The Story of Deer Park

Once upon a time, there lived this Deer King, tall and handsome, with furs that glowed five colors. He and his herd of thousands roamed free in the forest. One day, a royal king and his entourage discovered this forest and went hunting; they hurt and slaughtered many of the deer. 

The Deer King was greatly grieved at the sight of so many fallen and his loving heart was filled with sorrow. He went to see the human king and pleaded, in human language, “I believe in your heart you know every living being treasures its own life. So please spare us the fear of losing ours everyday. Allow us to offer one of us to you each day and stop the massacre.” The human king was surprised but consented to this arrangement. 

The day came when it was the turn of a pregnant mother-doe. She begged to the Deer King to delay her death until her child is born. The Deer King took pity on the despairing mother-doe, but could not send anyone else to die for her. He decided to offer himself as the sacrifice of the day. When the human king saw the Deer King, he was surprised and asked, “Are there no more deer left?” 

Realizing the Deer King’s decision, he was deeply touched and reflected: “The Deer King is but an animal yet he has such compassion for his fellow beings. I am the king of human beings, but I kill to satisfy my own appetite. I am less a being, let alone a king, than the Deer King.” With this understanding, the king swore off all animal flesh from his diet. He made it the law of land that no deer shall be harmed or killed ever again. The forest was reserved for the deer and became known as Deer Park in India. The Deer King was one of the former incarnations of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Reflection

Compassion arises from our empathy for others and from our refusal to see other beings suffer. Compassion pushes us to give our all to help suffering beings get relief from pain.

　　When we can truly identify with other beings, we will be willing to suffer in the stead of others, to sacrifice ourselves for others, and to give anything to let all beings get away from fear and get in touch with peace. Beings with such great unconditional compassion are called Bodhisattvas. (TOP)

A Poor Woman's Light Offering

During the Buddha's time, in the city of Sravasti there lived a poor woman named Nantuo. The only possessions she had were the clothes on her back, and in order to survive she relied on begging for food or spare change. One day, in the midst of a fiercely cold wind, using her weak, trembling hands, she begged for an entire day, finally receiving one small coin. With this coin she could afford to buy a small morsel of food to support her life.

At this moment, she heard news about people going to make a light offering to the Buddha. She observed all of the city's residents devoutly purchasing numerous kinds of exquisite perfumed oils and candles to give as offerings to the Buddha. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but joyously praised all the devotees as the wish to make an offering to the Buddha arose in her mind. She thought, “The manifestation of the Buddha in this world is so rare and precious, I should really take hold of this opportunity to make an offering to the Buddha. But because in my past I did not cultivate any merit, so in this life I am poor and miserable. Even if I would really like to make an offering, I don't have anything special to offer, which is so shameful!” As she looked at the lone coin sitting in her hand, she knew that if she didn't spend it on food for herself she would have to pass another long, endless night in hunger and cold. And yet, her vow to make a light offering to the Buddha remained strong and resolute.

Using that one small coin, she could only afford to buy the smallest amount of the crudest oil, but her sincerity was much brighter than the light emitted from any lamps. When the shopkeeper who was selling the oil saw how Nantou was willing to suffer through another long, cold night in order to make an offering to the Buddha, he became so moved that he couldn't resist giving her several times more oil than what she had paid for, to help her achieve her dream. As dark descended upon the city, all the townsfolk, from the lords up in the imperial palace down to the commoners on the streets, with their hearts full of sincerity, illuminated their lamps for the Buddha. The lamps dazzled like a sparkling river, and lit up the entire city of Sravasti. The penniless Nantuo was in the midst of that crowd, respectfully lighting her oil lamp.

When this very ordinary oil lamp of hers became lit up in the middle of the night, it was as if her own low and insignificant life was also being lit up. At this moment Nantuo experienced an extraordinary feeling of richness and happiness. As she knelt down to give her offering to the Buddha, Nantuo reflected back not only on her life, full of destitution and suffering, but also thought about all the sentient beings wandering about in the endless darkness of the birth and death cycle. Because of this, she made a great wish: “I wish that this light may pervade through the ten directions, guiding every sentient creature out of the miserable sea of birth and death, to the path of supreme peace and happiness.

With the arrival of dawn, an unimaginable thing happened! All the oil lamps, no matter how precious, were extinguished from burning through the night, or were blown out by Maudgalyayana, who was in charge of keeping watch on the lamps. But the lamp of the poor Nantuo was still shining brightly. Even after exhausting every type of method for extinguishing the light, Maudgalyayana, who had the greatest supernatural powers out of all Buddha's disciples, still could not put it out. He was astonished: “Whose lamp is this that is still burning? Even with my supernatural powers, I cannot put it out!”

The Buddha, who was present at the time, pointed to the lamp of the poor girl, and with a smile relieved Maudgalyayana's uncertainty. “Maudgalyayana, the person who offered this lamp made a great vow to save all sentient beings. Even if you used all the water in the four great oceans, you would still not be able to extinguish this lamp. This candle was lit using a great, compassionate vow, and because she was full of sincerity, the light radiating from this lamp is inexhaustible.”

At this moment, Nantuo once again came to the temple, and devoutly paid her respects by prostrating to the Buddha. The Buddha received her and spoke the Dharma to her: “Twenty kalpas from now, you will become a Buddha who would guide an immeasurable number of sentient beings. Your name would be Lamplight Buddha.” With tears of gratitude falling down from the corners of her eyes, thinking about how rare it is to be able to encounter a Buddha in this world, the poor girl knelt down and brought her palms together, requesting permission to leave home and enter the monastic life. After becoming a nun, she thoroughly dedicated herself to progressing on the path, and was deeply respected for her diligence and high moral conduct.

Reflection

The meaning of alms-giving cannot be found within the amount of money donated, but only within the genuine and sincere heart in which it is given with. When our lives are happy and free from worry, it can be difficult for us to bring rise to this fearless mind of giving as well as making firm vows. We should learn from this poor girl Nantuo, that in life we need to diligently cultivate the ways of virtue, and even in our greatest periods of hardship or stress, we still should try to give to the best of our abilities, and to make offerings and show our respect towards all sentient beings. With a heart of charity, we can light the bright lanterns not only for ourselves, but for all sentient beings. (TOP)

The Beginning of the Buddha's Compassion

By the end of the three-month summer retreat period, the bhiksus had attained a certain degree of realization in the Dharma, and their bodies and minds were purified and at ease. To express their gratitude towards the Buddha, the biksus approached the Buddha and respectfully prostrated before him. The Buddha then compassionately inquired on the bhiksus, “In these past three months of your daily lives, have you had any material shortages? Has your body and mind been joyful and at peace?”

Buddha's attendant Ananda, standing off to one side, saw how much the Buddha was caring for everyone in attendance, and was very moved by the Buddha's great heart of compassion. Because of this, he respectfully asked the Buddha, “World Honored One, your compassion makes all disciples very inspired. This merciful heart of yours that cannot bear to see any living beings suffer hardships, when did this mind first arise in you?”

The Buddha smiled and responded to Ananda, “Immeasurable kalpas ago, there were two sinners that lived in the hells. The guards in these hells peeled off the skin on their bodies and used them as straps to pull the carts. In addition to this, the guards ordered them both to pull one of these extremely heavy iron carts. During the process of pulling these carts, the guards would also use iron clubs to beat them. In this way these two sinners repeatedly struggled back and forth, not even having the time to be able to catch their breath.”

“One of these two finally became exhausted and collapsed onto the ground. When the guards saw what had happened, they once again started beating this man fiercely. Witnessing the misery of his partner, the other man became filled with feelings of strong pity. He then told the guards, “Could you please allow me to take his place? I can pull this cart by myself.” When the guards heard this, they flew into a rage, and with their iron clubs beat this man to his death. However, due to this thought of compassion that arose in him, this sinner put an end to the karmic consequences that kept him in the hells, and proceeded to be reborn in the heavens to enjoy his karmic rewards.”

After finishing his story, the Buddha told Ananda, “The man in this hell that possessed the heart full of compassion and was willing to replace his partner, was actually myself in one of my previous lives. Ever since that lifetime, seeing the immeasurable suffering of all those beings, I brought out the mind of great compassion. From then on, in all my rebirths, I have harbored thoughts of compassion and mercy, without ever diminishing, continuously until the present.” After hearing the account of the Buddha's past chain of cause and effect, Ananda was filled with admiration and gratefulness. He joyfully cultivated very diligently according to this teaching.

Reflection

The sutra says, “The mind of the Buddha is the mind of great compassion.” Also, “All buddhas of the past, present, and future, great compassion is fundamental.” Developing compassion towards all sentient beings is the first step on the path of cultivation, and is essential to attaining buddhahood. When your intentions and your views are right, your path of cultivation will be straightforward and direct. The day of reaching enlightenment is on the horizon. (TOP)

Extinguishing the Fire

“Fire! Fire!” In the midst of a great feast, the villagers turned their heads in a drunken stupor. Through their hazy vision, they saw rapidly spreading flames, threatening to engulf them. They desperately looked around for a way out, but were too drunk to get up.

“We’re done for! We might as well all get ready to die,” somebody started to weep. However, one clear-headed person called out, “Isn’t the most honored and venerated Buddha staying in our village right now? Oh, Buddha, please help us escape from this disaster wrought by the God of Fire!”

Everybody prayed quietly, and a few moments later the Buddha appeared as if from nowhere. At once, his strong and solemn voice brought on a sense of calm. “Each sentient being has three fires burning within them: the fire of greed; the fire of anger; and the fire of ignorance. I will use the water of supreme wisdom to put out these fires. If what I say is true, this raging fire will be instantly extinguished.” Miraculously, in the flash of an eye, the fire disappeared without a trace.

“This is wonderful!” The villagers, with newfound faith in and gratitude for the Buddha, wept in joy. Then, the Buddha began to speak eloquently of the Dharma. Upon hearing him, the villagers were all liberated and attained the first level of enlightenment.

The monks who came with the Buddha witnessed this and thought it was unbelievable. “Buddha,” they asked, “what did they do in that past so that their lives can be saved and their minds purified today?”

The Buddha slowly began to tell them the story about how he had forged good relations with the villagers during the past three great kalpas when he was perfecting the bodhisatva practice.

“One day, a ferocious wind came and caused the bamboo bushes to chafe together with such violence that they caught fire, setting the whole mountainside forest ablaze, so all life would surely end. Then a parrot called Joy, feeling sorry for creatures without wings to fly away, soaked up water with his small wings from the nearby sea. It flew back and forth, hundreds of thousands of times, between the sea and the forest, trying to extinguish the fire. His steadfastness moved Indra, a heavenly god, who enquired, “How can you, being so small, hope to put out such a great fire?” The parrot replied, “My heart is more powerful than the fire! Even if I cannot put out the fire in this lifetime, I swear I will do it in the next.” Indra was deeply touched and, using supernatural powers, sent brimming clouds to rain on the mountainside, thus instantly saving every living being on the mountain.

The Buddha stated, “In a previous existence I was the parrot. The birds and the beasts in the forest were the villagers in a previous life. At that time, I put out the fire to save their lives. This time, again, I put out the fire to save their lives, and also extinguished the destructive fires in their hearts so they might attain peace.”

The monks carefully reflected on the meaning of this story, and then asked the Buddha, “How can the villagers attain the first level of enlightenment straight away?” The Buddha replied, “That’s because when the Kashyapa Buddha first appeared, they had the strength of purpose to keep the five precepts. Due to their steadfast observance of the precepts, they are able to truly realize the truth today and reach first stage of arhatship!”

Reflection

By observing the five precepts, the villagers accumulated blessings and merits to attain enlightenment upon hearing the Dharma. Owing to its spirit of selflessness and diligence, the compassionate parrot was able to attain Buddhahood in the future. When we practice Buddhism, are we also steadfast in upholding the five precepts, and maintaining our spirit of compassion and diligence? (TOP)

The Novice Attains Long Life

A long time ago, an arhat received a novice. One day while meditating, the arhat foresaw that the novice had only seven days left to live. In compassion, the arhat told the novice to go home, see his parents and return in seven days.

The novice thereupon bade his master farewell, prepared some simple luggage and went down the mountain. On the way home, the novice saw a large number of ants floating on the surface of the roadside brook, in imminent danger of drowning. Out of kindness, the novice took off his robe and used it to carry mud in order to block the water. He also moved the ants to higher grounds, where it was dry. In this way, all of the ants were saved.

Seven days later, the novice returned to the monastery in good spirits. When the master saw him he was surprised, saying to himself, “It was clear the novice only had seven days to live, but now he has returned, safe and sound! I wonder what happened?”

The master again entered deep meditation. He saw with clairvoyance that because of his kindness in helping the ants, the novice had increased his blessing and gained long life.

Reflection

From the earliest times people have sought the elixir of life but never found it. The question is: how could the novice increase his blessing and gain long life so easily?

It is impossible to separate cause and effect; you reap what you sow. If you do nothing but only hope for success, you will certainly be disappointed. (TOP)

The Filial Parrot

Once, when the Buddha was teaching in Rajagaha, he said to the monks, “There are two transgressions that have immediate negative consequences, and surely lead a person into hell. Which two? The first is failing to support and respect your parents. The second is doing any kind of evil deeds or committing a crime in the house of your parents.” The Buddha went on to say, “Conversely, there are two great virtues that speedily enable a person to partake in great blessedness and joy of the devas. The first is filial piety, supporting and showing respect for your parents. The second is performing all virtuous deeds in the family home.” Next, the Buddha told a story.

A long time ago, a parrot lived on a high, snowy mountain. Its father and mother both being blind and unable to search for food, every day the parrot would collect fruit and nuts to feed them. At that time there was a farmer sowing rice seeds, who vowed to share the crop with all beings at harvest time. Having heard the farmer make this vow, the parrot often came to take the seeds in the paddy.

One day when looking around the paddy, the farmer saw that many of the spikes were broken off. In his annoyance, he decided to set a trap for whoever was responsible.

The next time the parrot came into the paddy it found itself trapped in the net, unable to move. Seeing the farmer approach, it called out, “Farmer! If you hadn’t promised to share this food with everybody, I would not have dared to come and take it. So why are you now angry? Are not the fields just like a mother giving sustenance to many thousands of creatures? Is not the tiller of rice paddies like a father feeding his young children? Truthfully, as innocent as a child and without guile, the farmer is like a benevolent king, the protector of his people. Being one of your subjects, I will always be grateful in my heart and honor you.”

The farmer was touched by the parrot’s speech, and asked, “Who were you taking this rice for?” The parrot replied, “I take the grain in order to support my parents.” Thereupon, the farmer told the parrot, “From now on you can come here and take as much as you like. I am willing to help you.”

The parrot in this story is a previous incarnation of the Buddha, while the farmer is a previous incarnation of Sariputra. The blind father and mother are previous incarnations of King Suddhodana and Queen Maya respectively.

Reflection

There is a saying, “Filial piety is the most important of all the virtues.” Filial piety has been firmly rooted in Chinese culture through the ages, but this concept is slowly fading among the newer generations. If animals can display devotion to their parents, what about us highly-evolved humans? (TOP)

The Buddha and the Bed-Ridden Monk

One day the Buddha was checking on the welfare of his monks in their quarters when he saw one monk lying prostrate on his bed. Seeing the Buddha, this monk tried to raise himself up, so he could bow in homage, but he didn’t have the strength.  

Seeing this, the Buddha came to the monk’s bed-side and consoled him. He asked, “How is it that you are this ill and yet nobody is looking after you?” The monk answered, “I am lazy by nature and since becoming a monk, I have never shown any real concern for the sufferings of others. Even when I have been assigned to care for the sick I have never done it well, but only in a perfunctory way. So, now I am sick and nobody is willing to come and care for me. Am I not shameful?”

After hearing his story, the Buddha helped the monk clean away his excrement. Then, he swept the monk’s room clean for him. The Heavenly King, Śakra, seeing the Buddha’s compassion, also came forward to bathe the sick monk.. The Buddha gently patted the monk with his hands. In the blink of an eye, the monk felt completely refreshed in mind and body; all of his afflictions were suddenly transformed into a feeling of deep tranquility.

The Buddha said to the monk, “Since you became a monk, you have been idling away your precious time, instead of diligently freeing yourself from the cycle of birth and death. That is the reason you have contracted the disease and suffered. I hope starting from today, you will devote all your effort to the practice.”

After hearing the Buddha’s words, the monk knelt down and bowed his head in repentance. “Buddha! I am forever in your debt. But for your great compassion, I probably would have died and kept drifting in the realms of suffering. From now on, I vow to seek supreme enlightenment and to liberate all living beings.”

Unwavering in his commitment, the repentant monk diligently practiced the Buddhist teaching, and soon reached the state of Arhatship.

Reflection

“Before attaining the state of Buddhahood, we have to build good connection with people.” In our busy, hectic lives, we tend to be indifferent at best, and callous at worst, to the needs of others. We tend to be critical rather than generous with praise. So, why not pause for a moment and show concern for the people around us? In doing this, you will be rewarded with unimaginable joy in return.(TOP)