Why Doesn't the Buddha Destroy Mara?

Question: Why doesn't the Buddha just destroy Māra Pāpīyas?

Answer: Pāpīyas is also a sentient being, possesses the buddha-nature, and will in the future also become a Buddha. The Buddha's mind is empty and compassionate, and He never goes against the minds of sentient beings. When Māra urged the Buddha to enter parinirvāṇa, the Buddha, having brought His disciples to maturity, resolved to enter parinirvāṇa and fulfill Māra's wish. Although the Buddha could have remained in the world for a small kalpa, He entered parinirvāṇa after only eighty years. The Buddha's compassion toward Pāpīyas does not mean that the Dharma-protecting deities and the disciples would not restrain Pāpīyas's evil deeds. The Buddha permits bodhisattvas, arhats, and Dharma-protecting deities to chastise and restrain Pāpīyas, to prevent him from destroying the Dharma and the teaching and misleading sentient beings. We must keep our eyes sharp, not be deceived by Pāpīyas, and not fall into his traps.

If Pāpīyas expounds the Buddha-dharma, he is adept at grasping the hearts of sentient beings. Since sentient beings love the five desires and the six sense objects, he covertly and tacitly tolerates greed, guiding sentient beings toward greed, and does so seamlessly, making it seem very reasonable—only long-cultivating bodhisattvas can see through Pāpīyas's schemes. When Pāpīyas expounds the Dharma, he also tacitly tolerates sentient beings' afflictions, cleverly indulging their afflicted minds, and does not wish for sentient beings to subdue or eradicate their afflictions. Because of this cleverness, most sentient beings cannot recognize it. Moreover, since Pāpīyas does not go against sentient beings' greed, he makes them feel delighted and attracts many sentient beings to submit to him.