77. THE SIXTEEN DREAMS: [CHAPTER 4:TEACHING]

King Brahmadatta bowed to the ground before the holy man and said, “Your wisdom has taken my fear and panic from me. Your compassion has kept me from doing terrible unwholesome things to many helpless beings. My gratitude is endless, oh holy monk."

The Enlightenment Being said to the king, “Now you must realize why your royal priests wanted to have a sacrifice ceremony. It was not because they understood the Truth and it was not because they cared for you and your well-being. Instead it was due to greediness. They wanted only to get rich, eat fine food, and keep their jobs at your court.

“Your 16 dreams have indicated disasters in the distant future. What you do now will have no effect on them. Those things will happen when the world is declining, when the unreal is seen as real, when the unreasonable is thought to be reasonable, and when the non-existent seems to exist. It will be a time when many will be unwholesome without shame, and few will be ashamed of their own wrongdoing.

‘Therefore, to prevent these things by performing a sacrifice today is impossible!"

Remaining seated, the Bodhisatta miraculously rose into the air. Then he continued his teaching: “Oh king, it was fear that unbalanced your mind and brought you close to killing so many helpless ones. Real freedom from fear comes from a pure mind. And the way to begin purifying your mind is to climb the five steps of training. You will benefit greatly from giving up the five unwholesome actions. These are: destroying life, for this is not compassion; taking what is not given, for this is not generosity; doing wrong in sexual ways, for this is not loving-kindness; speaking falsely, for this is not Truth; losing your mind from alcohol, for this leads to falling down the first four steps.

“Oh king, from now on do not join with the priests in killing animals for sacrifice."

In this way the Great Being taught the Truth, freed many people from bondage to false beliefs, and released many animals from fear and death. In an instant he returned through the air to his home in the Himalayas.

King Brahmadatta practiced the Five Training Steps. He gave alms and did many other good things. At the end of a long life he died and was reborn as he deserved.

The moral is: Beware of the panic-stricken man.
What he can do is more dangerous than what scared him in the first place.

77. THE SIXTEEN DREAMS: [CHAPTER 4:TEACHING]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/03/26/77-the-sixteen-dreams-chapter-4teaching/

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The Sixteen Dreams: [Chapter 3:The Frightening Sound of ‘Munch, Munch, Munch’

“Indeed," said King Brahmadatta to the humble forest monk, “you have set my mind to rest concerning my first eight dreams. But my last eight dreams are even more frightening. I must do something to prevent the doom they predict." Again the king began shaking uncontrollably with fear and panic.

“Calm down," said the holy man, “and tell me these dreams also, that I may relieve your distress."

The king replied, ‘These were my last eight dreams, the ninth to the 16th: a pond that’s muddy in the middle and clear by the shore, rice cooking unevenly in a pot, fine sandalwood traded for spoiled buttermilk, empty pumpkins sinking in water, solid rocks floating on water. giant snakes gobbled up by tiny she-frogs, royal golden swans waiting on a bad village crow, the frightening sound of ‘munch, munch, munch’."

“Please tell me the details of your ninth dream," said the monk.

“Your reverence, I dreamed I saw a pond which was deep in the middle and shallow by the shore. It was filled with all five kinds of lotuses, and there were all kinds of animals — two-footed and four-footed — drinking near the shore. And yet the water remained clear by the shore, and got muddy only in the middle. How could this be? What does this mean?"

“Oh king," said the forest monk, “in the distant future there will be only unwholesome kings. They will rule based on their will power, along with their anger and fear. They will not care at all about wholesomeness and justice. They will be much more interested in becoming rich from all kinds of bribes, than in the well-being of the citizens. No longer will rulers have patience, loving-kindness and compassion towards the people they rule. Instead they will be rough and cruel, crushing the people to squeeze the last penny from them in taxes — just as the sweet juice is squeezed from sugar cane.

“Therefore the citizens, unable to pay the taxes and bribes, will flee to the borderlands. Soon there will be less people living in the corrupt central capitals, and the borderlands will be heavily populated by the humble — just like the pond that is muddy in the middle and clear by the shore.

“But obviously there is nothing in this for you to fear, oh good and wholesome king. What was your tenth dream?"

“Your reverence, I dreamed I saw rice cooking unevenly in a pot. Some was overcooked, some well-cooked and some still raw."

“Don’t worry about this either," said the holy man. “This dream foretells a time when all will be unwholesome, not like today! Kings will be unwholesome, and so will officials and ministers, priests and homemakers, city and country folks. Amazing as it may seem, this dream indicates a time when holy men will be unwholesome too! In addition. even the gods, tree spirits and fairies will be unwholesome and wicked!

“The winds will change quickly, sometimes blowing too hard and sometimes not at all. These winds will shake the heavenly homes of the sky gods. Therefore, in some places rains will cause floods, it will rain just right in some areas, and there will be terrible droughts in other places. It will be like rice in the cooking pot — some overcooked, some well-cooked, and some raw.

“Now tell me your 11th dream, oh king."

“Your reverence, I dreamed I saw the finest sandalwood, worth 100,000 pieces of gold, being traded for spoiled buttermilk. What is the meaning of this?"

“This too indicates a far-off future time, when knowledge of Truth is disappearing. There will be many greedy shameless preachers who distort the Four Necessities: food, clothing, shelter and medicine. They will make these into luxuries, far richer than they really need.

“They will teach the worthlessness of luxuries and the unwholesomeness of greed, by preaching the Truth of nonattachment. But in return for preaching, they will require money and luxuries. So they will cause an increase in craving, rather than showing the way towards Liberation from craving. They will preach Truth only so they can obtain worthless things —- just like priceless sandalwood traded for spoiled buttermilk.

“Now let me hear your 12th dream."

“Your reverence, I saw, in a dream, empty pumpkins sinking to the bottom of the water."

“Oh king, this foretells a distant future when the world will be upside down. So once again, you have nothing to fear in this life. Unwholesome kings will grant high positions to the low class rather than the high class. The low class will quickly become rich and the high class poor. In all departments and functions, the ignorant words of the uneducated low class officials will be greatly respected — just like empty pumpkins sinking to the depths of the water.

“Even among the religious, humble wholesome monks will lose respect, while the unwholesome teachings of shameless monks will be followed and adored — just like empty pumpkins sinking to the bottom.

‘What was your 13th dream?"

“Your reverence, I dreamed I saw solid rocks floating on top of the water, how strange this seems. What does it mean, wise one?"

‘This too indicates the future era when the world will be upside down. In all departments and functions, the wise words of the well-educated nobles will be ignored, due to their birth alone.

“Likewise among the religious, the words of Truth spoken by humble wholesome monks will be ignored

just like solid rocks floating away on the surface of the water.

“What was your 14th dream?"

“Your reverence, it was a frightening dream in which I saw tiny female frogs chasing big long black snakes. When they caught up to them they cut them and broke them in pieces like water lily stumps, and then gobbled them up!"

“There is nothing for you to fear in this dream either, oh king. This represents a future time when the world will be declining. The wholesomeness in people’s natures will decrease. Desires will increase in their minds until they are enslaved by their cravings. Because of this, men will be under the orders of their youngest prettiest wives. The servants, bulls, buffaloes and all other household wealth will be managed by the youngest wives — due to the uncontrolled desires of their husbands.

“These wives will treat their husbands like slaves. keeping them under their thumbs. If the men ask about family affairs, their wives will say, ‘There’s no need for you to ask. Everything in my home belongs to me, not you!’ It will be like big long snakes gobbled up by tiny she-frogs.

“Now tell me your 15th dream."

“Your reverence, I saw a crow, the kind that lives near villages. I knew he was filled with the ‘Ten Bad Qualities’. He was being followed and served by golden swans, the kind seen as kings by other birds."

“This too indicates a distant time when all kings will be weaklings. They will be no good at riding elephants or horses, or fighting battles. So you can easily see there is nothing for you to fear, mighty king.

“Those weakling kings will be so afraid of being overthrown that they will be afraid to give powerful positions to worthy well-educated nobles. Instead they will appoint foot servants, bath attendants, barbers and so forth. And the nobles will have to become the lowest servants of the untrained new officials — just like royal golden swans waiting on a bad village crow.

“At last we have reached your 16th dream, oh king. Describe it to me.?’

“Your reverence, I will tell you my last dream, the only one that still frightens me. Ordinarily, leopards chase and eat goats. But in my 16th dream, I saw goats chasing leopards! And when they caught them they ate them up, making the sound, ‘munch, munch, munch!’ All the other animals who heard this frightening sound and saw the meat-eating goats approaching, ran and hid in the forest. The memory of this dream still frightens me, holy one."

“Alas, even this dream applies only to the far-off time when the world will be ruled by unwholesome kings. The lowly, who are unaccustomed to power, will become closest to the kings. They will gain power while the nobles become poor and unknown."

“In the law courts, the newcomers will confiscate the inherited wealth from the nobles — all their lands, homes and possessions. And when the nobles go to the courts to protest, they will be told, ‘How dare you argue with us! You do not understand the situation you are in. We will tell the king and have your hands and feet cut off!’ The nobles will run away and hide in fear. Likewise, bad monks will injure good monks as much as they please. With no one to support and defend them, the good monks will leave the cities and villages. They will live in the jungle in fear of the bad monks. It will be like all those who hear the sound of ‘munch. munch, munch’, and live in fear of meat-eating goats."

“Oh king, now you know the meanings of all 16 dreams. The last eight have foretold: overtaxed people fleeing to the borderlands, an unwholesome world with uneven rains, Truth being taught by preachers greedy for money, ignorant and unwholesome words gaining respect, wise words and Truth losing respect, husbands enslaved by desires for their youngest wives, educated nobles in the service of untrained newcomers, noble and good living in fear of powerful and bad."

The Sixteen Dreams: [Chapter 3:The Frightening Sound of ‘Munch, Munch, Munch’

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/03/19/the-sixteen-dreams-chapter-3the-frightening-sound-of-munch-munch-munch/

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77. The sixteen Dreams [chapter 2: Roaring Bulls With No Fight]

King Brahmadatta knelt down before the holy man and then sat next to him. He asked, “Your reverence, can you tell me the meanings of my sixteen dreams?"

“Of course I can," said the forest monk. “Tell them to me, beginning with the first eight."

The king replied, ‘These were the first eight dreams: roaring bulls with no fight, midget trees bearing fruit, cows sucking milk from calves, calves pulling carts with bulls trailing behind, a horse eating with two mouths, a jackal urinating in a golden bowl, a she-jackal eating a rope maker’s rope, one overflowing pot with all the rest empty."

‘Tell me more about your first dream," said the monk.

“Your reverence, I saw four pure black bulls who came from the four directions to fight in the palace courtyard. People came from miles around to see the bulls fight. But they only pretended to fight, roared at each other, and went back where they came from."

“Oh king," said the holy man, “this dream tells of things that will not happen in your lifetime or in mine. In the far-off future, kings will be unwholesome and stingy. The people too will be unwholesome. Goodness will be decreasing while evil increases. The seasons will be out of whack, with sunstroke on winter days and snow storms on summer days. The skies will be dry, with poor clouds and little water. Harvests will be small and people will starve. Then dark clouds will come from the four directions, but even after much thunder and lightning, they will depart without letting rain fall – just like the roaring bulls who leave without fighting.

“But have no fear, there will be no harm to the people of today. The priests say this dream requires sacrifice, only because that is how they earn their money. Now tell me your second dream."

“Your reverence, I had a dream where tiny midget plants grew no more than one foot tall, and then flowered and gave fruit."

“Oh king," said the holy man, the soil will be poor for growing crops, and humans will live short lives. The young will have strong desires, and even young girls will have babies — just like midget trees bearing fruit.

“But this will not happen until the distant future when the world is declining. What was your third dream, oh king?"

“Your reverence, I saw cows sucking milk from their own calves, born the same day," said the king, shuddering with fear.

“Be calm," said the monk, “this too will not happen in our lifetimes. But someday people will no longer respect their mothers, fathers, mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law. People will give everything to their own children, taking over the savings of their elder parents and in-laws. Then, by whim alone, they may or may not feed and clothe their elders. So the elderly will be at the mercy of their own children — just like cows sucking milk from their day-old calves.

“But clearly it is not like that today, oh king, so you have nothing to fear. Now tell me your fourth dream."

Somewhat relieved, the king continued, “Your reverence, I dreamed I saw big strong full-grown bulls following behind bullock carts. They were being pulled by frail awkward calves. The calves stopped and stood still, unable to pull the heavily loaded carts. Caravans could no longer travel and goods could not be taken to market."

“There will be a time," said the holy man, “when unwholesome stingy kings will no longer respect wise experienced judges. Instead they will appoint young foolish judges, granting them the highest privileges. But they will not be able to make difficult decisions. They will become judges in name only, doing no real work — just like the calves who can’t pull the carts. Meanwhile, the older wiser ones will offer no help, thinking it is no longer their concern – just like the bulls trailing behind.

“Again you have nothing to fear, oh king, from those far-off times when all the nations will be poorly run by the young and foolish. What was your fifth dream?"

“Your reverence, my fifth dream was very strange indeed. I saw a horse eating with two mouths, one on each side of his head!" Again the king trembled as he spoke.

The forest monk said, “This will happen in another far-off future time, when unwholesome foolish kings appoint unwholesome greedy judges. Not caring in the least about right and wrong, they will take bribes from both sides in the same case — just like a horse eating greedily with two mouths.

“Now tell me your sixth dream."

“Your reverence, I dreamed I saw a golden plate worth a hundred thousand pieces of money. People were holding it and coaxing an old skinny jackal to urinate in it. And that’s just what he did!" said the king, making a face.

“Oh king, this too will come to pass in a far-off time when the kings will be outsiders, not born in the ruling families of the countries they rule. So they will not trust the experienced ministers from the native noble class. They will replace them with low class ministers they can control more easily. Meanwhile the old nobles will depend on the new ruling class. So they will offer their high class daughters in marriage to the low class ministers — just like golden bowls urinated in by jackals.

“But this will not happen in your time, oh king. What was your seventh dream?"

“Your reverence, I dreamed I saw a man making a rope and letting it pile up under his chair. There a hungry female jackal was eating the rope as it fell, without the man knowing it."

“There will come a time," said the monk, “when women’s cravings will increase. They will desire men, strong liquor, jewelry and all sorts of useless possessions. They will spend a lot of time window shopping. Paying more attention to their lovers than to their husbands, they will ignore even the most important household activities. And they will waste all the money earned by their husbands — just like the jackal devouring the rope that is produced by the rope maker.

“But as you can see, oh king, these times are not upon us. Tell me about your eighth dream."

“Your reverence," said the king, “I saw one big pot full of water, and many small empty pots, in front of the palace gate. All the warriors, priests, merchants and farmers were bringing water from all directions. But they were pouring it only into the big pot. That one was overflowing and wasting the water, while all the little pots remained empty!" Again the king shook in fear as he spoke.

“Have no fear, oh king," said the holy man. “Way off in the future the world will be declining. The land will be less fertile, so crops will be harder to grow. The richest will have no more than 100,000 pieces of gold — there will be no more millionaires! Even the kings will be poor and stingy.

“The kings and the wealthy will make all the rest work for them only. The poor will be forced to bring all their products, grains, vegetables and fruits to the warehouses of the rich and powerful. And the barns of the hard working poor will remain empty — it will be like the big pot filled to overflowing, with all the little ones empty.

“So now you know the meanings of your first eight dreams. They have foretold: thunderclouds with no rain, young girls having babies, the elderly at the mercy of their children, young foolish judges with no help from the wise, greedy judges taking bribes from both sides, low class ministers with high class wives, wives wasting the earnings of their husbands, the rich taking from the poor leaving them nothing.

“So your mind may be at peace, oh king, regarding these first eight dreams. Clearly such times are not upon us, and these dangers are not to be feared in the present day."

77. The sixteen Dreams [chapter 2: Roaring Bulls With No Fight]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/03/11/77-the-sixteen-dreams-chapter-2-roaring-bulls-with-no-fight/

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77. The sixteen dreams [Chapter 1. Panic]

Once upon a time there was a king called Brahmadatta who was ruling in Benares, in northern India. One night he had sixteen frightening nightmare dreams. He awoke in the morning in a cold sweat, with his heart thumping loudly in his chest. The sixteen dreams had scared him to death. He was sure they meant that something terrible was about to happen. In a panic, he called for his official priests, to ask their advice.

When the priests arrived at the royal bed chamber, they asked the king if he had slept well. He told them that it had been the worst night of his life, that he had been scared to death by sixteen dreams, and that he was desperate to find out their meanings.

At this the priests’ eyes lit up. They asked him, “What were these dreams, your majesty?" King Brahmadatta told them all sixteen dreams. The priests pounded their foreheads and exclaimed, “Oh what horrors! It couldn’t be worse, your majesty. Such dreams as these can mean only one thing — danger!"

The king asked them, ‘What danger, oh priests? You must tell me the meaning at once!" They replied, It is certain, your majesty, these dreams show that one of three disasters will take place — terrible harm to the kingdom, to your life, or to the royal wealth."

The king had feared as much. He wrung his hands as the sweat kept pouring from his body. He was shaking all over with terror and panic. He asked, “Tell me, oh worthy royal priests, is there any way to avoid this disaster?" “Indeed, it is very dangerous," they said. “If you do nothing, the end is certain. But we can prevent it. If we couldn’t, then all our training and learning would be useless. Trust us, lord."

The panic-stricken king cried out, “Just tell me what to do, priests. I’ll do anything! What can you do to save me, my kingdom and my wealth?" “We must offer the greatest animal sacrifice that has ever been seen," they said. “We must kill, as sacrificial offerings, four of every type of animal that lives!"

Although he was usually a gentle, kind and merciful ruler. King Brahmadatta was so frightened that he couldn’t think straight at all. Paralyzed with fear, he put all his hope and faith in his priests. He gave them permission to prepare the gigantic slaughter.

The priests said, “Have no fear, your majesty, we will take care of everything. We will prevent the coming doom!" They knew they would be paid well to perform the sacrifice. And the meat from the killed animals would be theirs as well. Their secret thoughts were, “This is a great way for us to get piles of money, and the best food and drink too!"

The priests got to work organizing the biggest sacrifice Benares had ever seen. Just outside of town they dug a huge pit. Into it they put the most perfect ones they could find of all the animals — land animals, birds and fish. From each kind they selected four to be killed in the ceremony. It became known as the ‘Four-from-all’ sacrifice.

Meanwhile, the king’s senior teaching priest had a promising young pupil. He was gentle and compassionate, and very well-educated. He wondered about all that was happening. So he asked the teacher priest, “Oh master, you have taught me well the wise teachings of old. Can you show me anywhere it says the killing of one will save the life of another?"

The priest answered, “What kind of question is that? Open your eyes and be realistic, my boy. Don’t you see that this great sacrifice, the Four-from-all, will make us rich? You must be trying to help the king hold onto his riches! “

The idealistic and sincere pupil said, “You have not answered my question, master. If this sacrifice is to be your work, it shall be mine no longer!" With these words he departed and went to the royal pleasure garden to consider what he would do.

It just so happened that the Enlightenment Being had been born into a rich high class family. For many generations the men in that family had been priests, just like the ones who were now preparing the Four-from-all sacrifice. But when the Bodhisatta grew up he abandoned the life of a rich priest. Instead he went to the Himalayas and lived as a humble forest monk. He concentrated his mind in meditation and entered high mental states. He gained the sweetest inner happiness, and even miraculous supernatural powers.

This forest monk loved all the animals. When he heard about what was happening in Benares he was filled with tenderness and compassion. He decided, “I must teach the ignorant people and release them from the chains of superstition. I will go to the city at once!" Then he used his supernatural power to fly through the air to Benares. In an instant he was seated on a rock in the king’s pleasure garden. His gentle nature made him glow like a golden sunrise.

The idealistic young student approached and recognized him as a great holy man. He bowed respectfully and sat on the ground. The forest monk asked him, “Young man, do you have a good and just king reigning here in Benares?"

“Yes", said the student, “our king is kind and good. But he is being misled by the royal priests. He had sixteen dreams which left him completely panic-stricken. The priests took advantage of this when he told them his dreams. They have convinced him to have a huge sacrifice and kill many animals. Oh holy one, please tell the king the true meanings of his dreams. Free the many helpless beings from fear and death."

The holy man said, “If he comes and asks me, I will tell him." “I will bring him, sir," said the young man. “Kindly wait here a short while until I return."

The student went to the king and told him there was a marvelous holy man seated on a rock in the royal pleasure garden. He told him he had said he could interpret the king’s dreams. Hearing this, the king went with him to the garden. A crowd followed behind.

77. The sixteen dreams [Chapter 1. Panic]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/02/27/77-the-sixteen-dreams-chapter-1-panic/

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76. The Meditating Security Guard [Fearlessness]

Once upon a time, the Enlightenment Being was born into a rich and powerful family. When he grew up he became dissatisfied with going after the ordinary pleasures of the world. So he gave up his former lifestyle, including his wealth and position. He went to the foothills of the Himalayas and became a holy man.

It just so happened that one day he ran out of salt. So he decided to go and collect alms. He came upon a caravan and went with it part way on its journey. In the evening they stopped and made camp.

The holy man began walking at the foot of a big nearby tree. He concentrated until he entered a high mental state. He remained in that state throughout the night, while continuing to walk.

Meanwhile, 500 bandits surrounded the campsite. They waited until after supper, when all had settled down for the night. But before they could attack, they noticed the holy man. They said to each other, “That man must be on guard, for security. If he sees us, he’ll warn the rest. So let’s wait until he falls asleep, and then do our robbing and looting!"

What the bandits didn’t know was that the holy man was so deep in meditation that he didn’t notice them at all – or anything else for that matter! So they kept waiting for him to fall asleep. And he just kept walking and walking and walking – until the light of dawn finally began to appear. Only then was he finished meditating.

Having had no chance to rob the caravan, the bandits threw down their weapons in frustration. They shouted, “Hey you in the caravan! If your security guard hadn’t stayed up all night, walking under that tree, we would have robbed you all! You should reward him well!" With that they left in search of someone else to rob.

When it became light the people in the caravan saw the clubs and stones left behind by the bandits. Trembling with fear, they went over to the holy man. They greeted him respectfully and asked if he had seen the bandits. “Yes, this morning I did," he said.

“Weren’t you scared?" they asked. “No," said the Enlightenment Being, “the sight of bandits is only frightening to the rich. But I’m not a rich man. I own nothing of any value to robbers. So why should I be afraid of them? I have no anxiety in a village, and no fear in the forest. Possessing only loving-kindness and compassion, I follow the straight path leading to Truth."

In this manner he preached the way of fearlessness to the lucky people of the caravan. His words made them feel peaceful, and they honored him.

After a long life developing the Four Heavenly States of Mind, he died and was reborn in a high heaven world.

The moral is: It pays to have a holy man around.

76. The Meditating Security Guard [Fearlessness]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/01/16/76-the-meditating-security-guard-fearlessness/

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75. The Fish Who Worked a Miracle [The Power of Truthfulness]

Once upon a time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a fish in a pond in northern India. There were many kinds of fish, big and small, living in the pond with the Bodhisatta.

There came to be a time of severe drought. The rainy season did not come as usual. The crops of men died, and many ponds, lakes and rivers dried up.

The fish and turtles dug down and buried themselves in the mud, frantically trying to keep wet and save themselves. The crows were pleased by all this. They stuck their beaks down into the mud, pulled up the frightened little fish, and feasted on them.

The suffering of pain and death by the other fish touched the Enlightenment Being with sadness, and filled him with pity and compassion. He realized that he was the only one who could save them. But it would take a miracle.

The truth was that he had remained innocent, by never taking the life of anyone. He was determined to use the power of this wholesome truth to make rain fall from the sky, and release his relatives from their misery and death.

He pulled himself up from under the black mud. He was a big fish, and as black from the mud as, polished ebony. He opened his eyes, which sparkled like rubies, looked up to the sky, and called on the rain god Pajjunna. He exclaimed, “Oh my friend Pajjunna, god of rain, I am suffering for the sake of my relatives. Why do you withhold rain from me, who am perfectly wholesome, and make me suffer in sympathy with all these fish?"

“I was born among fish, for whom it is customary to eat other fish — even our own kind, like cannibals! But since I was born, I myself have never eaten any fish, even one as tiny as a rice grain. In fact, I have never taken life from anyone. The truthfulness of this my innocence gives me the right to say to you: Make the rains fall! Relieve the suffering of my relatives!"

He said this the way one gives orders to a servant.

And he continued, commanding the mighty rain god Pajjunna: “Make rain fall from the thunderclouds! Do not allow the crows their hidden treasures! Let the crows feel the sorrow of their unwholesome actions. At the same time release me from my sorrow, who have lived in perfect wholesomeness."

After only a short pause, the sky opened up with a heavy downpour of rain, relieving many from the fear of death — fish, turtles and even humans. And when the great fish who had worked this miracle eventually died, he was reborn as he deserved.

The moral is: True innocence relieves the suffering of many.

75. The Fish Who Worked a Miracle [The Power of Truthfulness]

Link:　https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/01/16/75-the-fish-who-worked-a-miracle-the-power-of-truthfulness/

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74. New Homes for the Tree Spirits [Wise Advice]

Once upon a time, as happens to all beings, the King of the Tree Spirits died. King Sakka, ruler of the Heaven of 33, appointed a new King of the Tree Spirits. As his first official act, the new king sent out a proclamation that every tree spirit should choose a tree to live in. Likewise it was stated that every tree was to be pleased with its resident spirit.

There just so happened to be a very wise tree spirit who was the leader of a large clan. He advised his clan members not to live in freestanding trees. Instead it would be safer to live in the forest trees near him. The wise tree spirits settled down in the forest trees with their leader.

But there were also some foolish and arrogant tree spirits. They said to each other, “Why should we live in this crowd? Let us go to the villages, towns and cities inhabited by human beings. Tree spirits who live there receive the best offerings. And they are even worshipped by the superstitious people living in those places. What a life we will have!"

So they went to the villages, towns and cities, and moved into the big freestanding trees, looked after by people. Then one day a big storm came up. The wind blew strong and hard. The big heavy trees with old stiff branches did not do well in the storm. Branches fell down, trunks broke in two, and some were even uprooted. But the trees in the forest, which were intertwined with each other, were able to bend and support each other in the mighty wind. They did not break or fall!

The tree spirits in the villages, towns and cities had their tree homes destroyed. They gathered up their children and returned to the forest. They, complained to the wise leader about their misfortune in the big lonely trees in the land of men. He said, “This is what happens to arrogant ones who ignore wise advice and go off by themselves."

The moral is: Fools are deaf to wise words.

74. New Homes for the Tree Spirits [Wise Advice]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/01/16/74-new-homes-for-the-tree-spirits-wise-advice/

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73. Four on a Log [Gratitude]

Once upon a time, King Brahmadatta of Benares had a son. He grew up to be a mean and cruel he-man — the type that’s always trying to prove he’s tougher than everyone else. He was a bully who constantly pushed people around and picked fights. Whenever he spoke to people it was with a stream of obscenities — right out of the gutter. And he was always quick to anger — just like a hissing snake that’s just been stepped on.

People inside and outside the palace ran from him as they would from a starving man-eating demon. They avoided him as they would a speck of dirt in the eye. Behind his back everyone called him the ‘Evil Prince’. In short — he was not a nice man!

One day the prince decided to go swimming. So he went down to the river with his servants and attendants. Suddenly it became almost as dark as night. A huge storm came up. Being so rough and tough, the prince was always trying to show he wasn’t scared of anything. So he yelled at his servants, “Take me into the middle of the river and bathe me. Then bring me back to shore."

Following his orders, they took him out to midstream. Then they said, “Now is our chance! Whatever we do here, the king will never find out. So let’s kill the Evil Prince. Into the flood you go, good-for-nothing!" With that they threw him into the stormy raging river.

When they returned to the bank, the others asked where the prince was. They replied, “We don’t know. As the rain came up, he must have swum faster than us and gone back to Benares."

When they returned to the palace, the king asked, “Where is my son?" They said, “We don’t know, your majesty. When the storm came up, we thought he went back ahead of us." King Brahmadatta collected a search party and began looking for the prince. They searched carefully, all the way to the riverside, but couldn’t find him.

What had happened was this. In the darkness and wind and rain the prince had been swept down the flooding river. Luckily he was able to grab onto a floating dead tree trunk. Frantically he held on for dear life. As he was being swept along, the tough he-man was so afraid of drowning that he cried like a terrified helpless baby!

It just so happened that, not long before, a very rich man had died in Benares. He had buried his treasure hoard in the riverbank, along the same stretch of river. His fortune amounted to 40 million gold coins. Because of his miserly craving for riches, he was reborn as a lowly snake, slithering on his belly while still guarding his treasure.

At a nearby spot on the riverbank another rich miser had buried a treasure of 30 million gold coins. Likewise, due to his stingy clawing after wealth, he had been reborn as a water rat. He too remained to guard his buried treasure.

Lo and behold when the storm came up, both the snake and the water rat were flooded out of their holes and washed into the raging river. In fear of drowning, they both happened to grab onto the same dead log carrying the frightened wailing prince. The snake climbed up on one end and the water rat on the other.

There also happened to be a tall cotton tree growing nearby. There was a young parrot roosting in it. When the storm-flooded river rose up, the cotton tree’s roots were washed away and it fell into the water. When he tried to fly away, the wind and rain swept the little parrot onto the same dead log with the snake, the water rat and the Evil Prince.

Now there were four on the log, floating towards a bend in the river. Nearby a holy man was living humbly in a little hut. He just happened to be the Bodhisatta — the Enlightenment Being. He had been born into a rich high class family in Kasi. When he had grown up, he had given up all his wealth and position, and had come to live by himself next to the river.

It was the middle of the night when the holy man heard the cries of panic coming from the Evil Prince. He thought, “That sounds like a frightened human being. My loving-kindness will not let me ignore him. I must save him."

He ran down to the river and shouted. “Don’t be afraid! I will save you!" Then he jumped into the rushing torrent, grabbed the log, and used his great strength to pull it to shore.

He helped the prince step safely onto the riverbank. Noticing the snake, water rat and parrot, he took them and the man to his cozy little hut. He started up his cooking fire. Thinking of the weakness of the animals, he gently warmed them by the fire. When they were warm and dry he set them aside. Then he let the prince warm himself. The holy man brought out some fruits and nuts. Again he fed the more helpless animals first, followed by the waiting prince.

Not surprisingly this made the Evil Prince furious! He thought, “This stupid holy man doesn’t care at all for me, a great royal prince. Instead he gives higher place to these three dumb animals!" Thinking this way, he built up a vengeful hatred against the gentle Bodhisatta.

The next day the holy man dried the deadwood log in the sun. Then he chopped it up and burned it, to cook their food and keep them warm. In a few days the four who had been rescued by that same log were strong and healthy.

The snake came to the holy man to say good-bye. He coiled his body on the ground, arched himself up, and bowed his head respectfully. He said, “Venerable one, you have done a great thing for me! I am grateful to you, and I am not a poor snake. In a certain place I have a buried treasure of 40 million gold coins. And I will gladly give it to you — for all life is priceless! Whenever you are in need of money, just come down to the riverbank and call out. “Snake! Snake!"

The water rat, too, came to the holy man to say good-bye. He stood up on his hind legs and bowed his head respectfully. He said, “Venerable one, you have done a great thing for me! I am grateful to you, and I am not a poor water rat. In a certain place I have a buried treasure of 30 million gold coins. And I will gladly give it to you – for all life is priceless! Whenever you are in need of money, just come down to the riverbank and call out, “Rat! Rat!"

Such grateful generosity from a snake and a water rat! A far cry from their previous stingy human lives!

Then came the parrot to say his good-bye to the holy man. He bowed his head respectfully and said, “Venerable one, you have done a great thing for me! I am grateful to you, but I possess no silver or gold. However, I am not a poor parrot. For if you are ever in need of the finest rice, just come down to the riverbank and call out. ‘Parrot! Parrot!’ Then I will gather together all my relatives from all the forests of the Himalayas and we will bring you many cart loads of the most precious scented red rice. For all life is priceless!"

Finally the Evil Prince came to the holy man. Because his mind was filled with the poison of vengeance, he thought only about killing him if he ever saw him again. However, what he said was, “Venerable one, when I become king, please come to me and I will provide you with the Four Necessities." He returned to Benares and soon became the new king.

In a while the holy man decided to see if the gratitude of these four was for real. First he went down to the riverbank and called out, “Snake! Snake!" At the sound of the first word, the snake came out of his home under the ground. He bowed respectfully and said, “Holy one, under this very spot are buried 40 million gold coins. Dig them up and take them with you!" “Very well," said the holy man, “When I am in need I will come again."

Taking leave of the snake, he walked along the riverbank and called out,’ “Rat! Rat!" The water rat appeared and all went just as it had with the snake.

Next, he called out, “Parrot! Parrot!" The parrot flew down from his treetop home, bowed respectfully and said, “Holy one, do you need red rice? I will summon my relatives and we will bring you the best rice in all the Himalayas." The holy man replied, “Very well, when I am in need I will come again."

Finally he set out to see the king. He walked to the royal pleasure garden and slept there overnight. In the morning, in a very humble and dignified manner, he went to collect alms food in the city of Benares.

On that same morning the ungrateful king, seated on a magnificently adorned royal elephant, was leading a vast procession around the city. When he saw the Enlightenment Being coming from a distance he thought, “Aha! This lazy homeless bum is coming to sponge off me. Before he can brag to everyone how much he did for me, I must have him beheaded!"

Then he said to his servants, “This worthless beggar must be coming to ask for something. Don’t let the good-for-nothing get near me. Arrest him immediately, tie his hands behind his back, and whip him at every street corner. Take him out of the city to the execution block and cut off his head. Then raise up his body on a sharpened stake and leave it for all to see. So much for lazy beggars!"

The king’s men followed his cruel orders. They tied up the blameless Great Being like a common criminal. They whipped him mercilessly at every street corner on the way to the execution block. But no matter how hard they whipped him, cutting into his flesh, he remained dignified. After each whipping he simply announced, for all to hear: “This proves the old saying is still true — ‘There’s more reward in pulling deadwood from a river, than in helping an ungrateful man!'"

Some of the bystanders began to wonder why he said only this at each street corner. They said to each other, “This poor man’s pain must be caused by an ungrateful man." So they asked him, “Oh holy man, have you done some service to an ungrateful man?"

Then he told them the whole story. And in conclusion he said, “I rescued this king from a terrible flood, and in so doing I brought this pain upon myself I did not follow the saying of the wise of old, that’s why I said what I said."

Hearing this story, the people of Benares became enraged and said to each other, ‘This good man saved the king’s life. But he is so cruel that he has no gratitude in him at all. How could such a king possibly benefit us? He can only be dangerous to us. Let’s get him!"

Their rage turned the citizens of Benares into a mob. They pelted the king with arrows, knives, clubs and stones. He died while still sitting on the royal elephant. Then they threw the dead body of the one-time Evil Prince into a ditch by the side of the road.

Afterwards they made the holy man their new king. He ruled Benares well. Then one day he decided to go see his old friends. So he rode in a large procession down to the riverbank.

He called out, “Snake! Snake!" The snake came out, offered his respect and said, “My lord, if you wish it. You are welcome to my treasure." The king ordered his servants to dig up the 40 million gold coins.

He went to the water rat’s home and called out, “Rat! Rat!" He too appeared, offered his respect and said, “My lord, if you wish it, you are welcome to my treasure." This time the king’s servants dug up 30 million gold coins.

Then the king called out “Parrot! Parrot!" The parrot flew to the king, bowed respectfully and said, “If you wish, my lord, I will collect the most excellent red rice for you." But the holy man king said, “Not now my friend. When rice is needed I will request it of you. Now let us all return to the city."

After they arrived at the royal palace in Benares, the king had the 70 million gold coins put under guard in a safe place. He had a golden bowl made for the grateful snake’s new home. He had a maze made of the finest crystals for the generous rat to live in. And the kind parrot moved into a golden cage, with a gate he could latch and unlatch from the inside.

Every day the king gave rice puffs and the sweetest bee’s honey on golden plates to the snake and the parrot. And on another golden plate he gave the most aromatic scented rice to the water rat.

The king became famous for his generosity to the poor. He and his three animal friends lived together in perfect harmony for many years. When they died, they were all reborn as they deserved.

The moral is: Gratitude is a reward, which is itself rewarded.

73. Four on a Log [Gratitude]

Link:https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/01/16/73-four-on-a-log-gratitude/

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72. The Elephant King Goodness [Generosity and Ingratitude]

Once upon a time the Enlightenment Being was born as an elephant. He was wonderfully white in colour, glowing like polished silver. His feet were as smooth and bright as the finest lacquer. His mouth was as red as the most elegant red carpet. And his marvellous eyes were like precious jewels, sparkling in five colours – blue, yellow, red, white and crimson.

The splendid beauty of this magnificent elephant was the outer form of the Enlightenment Being. But this was only a pale reflection of his inner beauty because during many previous lives he had filled himself with the Ten Perfections: energy, determination, truthfulness, wholesomeness, giving up attachment to the ordinary world, evenmindedness, wisdom, patience, generosity, and of course —- loving-kindness.

When he became an adult, all the other elephants in the Himalayan forests came to follow and serve him. Before long his kingdom contained a population of 80,000 elephants. Such a large nation was crowded and filled with distractions. In order to live more quietly, he separated himself from the rest and went to live alone in a secluded part of the forest. Because of his wholesomeness and purity, which were easily seen by everyone, he was known as the Elephant King Goodness.

In the meantime, a forester from Benares travelled into these Himalayan foothills. He was searching for things of value he could sell back in Benares. After a while he lost his sense of direction. He ran back and forth trying to find his way. Soon he became exhausted and scared to death! He began trembling and crying out loud from fear.

The Elephant King Goodness heard the sound of the poor lost man’s frightened weeping. Immediately he was filled with pity and compassion. Wishing to help him in any way he could, he began walking through the forest towards him.

But the man was in such a big panic that, when he saw the gigantic elephant coming towards him, he started running away. When the wise elephant king saw this, he stopped moving. Seeing this, the forester also stopped. Then King Goodness began walking towards him again, the man started running, and once again stopped when the elephant stopped.

At that point the man thought, “This noble elephant! When I run, he stops. And when I stop, he walks towards me. No doubt he intends me no harm – he must want to help me instead!" Realising this gave him the courage to stop and wait.

As the Elephant King Goodness slowly approached, he said, “My human friend, why are you wandering about crying in panic?"

“Lord elephant," said the man, “I lost all sense of direction, became hopelessly lost, and was afraid I would die!"

Then the Enlightenment Being took the forester to his own secluded dwelling place. He comforted and soothed him by treating him to the finest fruits and nuts in all the Himalayas. After several days he said, “My friend, don’t be afraid. I will take you to the land where people live. Sit on my back." Then he began carrying him towards the land of men.

While riding comfortably on this glorious being, the man thought, “Suppose people ask me where I was. I must be able to tell everything." So he made notes of all the landmarks, while being carried to safety by the kind elephant king.

When he came out of the thick forest near the highway to Benares, the Elephant King Goodness said, “My good friend, take this road to Benares. Please don’t tell anyone where I live, whether they ask you or not." With these parting words, the gentle elephant turned around and went back to his safe and secret home.

The man had no trouble finding his way to Benares. Then one day, while walking in the bazaar, he came to the shops of the ivory carvers. They carved ivory into delicate and beautiful statues, scenes and shapes. The forester asked them, “Would you buy tusks that come from living elephants?"

The ivory carvers replied, “What a question! Everyone knows the tusks from a live elephant are much more valuable than from a dead one." “Then I will bring you some live elephant tusks," said the forester.

Caring only for money, ignoring the safety of the elephant king, and without any gratitude towards the one who had saved his life – the man put a sharp saw in with his other provisions, and set out towards the home of King Goodness.

When he arrived the elephant king asked him, “Oh my dear human friend, what brings you back again?" Making up a story, the greedy man said, “My lord elephant, I am a poor man, living very humbly. As these times are very difficult for me, I have come to beg from you just a little piece of tusk. If you can give it to me, I will take it home and sell it. Then I will be able to provide for myself, and survive for a while longer."

Pitying the man, the Elephant King Goodness said, “Of course my friend, I will give you a big piece of tusk! Did you happen to bring a saw with you?" “Yes lord," said the forester, “I did bring a saw." “All right then," said the generous King Goodness, “cut from both my tusks!"

As he said this, the elephant bent down on his knees and offered up his spectacular silvery-white tusks. Without the slightest regret, the man sawed off big pieces of ivory from both tusks.

The Enlightenment Being picked up both pieces with his trunk. He said, “Good friend, I am not giving you my lovely tusks because I dislike them and want to get rid of them. Nor is it because they are not valuable to me. But a thousand times, even a hundred thousand times more lovely and valuable are the tusks of all knowable wisdom, which leads to the realisation of all Truth."

Giving the wonderful tusks to the man, it was the elephant’s wish that his perfect generosity would eventually lead him to the greatest wisdom.

The man went home and sold both pieces of ivory. But it didn’t take long for him to spend all the money. So again he returned to the Elephant King Goodness. He begged him, “My lord, the money I got by selling your ivory was only enough to pay off my debts. I am still a poor man, living very humbly. Times are still hard in Benares, so please give me the rest of your tusks, oh generous one!"

Without hesitation, the elephant king offered what was left of his tusks. The man cut off all that he could see of them, right down to the sockets in the elephant’s skull! He left without a word of thanks. The wonderful kind elephant meant no more to him than a bank account! He took the ivory back to Benares, sold it, and squandered the money as before.

Once again the forester returned to the Himalayan home of the Elephant King Goodness. And again he begged him, “Oh noble elephant king, it is so very hard to make a living in Benares. Have pit on me and let me have the rest of your ivory — the roots of your tusks."

Perfect generosity holds nothing back. So once again the elephant king bent down on his knees and offered his remaining stumps of ivory. The ungrateful betrayer did not care at all for the elephant. He stepped onto the magnificent trunk — like a thick silver chain. He climbed up and sat between the pure white temples, on top of the great head — like a snowy Himalayan dome. Then he roughly dug in with his heels, rubbing and tearing away the tender flesh from the stumps of the once-beautiful tusks. He used his dull worn-down saw to cut and hack the ivory roots out of the noble skull!

It is said there are many worlds — the hell world of torture, the worlds of hungry ghosts, of animals and of mankind, as well as many heaven worlds — from the lowest to the highest. In all these worlds there are millions of beings who, at one time or another, have been born and lived as elephants. And some who tell this story say, that although they knew not why, all those one-time elephants felt the pain of the Great Being — the Elephant King Goodness.

The forester departed carrying the bloody ivory stumps. Thinking there was no reason to see the elephant again, the didn’t bother to show any sign of gratitude or respect.

The vast solid earth, which is strong enough to easily support great mountains, and is able to bear the worst filth and stench, could not bear and support this cruel man’s enormous unwholesomeness. So, when he could no longer be seen by the suffering elephant, the mighty earth cracked open beneath him. Fire from the lowest hell world leaped up, engulfed him in bright red flames, and pulled him down to his doom!

The moral is: The ungrateful stops at nothing, and digs his own grave.

72. The Elephant King Goodness [Generosity and Ingratitude]

Link:https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2024/01/16/72-the-elephant-king-goodness-generosity-and-ingratitude/

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