Deep Commentary

The Buddha gives a vivid image of how easy it is to be deceived by our own minds. When a practitioner hasn't tamed their mind—or mastered their six senses—contact with the external world makes the mind restless. It's exactly like throwing a fish onto dry land; how can it not thrash around? A fish needs water to live. Cast onto the dry earth, it will die. Similarly, if a practitioner cannot master their mind, they cannot escape the harassment of Mara (the demonic forces of defilement). Thus, to escape the realm of Mara, one must use the "arrow of wisdom" and the "bow of concentration." Otherwise, they will perish spiritually, just like a dying fish thrashing on the shore.