The Buddha
“The earth is my witness.”
The Buddha
He was emaciated. By his own account, when he touched his abdomen, he felt his spine. He had spent the previous several years determinedly pursuing extreme ascetic practices in the hope of realizing the ultimate truth of human existence. He ate only a grain of rice a day in the hope of eradicating all desire from his body.
Then he had a change of heart. This asceticism was not working. A passing girl offered him some rice, which he gratefully accepted. Seeing him eating, several of his fellow ascetics abandoned him in disgust. He resolved at that moment to sit down under a nearby tree and not move until he had realized ultimate truth. His resolve unleashed the forces of Mara, or the myriad distractions of the untamed mind, determined to obstruct him. His own mind set upon him with visions both terrifying and alluring, irresistibly beautiful and unspeakably hideous. But he kept his seat. The forces of Mara raged on until they finally exhausted themselves, but Mara had one last trick up his sleeve. “What right do you have to realize this wisdom? Who are you to presume to such achievement?” Mara asked contemptuously. The man reached down and touched the ground. “The earth is my witness,” he replied. The earth shook, thunder clapped, and Mara fled.
