Then he thought, 'Hey, I'm just a childHow can I lift this heavy urn?' With this one thought, the urn crashed to the groundFrom this he realized the meaning of the doctrine, 'Everything is
made from the mind alone,' and he and his mother left the home-life [to join the Buddhist Order]
Master Hsuan Hua: 46
PARABLE 098: MIND-POWER (BLACKSMITH'S DAUGHTER)
"Young and widowed, a French physician travelled to the countryside to allay his sorrowOne day, when he was staying at a blacksmith's house, he was touched by the beauty of his host's daughterHe told her about his widowhood and, seeking her hand in marriage, obtained the consent of her parentsHowever, before the wedding could take place, he began to co-habit with herShortly thereafter, he left for the citySeeing his daughter pregnant and growing heavier and heavier by the day, with the culprit no more in sight than the wings of a redbird in flight, the blacksmith reflected on the fact that he was too poor and isolated to sue successfullyHe therefore tried to relieve his anger and frustration by striking his hammer against its iron stand each evening, while
prada fairy bag shouting the name of the physician, wishing to blow his head apartUnbeknownst to him, in the faraway city, each evening at five o'clock, the physician would grab his head and scream in painHe tried every known remedy without successSome time afterward, a friend of the doctor, on a visit to the countryside, happened to pass the blacksmith's shop one evening and overheard the striking hammer and the swearingHe went in to inquire and having understood the whole story, deduced the cause of his friend's predicamentUpon returning to the city, he urged the physician to make amends by marrying the blacksmith's daughterAs might be expected, after the wedding, the physician's strange symptoms disappearedThus, we can see the unseen power of the mindIf we realize the significance of the above story and sincerely vow to recite Amitabha Buddha's name, why worry about failing to get a response?"
Master Tam: 107
PARABLE 099: "NEVER DESPISE" BODHISATTVA
The Lotus Sutra (ch20) relates the story of a Bodhisattva named Never DespiseWhenever he encountered a layman or cleric, he would approach him, bow down to him, and say aloud,
replica chanel earrings "I dare not look down on you
because you will become a Buddha in the future This declaration angered some persons, who would insult and beat himIn response, Never Despise would simply run far away and repeat, "I dare not look down on you because you will become a Buddha
Note: Why did the Bodhisattva Never Despise act that way? It was because he cultivated the practice of seeing everything with eyes of equality, of respecting all sentient beings equally, as they all have the Buddha Nature and are all future BuddhasNever Despise was revealed to be a previous incarnation of Sakyamuni, thus confirming the correctness of the practice of equal respectAnother explanation could be that many cultivators cannot conceive of themselves as future BuddhasThe Bodhisattva Never Despise was raising their sights, urging them to strive for the full Enlightenment of BuddhahoodEditor: na
PARABLE 0100: NOBLESSE OBLIGE
"In the Suvannamiga Jataka, a golden stag became trapped in a snareDespite his strong efforts and the encouragement of his mate, he could not free himselfHis devoted mate then confronted the hunter who had come to
chanel cambon purse collect his catchShe offered her own life in place of her mate's[Deeply moved], the hunter freed both of themIn thankfulness for the hunter's change of heart, the stag later presented the hunter with a 'jewel he had found in their feeding ground' and urged the hunter to abstain from all killingFollowing the story, Buddha notes that he himself was the royal stag
Tucker:135
PARABLE 0101: PURE LAND (DEATH AND THE WOODCUTTER)
Once upon a time, an old wood-cutter was trudging to the market-place, his back bent over from carrying a heavy sack of fine woodHe had followed this winding road many times over the years but this time his ordeal seemed especially harshHe suddenly realized that old age had caught up with himPutting down his sack, he reflected on his declining health and loudly proclaimed his desire to end it allt so happened that hour was particularly propitious, as the God of Death was hovering over the
landscapeHe immediately appeared in front of the old man and thundered "What do you want?, What do you want? Repeat it! Repeat it! I'll grant your wish immediately!"
The old woodcutter, put on the spot,
spy bag replica muttered something and finally said softly, "Please, do help me lift the sack and put it back on my shoulders'm going to continue toward the market-place after all!"
The wood-cutter had expressed a desire to dieHowever, when the God of Death actually appeared, he immediately recantedInstead, he asked that his burden be put back on his shouldersIt is the same with many devoteeshen Amitabha Buddha appears they cannot cut-off attachments and let goA vow for rebirth in the Pure Land has to be firm and unshakableSuch a vow necessarily includes the Bodhi Mind seeking deliverance from Birth and DeathEditor: na
PARABLE 0102: OLD MAN AND THE HARE
"Fire was often the theme of the Buddha's sermonsIn one sermon, he spoke of the world aflame, of all men on fire with passion, hatred, infatuation, birth, old age, sorrow, grief and despairHe explained that all are blinded by these flames and that when men [achieve] the holy way, the fire will be extinguished within them