Reading guide
Martial imagery for an inner struggle
“Crushing Māra's army” is a recurring canonical image (echoing, among other places, the Padhāna Sutta's own dramatic confrontation between the Buddha and Māra before his own awakening) — used here not to describe literal warfare but the inner struggle against the forces of delusion and death that Māra personifies throughout the canon.
Key terms
The text
§1“Mendicants, I will teach you a path for crushing Māra’s army. Listen … And what is that path? It is the seven awakening factors. What seven? The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity. This is the path for crushing Māra’s army.”
Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.