So the sower and his helpers thought, ‘Wow, this fourth herd of deer is so sneaky and devious, they must be some kind of strange spirits with magical abilities! For they eat the seed we’ve sown without us knowing how they come and go. Why don’t we surround the seed on all sides by staking out high nets? Hopefully we might get to see the lair where they go to hide out.’ And that’s just what they did. But they couldn’t see the lair where the fourth herd of deer went to hide out. So the sower and his helpers thought, ‘If we disturb this fourth herd of deer, they’ll disturb others, who in turn will disturb even more. Then all of the deer will escape this seed we’ve sown. Why don’t we just keep an eye on that fourth herd?’ And that’s just what they did. And that’s how the fourth herd of deer escaped the sower’s power.

I’ve made up this simile to make a point. And this is what it means. ‘Seed’ is a term for the five kinds of sensual stimulation. ‘Sower’ is a term for Māra the Wicked. ‘Sower’s helpers’ is a term for Māra’s assembly. ‘Deer’ is a term for ascetics and brahmins.