The story of King Sutasoma :
Author: Nagarjuna Bodhisattva Source: The Story of Commentary on the Great Perfection of Wisdom
Once upon a time, there was a King Sutasoma who was willing to be diligent and able to keep the precepts. He is used to telling the truth, always doing what he says. One morning, he led a group of court ladies in a car; he wanted to play in the garden.
The king and his group went out of the city gate and saw a Brahmin walking up to him and begging. He told the king: "My lord, you are indeed a person with great blessings and great virtues. I am in poverty. Please sympathize with me. Would you please give me something?"
The King Sutasoma said: "I understand, I will respect you. As you said just now, I will certainly offer you a fair amount of charity, but you have to wait for my return."
After the King Sutasoma had spoken, he went into the garden to take a bath and play. Unexpectedly, a two-winged giant bird, named DeerFoot, flew in the sky, picked up the king from the court ladies and flew away. The way the giant bird grabbed the king was like a gold-winged bird robbing the dragon king from the sea. Suddenly, the maids burst into tears. This incident not only alarmed the entire garden, but also caused a huge commotion inside and outside the city, and everyone screamed in panic.
Let's say that the giant bird Deerfoot carried the king, jumped into the sky, and flew back to the place where it lived. The king was already trembling with fear, and was placed among the ninety-nine kings who had been captured earlier. At this time, the King Sutasoma burst into tears with sadness.
Deerfoot couldn’t help asking King Sutasoma: "You king of the royal family! How come you cry like a child? When a person lives, there must be death, and there must be parting when connected. You should be able to see."
King Sutasoma replied: "I am not afraid of death, but afraid of breaking faith. Because I have never lied once in my life. I went out of the city gate this morning and saw a Brahmin coming by and begging behind me. I have promised him that I will give it to him when I return. Who knows that things are impermanent, I blame me for not being thoughtful. I am sorry for him, and I have incurred the crime of deception. I cry purely for this reason."
Deerfoot said: "Since you are afraid of lying in your heart, then I especially allow you to go back for seven days. Let you give to the Brahman, and then rush back immediately. If the seven days have passed and you have not returned, I have the power of both wings to catch you back without difficulty."
King Sutasomaa finally returned to the country and gave alms according to his wishes. After that, he made the prince king, and at the same time, confessed to the gathered people, saying, "My wisdom cannot act, and I have never ruled the country with the righteous law. I hope everyone can forgive me. Now, my body no longer belongs to me, I am leaving. ."
Unexpectedly, the whole country, including the people and relatives, all bowed their heads to keep the King Sutasoma, saying: "My lord! Please be at ease and put mercy in this country. Don't worry about the deer-footed ghost. We will definitely prepare the most powerful army and iron house. Even if the Deerfoot is a fairy, we are not afraid of it."
The King Sutasoma said: "You can't do this, don't be reckless." Then he said:
"To tell the truth is the first precept, and it is also the ladder of ascension.
" Although the sound of the truth is small, it is of great significance, and lies will go to hell.
"I have to obey the truth now. I would rather give up this life.
"Even so, I neither regret nor hold grudges in my heart."
Thinking of this, the King Sutasoma immediately set off and returned to the residence of Deerfoot. Deerfoot saw the King Sutasoma coming from a distance, and Deerfoot couldn't help but say: "You really told the truth and didn't break your faith. Everyone in the world cherishes life. Originally, you were able to escape from the dead and still be willing to keep your promises. It is unbelievable. You are a person of very impressive."
After listening to these praises of honesty, King Sutasoma said: "You can only be counted as a person if you tell the truth, otherwise, you can't count as a person at all." At the same time, King Sutasoma kept praising the truth and condemning lies.
After hearing these words, Deerfoot had a pure mind, and immediately said to King Sutasoma: "You are right. Now, I will let this large group of captured kings go away. I don't need to repeat it, in fact, you have been free here a long time ago. You can go. These ninety-nine kings will be treated as alms to you. Let you go back to your country as you wish!"
After Deerfoot finished speaking, the hundred kings returned to the motherland one after another. -In "Commentary on the Great Perfection of Wisdom", Nagarjuna Bodhisattva talks about King Sutasoma who gave up his life in order to keep the precepts and not lie.
In the "Sutra of Initiation of a very extraordinary wish of the Bodhisattva", Maitreya Bodhisattva asked Buddha Shakyamuni: "When the Dharma is about to disappear in the future, what do people need to do in order to be free from worries?" Buddha Shakyamuni told Maitreya Bodhisattva: "If someone does four things when the Dharma is about to disappear in the future, he will be free from worries. What are the four things?
First, for any sentient being, do not pursue his/her/its fault (all sentient beings are obsessed with self-image, human-image, sentient beings-image, and longevity-image, and produce various behaviors, resulting in various consequences. These consequences include all the faults that we have seen. When we think that sentient beings have these faults due to lack of wisdom, we should develop compassion instead of investigating and condemning them).
Second, if you see people who practice the way of Bodhisattva doing something that violates the precepts, don't publicize and expose it. (Because people living in the last days of Dharma may not have enough wisdom to observe the behavior of the Bodhisattva. Although some behaviors are violations of the precepts, they may be performed by the Bodhisattva in order to save sentient beings. Therefore, we should not arbitrarily expose and criticize behaviors that we do not understand.)
Third, one should not be attached to one's relatives and friends or even those who give us charity. (People get together and separate because of cause and effect in their previous lives. People with deep cause become relatives and friends in this life. People with ordinary cause become ordinary relationship in this life. For relatives and friends, for donors, those people we love, or those who love us, are also the people who entangle our minds and let us produce the series of thoughts of "I", "Mine" and "My Love". The people we care about most are often these relatives, friends, and donors. And these "caring" and "love" are precisely the causes and conditions that draw us into reincarnation and make us meet again and again. "Love" is the root of "hate", "love" is the root of "pain", and "love" is the root of "karma". Therefore, only by abandoning this attachment can you be liberated fundamentally. )
Fourth, never say foul language. Stay away from being stingy. (Never say anything that hurts others, never let your own thoughts be presumptuous and indulgent, never let yourself give birth to a position of "I". Give more, give up stingy, give up "I")
In addition, if someone does the following four things when the Dharma is about to disappear in the future, he can get relief without worry:
First, don't get close to slack people. (Stay away from those who are slack in making progress)
Second, stay away from all noisy crowds. (The noisy crowd is full of desire and foul language, which is not conducive to people's pure mind)
Third, study the Dharma hard in a quiet place alone. Reduce desires and satisfy the heart with less content. (Learning the method of purity in a clean place without interruption)
Fourth, review your own problems and not pursue other people's problems. Summarize and discover your own shortcomings, adjust and solve problems through correct methods, so that your mind can be adjusted. For sentient beings, we must have a deep sense of compassion, help them a lot, and speak cleanly with no hope. (Use the correct method to raise the level of mind, be compassionate to all sentient beings, without any clinging thoughts in the heart)"
The practice of the bodhisattva path begins with the practice of "giving". In addition to removing the habit of "greed," the practice of "giving" can also cultivate compassion and accumulate the merits and resources needed for the path.
One million billions are called Nayuta, ten million Nayutas are called Pinpo, ten million Pinpos are called Gata, and over Gata is called Asāṃkhya. The Bodhisattva can become a Buddha after undergoing at least three Asāṃkhya's kalpa's practice. Take the nearest Buddha Shakyamuni as an example: From the time of the ancient Shakyamuni Buddha until the Ratnaśikhi Buddha, it was the first Asāṃkhya's Kalpa before the Bodhisattva became a Buddha. During this period, every time the Bodhisattva reincarnated, he is no longer a woman body; the period from the Ratnaśikhi Buddha to the Dīpankara Buddha is the second Asāṃkhya's Kalpa before the bodhisattva becomes a Buddha. During this period, the bodhisattva used seven green lotus flowers to worship the Dīpankara Buddha and used his hair spreading on the mud to prevent the soil from staining the clothes of the Buddha. At that time, the Dīpankara Buddha instructed the Bodhisattva and told him that he will be a Buddha in the next life and will be named Sakyamuni. From the Dīpankara Buddha to the Vipassī Buddha, it was the third Asāṃkhya's Kalpa before the Bodhisattva became a Buddha. After these three Asāṃkhya's Kalpa, the Bodhisattva planted karma of mahā-puruṣa lakṣaṇa. -"Commentary on the Great Perfection of Wisdom"
Because the Buddhas can gather all kinds of goodness with one heart, they can realize the supreme enlightenment. "Commentary on the Great Perfection of Wisdom"
Someone had the chance to meet an angel, and the angel said to him: "I can take you to see heaven, or I can take you to hell. What do you want to see first?"
This person said, "Then I will look at hell first." So they went to hell and just saw people eating. There is a long row of tables. People on both sides sit face to face at the table. The chopsticks are all one meter long. The table is full of all kinds of dishes. With an order, everyone picked up one-meter long chopsticks, desperately clamped food, and stuffed their mouths as soon as they caught them. As a result, because the chopsticks were too long, the chopsticks collided and the food fell all over the floor before they were clipped back. After they fell, they scolded each other: "It's all caused by you!" The man saw that the atmosphere of hell was very bad. He couldn't stand it anymore, so he said to the angel: "Forget it! I want to see heaven! "
So the angel took him to heaven, and when he saw that there was still a long table like that, with two rows of people sitting face to face on each side, the same dishes, and the chopsticks were still one meter long, he felt very puzzled. However, at the beginning, everyone picked up the dishes and gave them to the opposite person first: "Come on, here you are!" There was a very popular person, and three or four people picked up dishes for him at the same time. He said:" Wait a minute, wait a minute, I'm about to choke!"
When people think about each other, they live in heaven; when people are selfish, compete with each other, and take advantage of each other, they live in hell.
Hell and heaven are only between one thought, one thought of reflection is heaven, and one thought of accusation is hell.
"Song History" records: During the Shaoxing period of the Song Dynasty, Zhou Bida, a native of Luling, served as the supervisor of the Lin'an Heji Bureau (the official who supervised the the administration and pharmaceutical bureau). One day, the Heji Bureau suddenly caught fire, and the nearby residential houses were burned.
According to the law, the person in charge of the administration and pharmaceutical bureau should be convicted of death. Zhou asked the person in charge: "If it is the responsibility of the supervisor, what should be convicted?" The person in charge replied: "It's just the removal of the supervisor." Therefore, Zhou Bida falsely reported that the fire was the responsibility of the supervisor (himself). As a result, he himself was removed from his position, and the person in charge of the management was exempted from the death penalty.
After Zhou returned home, he met his wife and father. His father was very angry because he was fired. At that time, when there was a heavy snowfall, the family boy was sweeping the snow in the yard. His father suddenly remembered that he dreamed of sweeping the snow and welcoming the Prime Minister last night, so he stopped criticizing Zhou Bida. Later, Zhou Bida passed the examination and applied for a position in the government. As expected, he became a prime minister and became the Duke of Yiguo (a knighthood), which was exactly what his father had dreamed of.
(Explanation) Zhou Bida, in order to save others' faults, set himself on fire, and at the expense of his dismissal, his prime minister's measurement is really unfathomable!