SEXIS WRONG

and mental vigor. Gotama had come to expe rience every type
of sensation regarding food, ranging from gusta tory delight to
revulsion and from satiety to starvation. Also, he took the food
from a lovely young woman without desiring or shy ing away
from her beauty and sexual presence, for in that realm too he
had experienced every possible variation regarding sex, from
un inhibited indulgence 31 to absolute abstinence.
Now with his mind and body in proper balance, Gotama was
ready to make a final attempt at release. He made a comfortable
seat of thick grass beneath the cooling shade of a large
tree, faced the east, placed himself in the meditation posture,
and gazed out into the vastness of space. He resolved, “Even if
my body dries up and my skin, flesh, and bones wither away, I
will not stir from this seat until enlightenment is mine!”
First, Gotama had to confront his inner demons of fear, loathing,
doubt, confusion, and malevolence, personified by the
horrible army of Māra, the Evil One. That dreadful horde consisted
of every imaginable type of awful monster and repulsive
demon. Gotama held firm, and the initial attack of the
Devil Army was re pelled and vanquished.
Some swayed their hips like
palm trees in the wind; some
sighed deeply with passion; some
strolled about provocatively; some
undressed slowly before him.
Then the Evil One switched tactics. Māra summoned his three
daughters, Desire, Discontent, and Lust, instructing them to
work the magic of sex and seduce Gotama. Thereupon, the
Three Daugh ters conjured up a host of goddesses skilled in
the 32 feminine wiles:
Some of the goddesses veiled only half their
faces; some displayed their full, round breasts;
some teased him with half-smiles of their pearly
white teeth; some stretched and yawned voluptuously;
some puckered their ruby-red lips;
some gazed at him with sultry eyes; some revealed
their half-covered breasts; some wore
tight or transparent garments which showed
off the curves of their bodies; some jangled
their anklets; some festooned their breasts with
garlands of flowers; some bared their luscious
thighs; some paraded around with exotic birds
on their heads and shoulders; some threw him
side-long glances; some deliberately ap peared
disheveled; some fingered with their golden
girdles; some moved enticingly in front of him;
some danced and sang; some entreated him
shamelessly; some swayed their hips like palm
trees in the wind; some sighed deeply with passion;
some strolled about provocatively; some
un dressed slowly before him; some revealed
their undergarments; some walked by him redolent
of perfume; some had painted faces and
wore dangling earrings; some exposed themselves
through clever use of their garments;
some laughed gaily, recounting tales of love
play; some dis ported themselves as innocent
virgins, others as young brides, and still others
as mature women; some pleaded with him to
satisfy their passion; some showered him with
fragrant flowers. 32
The girls sang out:
It is early spring, the fairest of all seasons!
All the trees beginning to bud, and flowers to bloom!
Surely this is the time for pleasure and love,
While you are in the prime of your beauty and youth—
Your appearance so graceful, your years so few,
This is the time for you to indulge your desires.
Your present search after supreme wisdom is
hard to accomplish;
Turn, then, your thoughts from it, and take your
pleasure—
Look at us, and behold our beauty and
charms—
See our bodies, so perfect in shape, and so fit for love,
Our locks so brightly shining, of a rich auburn tint,
Our foreheads broad, and our perfectly shaped heads,
Our eyes so beautifully even and full,
Like the blue lotus flower.
Our noses curved like the beak of a parrot,
Our lips red and shining like rubies,
Resembling the choicest coral in tint; and see our graceful
necks,
Our teeth so white, and free from disfigurement,
Our tongues so fresh, like the leaf of a lotus flower;
Listen to the soft and charming voices we possess, as melodious
as that of the gods;
See our bosoms, so enticing, white, and lovely!
Round as the fruit of the pomegranate tree!
See our waists, so lithe and slender, like the handle of the
bow,
Our buttocks, broad and glossy, placed evenly,
Just as the rounded forehead of the elephant king;
Our flanks, so soft and white, of graceful shape,
Smooth as the trunk of an elephant;
Behold our legs, so round and straight and tapering,
And see how full and plump our feet beneath,
336 EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT SEX IS WRONG