Kala bears, wicked mutations of Australia's koala bears (marsupials), are on the rise.
Humans were destroying the koala's whole world, their trees. They were powerless to resist until, under pressure, a mutation occurred. Their eyes went from brown...
Evil Winnie preened, flicked off imaginary dust. Clearly he figured he had the debate in the bag.
Then it was the Commander's turn. Winnie stood, entered the circle, and punched Evil in his smug little face.
POW.
Sat him on his arse.
Winnie leaned into Evil's face and shouted "PHAT!"
('Phat': Pronounced 'Phay'. Literally 'Crack', like thunder. The power word of the Tantric Yogi.)
Evil Winnie crawled on his back, in retreat, stunned by this sudden display of power.
Commander Lord Winnie the Only:
You lie demon. I was never dependent on you, created by you.
You say you are the darkness I reject, the shadow I deny, that I can only exist in opposition to you. Your world view is a dichotomy. But your vision of a world of opposites at war is deluded.
You buy into the notion of black and white, good and evil, angels and devils. But these are constructions. They do not exist outside of conception. Good and evil are not self-existent.
I never labelled you evil. That is your imagining. You imagine I see you as evil, so you assume I see myself as saint.
I do not.
The yogi is not a saint. The yogi does not oppose evil, he embraces evil. Evil is his friend, his brother and sister, his shadow and teacher.
Accepting the world as it is, the yogi understands that in ultimate reality all labels are illusory, empty of true existence. Good and evil too, are empty of true existence.
Mind is neither good nor evil. Obscured by the illusion of good and evil, mind is deluded. Freed from delusion, mind is released into its natural state of enlightenment.
(Winnie straightened up, pointed a paw at Evil.)
I know you demon. You are not evil. You are delusion. You are ignorance.
I name you.
YOU ARE MARA.
The Earthling Neil:
The cave was suddenly flooded with light and the source of the light ... was the heart of Commander Winnie. It shone straight through Evil Winnie like he was mist. In that instant we saw our Commander in all his magnificence. I had to avert my eyes from the brilliance.
Then Winnie sang the Buddha's Victory Song:
Through countless births in the cycle of existence I have run. In vain I sought the builder of this house. Again and again I faced the discomfort of new birth.
Oh house builder! Now you are seen. You shall not build a house again for me. All your beams are broken.
The ridge pole is shattered. The mind is freed from conditioning. The end of craving is reached.
Evil Winnie rose, trembling. He faced Commander Winnie and burst into tears. The commander put his arm around Evil's shoulder and whispered in his ear.
Evil froze.
Then suddenly he burst out laughing and leaped into the air. He threw his arms around the Commander. They hugged, Evil sparkled, the sparkles tinkled like fairy laughter and then he disappeared.
Evil has left the building.
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Note: Mara has many faces. In our world Mara is known as the Lord of Desire and Death. Mara obscures our understanding of the way things really are, ie the Dharma. He uses deception, illusion and disguise to confuse and hide what he really is: The rope that binds us to the wheel of life and death. On the eve of his enlightenment the Buddha sat under a bodhi tree and made the vow: "I shall not leave this seat until I reach enlightenment, or the flesh rots from my bones." During the night Mara tried to lead him astray. First Mara sent his beautiful daughters, to tempt the Buddha away from his goal. (Desire.) When this failed Mara attacked him with terrifying demons and armies. (Fear.) Finally Mara offered the Buddha kingship of the world. (Duty.) But the Buddha was not moved and in the dawn he achieved his enlightenment.
