Bāhuṃ is not merely a chant for blessings: the Buddha’s eight victories, which you can win too
Summary
The Bahung Sahassa, familiar enough that many recite it by heart, is not merely a chant for luck or auspiciousness. Held inside it are the Buddha’s eight victories.
Māra, the yakkha, the rampaging elephant, the murderer, the woman who falsely accused him, the debater, the nāga king, and the self-deluded brahmā. Eight completely different adversaries with one thing in common: not one was defeated with a weapon. No sword, no blood, no one harmed. Every victory was a victory of mind.
Māra was met with generosity and the perfections; Āḷavaka the yakkha with patience; Nāḷāgiri the elephant with loving-kindness; Aṅgulimāla with a mind that had already stopped; Ciñcamāṇavikā with composure; Saccaka with wisdom; Nandopananda the nāga king by sending a disciple; and Baka Brahmā with direct knowledge.
“Bhavatu te jayamaṅgalāni” — may these blessings of victory be yours.
Key points
The most familiar chant is the least understood
The Bahung is used as a request for blessings, when its content is a record of eight entirely different confrontations.
The eight adversaries have nothing in common
From the armies of Māra to one woman’s false accusation to a brahmā’s wrong view.
No victory used a weapon
Eight encounters, eight methods, and not one sword, drop of blood, or person harmed.
Each called for a different quality
Generosity, patience, loving-kindness, stillness, composure, wisdom, delegation, direct knowledge. The method changed with the adversary.
All eight map onto ordinary life
The person who slanders you, the one who comes to argue, the one too angry to be reasoned with — each with a different response.