pa, bad views) propounded by the eighteen non-Buddhist extremists (mu-stegs, Skt. tirthika). 

Further, in A Filigree of Realizations (mNgon-rtogs-rgyan, Skt. Abhisamayalamkara), Maitreya enumerates forty-six faults that cause interference to developing the wisdoms applicable to bodhisattvas (sbyor-ba’i skyon). These faults are also considered the work of the Mara who is the son of the gods. 

The Four Maras According to KalachakraIn Notes on the Supreme Mandala of Glorious Kalachakra, Source of All Good Qualities (dPal dus-kyi ‘khor-lo’i dkyil-chog yon-tan kun-’byung-gi zin-bris), Buton (Bu-ston Rin-chen grub) explains that the four maras in Kalachakra have the following significance: 

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The mara of the aggregates refers to the obscurations of the body, which are imputable on the subtle creative energy-drop of the awake occasion.

The mara of the disturbing attitudes refers to the obscurations of speech, which are imputable on the subtle creative energy-drop of the dream occasion.

The mara of the Lord of Death refers to the obscurations of the mind, which are imputable on the subtle creative energy-drop of the dreamless deep sleep occasion.

The mara who is the son of the gods refers to entering externally into unawareness (phyi-rol-gyi ma-rig-pa la ‘ jug-pa), which perhaps refers to the obscurations associated with the subtle creative energy-drop of the fourth occasion, the peak occasion of bliss. Perhaps this refers to the obscurations of unawareness that cause us to emit our subtle energies with the bliss of orgasm. When we achieve unchanging blissful awareness of voidness, then we possess the celibate behavior of reality (de-kho-na nyid-gyi tshangs-spyod), with which we never have any shift from unchanging bliss (mi-‘gyur-ba’i bde-ba) and never have the bliss of orgasmic emission (dzag-bde). This is because our minds remain absorbed in the clear light realization of voidness and do not leave it with the generation of the three subtlest appearance-making conceptual minds, which are analogous with orgasmic emission. This attainment is referred to as having a vajra stick (rdo-rje dbyug-pa) for overcoming the maras. To possess such a vajra stick is one of the ten qualities of a vajra master, according to Kalachakra. 

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