"Māra in … the Māra Saṃyukta, is evidently presented as threefold:
(a) he is a real being, an evil deity of temptation (the tempter and lord of sensuality);
(b) he can be defeated only in a psychological sense, not by physical force; and
(c ) he appears in the texts more as an actual deity than as a result (personification) of psychological projection. Two examples from the texts will now be mentioned and discussed. …
Consequently, for a proper understanding of Māra in the three versions of Māra Saṃyukta, the personal and mythical aspect of Māra should not be entirely ignored, and the impersonal and symbolic aspect of Māra should not be over-emphasized.”
See: Where did Mara come from? - Discussion - Discuss & Discover