A Year and A Day: Klesha Mara
Changeling: the Dreaming
Homebrew Rules
Character Creation Guide Download: Klesha-Mara.pdf
Quoth the Klesha Mara:
“God, why are there so many buttheads in the world? It’s them what’s holding you back, eh?”
The Mara Tribes:
Deva Putra Mara
Klesha Mara
Mrtya Mara
Skhanda Mara
Kith Excerpt:
When the Buddha Siddhartha sat under the tree, himself not yet quite the Buddha, Mara the Distractor – Godfather of Demons – offered temptations and distractions to shake him from the path. Though the Buddha saw through them all, they still exist in and of themselves. Four Tribes arose – the Mara Zo-dor, named for the Grandfather God. Each of the four Tribes oversees, and IS, a principle distraction that prevents ascension in mortals, Fae, or other.
The Klesha Mara are the children of the Vexations, Defilement, Unskillful Feelings, the illusion of lower emotional barriers. They are the lords of Anger, Disgust, Shame, Fear, the worst aspects of humanities passions, and the distractions such causes. In Layman’s Terms, it’s hard to let go when you have so much baggage. The Klesha Mara are the embodiment of this concept, and they embody it well. While this is the very definition of Dukha, or Dis-Ease, the Klesha aren’t banal. It is important to realize that emotions exist to inform us of what’s happening around us, and such information should be treasured – so the Klesha Mara will remind you time and time again.
None of the Mara are evil, and the Grandfather God Mara himself should never be mistaken for “The Devil.” The Klesha see what they do as a service to the World, pushing the strong to make them stronger, and pushing buttons to trigger important responses. For all the bad publicity their Tribes receive, the Klesha understand that they are an integral part of reality – one that is all too easy to feel ashamed of – and sometimes shame is healthy.
Flavor
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.
If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, “The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation”
