There was once a Butcher who was a very mean and wicked man. Never in his life had he ever done any meritorious deeds. His job was slaughtering pigs and he loved it, often torturing them mercilessly before putting them to death.
One day he got very sick and finally died, but before he died he suffered such agony that he crawled around on his hands and knees for days, squealing and grunting like a pig being slaughtered.
It so happened that the butcher’s home was within ear’s reach of the monastery where the Buddha and his monks were staying. When the bhikkhus heard the desperate squeals coming from his house, they assumed that the miserable butcher was at his cruel work again and shook their heads in great disapproval.
The squeals and grunts went on for several days until, one day, they stopped just as suddenly as they had begun. The monks could not help but remark to each other how wicked and hard-hearted the butcher was for having caused his poor animals so much pain and suffering.
The Buddha overheard what they were saying and said, “Bhikkhus, the butcher was not slaughtering his pigs. He was very ill and in such great pain that he was acting like the pigs he used to enjoy inflicting pain upon. His bad kamma had finally caught up with him. Today he died and was reborn in a woeful state of existence.”
The Buddha then exhorted his disciples to be alert at doing good, for anyone who did evil deeds would have to suffer for them. There was no way to escape from one’s evil deeds, he warned his disciples. Here he grieves, hereafter he grieves.
The evildoer grieves in both existences. He grieves and he suffers anguish when he remembers his impure deeds.
Jumat, 13 Februari 2009
Dhammapada Story of The Lady and the Ogress
Once There was a Man who was becoming impatient with his wife for not being able to bear him any children. At the same time, his wife was becoming increasingly anxious because she was not able to give him the children he longed for. Fearing that her husband would one day abandon
her, she coaxed him into taking another wife.
But each time she learned that the new wife was pregnant, she caused her to miscarry by putting some drugs into her food. The second wife eventually figured out what was going on, but it was too late to do anything about it, for she was already near death’s door from being poisoned so often.
Before she finally died, however, she swore that she would pay the first wife back for all the suffering she was caused should their paths cross again in future lives. And indeed their paths did cross again. Once they were reborn as a cat and a hen, and another time as a leopardess and a doe, and each time they were after each other’s offsprings, creating more and more hatred between themselves.
Finally, they were reborn as the daughter of a nobleman and an ogress. One day, the ogress in all her fury was chasing after the nobleman’s daughter and her baby. The mother, in desperation, fled to the monastery where the Buddha was staying and begged the Buddha to save her child from the hungry ogress. The Buddha, instead, admonished her, as well as the ogress, for the folly of their unabated vengeance.
He then related to them how their mutual hatred began and how, because of that hatred, they had been killing off each other’s babies in their successive lifetimes. He made them realize that hatred only caused more hatred, and that hatred ceased only through goodwill and compassion.
The lady and the ogress then felt great remorse for their past actions and asked each other for forgiveness. In that way, after many lifetimes of unbroken rivalry filled with hatred, they finally made peace with each other.
Hatred in the world is indeed never appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by loving kindness.
This is an ancient law.
her, she coaxed him into taking another wife.
But each time she learned that the new wife was pregnant, she caused her to miscarry by putting some drugs into her food. The second wife eventually figured out what was going on, but it was too late to do anything about it, for she was already near death’s door from being poisoned so often.
Before she finally died, however, she swore that she would pay the first wife back for all the suffering she was caused should their paths cross again in future lives. And indeed their paths did cross again. Once they were reborn as a cat and a hen, and another time as a leopardess and a doe, and each time they were after each other’s offsprings, creating more and more hatred between themselves.
Finally, they were reborn as the daughter of a nobleman and an ogress. One day, the ogress in all her fury was chasing after the nobleman’s daughter and her baby. The mother, in desperation, fled to the monastery where the Buddha was staying and begged the Buddha to save her child from the hungry ogress. The Buddha, instead, admonished her, as well as the ogress, for the folly of their unabated vengeance.
He then related to them how their mutual hatred began and how, because of that hatred, they had been killing off each other’s babies in their successive lifetimes. He made them realize that hatred only caused more hatred, and that hatred ceased only through goodwill and compassion.
The lady and the ogress then felt great remorse for their past actions and asked each other for forgiveness. In that way, after many lifetimes of unbroken rivalry filled with hatred, they finally made peace with each other.
Hatred in the world is indeed never appeased by hatred. It is appeased only by loving kindness.
This is an ancient law.
Jumat, 02 Januari 2009
Ramana Maharshi story of Shiva Bhakta Jnanasambandar
Ramana Maharshi story of Shiva Bhakta Jnanasambandar
Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi : In the course of conversation Sri Bhagavan said that Thirujnanasambandar had sung in praise of Sri Arunachala. He also mentioned the story briefly as follows: Jnanasambandar was born in an orthodox family about 1,500 years ago.
When he was three years old his father took him to the temple in Shiyali. He left the boy on the bank of the sacred tank and went in to bathe. As he dipped in the water the boy, not finding his father, began to cry out. Immediately Siva and Parvati appeared in a vimana. Siva told Parvati to feed the boy with her milk. So she drew out milk in a cup and handed it to the boy. He drank it and was happy.
The father as he came out of the water saw the boy smiling and with streaks of milk round his lips. So he asked the boy what happened to him. The boy did not answer. He was threatened and the boy sang songs. They were hymns in praise of Siva who appeared before him.
He sang, “The One with ear-rings... the Robber, who robbed me of my mind....”
He thus became one of the most famous bhaktas and was much sought after. He led a vigorous and active life; went on pilgrimage to several places in South India. He got married in his sixteenth year. The bride and the bridegroom went to have darsan of God in the local temple soon after the marriage ceremonies were over. A large party went with them.
When they reached the temple the place was a blaze of light and the temple was not visible. There was however a passage visible in the blaze of light. Jnanasambandar told the people to enter the passage. They did so. He himself went round the light with his young wife, came to the passage and entered it as the others had done earlier.
The Light vanished leaving no trace of those who entered it. The temple again came into view as usual. Such was the brief but very eventful life of the sage. In one of his tours he had come to Ariyanainallur or Tirukkoilur, eighteen miles from Tiruvannamalai. The place is famous for its Siva temple. (It was here that Sri Bhagavan had that vision of Light on his way to Tiruvannamalai in his seventeenth year. Sri Bhagavan did not then know that the place was sanctified by the feet of Tirujnanasambandar some fifteen centuries ago.)
When the ancient sage was staying in Ariyanainallur an old man who carried a flower-basket came to him. The young sage asked the old man who he was. The latter replied that he was a servitor of Sri Arunachala the God residing as the Hill here.
Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi : In the course of conversation Sri Bhagavan said that Thirujnanasambandar had sung in praise of Sri Arunachala. He also mentioned the story briefly as follows: Jnanasambandar was born in an orthodox family about 1,500 years ago.
When he was three years old his father took him to the temple in Shiyali. He left the boy on the bank of the sacred tank and went in to bathe. As he dipped in the water the boy, not finding his father, began to cry out. Immediately Siva and Parvati appeared in a vimana. Siva told Parvati to feed the boy with her milk. So she drew out milk in a cup and handed it to the boy. He drank it and was happy.
The father as he came out of the water saw the boy smiling and with streaks of milk round his lips. So he asked the boy what happened to him. The boy did not answer. He was threatened and the boy sang songs. They were hymns in praise of Siva who appeared before him.
He sang, “The One with ear-rings... the Robber, who robbed me of my mind....”
He thus became one of the most famous bhaktas and was much sought after. He led a vigorous and active life; went on pilgrimage to several places in South India. He got married in his sixteenth year. The bride and the bridegroom went to have darsan of God in the local temple soon after the marriage ceremonies were over. A large party went with them.
When they reached the temple the place was a blaze of light and the temple was not visible. There was however a passage visible in the blaze of light. Jnanasambandar told the people to enter the passage. They did so. He himself went round the light with his young wife, came to the passage and entered it as the others had done earlier.
The Light vanished leaving no trace of those who entered it. The temple again came into view as usual. Such was the brief but very eventful life of the sage. In one of his tours he had come to Ariyanainallur or Tirukkoilur, eighteen miles from Tiruvannamalai. The place is famous for its Siva temple. (It was here that Sri Bhagavan had that vision of Light on his way to Tiruvannamalai in his seventeenth year. Sri Bhagavan did not then know that the place was sanctified by the feet of Tirujnanasambandar some fifteen centuries ago.)
When the ancient sage was staying in Ariyanainallur an old man who carried a flower-basket came to him. The young sage asked the old man who he was. The latter replied that he was a servitor of Sri Arunachala the God residing as the Hill here.
Selasa, 30 Desember 2008
Ramana Maharshi Story on Saint Ekanath
A discussion in the hall centred on the story ofKulasekhara Alwar, which had appeared in the Visionmagazine. During a Harikatha, Kulasekhara identifyinghimself so completely with the situation of the story, felt ithis duty as a worshipper of Rama to at once hasten to Lankaand release Sita. He ran to the sea and entered it to crossover to Lanka, when Rama appeared with Sita andLakshmana and showered His grace on him. This led othersin the hall to remark, “Some Maratha saint also did a similarthing. He leaped up to the roof, I think.” Thereupon SriBhagavan related the story.
Eknath was writing the Ramayana, and when hecame to the portion in which he was graphically describing thatHanuman jumped across the ocean to Lanka, he so identifiedhimself with his hero Hanuman that unconsciously he leapedinto the air and landed on the roof of his neighbour’s house.This neighbour had always had a poor opinion of Ekanath,taking him for a humbug and religious hypocrite.
He heard athud on his roof, and coming out to see what it was, discoveredEkanath lying down on the roof with a cadjan leaf in one handand his iron stile in the other. The cadjan leaf had verses describing how Hanuman leapt across the sea. This incidentproved to the neighbour what a genuine bhakta Ekanath wasand he became his disciple.After a pause Bhagavan also related: “God appeared in adream to Ekanath and asked him to go and repair the tomb of Jnaneswar.
When Ekanath went there accordingly, he founda contractor ready to do all the work and take payment at theend. The contractor opened a big account in which all expenseswere entered, with the names of all the workmen and wagespaid. Everything went on systematically. When the work ofrepairs was completed, the accounts were looked into and thecontractor paid his dues. Then the contractor and his bigaccount book totally disappeared. Then alone Ekanath cameto know that God was his contractor and did the work. Suchthings have happened.”
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