Buddhisttales

146. The Story of a Crow [Kāka-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

146. The Story of a Crow [Kāka-Jātaka]

At one time Buddha was living in the Jeta Grove monastery. There was a group of aged gentlemen landowners, and jointly they did meritorious deeds. One day, they got together and while they were chatting, they thought that as they were in old age, it would be good to become ascetics, and by doing so they would be able to obtain Arahant-ship [sainthood]. They approached the Buddha and said, “Venerable sir, kindly ordain us. If you can do so, it would be a great thing for us.” Buddha agreed to their request, and they were ordained.

After their ordination, they made little huts for themselves beside Jetavanārāma. And as they had been ordained in old age, they could not study anything. Even by practicing meditation in accord with the Buddha’s guidance, they failed to achieve any results.17 When they went on alms rounds, they usually went to their own former family members’ homes.  They would take what they obtained to the home of the former wife of the chief monk of the group and eat it there, obtaining from her special sauces cooked by her for their food. In the course of time, this chief monk of the group’s wife fell into sickness and died. On hearing this news those old monks, lamenting that the old woman who was skilled in cooking had now passed away, started to cry together.

While they were crying together, other monks heard their cries and came to see what the trouble was. They asked the old monks why they were crying. The old monks said, “We cry because our benefactress who was clever in cooking sauces for us has died. It is because of this that we cry.” After hearing this, the monks who came in the evening to the preaching hall were talking about this when the Buddha entered. Buddha asked, “Monks, what were you talking about before my coming?” The monks mentioned the news about the passing away of the wife of the chief monk of the group of old monks, and how the old monks were crying.

Then the Buddha said, “Oh monks, this old chief monk and the group of old monks cry not only in this life. They did so even in the past when the old chief monk’s wife died, and they were trying to bail out the water from the ocean and they failed to do it. At that time, because of the help of a good advisor they did not die on account of their futile exertions.” The monks requested the Buddha to disclose the past story.

The Buddha said:

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a divine being of the ocean.

Once, some people got together and made offerings to deities and Nāga-s who lived in the ocean with rice, meat, and alcoholic beverages in accord with vows they had made. They placed all these food items on the sand of the beach. When they left, a certain crow and his hen, wandering on the sand, saw these food items there and ate and drank as much as they could. They became intoxicated thereby from both the alcoholic beverages and the rich food. Because they were intoxicated, they decided, using poor judgment, to take a bath in the ocean. While they were bathing in the ocean, a big wave came. It swept the hen-crow out to sea, and a big fish came and swallowed her. On seeing this, the male crow thought that a wave had swallowed his hen. He cried with sorrow.

When they heard his cries, other crows came around and they asked, “Why are you crying?” He told them, “Your friend, the hen-crow who was my wife, was taken by the ocean.” The other crows also became very upset. They said, “We have such a large number of crows here. Why should we not just bail the water out of the ocean?”

They then all got together and started to bail out the water of the ocean with their beaks. In this way, they tried for a long time to empty the ocean until they became tired. They then stopped to rest on the sand of the beach, with their beaks being sore from the salty water, their throats being dry, their cheeks being irritated, and their eyes being red from having gotten salt water in them. Very tired from their task, they began to cry, “We have lost our beautiful hen-crow who had a beautiful beak like a parrot, a beautiful color like a peacock, and a sweet voice like a cuckoo. Our beautiful hen- crow was stolen by the thief-like ocean.” Saying so, they cried in one voice.

The Enlightenment Being, who had been born as a divine being of the ocean, on hearing the noise of the crows, assumed a dreadful disguise as a bird of prey. Coming there, he made them go away. In this way, he stopped them from being sad any longer.

The Buddha said:

The hen-crow at that time was the dainty woman who today cooked sauces for the old monks. The male crow was the chief monk of the group of old monks. The other crows were the group of old monks. And the divine being of the ocean of whom they were made to be afraid, thereby causing them to fly away, was I who am today the Buddha.

Thus he finished the story.

The moral: “Grieving for the lost is vain.” Also,

“Think before acting out of grief.”

17 When a person gets old, his mind is not as sharp as when he was young, his memory does not work as well, and he cannot concentrate the same as a young person. Because of this, it is difficult for him to study or meditate. Ideally, a person should be ordained when he is young.

146. The Story of a Crow [Kāka-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/146-the-story-of-a-crow-kaka-jataka/

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145. The Story of Rādha [Rādha-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

145. The Story of Rādha [Rādha-Jātaka]

At one time when Buddha was living in the Jeta grove, one monk who was infatuated with his former wife after his ordination was ready to disrobe. Buddha heard this. The reason for disclosing the following Jātaka story comes in the Indriya-Jātaka [No. 423] further on.

[At one time, a householder when he was advanced in years wanted to give up his lay life and be ordained. When he was ordained, he felt that it was difficult to lead a life without a woman as in monkhood. According to his foolish thought of becoming a layman again, the chief ascetic said, “If you disrobe, you will have to suffer a lot. …” Finally, the monk who wanted to disrobe realized, as his teacher had explained, “If I go and live a lay life again, I will have to kill animals for meat. Then I will be reborn in hell and I will have to suffer. In my lay life, my present physical strength will not last forever. I will suffer when I am physically weak.” Thinking such thoughts, he gave up his thought to be a layman and he began to meditate as before. He knelt down, begging pardon in the presence of his teacher, and he started to meditate. … Finally, he meditated and learned to control his lust, he gained mental absorption, and he was reborn in the Brahma world.]

To the monk who had become infatuated with his former wife and was trying to disrobe, the Buddha said, “Not only in this life are you trying to do this, but such was so also in a former life. Even in the past, you could not control your unwholesome lust. Therefore it is not surprising that you have such urges.” Saying so, the other monks requested the Buddha to disclose the past story, and Buddha related this story:

At one time, a king called Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a parrot.

A Brahmin captured the Enlightenment Being, who was a parrot, and his younger brother also. He brought them to his home. The Enlightenment Being was named Poææhapāda, and his brother was named Rādha. He brought both up as his own children.

Once, the Brahmin wanted to leave his home on business. He summoned his two parrot children and said to them, “If your Brahmin mother does something wrong when I am gone, you must admonish her not to do so. If you do not think you can stop her misconduct, say nothing.” Saying so, he left.

From that time, there were limitless people coming in and going out of the house. On seeing this, the Enlightenment Being’s brother said to the Enlightenment Being, “When the Brahmin left, he asked us to admonish his wife if there was any wrongdoing. Shall I admonish her?” The Enlightenment Being parrot said, “My brother, you are not yet matured. You say this because you do not understand, and have no experience with women. During the ten hours of the morning, the number of men who come here are not countable. In the ten hours of the afternoon, it is also difficult to say the number of those people who come. Therefore, in such a situation, what advice can we give?” He asked his younger brother, therefore, not to speak. After a few days, the Brahmin returned.

When the Brahmin returned, he asked the Enlightenment Being, “How was my wife’s behavior?” The Enlightenment Being said, “There was a myriad of bad behavior. She behaved in this way because she does not love you. Therefore, it is not good to keep her in your home.” He further said, “From this point on, it is not good for myself and my brother to stay here.” And he thought that he should leave. He summoned his younger brother, went to the Brahmin, knelt down in homage, and begged pardon for his faults. They then returned to the forest.

The Buddha finalized this story, saying, “The Brahmin woman at that time was the former wife of the monk today. The Brahmin was this monk. The parrot Rādha, the younger brother, was the Venerable Ānanda. And the parrot Poææhapāda was I who am today the Buddha.”

The moral: “Misplaced lust will not bring you to the correct path.”

145. The Story of Rādha [Rādha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/145-the-story-of-radha-radha-jataka/

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144. The Story of a Tail [NanÄguææha-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

144. The Story of a Tail [NanÄguææha-Jātaka]

At one time Buddha was living in the Jeta Grove. Behind the Jeta grove temple, there was a community of NigaÏæha ascetics. They did austerities, claiming that these gained them merit. Among them, some ascetics were standing on one leg only with the other leg raised high, some were squatting on their heels, some were balancing themselves on their toes, and some were lying between four fires and looking up at the sun at midday—which penance they called Pañcatāpa [five scorchings]. They made vows to practice such penances.

Many monks saw these naked ascetics practicing such vows. On seeing this, they came to the Buddha and asked, “Venerable sir, these naked ascetics are practicing such-and- such vows, saying they are doing these in the name of penance. By doing these, do they have any benefit in the future?” The Buddha replied, “Oh monks, what kind of a benefit can be gained by such vows? In the ancient times, even some noble ones taking their birth-fire went into the forest thinking that if they protected that fire, there would be future benefits. They protected that fire for long times, and gained nothing. Giving that up afterwards, they practiced meditation.  As a result of that practice, they gained mental absorption and gained a more powerful mental status, and were reborn in the Brahma realm.”

How it was:

At one time, a king called Brahmadatta ruled Benares. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born in a well- known Brahmin family. The Brahmin family preserved the Enlightenment Being’s birth-fire for twelve years. When he became twelve years old, his parents said, “Our son, this fire we have protected from your birth to the present. It is more powerful than sacred fire. Take this fire, and go into the forest and offer it to the god of fire. By so offering it, you can gain merit to go to the Brahma world. Whenever you do so, if you would like to go to the Brahma world, stay in the forest and protect that fire. If you want to marry a girl and live a lay life, you can instead do so.” On hearing this, the Enlightenment Being thought, “What is the use of a lay life to me? Instead, I will take my birth-fire, go to the forest, and I will sacrifice to the god of fire.”

While he was living in the forest, one day he went to a remote village collecting alms. He was given a bull as an offering. He took the bull to the forest with happiness, thinking he would be able to make a good sacrifice to the god of fire. When he returned to his hermitage, he tied the bull to a nearby tree, and he was getting ready to sacrifice the bull to the god. But he found that he did not have salt and lemon juice so as to make the offering tasty. So he went back to the village in search of salt and lemons.

While he was away from his hermitage, unfortunately there came some aboriginal hunters who saw this bull that had on it much meat.  They killed the bull on the spot, used the ascetic’s birth-fire to cook the meat, and ate as much as they could. Leaving the four legs and the tail, they left carrying away all the remainder of the bull.

The Enlightenment Being, who was the ascetic at that time, returned home carrying salt and lemons so as to sacrifice the bull. He saw his fire, and near it he saw the remaining four legs of the bull and the tail. He saw the bull had been eaten. On seeing this, he got very angry. He realized that there was no use in protecting the fire, as it did not have even the little power to protect the bull that was going to be sacrificed to it. Realizing this, he put out the fire, saying, “Why did I protect this fire as it does not even have the power to protect its own sacrifice? It is not good to help such a powerless god who is not grateful enough to help even its protector. How can it protect me if it cannot protect its own sacrifice?”

He gave up his practice of maintaining his birth-fire. He put it out using the hair on the end of the bull’s tail and water. He began to meditate, and through his meditation he was capable of developing concentration in his mind. Later, in the course of time, he was clever enough to obtain the five higher knowledges [pañcābhiññā]—miraculous knowledge, divine eye, divine ear, thought reading, and knowledge of reminiscence, and the eightfold mental absorptions [aææha- samāpatti]—first mental absorption [paæhama-jhāna], second mental absorption [dutiya-jhāna], third and fourth mental absorptions [tatiya- and catuttha-jhāna], mental absorption of the emptiness, mental absorption of consciousness, mental absorption of nothingness, and mental absorption of neither perception nor non-perception.  In the end, he died without falling from the mental absorptions.      Maintaining his absorptions, he gained birth in the Brahma world.

“The ascetic of that time was I who am today the Buddha.” Saying so, he ended this Jātaka story of a tail.

The moral: “Blind faith can mislead even the wise.”

144. The Story of a Tail [NanÄguææha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/144-the-story-of-a-tail-nanaguaeaeha-jataka/

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143. The Story of Shining Forth [Virocana-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

143. The Story of Shining Forth [Virocana-Jātaka]

At one time when Buddha was living at the Jeta Grove, Devadatta came to the Buddha and requested him to impose four new practices on all the monks. The first was that all monks should wear robes stitched together from the clothing of the departed that could be picked up in the cemetery. The second was that all monks should live under trees, not in houses. The third was that monks should not eat meat or fish during their lifetime. The fourth was that monks should live all the time in the forest, not in a village or city. The Buddha responded that he had monks in his community who had been very rich, and who had before their ordination comfortable lives. Therefore, those who wish to do as Devadatta suggests, let them do it. Those who do not so wish, let them not do it. He was not going to impose such regulations as might be objectionable to them. Devadatta got angry because the Buddha refused to do as he wanted. He took away 500 monks who were followers of the Venerable Sāriputta and who had only recently been ordained, and went with them to Gayāsīsa. He said that he had not gotten anything from the Buddha, not even a blade of grass. And he created a schism in the order. With the 500 monks, he went to Gayāsīsa north of the Ganges River, and claimed there that he also was a Buddha.

At one point, the Buddha came to understand that the 500 monks who had gone off with Devadatta had the potentiality at that time of becoming Arahants on account of their previous births. Understanding so, the Buddha summoned the Venerable Sāriputta and Moggallāna and requested that they go to Devadatta’s community and preach to the 500 monks, bringing them back into the Buddha’s fold. Then the two chief disciples of the Buddha, Sāriputta and Moggallāna, left for Devadatta’s community.

Devadatta saw from afar the two chief disciples coming toward him, and he imagined that they were giving up the Buddha, and were coming to join his community. Thinking so, he claimed that like the Buddha he too had back pain. He requested that in his stead, they might preach to the community. He lay down near the preaching chair and went to sleep. The Venerable Sāriputta preached then, and all the 500 monks attained Arahantship. They all then returned with him and Moggallāna to the Buddha at the Bamboo Grove.

Kokālika, the chief disciple of Devadatta, came to Devadatta’s temple and saw that it was empty of people. He went into the temple, and saw Devadatta sleeping there. He got angry and said to Devadatta, “You are sleeping deeply while your disciples have been taken away by the two chief disciples of the Buddha. Our temple is empty now.” With his left foot, he kicked Devadatta’s chest. This caused Devadatta to vomit blood.

When the Venerable Sāriputta and Moggallāna came to the Buddha with the 500 monks, the Buddha asked, “How was Devadatta when you were there?” The Venerable Sāriputta said, “Revered one, when we were there, Devadatta was pretending to be a Buddha. He was preaching.” And Sāriputta then explained all that had happened, including Devadatta’s being kicked by Kokālika. The Buddha heard that news and said, “Sāriputta, not only today, but also in the past has Devadatta imitated me. And by doing so, he fell into a big calamity.” The Venerable Sāriputta then invited the Buddha to disclose the former story.

This is how it was:

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. At that time, the Bodhisatta was born as a lion. He lived in a den hollowed into a big rock.

One day, he left his den and killed a water buffalo, eating the meat. He went to a nearby pool and drank some water. Returning to his den, he met a jackal. The jackal did not see the lion till the lion came very close. He became very much afraid as he had no way of fleeing. Kneeling down, he paid obeisance to the lion. The lion said, “Jackal! Why do you want to kneel down like that?” The cunning jackal said, “Oh, your lordship. I did so, as I would like to serve you.” The lion, who was the Enlightenment Being, then took him to his den in the rock and showed him a place to lie down. He said, “Whenever you see any animal you would like to eat in this area, let me know. Then I will kill him, and we will both have food to eat.” The jackal said, “Yes, sir.”

The jackal followed this advice. And the jackal and lion both ate the same food. As the jackal got enough food from the lion’s killing animals, he became very fat and strong.  He then became conceited.  “The lion is a beast.  I also am a beast. Why should I eat meat killed by someone else? I will kill animals for myself.” Thinking so, he went to the lion and said, “Your lordship! I have eaten the meat of the animals that you killed. From now on whatever you kill, you can eat yourself.” The lion said, “But you cannot kill animals such as elephants, as I do.” He said this several times. Even though the lion prevented the jackal from hunting on its own several times, the jackal did not want to listen. Eventually, the lion said, “Let him learn a lesson.” The jackal said, “You should not go to hunt in the morning. I will go.” The lion agreed.

In the morning, the jackal got up and came out from the den. He shook his body three times, as the lion always did. And as the lion always roared, he shouted. As the lion would do, he looked in the four directions and he saw an elephant. He ran, and jumped up on the elephant.

When he jumped up on the elephant, he could not remain on the elephant’s back. He fell down in front of the elephant. The angry elephant crushed him under his foot. He trampled the carcass, collected the bones in one pile, dropped dung on them, and urinated on them. Then he trumpeted, and went away.

The lion saw this and thought, “The jackal deserved this lesson.” Thinking so, he went into his den and sat down.

“The jackal who was crushed by the elephant at that time was Devadatta. And I, who today am the Buddha, the enlightened one, was the lion at that time.” Saying so, he ended the Jātaka story of shining forth.

The moral: “One must be true to his nature.”

143. The Story of Shining Forth [Virocana-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/143-the-story-of-shining-forth-virocana-jataka/

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142. The Story of a Jackal [Sigāla-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

142. The Story of a Jackal [Sigāla-Jātaka]

When the Enlightenment Being was living in the Bamboo Grove temple of Rājagaha, one day old monks assembled in the preaching hall and were discussing Devadatta’s attempts to kill the Buddha. They said, “Devadatta sent the elephant NāÀāgiri to kill the Buddha, but he failed to do so. Then he tried to kill him by pushing rocks from Gijjhakūæa Mountain. And then he sent bowmen to shoot at him. With many such strategies, he was not able to kill the Buddha.” While they were discussing this, the Buddha entered the hall and asked, “Monks, what were you talking about before my arrival?” The monks answered, “Revered one, we were discussing about the attempts of Devadatta to assassinate the Buddha.” The Buddha said, “Oh monks, it is not only in this life that Devadatta has tried to kill me. Even in the past he tried and could not do so.” The monks invited the Buddha to disclose the ancient story. The Buddha then delivered this story of the past:

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares.

At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born a jackal. He lived in a certain cemetery followed by thousands of jackals. Once there was a certain festival in Benares for which people prepared plenty of meat and toddy that they kept everywhere here and there. The people partied day and night until midnight. But they could not finish the prepared toddy. One man came asking for meat and toddy. Many people said, “There is no more meat.” But a certain man said, “While I am here, why do you say there is no meat?” Saying so, he took a club. As the gates of the city were closed, he went out through the sewer ditches, and went to a nearby cemetery. He lay down on the cemetery ground as if he were a dead body. In the meantime, the Enlightenment Being, who was a jackal, went to eat meat. He saw this man lying there and thought, “No doubt, this man is not dead. Nevertheless, it would be wise to test it.” Thinking so, he went to the opposite side of the wind and smelling, he found out that the man was not dead. Thinking that he would make the man look foolish, so as to deceive the man, he made as if he were running away. Then he went near to the club. He took it in his mouth and pulled on it. The man who was holding it, pulled back on it. Then the jackal went away a little bit, and said, “It is difficult to know whether someone who is lying down is dead or alive. But when the club is pulled back, how can that person be dead? He is not even sleeping.”

The man got up and got angry. He threw the club toward the jackal, but missed. He said, “You got away from me!” Then the jackal said, “Yes. I survived! But you will not survive from the four-fold hell!”

Then that man went back alone to the city in the same way as he had come. He entered the city and washed off both himself and his soiled and dirty clothing in the city moat.

At that time the man who went to kill the Enlightenment Being, who was then a jackal, was Devadatta. And I who was born as the king of jackals am today the Buddha.

The moral: “Ill-conceived stratagems cannot deceive a wise person, no matter what his station.”

142. The Story of a Jackal [Sigāla-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/142-the-story-of-a-jackal-sigala-jataka/

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141. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

141. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

When the Buddha was living in the Bamboo Grove, he disclosed this Jātaka story because of a certain disobedient monk. The present story for the reason behind this story was explained in detail in the Mahilāmukha-Jātaka [No. 26].

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born as an iguana with a following of thousands of iguanas. They lived in a big termite hill.

The Enlightenment Being had a son who was friendly with a chameleon. On seeing this, many iguanas complained about it to the Bodhisatta. The Bodhisatta summoned his son, and warned him not to be friendly with the chameleon. Because of such a friendship, there would be a great disaster for the community of iguanas. Even though he was so warned, the young iguana did not listen to him. He continued to play with the chameleon, and they continued to embrace each other. In the course of time, the iguana became large and fat. Bearing such a heavy body, when the iguana embraced the chameleon the big-bodied iguana sometimes hurt the chameleon, who had a small body. The small chameleon perceived the play of the iguana to be as if a big rock were falling over his body. And he became angry.

The king of the iguanas, in doubt about his son’s continued relationship with the chameleon, thought that one day calamity might befall upon the community of iguanas. He therefore made a secret tunnel so as to be able to flee away.

In the meantime, there came a certain unexpected rain. Swarms of flying termites came out from the termite hill. On a certain iguana hunter’s seeing this, he thought, “Now is a good time to hunt, because iguanas come out to eat flying termites.” So thinking, he entered the forest. While he was wandering in the forest, the chameleon saw him and enquired as to why he was wandering in the forest. The hunter said, “I am searching for iguanas.” As the chameleon was angry with his friend, the iguana, he said, “Do not be bothered by searching for iguanas. I can show you a place where there are plenty. What you need is some hay and fire.” Hearing this, the hunter brought some hay and fire. When he did this, the chameleon said, showing him the termite hill hole, “Put hay inside it and set it on fire. When the smoke goes in, the iguanas will come out. When they come out, hit them with your club or chase after them with your dogs. You can easily kill as many as you want.” The hunter did this.

The Enlightenment Being thought, “This type of a calamity came upon my relatives because of the evil chameleon.”

The Enlightenment Being fled away through the secret tunnel.

“The chameleon at that time was Devadatta. The disobedient little iguana was this monk today who is disobedient. And I who have now obtained supreme Buddhahood was at that time the king of the iguanas.” Saying so, the Buddha ended this Jātaka story of an iguana.

The moral: “Choose your friends wisely.”

141. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/141-the-story-of-an-iguana-godha-jataka/

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140. The Story of One Who Had Lost in Two Ways [Ubhatobhaææha-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

140. The Story of One Who Had Lost in Two Ways [Ubhatobhaææha-Jātaka]

The enlightened one told this story while he was at Jetavanārāma monastery on a certain occasion when he was assisting his own relatives. Its present story appears in the Bhaddasāla-Jātaka in the tenth book [No. 465].

[While Buddha was living in Jetavanārāma, King Kosala wanted to give alms to the monks. But on that day there was not even a single monk in the monastery. The king thought, “I always give alms. But the monks do not have full confidence in me because I am not a relative of the Buddha. If I became a relative, the monks will be more confident in and friendly to me.” Therefore, he sent a message to the Sākya king requesting him to give a Sākya virgin princess as his queen. So the Sākya king, who was afraid of the king of Kosala because he was mighty and powerful, thought, “It is good to give a girl to him. But we ought not give him a real Sākya girl. We will give him a half Sākya girl.” Thinking so, he gave him the princess Vāsabhakhattiyā, who was the daughter of the Sākya Mahānāma by a slave girl. After she had given birth to a son for him, named Vi¯ū¯abha, King Kosala eventually came to understand what had happened. At that time, he cut off Vāsabhakhattiyā’s and Vi¯ū¯abha’s royal allowances, and treated them as he would slaves.

Buddha interceded, and convinced him to reinstate Vāsabhakhattiyā and Vi¯ū¯abha to their noble status.

Eventually Vi¯ū¯abha, after he had become king of Kosala, as he harbored resentment toward the Sākyas for their insult to his father, attacked the Sākyas at Kapilavatthu. On the way, three times, Buddha met him and persuaded him not to attack. On the fourth time, the Buddha understood that because of the Sākyas’ previous Kamma, he could not prevent the attack. At that time, Vi¯ū¯abha destroyed all the Sākya families.

This news spread even among the monks. They were discussing this news one day in the Dhamma Hall, saying that the Buddha had not been able to prevent the killing of the Sākyas because of their Kamma, even though he had tried to intercede three times. Three times, however, the Buddha turned back Vi¯ū¯abha. Fully three times the Buddha tried to save his relatives from danger. Buddha is a helpful friend to his kin.]

Buddha entered and asked, “Oh monks, what were you talking about before I entered?” They said, “Bhante, we were talking about the helpfulness of yourself to your relatives, and the destruction of your relatives.” Then the Buddha said, “Monks, not only this time, but even in my previous lives I have been helpful to my relatives, protecting them from danger.” The monks said, “Please, bhante, tell us the past story, as we understand the present.” The enlightened one said:

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. On a certain occasion, his Brahmin advisor was wandering in the street.  At that time, there were two crows seated on an archway.   One crow said to the other, “I would like to make droppings on this Brahmin.”  The other crow said, “This Brahmin is a very powerful person. By doing so, you will make him angry.  And then he will be angry with us. If he gets angry, there is no doubt that he can kill us all. Therefore, do not do it.”   The first crow said, “Right now I cannot stop from putting a dropping on him. Therefore, I will do it.  Whatever may happen, so be it.” The second crow said, “Do whatever you like.  The results will come upon you. I am not responsible.” Saying this, he went away. When the Brahmin came to the archway, the crow put droppings on him. The Brahmin, seeing this, got very angry and kept this in his mind.

At that time, a certain slave woman placed a little bit of paddy grain on the ground in the sunshine. A shaggy goat came there and started to eat the grain. The woman, carrying a club, hit him and chased him away. Several times, the goat came back. Each time, she hit him and chased him away. The last time, the old woman thought, “If this goat comes again to eat my grain, I may lose my profits.” So, taking a wooden branding iron in her hand and lying in hiding in a nearby spot, when the goat came again, she hit him on his matted hair which caught fire.

The burning goat, thinking of putting out the fire, ran to the king’s elephant stables where he saw a pile of hay. He rolled in the hay in order to try to put out the fire. Then the hay started to burn. And the whole elephant stable caught fire and began to burn. The elephants that were tethered there also got burnt and wounded. The king’s elephant physicians said that it would be difficult to treat the burnt and wounded elephants. The king summoned his Brahmin advisor, and asked him how to best treat the elephants.

Hearing this, the Brahmin advisor said, “Your lordship, if you can get some crow fat, then I know how to treat them.” The king, hearing these words, ordered his subjects to kill crows. In accord with this order, all citizens who lived in the city started to kill thousands of crows and made a pile of crow carcasses.

At this time, the Enlightenment Being was a king of a large group of 84,000 crows that lived near a certain cemetery. This king of crows heard the news. He thought, “It is my responsibility to save the lives of my relatives. No one else can do it.” So he, thinking of his fulfillment of the ten-fold perfections and the spreading of his loving kindness upon all living beings, said to his subjects, “I have heard that our relatives are being killed by the king. I am going to protect my relatives. Everyone will have to come with me. If this determination of mine to save their lives is in accord with truth [sacca], no harm will come to anyone.” With such a determination, he quickly went to the king’s palace. Through an open window he entered the king’s palace and perched atop the king’s throne.

Then one of the king’s security men saw the crow and came near to seize him. At this point, the crow said to the king, “Your lordship, is it good to do something just on the basis of a man’s word without looking into the truth of it? It is a very bad thing to kill all crows. It is not good for a king to act from anger. A king must examine things before he does them.” Hearing these words pleased the king. He entertained the Enlightenment Being by applying to his feathers medicinal oil prepared with hundreds of medicines, which made the Enlightenment Being very strong, and by feeding the Enlightenment Being food prepared for himself. The king laid out for the Enlightenment Being a golden cloth on which to sit, and asked him, “Why is it that crows have no fat? [I have had thousands of crows killed, and yet have obtained no crow fat.]”

The Enlightenment Being started to talk, his voice resonating through the whole palace building. “Your lordship, when a crow sees a human being, even a little child, he is afraid of him and flies away since he is always threatened by humans. Because of this, there is no fat in the body of a crow since he is living with fear, be it in the present, the past, or the future. Your Brahmin advisor wanted to destroy the entire community of crows as he was angry with us.” And he explained the story to the king. The king became very sad, and was pacified toward all crows. The king was very pleased with the Enlightenment Being, and said, “I would like to offer you my kingdom as a gift. Please accept it.” The Enlightenment Being said, “Your lordship, what is the advantage to me in having a kingdom? Be kind enough just to let my relatives live freely in your kingdom.”

The king, who was pleased with the words of the crow, gave freedom in his kingdom to all living beings. He especially advised his subjects not to kill any crows. And further, every day he laid out for the crows six bushels of variously delicately flavored cooked rice. In this way, the king did very many meritorious deeds. He eventually died according to the results of his previous deeds.

“The king of Benares at that time was the Venerable Ānanda. And I who am now the Buddha was the king of crows.” Saying so, the Buddha disclosed the Jātaka story of crows.

The moral: “Anger and vengeance cause fear and unhappiness. Loving kindness and compassion bring fearlessness and peace.”

140. The Story of One Who Had Lost in Two Ways [Ubhatobhaææha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/13/140-the-story-of-one-who-had-lost-in-two-ways-ubhatobhaaeaeha-jataka/

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139. The Story of One Who Had Lost in Two Ways [Ubhatobhaææha-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

139. The Story of One Who Had Lost in Two Ways [Ubhatobhaææha-Jātaka]

At one time the fully enlightened one was living in the Bamboo Grove. The monks who had assembled in the preaching hall in the evening at one point brought up a discussion about Devadatta. As he was not fulfilling the duties of a monk expounded by the Buddha, he was not truly a monk. He was wandering here and there in the guise of a monk. Also he was not a layman, and he had lost all the gainfulness of a layman. Therefore, he was like firewood that had been burned from both ends and had been smeared with bodily impurities in the middle. He had lost out from both sides, no longer gaining the achievements of a monk nor the perquisites of a member of a royal household.

At this time, the Buddha entered the preaching hall and asked, “Oh monks, what were you discussing before I came?” The monks told the Buddha about their discussion. The Buddha said, “Oh monks, not only today, but even in the past the Venerable Devadatta had lost in two ways.” The monks requested the Buddha to disclose the story.

“At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling the city of Benares. At that time, the Enlightenment Being was born as a tree sprite in a forest near a pond by a remote village.

“A certain fisherman came with his son to fish in the village pond. He put his line and hook in the water in an area where there were many fish. The hook went down and got caught on a root. The fisherman tried his best to pull it out, but could not. He thought, ‘No doubt, the bait has been swallowed by a big fish.’ He spoke to his son to send a message to his wife to quarrel with the neighbors. Afterward, he tried to pull up the fishing hook. He then thought, ‘If I try more, I will break the line.’ He took off his clothes and placed them on the bank of the pond. With the intention of catching the fish, he jumped into the water. In the water there were some thistle-like roots that pricked out his eyes, and he became blind. And a robber who was passing by stole his clothes that were on the bank of the pond.

“On hearing her son’s words, the mother thought of a way of making a quarrel with the neighbors. She devised a stratagem. She put a palm leaf plug in the pierced hole of one of her ears, applied char from a pot to one of her eyes, and held in her arm a little puppy as if it were a child, pretending that she was mad. The village women said, ‘You have gone mad.’ She said, ‘Not me. You have gone mad.’ In this way, she created a quarrel. This quarrel was reported to the village headman. He, on listening to them, blamed her. He fined her, and had her beaten.

“The fisherman came out from the water and searched for his clothes, covering his bleeding eyes with his hand. But he could not find them.

“The Enlightenment Being, who was a tree sprite, was nearby.  He said on seeing this, ‘Hey, foolish fisherman!

Being a foolish man and jumping into shallow water, you wounded your eyes. And you lost your clothes that had been placed on the bank. Your wife, who was at home, was beaten and lost wealth in a fine. Because of your foolishness, you lost out in two ways.’ Saying so, the tree sprite disappeared.

“The fisherman who lost his eyes at that time was Devadatta. And the tree sprite was I who am the Buddha.” Saying so, the Buddha disclosed the story of one who had lost in two ways.

The moral: “A greedy person gains nothing.”

139. The Story of One Who Had Lost in Two Ways [Ubhatobhaææha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/12/139-the-story-of-one-who-had-lost-in-two-ways-ubhatobhaaeaeha-jataka/

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138. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

| Western Lotus

138. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

The Buddha told this story at Jetavana monastery about a hypocritical monk who understood how to be cunning, as in the past story of the Kuhaka-Jātaka [No. 89]

At one time, King Brahmadatta was ruling in Benares. While he was ruling, the Enlightenment Being was born as an iguana. He lived in a termite hill in a remote village.

At the same time, there lived in the same village, with the help of the villagers, a very virtuous and highly righteous ascetic. The Enlightenment Being, who had been born as an iguana, used to listen to his sweet-voiced sermons two times a day. Later, the ascetic left this place and went to the Himalayas after telling his intentions to the villagers. After that, a bogus ascetic came to that village and settled in the same temple. Living there, he accepted the offerings of the villagers.

The iguana, who was the Enlightenment Being, thought that this ascetic would also be righteous like the former ascetic. And he came to see him also two times a day. One day, there was an untimely rain and termites came out in swarms from the locality’s termite hills. Many iguanas came out from the various termite hills to eat the termites. The villagers, seeing that there were many iguanas, started to kill them. They then cooked the delicious iguana meat. Some of them gave this as an offering to the bogus ascetic. The ascetic tasted the meat and asked, “What kind of meat is this?” They responded, “It is iguana meat.” And the ascetic became intent on eating more iguana meat. He thought, “There is a big iguana that comes to me twice a day. I can kill him, and eat his meat.”

Thinking so, he requested the villagers to bring some condiments and a pot with which to cook. He hid them in the temple. Then he made a club that he could use to kill the iguana. He hid the club under his robes, and he sat at the end of the cloister path waiting for the iguana to come while taking a very righteous and virtuous pose.

When the iguana was coming from his termite hill, he sensed a difference in the ascetic. He did not go near to him as before. He first went upwind, and he smelt the smell of iguana meat coming from the robes of the ascetic. Therefore, he did not approach as he had become afraid. Instead, he went around the ascetic. As the iguana did not come near to him, the ascetic became upset. As he was anxious to kill the iguana, he thought that he would now throw the club and hit him from afar. Fortunately, the club missed the iguana, hitting only its tail. For a second time, the bogus ascetic ran to get the club and hit the iguana. The iguana, though, ran into a nearby termite hill and saved his life.

The iguana poked his head out through another hole in the termite hill and said, “Hey, ascetic. I thought that you were a righteous person, like the former ascetic. Such a person as you does not deserve to wear saffron robes and a turban, and to sit on a tiger skin.” Saying so, he went to hide.

The ascetic thought, “It is no longer good for me to stay here because the iguana can tell the villagers about me.” Thinking so, he left for the Himalayan forest on the very same day.

The Buddha, disclosing this story, said, “This bogus ascetic was the present hypocritical monk. The righteous ascetic was the Venerable Sāriputta. And I was the iguana, who has now become the fully enlightened one.”

The moral: “Righteousness can only be known through a long association with someone.”

138. The Story of an Iguana [Godha-Jātaka]

Link: https://hhdorjechangbuddhaiiiinfo.com/2025/11/04/138-the-story-of-an-iguana-godha-jataka/

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