Prince Dirghayu
In former times there lived a king of Benares named Brahmadatta. He wanted to expand his kingdom and went to war against King Dirgheti of Kosala. King Dirgheti knowing that his kingdom could not win, elected to retreat and take his family with him to live in the countryside. Many years later, King Dirgeti had a son, fearing his son might be in danger, he sent his son away to get an education. One day, the former barber of King Dirgheti recognized him and being of avaricious nature told King Brahmadatta. King Brahmadatta sent his soldiers to arrest King Dirgheti and his wife. The former king and wife were led to the streets to be executed. On the way the king spotted his son in the crowd, careful not to betray he presence of his son, yet anxious to communicate his last advice he cried out;
"O' Dirghayu my son! do not look long, do not look short, for not by hatred is hatred appeased; hatred is appeased by renouncing of hatred only."
After the execution, Dirghayu tricked the soldiers and was able to take his parents bodies for a proper funeral. This worried King Brahmadatta as he feared that the son would one day come to assassinate him. One day, Dirghayu hearing the need for workers for the royal elephant stable, he offered his services. Dirghayu would take care of the elephants diligently and sing to them. One day, King Brahmaddata inquired about the sweet voice, and his assistants told him it was of the elephant stable worker. The King ordered that he be employed in the royal castle. Seeing how Dirghayu was intelligent and hardworking, he soon gained the King's trust and became his confidant.
One day the King went hunting with Dirghayu. After the hunt the King became tired and laid his head on Dirghayu's lap. Dirghayu thought, "This King Brahmaddata has killed my mother and father, and robbed us of of kingdom." He unsheathed his sword. Then thinking of his father's last words, he put back his sword.
When the King suddenly awoke, Dirghayu inquired why the King was so startled. The King responded that ever since he executed Dirgheti he has not been able to sleep well fearing that his son was going to assassinate him. At once, Dirghayu revealed that he is the son that the King has feared. Th King pleaded with Dirghayu to spare his life, but Dirgahayu responded "why should you beg me for your life, it is you O' King who must grant me my life." So then, the King said "grant me my life and I shall grant you yours." And so the two thus shook hands and promised to not harm each other.
King Brahmaddata then asked Dirghayu what his father had meant with his last words. Dirghayu explain; "when my father said 'do not look long' he meant not let your hatred last long, and when he said 'do not look short' he meant do not be hasty to fall out with your friends, and when he said 'for not by hatred is hatred appeased, hatred is appeased by renouncing of hatred only" he meant that if were to kill you, then your partisans would kill me, then my partisans would kill them, thus hatred would not be appeased." Seeing how wise and noble is Dirghayu, King Brahmaddata returned the Kingdom of Kosala to Dirghayu and gave the new king one of his daughters in marriage.
This story was told by the Buddha to his disciples after a schism had erupted between them.
Mustard Seeds
There once was a woman named Gotami. She was born to a poor family and then was married to an uncaring family. After she had a son, her position in the family improved. However, shortly after her son became ill and died. Stricken with grief she went all around town asking for medicine for her son. The townspeople confused by her pleas merely rejected and laughed at her. Finally one person told her to seek out the enlightened one, as he is the only one who would have the answer. She finally came upon the Buddha, and the Buddha said "you did well Gotami to seek medicine, go to the city and make the rounds of the entire city and in whatever house no one has died, fetch a handful of mustard seeds. Thankful Gotami returned to the city and asked every house who had not experienced death for mustard seeds, but every house she went to has had death, some too many to count. Alas Gotami said "Dear son, I thought you alone had been overcome with this thing called death, but you are not the only one death has overtaken." Then she uttered the following stanza;
No village law, no law of the town,
No law of a single house is this-
Of all the world and all the worlds of gods
This only is the law, that all things are impermanent.
When Gotami went back to see the Buddha, the Buddha asked "did you get the mustard seed?" Gotami replied; "Done reverend sir, is the business of the mustard seed! Only give me refuge!" The Buddha then recited the following:
That man who delights in children and cattle,
That man whose heart adheres thereto,
Death takes that man and goes his way,
As sweeps away a mighty flood a sleeping village.
Rain
"The Tathagata (Buddha) is the same unto all beings, different in his attitude only in so far as all beings are different. The Tathagata recreates the whole world like a cloud shedding its waters without distinction. the great cloud comes up in this wide universe covering all countries and oceans to pour down its rains everywhere, over all grasses, shrubs, herbs, trees of various species, growing on hills, on the mountains, or in the valleys. Then the grasses, shrubs, herbs and trees suck the water emitted from that great cloud which is all one essence and has been abundantly poured down; and they will, according to there nature, produce their blossoms and their fruits in season."
Excerpted from, Sayings of the Buddha (1957) by The Peter Pauper Press
Turtle in the Ocean
Imagine an ocean. Imagine its color, its size and its emptiness. Now imagine that one was a lone log (life preserver in new versions of the story) floating in the deep blue emptiness. Now imagine there was a long turtle swimming under the water, and at the precise moment he pops up to take a breath on his long journey, he sticks his head right in the middle of the life preserver. What are the chances of that randomly happening in the world? Infinitesimally small right. That is the chances for a sentient being to be able to encounter the teachings of the Buddha during its lifetime; to be able to means such person has already planted a great number of good roots over many lifetimes. Thus one should not waste this opportunity in this lifetime to learn and practice the Buddha Dharma with diligence.
The Longing Boyfriend
One day there was a young man who recently joined the sangha (order of Buddhist monks). He was performing his daily chores and meditation when the Buddha using his powers was able to see into the young man's mind see that he was not focused on his activities instead he was yearning after his girlfriend. The Buddha approached the young man and asked him what was troubling him, and the young man honestly told him that he cannot stop thinking about his girlfriend. The young man spoke at length about her enchanting beauty. Thus, the Buddha with his powers, took the young man to a world where all the women were majestically beautiful each more perfect than the next. At that point the young man saw the foolishness of his ways.
Kutandanta
Once the Brahmin (one of the highest class) Kudandanta was preparing a great sacrifice of 700 bulls, 700 heifers, and 700 goats and 700 rams, when he heard of the Buddha teaching nearby and he went to see if it was true that there was a fully enlightened one speaking the true Dharma. After meeting the Buddha, Kutadanta questioned the Buddha on the dharma.
Said Kutadanta: I am told that thou teaches the law, yet thou tearest down religion. And thy disciples despise rites, but reverence for the gods can be shown only by sacrifice; the very nature of religion consists in worship and sacrifice. The Buddha replied: Greater than the sacrifice of bulls is the sacrifice of self. He who offers to the gods his evil desires will see the uselessness of slaughtering animals at the altar. Blood has no cleansing power, but the eradication of lust will make the heart pure. Better than worshipping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness.
Said Kutadanta: Thou believes in karma but teaches the non-existence of the soul! If I am merely a compound of sensations and ideas and desires, whiter can I go at the dissolution of the body? The Buddha replied: There is rebirth of character, but no transmigration of a self. Your thought-forms reappear, but there is no ego-entity transferred. Just as the stanza spoken by the teacher is reborn in the student who repeats the words.
Said Kutadanta: Tell me O Lord, if there be no soul, how can there be immortality? Our thoughts are gone when we have done thinking. The Buddha replied: Our thinking is gone, but our thoughts continue. Reasoning ceases, but knowledge remains. It is when a man wants, during the night, to send a letter, he lights the lamp and gets the letter written. Then, when he is done, he extinguishes the lamp. But though the writing has been finished and the light has been put out the letter is still there. Thus does reasoning cease and knowledge remain; and in the same way mental activity cease, but experience, wisdom, and all the fruits of our acts endure.
Excerpted from, Sayings of the Buddha (1957) by The Peter Pauper Press
Malunkyaputta
One day a certain monk, named Malunkyaputta, approached the Buddha impatiently demanded the Buddha answer his questions. "Lord" he said, "these theories have not been elucidated- whether the world is eternal or not eternal; whether the world is finite or infinite; whether the life principle is the same as the body or whether the life principle is one and the body is another; whether the Tathagata (Buddha) after death, both is and is not; whether the Tathagata after death, neither is nor is not." Malunkyaputta, said he would quit the sangha if the Buddha refused to answer this questions.
The Buddha in response, told malunkyaputta not to waste his time and energy on idle speculation. "It is if a person was pierced with a poison arrow, and when people were trying to save him, he refused the aid until they answered him "Who was the one who shot the arrow? What kind of arrow was it? etc." The Buddha was not interested in answering every person's curiosities. His purpose was to help people escape suffering. The solving of these metaphysical questions would not lead to enlightenment.
On another occasion when disciples sought answers about similar points, the Buddha told the parable of the elephant and the blind men.
"An elephant was presented to some blind men to describe how it looked. Those who touched the different parts of the elephant body expressed their own peculiar ideas about the elephant. They argued among themselves and their arguments naturally ended in a quarrel."
Buddhism does not profess to explain all the physical, metaphysical, ethical and philosophical problems that interests people. People are encouraged to search out answers to such questions of life, but Buddhism has a practical and specific purpose- to end suffering.*
*Narada Maha Thera. The Buddha and His Teachings
Searching
One day three young Brahmin men went to the forest to celebrate a holiday, and brought three women to accompany them. When the men were playing around, the women took off with the men's valuables. The men, in anger sought off after the women, searching in the forest when they came upon the Buddha. They asked the Buddha if he had seen three women. The Buddha answered what is more important to find the women or to find themselves. Each man answered that it was more important to find himself, and so they each joined the sangha (Buddhist order of monks).
The Bowl
Once there were two young Bhikkhus who was practicing the dharma under the Buddha. One quickly learned the dharma while the other struggled. The Buddha sensing the struggles of the young Bhikkhu went up to the young monk and said that one gains knowledge like one collecting water in a bowl. If the bowl is dirty then the water collected will be dirty. Also if the bowl had a crack in it the water would leak out. A dirty bowl is a mind filled with distractions. A cracked bowl is a forgetful mind. In order to study the dharma one must use proper concentration and effort.
The Miserable Millionaire
One time the Buddha was visiting a town. The residents of the town were joyed to see the Buddha an quickly brought alms to the Buddha and his disciples. During the meeting, the people of the town listened to the Buddha teach the dharma. Afterwards, one person told the Buddha about a millionaire in town who had just past away. After he passed away the townspeople went to his home and rather than finding an opulent palace saw a horribly dirty and dilapidated house. The person asked the Buddha how such a fate would have befallen such a rich man. The Buddha responded that in a past life the millionaire had killed his uncle in order to get at his money. Therefore, his bad karma has followed him into this life where he would be granted with many riches but be unable to enjoy it.
A Bowl at a Time
One day the Buddha was walking with a disciple. The Buddha asked the disciple "is the ocean very large?" and the disciple responded "yes it is." The Buddha then asked the disciple "will it take a long time for one to empty the ocean of all the water?" and the disciple responded "yes, it would." Then the Buddhas asked the disciple "if one were to take a bowl and continuously remove a bowl of water from the ocean, would the ocean one day become empty?" and the disciple answered "if someone would take a bowl and continuously remove water then one day after a very long time, it would become empty." And so the Buddha responded; "so even emptying the ocean is possible if one were to work constantly and earnestly enough, so to is one able to attain enlightenment if one worked constantly and earnestly."
King's Daughter
On an occasion while the Buddha was conversing with King Kosala, a messenger came and informed the king that a daughter was born unto him, Hearing it the king was naturally displeased. But the Buddha comforted him by saying: "A woman child, O lord, may prove even better offspring than a male."
In former times there lived a king of Benares named Brahmadatta. He wanted to expand his kingdom and went to war against King Dirgheti of Kosala. King Dirgheti knowing that his kingdom could not win, elected to retreat and take his family with him to live in the countryside. Many years later, King Dirgeti had a son, fearing his son might be in danger, he sent his son away to get an education. One day, the former barber of King Dirgheti recognized him and being of avaricious nature told King Brahmadatta. King Brahmadatta sent his soldiers to arrest King Dirgheti and his wife. The former king and wife were led to the streets to be executed. On the way the king spotted his son in the crowd, careful not to betray he presence of his son, yet anxious to communicate his last advice he cried out;
"O' Dirghayu my son! do not look long, do not look short, for not by hatred is hatred appeased; hatred is appeased by renouncing of hatred only."
After the execution, Dirghayu tricked the soldiers and was able to take his parents bodies for a proper funeral. This worried King Brahmadatta as he feared that the son would one day come to assassinate him. One day, Dirghayu hearing the need for workers for the royal elephant stable, he offered his services. Dirghayu would take care of the elephants diligently and sing to them. One day, King Brahmaddata inquired about the sweet voice, and his assistants told him it was of the elephant stable worker. The King ordered that he be employed in the royal castle. Seeing how Dirghayu was intelligent and hardworking, he soon gained the King's trust and became his confidant.
One day the King went hunting with Dirghayu. After the hunt the King became tired and laid his head on Dirghayu's lap. Dirghayu thought, "This King Brahmaddata has killed my mother and father, and robbed us of of kingdom." He unsheathed his sword. Then thinking of his father's last words, he put back his sword.
When the King suddenly awoke, Dirghayu inquired why the King was so startled. The King responded that ever since he executed Dirgheti he has not been able to sleep well fearing that his son was going to assassinate him. At once, Dirghayu revealed that he is the son that the King has feared. Th King pleaded with Dirghayu to spare his life, but Dirgahayu responded "why should you beg me for your life, it is you O' King who must grant me my life." So then, the King said "grant me my life and I shall grant you yours." And so the two thus shook hands and promised to not harm each other.
King Brahmaddata then asked Dirghayu what his father had meant with his last words. Dirghayu explain; "when my father said 'do not look long' he meant not let your hatred last long, and when he said 'do not look short' he meant do not be hasty to fall out with your friends, and when he said 'for not by hatred is hatred appeased, hatred is appeased by renouncing of hatred only" he meant that if were to kill you, then your partisans would kill me, then my partisans would kill them, thus hatred would not be appeased." Seeing how wise and noble is Dirghayu, King Brahmaddata returned the Kingdom of Kosala to Dirghayu and gave the new king one of his daughters in marriage.
This story was told by the Buddha to his disciples after a schism had erupted between them.
Mustard Seeds
There once was a woman named Gotami. She was born to a poor family and then was married to an uncaring family. After she had a son, her position in the family improved. However, shortly after her son became ill and died. Stricken with grief she went all around town asking for medicine for her son. The townspeople confused by her pleas merely rejected and laughed at her. Finally one person told her to seek out the enlightened one, as he is the only one who would have the answer. She finally came upon the Buddha, and the Buddha said "you did well Gotami to seek medicine, go to the city and make the rounds of the entire city and in whatever house no one has died, fetch a handful of mustard seeds. Thankful Gotami returned to the city and asked every house who had not experienced death for mustard seeds, but every house she went to has had death, some too many to count. Alas Gotami said "Dear son, I thought you alone had been overcome with this thing called death, but you are not the only one death has overtaken." Then she uttered the following stanza;
No village law, no law of the town,
No law of a single house is this-
Of all the world and all the worlds of gods
This only is the law, that all things are impermanent.
When Gotami went back to see the Buddha, the Buddha asked "did you get the mustard seed?" Gotami replied; "Done reverend sir, is the business of the mustard seed! Only give me refuge!" The Buddha then recited the following:
That man who delights in children and cattle,
That man whose heart adheres thereto,
Death takes that man and goes his way,
As sweeps away a mighty flood a sleeping village.
Rain
"The Tathagata (Buddha) is the same unto all beings, different in his attitude only in so far as all beings are different. The Tathagata recreates the whole world like a cloud shedding its waters without distinction. the great cloud comes up in this wide universe covering all countries and oceans to pour down its rains everywhere, over all grasses, shrubs, herbs, trees of various species, growing on hills, on the mountains, or in the valleys. Then the grasses, shrubs, herbs and trees suck the water emitted from that great cloud which is all one essence and has been abundantly poured down; and they will, according to there nature, produce their blossoms and their fruits in season."
Excerpted from, Sayings of the Buddha (1957) by The Peter Pauper Press
Turtle in the Ocean
Imagine an ocean. Imagine its color, its size and its emptiness. Now imagine that one was a lone log (life preserver in new versions of the story) floating in the deep blue emptiness. Now imagine there was a long turtle swimming under the water, and at the precise moment he pops up to take a breath on his long journey, he sticks his head right in the middle of the life preserver. What are the chances of that randomly happening in the world? Infinitesimally small right. That is the chances for a sentient being to be able to encounter the teachings of the Buddha during its lifetime; to be able to means such person has already planted a great number of good roots over many lifetimes. Thus one should not waste this opportunity in this lifetime to learn and practice the Buddha Dharma with diligence.
The Longing Boyfriend
One day there was a young man who recently joined the sangha (order of Buddhist monks). He was performing his daily chores and meditation when the Buddha using his powers was able to see into the young man's mind see that he was not focused on his activities instead he was yearning after his girlfriend. The Buddha approached the young man and asked him what was troubling him, and the young man honestly told him that he cannot stop thinking about his girlfriend. The young man spoke at length about her enchanting beauty. Thus, the Buddha with his powers, took the young man to a world where all the women were majestically beautiful each more perfect than the next. At that point the young man saw the foolishness of his ways.
Kutandanta
Once the Brahmin (one of the highest class) Kudandanta was preparing a great sacrifice of 700 bulls, 700 heifers, and 700 goats and 700 rams, when he heard of the Buddha teaching nearby and he went to see if it was true that there was a fully enlightened one speaking the true Dharma. After meeting the Buddha, Kutadanta questioned the Buddha on the dharma.
Said Kutadanta: I am told that thou teaches the law, yet thou tearest down religion. And thy disciples despise rites, but reverence for the gods can be shown only by sacrifice; the very nature of religion consists in worship and sacrifice. The Buddha replied: Greater than the sacrifice of bulls is the sacrifice of self. He who offers to the gods his evil desires will see the uselessness of slaughtering animals at the altar. Blood has no cleansing power, but the eradication of lust will make the heart pure. Better than worshipping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness.
Said Kutadanta: Thou believes in karma but teaches the non-existence of the soul! If I am merely a compound of sensations and ideas and desires, whiter can I go at the dissolution of the body? The Buddha replied: There is rebirth of character, but no transmigration of a self. Your thought-forms reappear, but there is no ego-entity transferred. Just as the stanza spoken by the teacher is reborn in the student who repeats the words.
Said Kutadanta: Tell me O Lord, if there be no soul, how can there be immortality? Our thoughts are gone when we have done thinking. The Buddha replied: Our thinking is gone, but our thoughts continue. Reasoning ceases, but knowledge remains. It is when a man wants, during the night, to send a letter, he lights the lamp and gets the letter written. Then, when he is done, he extinguishes the lamp. But though the writing has been finished and the light has been put out the letter is still there. Thus does reasoning cease and knowledge remain; and in the same way mental activity cease, but experience, wisdom, and all the fruits of our acts endure.
Excerpted from, Sayings of the Buddha (1957) by The Peter Pauper Press
Malunkyaputta
One day a certain monk, named Malunkyaputta, approached the Buddha impatiently demanded the Buddha answer his questions. "Lord" he said, "these theories have not been elucidated- whether the world is eternal or not eternal; whether the world is finite or infinite; whether the life principle is the same as the body or whether the life principle is one and the body is another; whether the Tathagata (Buddha) after death, both is and is not; whether the Tathagata after death, neither is nor is not." Malunkyaputta, said he would quit the sangha if the Buddha refused to answer this questions.
The Buddha in response, told malunkyaputta not to waste his time and energy on idle speculation. "It is if a person was pierced with a poison arrow, and when people were trying to save him, he refused the aid until they answered him "Who was the one who shot the arrow? What kind of arrow was it? etc." The Buddha was not interested in answering every person's curiosities. His purpose was to help people escape suffering. The solving of these metaphysical questions would not lead to enlightenment.
On another occasion when disciples sought answers about similar points, the Buddha told the parable of the elephant and the blind men.
"An elephant was presented to some blind men to describe how it looked. Those who touched the different parts of the elephant body expressed their own peculiar ideas about the elephant. They argued among themselves and their arguments naturally ended in a quarrel."
Buddhism does not profess to explain all the physical, metaphysical, ethical and philosophical problems that interests people. People are encouraged to search out answers to such questions of life, but Buddhism has a practical and specific purpose- to end suffering.*
*Narada Maha Thera. The Buddha and His Teachings
Searching
One day three young Brahmin men went to the forest to celebrate a holiday, and brought three women to accompany them. When the men were playing around, the women took off with the men's valuables. The men, in anger sought off after the women, searching in the forest when they came upon the Buddha. They asked the Buddha if he had seen three women. The Buddha answered what is more important to find the women or to find themselves. Each man answered that it was more important to find himself, and so they each joined the sangha (Buddhist order of monks).
The Bowl
Once there were two young Bhikkhus who was practicing the dharma under the Buddha. One quickly learned the dharma while the other struggled. The Buddha sensing the struggles of the young Bhikkhu went up to the young monk and said that one gains knowledge like one collecting water in a bowl. If the bowl is dirty then the water collected will be dirty. Also if the bowl had a crack in it the water would leak out. A dirty bowl is a mind filled with distractions. A cracked bowl is a forgetful mind. In order to study the dharma one must use proper concentration and effort.
The Miserable Millionaire
One time the Buddha was visiting a town. The residents of the town were joyed to see the Buddha an quickly brought alms to the Buddha and his disciples. During the meeting, the people of the town listened to the Buddha teach the dharma. Afterwards, one person told the Buddha about a millionaire in town who had just past away. After he passed away the townspeople went to his home and rather than finding an opulent palace saw a horribly dirty and dilapidated house. The person asked the Buddha how such a fate would have befallen such a rich man. The Buddha responded that in a past life the millionaire had killed his uncle in order to get at his money. Therefore, his bad karma has followed him into this life where he would be granted with many riches but be unable to enjoy it.
A Bowl at a Time
One day the Buddha was walking with a disciple. The Buddha asked the disciple "is the ocean very large?" and the disciple responded "yes it is." The Buddha then asked the disciple "will it take a long time for one to empty the ocean of all the water?" and the disciple responded "yes, it would." Then the Buddhas asked the disciple "if one were to take a bowl and continuously remove a bowl of water from the ocean, would the ocean one day become empty?" and the disciple answered "if someone would take a bowl and continuously remove water then one day after a very long time, it would become empty." And so the Buddha responded; "so even emptying the ocean is possible if one were to work constantly and earnestly enough, so to is one able to attain enlightenment if one worked constantly and earnestly."
King's Daughter
On an occasion while the Buddha was conversing with King Kosala, a messenger came and informed the king that a daughter was born unto him, Hearing it the king was naturally displeased. But the Buddha comforted him by saying: "A woman child, O lord, may prove even better offspring than a male."