Mara tempts me, with a job in Thailand
Ohh, Mara tempted me the other day, with dreams of easy Thai living, comparative wealth, and close proximity to a good monastery.
I was staying at Wat Pah Nanachat a few weeks ago, and I became friends with one of the local men who visits often.
He's a teacher at the local highschool, and after a few weeks of getting to know me, he asked if I wanted the job of English Language Teacher.
He said it would be no problem, and if I wanted it, it'd be mine. The school would organise the visa and everything.
I've taught before overseas, and have the degrees and experience to do a proper job, so it would have been good.
I would have been paid around 30,000 Baht, which by Issan standards is upper middle class, (and by Australian standards is far below the poverty line) and I could have had a whole house to myself for just 1500 baht if I looked around a bit.
A whole house! Rural Issan is cheap as cheap can be. Delicious Thai food, gorgeous Ubon women, fun job, and I would have bought one of those motorcycles with a sidecar attached.
Way cool.
But NO! I thought about it seriously for about an hour, and then recognised it was a blatant attack by Mara, trying to distract me from ordaining when I get back to Australia.
It wasn't a very good attack. Mara could have done a lot better if he had appeared as a cute brunette, with freckles, outdoorsy, educated, *sigh!*
Anyhow, I thought it was worth mentioning. Beware all those who intend to go forth! Be steadfast, and stick to your precepts!
(Off to Koh Mak tomorrow - crystal clear water, white coral sand, loads of Anna Kournikova lookalikes in bikinis on the beach...
Lucky I don't prefer blondes!)
Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
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James the Giant
- Posts: 791
- Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:41 am
Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
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James the Giant
- Posts: 791
- Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:41 am
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Ah, um, I notice now that I made three references to attractive women in one post... Hmm, maybe Mara is working on that angle after all...
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Agreed. Way burny, in fact.James the Giant wrote:Way cool.
But NO!
- "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.
"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.
- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
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TheNoBSBuddhist
- Posts: 1614
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:06 pm
- Location: Loch Lomond, via the High AND Low road....
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Probably Mara's daughters. They tried to give The Buddha a shedload of problems too, as I recall.....James the Giant wrote:Ah, um, I notice now that I made three references to attractive women in one post... Hmm, maybe Mara is working on that angle after all...
You will not be punished FOR your 'emotions'; you will be punished BY your 'emotions'.
Pay attention, simplify, and (Meditation instruction in a nutshell) "Mind - the Gap."
‘Absit invidia verbo’ - may ill-will be absent from the word. And mindful of that, if I don't respond, this may be why....
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Awaits for the day where Mara says to James...
Then Mara the Evil One — sad & dejected at realizing, "James knows me", "James knows me"— vanished right there.
Then Mara the Evil One — sad & dejected at realizing, "James knows me", "James knows me"— vanished right there.
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Too funny, thanks for sharing the story... sounds like a description of > Milky < to meJames the Giant wrote: It wasn't a very good attack. Mara could have done a lot better if he had appeared as a cute brunette, with freckles, outdoorsy, educated, *sigh!*
Hopefully you will be able to avoid all these temptings and claim your once in a thousand lifetimes opportunity
Higher than lordship over all earth,
Higher than sojourning in heavens supreme,
Higher than empire over all the worlds,
Is Fruit of Entrance to the Dhamma Stream. —Dhammapada
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Zentruckdriver
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Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Sounds like Carrie Byron from Mythbusters to me.Mindstar wrote:Too funny, thanks for sharing the story... sounds like a description of > Milky < to meJames the Giant wrote: It wasn't a very good attack. Mara could have done a lot better if he had appeared as a cute brunette, with freckles, outdoorsy, educated, *sigh!*
Hopefully you will be able to avoid all these temptings and claim your once in a thousand lifetimes opportunity
Now theres a lovely young lady.
Dipping a toe in or pulling myself from a swamp...yeah that covers it for now.
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Goofaholix
- Posts: 4030
- Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:49 am
- Location: New Zealand
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Not too many befreckled outdoorsy types in Thailand.James the Giant wrote: It wasn't a very good attack. Mara could have done a lot better if he had appeared as a cute brunette, with freckles, outdoorsy, educated, *sigh!*
Pronouns (no self / not self)
“Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.”
― Ajahn Chah
“Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.”
― Ajahn Chah
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James the Giant
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Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Fortunately, very true!Goofaholix wrote:Not too many befreckled outdoorsy types in Thailand.James the Giant wrote: It wasn't a very good attack. Mara could have done a lot better if he had appeared as a cute brunette, with freckles, outdoorsy, educated, *sigh!*
When I told the Thai laypeople (mostly middle aged women) in Australia that I was going to visit Thailand for a few months, they cackled with naughty laughter and said "ohh you watch out for tiger (thai girl), you get bit, you never come back!"
But I assured them I'd be okay,
That little conversation happened about three times with different people, it was on their minds, strange.
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
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Modus.Ponens
- Posts: 3854
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:38 am
- Location: Gallifrey
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Excelent! Beating Mara is always nice. 
His daughters, though, seem to be on a full fledged atack!
May everything go well with your ordination.
Metta.
His daughters, though, seem to be on a full fledged atack!
May everything go well with your ordination.
Metta.
'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' - Jhana Sutta
Re: Mara tempts me with a job in Thailand
Wasn't it Mara who took you to Thailand in the first place?James the Giant wrote:Ah, um, I notice now that I made three references to attractive women in one post... Hmm, maybe Mara is working on that angle after all...