The Power of Truth
A long time ago, the King of Benares went on a picnic in the forest. The beautiful flowers, trees and fruits made him very happy. Mesmerised by the beauty of nature, he went deep into the forest. Before long, he realised he was lost and separated from his companions.
Then he heard the sweet voice of a young woman singing. To avoid being stranded in the forest, the king followed the sound of the lovely voice. When he finally came upon the singer, he discovered that she was a beautiful fair young maiden who was collecting firewood. He fell in love with her immediately. They became very friendly and intimate, and the king even fathered her child.
Later, he explained how he had gotten lost in the forest, and convinced her that he was indeed the King if Benares.. She gave him directions back to his palace, and the king gave her his valuable signet ring. "If you give birth to a baby girl, sell this ring and use the money to bring her up well. If our child turns out to be a baby boy, bring him to me along with this ring for recognition," instructed the king. Saying that, he departed for Benares.
Months later, the fair maiden gave birth to a cute little baby boy. As she was a simple shy woman, she was afraid to take her little one to the fancy court in Benares, but she kept the king's signet ring.
Time passed and the baby grew up. When he played with the other children in the village, they teased and mistreated him. They even picked fights with him, all because his mother was not married. "No-father! No-father! Your name should be No-father!" they yelled at him.
Of course, all this made the little boy ashamed. He felt very hurt and sad. He would often run home crying to his mother. One day, he told her the nickname the other children gave him. "Don't be ashamed, my son. You are not just an ordinary little boy. Your father is the King of Benares!" said his mother gently.
The little boy was very surprised. "Do you have any proof of this?" he asked his mother. So she told him all about his father, his gift of a signet ring to her and his instructions that if she had a baby boy she should bring him to Benares, along with the ring as proof. "Let's go the, mother, let's go look for my father," said the little boy. She agreed, and the next day they set off for Benares.
When they arrived at the king's palace, the gatekeeper told the king that a woman and her little son wanted to see him. The mother and son were taken into the royal assembly hall, which was packed with the king's ministers and advisers. The woman reminded the king of their time together in the forest. Finally, she said: "Your Majesty, here is your son."
Ashamed in front of all the ladies and gentlemen of his court, the king denied even though deep in his heart he knew the woman spoke the truth. "He is not my son!" he said. Then the lovely young mother showed the signet ring as proof.
Again, the king fearing humiliation denied the truth. "This is not my ring!"
The poor woman thought: "I have no witness and no evidence to prove what I say. I have only my faith in the power of truth." So she replied to the king: "If I throw this little boy up in the air, and if he is truly your son, may he remain in the air without falling. If he is not your son, may he fall to the ground and die!"
Suddenly, she grabbed the boy by his foot and threw him up into the air. Lo and behold, the boy sat cross-legged position, suspended in mid-air, without falling. Everyone was astonished! Suspending in the air, the little boy spoke to the mighty king. "My lord, I am indeed your own flesh and blood. You take care of many people who are not related to you. You even keep and feed countless elephants, horses and other animals. And yet, you are not concerned about looking after and raising me, your own son. Please do take care of me and my mother."
The king was humbled by the truth of the little boy's powerful words. Overcoming his pride, the king held out his arms and said: "Come to me my son, and I will take good care of you."
Amazed by such a miracle, all the others in the court put out their arms. They too asked the levitating boy to come to them. But he floated directly in mid-air into his father's arms. With his son seated on his lap, the king announced that he would be the crown prince, and his mother the queen.
In this way, the king and his people learned the power of truth, and Benares became famous as a place of justice. When the king passed away, the grown-up crown prince wanted to show the people that all deserve respect, regardless of birth. He had himself crowned under the official name, "King No-father!" and went on to rule the kingdom in a generous and righteous was.
The moral is: The truth is always stronger than a lie.
The Bodhisattva: Little Prince No-father
Friday, January 22, 2010
Prince Goodspeaker & The Water Demon
Chapter 1. Rebirth of the Bodhisattva
Once upon a time, there was a very righteous king. He had a lovely queen who gave birth to a beautiful baby. The king was very happy. Wanting to give his son a name that might help him later in life, he called him Prince Goodspeaker.
This prince was no ordinary baby. This was not his first life nor his first birth. Millions of years before, he had been a follower of a Buddha - a fully "Enlightened One". He had wished with all his heart to become a Buddha just like his beloved master - to gain the same enlightenment and experience of complete truth.
Lives after lives, he had been reborn - sometimes as poor animals, sometimes as long-living gods and sometimes as human beings. He always tried to learn from his mistakes and develop the "Ten Perfections", so he could purify his mind and remove the three root causes of unwholesomeness - the poisons of craving, anger and the delusion of a separate self. By using the Perfections, he would someday be able to replace the poisons with the three purities - non-attachment, loving-kindness and wisdom.
No one really knows about the millions of lives lived by this great Bodhisattva. But mane stories have been told - including this one about a prince called Goodspeaker. After many more rebirths, he became the Buddha who is remembered and loved in all the world today.
Chapter 2. The Teachings of the Gods
Soon after, the queen gave birth to another son. He was named Prince Moon. When both children had just learnt to walk, their mother suddenly became very ill and passed away.
To help his look after his playful children, the king found a princess to become his new queen. A few years later, this queen gave birth to a beautiful bright little boy. He was named Prince Sun. Pleased with his queen and wanting to reward her for bringing up all three children, he promised to grant her one wish. "Thank you my lord, I will tell you my wish in the future," replied the queen after careful consideration.
Days flew by, and the three princes soon grew up. The queen noticed that Prince Goodspeaker was intelligent and understanding. "If these two older princes remain in the palace, my son, Prince Sun, will never get a chance to be king. Therefore, I must do something to make him the next king," thought the new queen.
One day, when the king was in a good mood, the queen respectfully approached him and reminded him of the one wish he had granted her. As he was in a happy mood, the king said: "Ask whatever you want!" "Oh my husband and king, grant my wish that our son, Prince Sun, will succeed you as the next king when you pass away," she answered.
The king was shocked by her request. He became angry and said: "My first two child are like bright stars! How can I hand the throne over to my third son? My citizens will blame me. That cannot be done!" The queen kept quiet.
Even though the king was in a good mood earlier, he was now worried and anxious. He was afraid that his queen might scheme to kill his first two sons. He decided that he must do something to ensure the safety of his two older children.
The king secretly called the two princes to him. He told them of the queen's dangerous desire, and sadly bade them farewell so that they could remain safe from the queen's plotting. They should return only after their father's death to take their rightful places and rule the kingdom. The two obedient princes accepted their father's order and prepared to leave.
In a few days, they were ready. They said painful goodbyes to their father and friends, and left the palace. On their way through the royal gardens, they chanced upon Prince Sun. The youngest prince had always been very affectionate and friendly towards his two older half-brothers, and was upset to hear that they were leaving the palace. So he decided that he too would leave the kingdom. The three friendly princes departed together.
For several months they travelled, until they reached the forest of the mighty Himalayas. Weary and tired from the journey, they sat down under a tree to rest. Then the eldest brother, Prince Goodspeaker, instructed the youngest prince to fetch some water from a nearby lake using lotus leaves. "Bring them back here so we can all have a drink," he said.
But the princes did not know that the beautiful dark blue lake was possessed by a water demon! He was permitted by his demon king to eat any beings that he could convince to venture into the water. But there was one condition. He could not eat anyone who knew the answer to this question - "What are the teachings of the gods?"
When Prince Sun arrived at the lake, he was dehydrated, dirty and tired. He went straight into the water without a second thought. The water demon rose up from under the water suddenly and captured his. "What are the teachings of the gods?" demanded the demon. "I know the answer to that! The sun and the moon are the teachings of the gods," replied the prince. "You don't know the teachings of the gods, so you belong to me!" laughed the water demon and pulled Prince Sun under the water and locked him up in a deep cave.
When Prince Sun did not return after some time, Prince Goodspeaker asked his second brother, Prince Moon, to fetch the water from the lake. When he reached there, he too went right into the water immediately. Again, the water demon appeared, grabbed him and asked: "What are the teachings of the gods?" Prince Moon replied: "The four directions - North, South, East and West - these are the teachings of the gods." "You don't know the teachings of the gods, so you belong to me!" guffawed the water demon. Then he imprisoned Prince Moon in the same underwater cave with Prince Sun.
When both his brothers did not return, Prince Goodspeaker began to worry that they might be in some danger. He went to the beautiful dark blue lake searching for them. As he was a wise and careful person, he did not step into the water immediately. Instead, he investigated and saw that there were two sets of footprints which led into the lake - but not out of it! To protect himself, he got his sword, bow and arrows ready, and began to walk around the lake.
Seeing that this prince did not go straight into the lake, the water demon appeared disguised as a humble villager and said: "My dear friend, you look tired and dirty. Why don't you get into the water, take a bath, drink, and eat some lotus roots?"
Remembering the one-way footprints, Prince Goodspeaker demanded: "You must be some kind of demon disguised as a human! What have you done with my brothers?" Surprised at being recognised so quickly, the water demon returned to his true ferocious form. "By my rights, I have captured your brothers!"
"For what reason?" asked the prince. "So that I can gobble them up!" answered the demon. "I have permission from the demon king to feed on all who stepped into this lake and do not know the teachings of the gods. Only one who knows the teachings of the gods is spared."
"Why do you need to know the teachings of the gods? What good does it do for a demon like you?" asked the prince. The water demon replied: "I know there must be some advantage to me." "Then I will tell you what the gods teach," said Prince Goodspeaker. "But I have a problem. Look at me. I am covered with dust and dirt from travelling. I cannot speak about wise teachings in this condition."
By now, the water demon realised that this prince was especially wise. He had him washed up and refreshed. He also gave him water to drink, tender lotus roots to eat and prepared a comfortable seat decorated with pretty wildflowers for him. After laying aside his sword, bow and arrows, the Bodhisattva sat on the adorned seat. The ferocious demon sat by his feet, just like a student listening to a respected teacher as he said:
"These are the teachings of the gods:
You should be ashamed to do unwholesome deeds.
You should be afraid to do unwholesome deeds.
You should always to wholesome deeds - deeds that bring happiness to others and help mankind.
Only then will you find inner peace and happiness."
The water demon was pleased with his answer. "Worthy prince, you have completely satisfied my question. You have made me so happy that I will return you one of your brothers. Which one do you choose?"
"In that case, release my youngest brother, Prince Sun," declared Prince Goodspeaker. "My lord prince and wise one, you know the teachigns of the gods but you do not practise them!" replied the demon to Prince Goodspeajer's choice. "Why do you say that?" asked the prince. "Because you leave the other brother to die, saving only the youngest. You do not respect seniority!" answered the demon.
To this, the prince replied: "Oh demon, I know the teachings of the gods, and I do practise them. The three of us came to this forest because of our youngest brother. His mother wants him to be the next king. So it is for our protection that our father, the present king, sent us here. The young Prince Sun joins us out of friendship. But if we return to the court without hi, and say he was eaten by a water demon who wants to know the teachings of the gods, who would believe us? They would think we killed him because he is the cause of our danger. This would bring shame to us and unhappiness to the kingdom. Fearing such terrible consequences, I command you again to release the young Prince Sun."
The water demon was so pleased with this answer that he said: "Well done, well done, my lord. You know the true teachings of the gods, and you do practise them! I will gladly return both your brothers to you!" Saying that, he descended into the lake and brought both princes up. They were wet but unharmed.
The Bodhisattva further gave helpful advice to the demon. He said: "Oh water demon, my new friend, you must have committed many unwholesome deeds in your previous lives to be born as a flesh-eating demon. If you continue your old ways, you will be trapped in a terrible state even in later lives. For unwholesome deeds only lead to shame, fear and unpleasant rebirth. But wholesome deeds pave way to self-respect, peace and pleasant rebirth. Therefore, it would be much better for you, from now on, to do pure deeds, rather than impure deeds." Hearing this, the demon changed his ways, and the princes lived together happily under his protection.
One day, word came that the king has died. The three princes as well as their friend, the water demon, returned to the capital city. Prince Goodspeaker was crowned as king. Prince Moon became the chief minister and Prince Sun became the commander of the state's army. The water demon was awarded a safe place to live, where he was well-fed, well-cared for and entertained for the rest of his life. In this way, they all acquired wholesome meritorious thoughts leading to rebirths in the heavenly realms.
The moral is: Unwholesome actions bring shame and fear, while wholesome actions bring self-respect and peace to one.
The Bodhisattva: Prince Goodspeaker
Once upon a time, there was a very righteous king. He had a lovely queen who gave birth to a beautiful baby. The king was very happy. Wanting to give his son a name that might help him later in life, he called him Prince Goodspeaker.
This prince was no ordinary baby. This was not his first life nor his first birth. Millions of years before, he had been a follower of a Buddha - a fully "Enlightened One". He had wished with all his heart to become a Buddha just like his beloved master - to gain the same enlightenment and experience of complete truth.
Lives after lives, he had been reborn - sometimes as poor animals, sometimes as long-living gods and sometimes as human beings. He always tried to learn from his mistakes and develop the "Ten Perfections", so he could purify his mind and remove the three root causes of unwholesomeness - the poisons of craving, anger and the delusion of a separate self. By using the Perfections, he would someday be able to replace the poisons with the three purities - non-attachment, loving-kindness and wisdom.
No one really knows about the millions of lives lived by this great Bodhisattva. But mane stories have been told - including this one about a prince called Goodspeaker. After many more rebirths, he became the Buddha who is remembered and loved in all the world today.
Chapter 2. The Teachings of the Gods
Soon after, the queen gave birth to another son. He was named Prince Moon. When both children had just learnt to walk, their mother suddenly became very ill and passed away.
To help his look after his playful children, the king found a princess to become his new queen. A few years later, this queen gave birth to a beautiful bright little boy. He was named Prince Sun. Pleased with his queen and wanting to reward her for bringing up all three children, he promised to grant her one wish. "Thank you my lord, I will tell you my wish in the future," replied the queen after careful consideration.
Days flew by, and the three princes soon grew up. The queen noticed that Prince Goodspeaker was intelligent and understanding. "If these two older princes remain in the palace, my son, Prince Sun, will never get a chance to be king. Therefore, I must do something to make him the next king," thought the new queen.
One day, when the king was in a good mood, the queen respectfully approached him and reminded him of the one wish he had granted her. As he was in a happy mood, the king said: "Ask whatever you want!" "Oh my husband and king, grant my wish that our son, Prince Sun, will succeed you as the next king when you pass away," she answered.
The king was shocked by her request. He became angry and said: "My first two child are like bright stars! How can I hand the throne over to my third son? My citizens will blame me. That cannot be done!" The queen kept quiet.
Even though the king was in a good mood earlier, he was now worried and anxious. He was afraid that his queen might scheme to kill his first two sons. He decided that he must do something to ensure the safety of his two older children.
The king secretly called the two princes to him. He told them of the queen's dangerous desire, and sadly bade them farewell so that they could remain safe from the queen's plotting. They should return only after their father's death to take their rightful places and rule the kingdom. The two obedient princes accepted their father's order and prepared to leave.
In a few days, they were ready. They said painful goodbyes to their father and friends, and left the palace. On their way through the royal gardens, they chanced upon Prince Sun. The youngest prince had always been very affectionate and friendly towards his two older half-brothers, and was upset to hear that they were leaving the palace. So he decided that he too would leave the kingdom. The three friendly princes departed together.
For several months they travelled, until they reached the forest of the mighty Himalayas. Weary and tired from the journey, they sat down under a tree to rest. Then the eldest brother, Prince Goodspeaker, instructed the youngest prince to fetch some water from a nearby lake using lotus leaves. "Bring them back here so we can all have a drink," he said.
But the princes did not know that the beautiful dark blue lake was possessed by a water demon! He was permitted by his demon king to eat any beings that he could convince to venture into the water. But there was one condition. He could not eat anyone who knew the answer to this question - "What are the teachings of the gods?"
When Prince Sun arrived at the lake, he was dehydrated, dirty and tired. He went straight into the water without a second thought. The water demon rose up from under the water suddenly and captured his. "What are the teachings of the gods?" demanded the demon. "I know the answer to that! The sun and the moon are the teachings of the gods," replied the prince. "You don't know the teachings of the gods, so you belong to me!" laughed the water demon and pulled Prince Sun under the water and locked him up in a deep cave.
When Prince Sun did not return after some time, Prince Goodspeaker asked his second brother, Prince Moon, to fetch the water from the lake. When he reached there, he too went right into the water immediately. Again, the water demon appeared, grabbed him and asked: "What are the teachings of the gods?" Prince Moon replied: "The four directions - North, South, East and West - these are the teachings of the gods." "You don't know the teachings of the gods, so you belong to me!" guffawed the water demon. Then he imprisoned Prince Moon in the same underwater cave with Prince Sun.
When both his brothers did not return, Prince Goodspeaker began to worry that they might be in some danger. He went to the beautiful dark blue lake searching for them. As he was a wise and careful person, he did not step into the water immediately. Instead, he investigated and saw that there were two sets of footprints which led into the lake - but not out of it! To protect himself, he got his sword, bow and arrows ready, and began to walk around the lake.
Seeing that this prince did not go straight into the lake, the water demon appeared disguised as a humble villager and said: "My dear friend, you look tired and dirty. Why don't you get into the water, take a bath, drink, and eat some lotus roots?"
Remembering the one-way footprints, Prince Goodspeaker demanded: "You must be some kind of demon disguised as a human! What have you done with my brothers?" Surprised at being recognised so quickly, the water demon returned to his true ferocious form. "By my rights, I have captured your brothers!"
"For what reason?" asked the prince. "So that I can gobble them up!" answered the demon. "I have permission from the demon king to feed on all who stepped into this lake and do not know the teachings of the gods. Only one who knows the teachings of the gods is spared."
"Why do you need to know the teachings of the gods? What good does it do for a demon like you?" asked the prince. The water demon replied: "I know there must be some advantage to me." "Then I will tell you what the gods teach," said Prince Goodspeaker. "But I have a problem. Look at me. I am covered with dust and dirt from travelling. I cannot speak about wise teachings in this condition."
By now, the water demon realised that this prince was especially wise. He had him washed up and refreshed. He also gave him water to drink, tender lotus roots to eat and prepared a comfortable seat decorated with pretty wildflowers for him. After laying aside his sword, bow and arrows, the Bodhisattva sat on the adorned seat. The ferocious demon sat by his feet, just like a student listening to a respected teacher as he said:
"These are the teachings of the gods:
You should be ashamed to do unwholesome deeds.
You should be afraid to do unwholesome deeds.
You should always to wholesome deeds - deeds that bring happiness to others and help mankind.
Only then will you find inner peace and happiness."
The water demon was pleased with his answer. "Worthy prince, you have completely satisfied my question. You have made me so happy that I will return you one of your brothers. Which one do you choose?"
"In that case, release my youngest brother, Prince Sun," declared Prince Goodspeaker. "My lord prince and wise one, you know the teachigns of the gods but you do not practise them!" replied the demon to Prince Goodspeajer's choice. "Why do you say that?" asked the prince. "Because you leave the other brother to die, saving only the youngest. You do not respect seniority!" answered the demon.
To this, the prince replied: "Oh demon, I know the teachings of the gods, and I do practise them. The three of us came to this forest because of our youngest brother. His mother wants him to be the next king. So it is for our protection that our father, the present king, sent us here. The young Prince Sun joins us out of friendship. But if we return to the court without hi, and say he was eaten by a water demon who wants to know the teachings of the gods, who would believe us? They would think we killed him because he is the cause of our danger. This would bring shame to us and unhappiness to the kingdom. Fearing such terrible consequences, I command you again to release the young Prince Sun."
The water demon was so pleased with this answer that he said: "Well done, well done, my lord. You know the true teachings of the gods, and you do practise them! I will gladly return both your brothers to you!" Saying that, he descended into the lake and brought both princes up. They were wet but unharmed.
The Bodhisattva further gave helpful advice to the demon. He said: "Oh water demon, my new friend, you must have committed many unwholesome deeds in your previous lives to be born as a flesh-eating demon. If you continue your old ways, you will be trapped in a terrible state even in later lives. For unwholesome deeds only lead to shame, fear and unpleasant rebirth. But wholesome deeds pave way to self-respect, peace and pleasant rebirth. Therefore, it would be much better for you, from now on, to do pure deeds, rather than impure deeds." Hearing this, the demon changed his ways, and the princes lived together happily under his protection.
One day, word came that the king has died. The three princes as well as their friend, the water demon, returned to the capital city. Prince Goodspeaker was crowned as king. Prince Moon became the chief minister and Prince Sun became the commander of the state's army. The water demon was awarded a safe place to live, where he was well-fed, well-cared for and entertained for the rest of his life. In this way, they all acquired wholesome meritorious thoughts leading to rebirths in the heavenly realms.
The moral is: Unwholesome actions bring shame and fear, while wholesome actions bring self-respect and peace to one.
The Bodhisattva: Prince Goodspeaker
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