Buddha’s Special Kindness

This recap is part 4 of Going for refuge to The Three Jewels.

By Goh Siqi   •   8 minute read

In the previous Ventalk session, we talked about Shakyamuni Buddha’s immense kindness. He is willing to help all sentient beings, even those who have violated him or slandered the three jewels. In today’s article, Venerable Bensi and Host Yao Hua fed us with yet another intriguing Buddha story. Shall we?

This story is one of Buddha’s past life and it is recorded in the sutra of the wise and the foolish. 

This story underscores a very important fact: Shakyamuni Buddha’s compassion is extremely great. There is no bigotry or prejudice in his dictionary, all sentient beings are regarded as his beloved son. As much as these ‘sons’ are unfaithful or resentful towards him, he would never abandon them. This is clear- as exemplified in the many Buddha stories. 

Another lesson we can learn is how Buddha transformed adversity into opportunities to hone wisdom and compassion. In the above story, the harm received by King Kalinga gave the Buddha opportunities to practice his patience and meditation on emptiness. This brings me to another point- the lotus being a symbol of Buddhism. Lotus seeds grow in the mud. Despite the mud being dirty, the roots which are firmly latched in the mud are able to absorb the nutrients from it. With the nutrients, they bloom on the surface of the water. Upon closer look, the pure lotus flower lies so delicately on the still water, almost as if it is untainted by the contaminants that surround it. The bodhisattvas are just like the lotus. When practising the Buddha’s teachings, they are surrounded by undisciplined sentient beings. As these people are hostile and evil, it is indubitable that these bodhisattvas will meet a myriad of adversities created by them. Instead of trying to avoid it, they use these challenges wisely. This is just like the lotus absorbing nutrients from the stained mud. So for those who are under the Mahayana teachings, we should be encouraged by the example of the Buddha and embody the nature of the lotus. When we meet adversities, instead of praying to the Buddha to take away these obstacles, we should pray for the strength and courage to overcome them.  

Definitely, it is not easy to cultivate such a quality of accepting suffering and returning the ‘favour’ with compassion and loving-kindness. Difficult? It sure is. This is because we are still beginners on this journey. But it does not mean that the goal cannot be accomplished. It just requires relentless cultivation. Venerable Bensi gave a perfect analogy -  Running one full marathon (42km) under two hours. For athletes who are professionals in this field, running a marathon is never an impossible task. But if I were to hand this task to non-athletes who have yet undergone training, would they be able to accomplish it? No! To them, it may seem like the marathon runner is able to do it effortlessly without any pain. However in reality, beyond the gloss of their success, are years and years of arduous training. They would face thirst, muscle ache and pain during the race but it is due to their training that enables them to overcome such obstacles. But ironically, despite the sheer amount of physical pain and time sacrificed, they continue. I believe it is due to their passion; their love for running that produces such a galvanising driving force. In the same way, I’m sure many of us felt that such lofty qualities are too grandiose to ever imagine. But if we continue with our learning and develop our wisdom, compassion, and courage, we will be able to generate the same passion and driving force to achieve Buddhahood like the Buddha. Once again, there is no need to feel discouraged as Shakyamuni Buddha started off in the same environment as us- ordinary beings. He had been through three countless great eons of such spiritual practice and has successfully solved all his sufferings. Therefore, he has the experience and sagacity to guide us through this impure saha world. And with his immense compassion, I am even more convinced that he is worthy of our refuge. 

Also, being able to learn the Dharma is a rare opportunity and we should treasure it well. For all circumstances, there is a cause and effect. In other words, to be able to learn the Dharma (effect), there must be a cause. And who might have planted the cause for us? Certainly, it is the Buddha! When Shakyamuni Buddha was Prince Mahasattva in his previous life, he encountered two brothers and a mother whom he then saved from a crime they committed. With immense gratitude, the two brothers and their mother were ordained to learn the Dhama and were eventually liberated from cyclic existence. However, the opportunity to meet the Buddha and learn his teachings is not by chance. It is because the Buddha had planted this seed many eons ago. Many eons ago, he had chanced upon a tiger and cubs who were suffering from hunger. He then offered his body to the tiger and cubs to elevate their immediate suffering of hunger, and vowed to deliver them from obstacles in addition to rescuing them from cyclic existence. And who are these tiger and cubs? It is the two brothers and mother! To put it simply, a karmic connection is formed when the Buddha offered his body such that the brothers and mothers are able to meet the teachings. Likewise, we definitely have received the kindness of the Buddha (cause) to be able to learn the Dharma (effect) and have faith in him.  

I hope the stories about Shakyamuni Buddha evokes immense reverence and gratitude within you. But do understand that the scriptures and commentaries are instructions, in that most of them teach the good qualities of the three refuge. As such, we should not view them as fairy tales that are unrelated to us. We should earnestly read them as they encompass the greatness of the triple gems. Do contemplate on the good qualities of the Buddha that are illustrated in the stories. It is an important step in taking refuge! The scriptures in the Great Treatise says: “Reflect again and again upon the good qualities of the Buddha, and strive to attain certainty from the depths of your heart. Once you gain this, you reach the very core of the practice of going for refuge, for you will gain certainty with respect to the teaching from which the Buddha arose, and the community that practices the teaching. Without this, there is no practice of going for refuge that transforms your mind, not to mention other paths''. So let us think of the Buddha’s good qualities often and make this a requisite step in our practice.  While prostrating to the Buddha, reminisce the effort and sacrifices he had made. With that, your refuge in the three jewels will be more sincere!