"Mara, the personification of reactivity, is conquered not by eliminating every last reaction from one's mind but by finding a way to become impervious to his attacks. We acquire freedom from reactivity yet without the reactivity ceasing to occur. If we observe these impulses and do not feed them, they will die down over time and diminish in frequency.

Gotama continued to be subject to Mara's attacks even after his awakening. As long as we are embodied in flesh, nerves and blood, reactivity will be part and parcel of what it entails to be human." 

After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a secular age