What are the “monsters” we encounter within ourselves?

Fear, self-doubt, anger, craving, distraction, and the impulse to avoid discomfort can sometimes feel as powerful as any creature from a myth. In Buddhist teachings, these inner obstacles are often represented by Māra—the forces that confuse the mind, strengthen harmful habits, and prevent us from recognizing our innate wisdom and compassion.

Karuna Buddhist Center invites you to Māras, Monsters, and Demons: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Our Inner Fears and How to Overcome Them, a special talk and workshop led by Dr. Ujeed on Saturday, October 31.

Understanding the “Demons” of the Mind

Within Buddhist tradition, demons and monsters do not only represent frightening beings outside of us. They can also symbolize the patterns within the mind that cause suffering.

A “demon” might appear as anxiety that keeps us from moving forward, anger that takes control of our words, attachment to how we think life should be, or the inner voice that tells us we are not capable or worthy. These experiences are deeply human. The Buddhist path does not ask us to deny or destroy them. Instead, it teaches us how to recognize them clearly and relate to them with awareness, courage, and compassion.

When we stop running from our fears, we can begin to understand what sustains them. What initially appeared to be an enemy may become a doorway to greater freedom.

Ancient Teachings for Modern Life

Drawing from her recent translation of Patrul Rinpoche’s teachings on the Māras, Dr. Ujeed will explore how Buddhist philosophy and practice can help us understand the obstacles that arise both in meditation and in everyday life.

Patrul Rinpoche was a highly respected 19th-century Tibetan Buddhist teacher known for presenting profound teachings in a direct, practical, and compassionate way. His insights remain strikingly relevant today. Although the forms of our difficulties may have changed, the mind’s tendencies toward fear, distraction, fixation, and avoidance remain familiar.

Through teaching, reflection, and practice, participants will explore how to:

  • Recognize the inner patterns that generate fear and suffering
  • Understand how difficult emotions gain power over us
  • Work skillfully with obstacles instead of suppressing or avoiding them
  • Apply mind-training methods to everyday challenges
  • Meet fear and uncertainty with awareness and compassion
  • Use meditation to cultivate greater stability, clarity, and courage

Bringing Awareness to What Frightens Us

Fear often becomes stronger when it remains hidden or unexamined. Meditation creates the space to turn toward our experience with gentleness and curiosity. We learn to observe thoughts and emotions without immediately believing, rejecting, or acting upon them.

This does not mean that fear disappears overnight. Rather, we begin to change our relationship with it. We discover that even powerful emotions are impermanent: they arise, remain for a time, and eventually pass.

By seeing this process clearly, we become less controlled by our reactions. We gain the freedom to respond with greater wisdom.

A Workshop for Buddhists, Meditators, and the Curious

This program is open to everyone. You do not need to identify as Buddhist or have previous meditation experience to participate.

Longtime practitioners will have an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Māra and traditional Buddhist mind training. New meditators and those simply curious about Buddhist psychology will discover practical ways to work with fear, anxiety, distraction, and other difficult states of mind.

The goal is not merely to discuss these teachings intellectually, but to explore how they can become living tools—helping us meet relationships, uncertainty, personal struggles, and the pressures of modern life with greater clarity and compassion.

Join us for this timely exploration of the monsters and demons of the mind—and discover how facing them with awareness can reveal the courage and wisdom already present within us.

Program Details

Māras, Monsters, and Demons
What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Our Inner Fears and How to Overcome Them

Saturday, October 31, 2026
12:00–1:30 p.m.

Karuna Buddhist Center
423 S. 4th Avenue, Upper Room
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Located inside Bethlehem United Church of Christ

All are welcome.