The Impermanence of Beauty

Rupananda (Khema Theri) was quite an attractive and graceful woman who was always surrounded by admirers. She never ceased to feel very lonely, however, because all those dear to her—mother, brother, and even husband—had all entered the Order. Missing her family badly, she went to visit them often and heard them speak of the Buddha in such a way that she longed to go and pay him homage too.

But when she learned that the Buddha often talked about the impermanence of the body, she was afraid that he might disparage her for her beauty, and so hesitated to do so. In the end, howe ver, she decided that no matterwhat the Buddha might say to her, she would go and see him anyway.

As soon as the Buddha saw Rupananda, he realized that she was someone very attached to her beauty. To teach her a lesson, he caused a vision of a ravishing young lady to appear before her. When Rupananda saw the young lady, she could not help but remark how extremely beautiful she was and exclaimed to herself, “My goodness, next to her I must look like an old crow!”

Then before Rupananda could realize what was happening, the beautiful young lady started to age and slowly deteriorate before her very eyes until she finally lay sick and helpless on the floor, rolling in her own excrement. Then she died, and Rupananda saw her corpse going through the different stages of decay, oozing pus and other foul liquids, and finally crawling with maggots.

Witnessing this rapid succession of images, Rupananda realized that there was a continuous process of change and decay in the body. “In the same way,” she thought, “like this young girl who has grown old, died, and decayed before my very eyes, I, too, will grow old and decay one day.”

With that realization, the attachment that Rupananda had for her body diminished and she came to perceive its true nature. She then became a nun, and under the guidance of the Buddha, eventually attained arahatship.

This body is built up with bones which are covered with flesh and blood. Within it dwell decay and death, pride and jealousy.

http://www.dhamma.worldofwisdom.asia/2011/12/impermanence-of-beauty.html
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/bmDamaStory.pdf

Master's eyes

One day a famous government officer met a highly respected edlerly master. Being conceited, he wanted to prove that he was the superior person.

As their conversation drew on, he asked the master, "Old monk, do you know what I think of you and the things you said?"

The master replied, "I don't care what you think of me. You are entitled to have your own opinion."

The officer snorted, "Well, I will tell you what I think anyway. In my eyes, you are just like a pile of dry shit!"

The master simply smiled and stayed quiet.

Seeing that his insult had fallen into deaf ears, he asked curiously, "And what do you think of me?"

The master said, "In my eyes, you are just like the Buddha."

Hearing this remark, the officer left happily and bragged to his wife about the incident.

His wife said to him, "You conceited fool! When a person has a heart like a pile of dry shit, he sees everyone in that light. The elderly master has a heart like that of the Buddha, and that is why in his eyes, everyone, including you, is like the Buddha!"

http://indigosociety.com/showthread.php?54567-Dhamma-Stories

Does God exist?

Buddha was gathered together with his disciples one morning, when a man came up to him.

'Does God exist?' he asked.

'He does,' replied Buddha.

After lunch, another man came up to him.

'Does God exist?' he asked.

'No, he doesn't,' said Buddha.

Later that afternoon, a third man asked the same question: 'Does God exist?'

'That's for you to decide,' replied Buddha.

As soon as the man had gone, one of his disciples remarked angrily:

'But that's absurd, Master! How can you possibly give such different answers to the same question?'

'Because they are all different people, and each one of them will reach God by his own path. The first man will believe what I say. The second will do everything he can to prove me wrong. The third will only believe in what he is allowed to choose for himself.'

http://www.in5d.com/spiritual-enlightenment-stories.html

The Lamp

In a village of one hundred houses a single light was burning. Then a neighbour came with his lamp to another’s home and lit a lamp; and in this same way the light was communicated from house to house and the brightness in the village was increased. Thus the light of religion may be diffused without diminishing the one who communicates it. Let the bliss of your witness be diffused. Divide it. 

http://isite.lps.org/rsalem/web/documents/B-ParablesoftheBuddha.pdf

Sandcastles

Some children were playing beside a river. They made castles of sand, and each child defended his castle and said, “This one is mine.” They kept their castles separate and would not allow any mistakes about which was whose. When the castles were all finished, one child kicked over someone else’s castle and completely destroyed it. The owner of the castle flew into a rage, pulled the other child’s hair, struck him with his fist and cried out, “He has spoiled my castle! Come all of you and help me to punish him as he deserves.” The others all came to his help. They beat the child with a stick and then kicked him as he lay on the ground…Then they went on playing with their sand castles, each saying, “This is mine; no one else may have it. Keep away! Don’t touch my castle!” But evening came; it was getting dark and they all thought they ought to be going home. No one now cared what became of his castle. One child stamped on his, another pushed his over with both hands. Then they turned away and went back, each to his home.

http://isite.lps.org/rsalem/web/documents/B-ParablesoftheBuddha.pdf

What are you?

It is said that soon after his enlightenment the Buddha passed a man on the road who was struck by the
Buddha's extraordinary radiance and peaceful presence.
The man stopped and asked, "My friend, what are you? Are you a celestial being or a god?"
"No," said the Buddha.
"Well, then, are you some kind of magician or wizard?"
Again the Buddha answered, "No."
"Are you a man?"
"No."
"Well, my friend, what then are you?" The Buddha replied, "I am awake."

http://zenpsychiatry.com/

The Mustard Seed

During Buddha’s time, there lived a woman named Kisa Gotami. She married young and gave birth to a son. One day, the baby fell sick and died soon after. Kisa Gotami loved her son greatly and refused to believe that her son was dead. She carried the body of her son around her village, asking if there was anyone who can bring her son back to life.

The villagers all saw that the son was already dead and there was nothing that could be done. They advised her to accept his death and make arrangements for the funeral.

In great grief, she fell upon her knees and clutched her son’s body close to her body. She kept uttering for her son to wake up.

A village elder took pity on her and suggested to her to consult the Buddha.

“Kisa Gotami. We cannot help you. But you should go to the Buddha. Maybe he can bring your son back to life!”

Kisa Gotami was extremely excited upon hearing the elder’s words. She immediately went to the Buddha’s residence and pleaded for him to bring her son back to life.

“Kisa Gotami, I have a way to bring your son back to life.”

“My Lord, I will do anything to bring my son back”

“If that is the case, then I need you to find me something. Bring me a mustard seed but it must be taken from a house where no one residing in the house has ever lost a family member. Bring this seed back to me and your son will come back to life.”

Having great faith in the Buddha’s promise, Kisa Gotami went from house to house, trying to find the mustard seed.

At the first house, a young woman offered to give her some mustard seeds. But when Kisa Gotami asked if she had ever lost a family member to death, the young women said her grandmother died a few months ago.

Kisa Gotami thanked the young woman and explained why the mustard seeds did not fulfill the Buddha’s requirements.

She moved on to the 2nd house. A husband died a few years. The 3rd house lost an uncle and the 4th house lost an aunt. She kept moving from house to house but the answer was all the same – every house had lost a family member to death.

Kisa Gotami finally came to realise that there is no one in the world who had never lost a family member to death. She now understood that death is inevitable and a natural part of life.

Putting aside her grief, she buried her son in the forest. Shen then returned to the Buddha and became his follower.

http://buddhiststories.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/kisa-gotami-and-the-mustard-seed/

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The Search

In the city of Savatthi in Northern India, the Buddha had a large center where people would come to meditate and to listen to his Dhamma talks. Every evening one young man used to come to hear his discourses. For years he came to listen to the Buddha but never put any of the teachings into practice.

After a few years, one evening this man came a little early and found the Buddha alone. He approached the Buddha and said, "Reverend Sir, I have a question that keep rising in my mind, raising doubts."

"Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path of Dhamma; Have them clarified. What is your question?"

"Sir, for many years now I have been coming to your meditation center, and I have noticed that there are a large number of recluses around you, monks and nuns and still a larger number of lay people, both men and women. For years some of them have been coming to you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached the final stage; quite obviously they are fully liberated. I can also see that others have experienced some changes in their lives. They are better than they were before, although I cannot say that they are fully liberated. But, Sir, I also noticed that a large number of people, including myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse.  They have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better."

"Why should this be, Sir? People come to you, such a great man, fully enlightened, such a powerful, compassionate person. Why don't you use your power and compassion to liberate them all?"

The Buddha smiled and said,"Young man, where do you live? What is your native place"


"Sir, I live here in Savatthi, the capital of the state of Kosala."

"Yes, but your facial features show that you are not from this part of the country. Where are you from originally?"

"Sir, I am from the city of Rajagaha, the capital of the state of Magadha, I came and settled here in Savatthi a few years ago."

"And have you severed all connections with Rajagaha?"

"No, Sir, I still have relatives there. I have friends there. I have business there."

"Then certainly you must go from Savatthi to Rajagaha quite often?"

"Yes, Sir. Many times each year I visit Rajagaha and return to Savatthi."

"Having traveled and returned so many times on the path from here to Rajagaha, certainly you must know the path very well?"

"Oh yes, Sir, I know it perfectly. I might almost say that even if I was blindfolded I could find the path to Rajagaha, so many times have I walked it"

"And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must know that you are from Rajagaha and have settled here? They must know that you often visit Rajagaha and return, and that you know the path from here to Rajagaha perfectly?"

"Oh, yes, sir. All those who are close to me know that I often go to Rajagaha and that I know the path perfectly." 

"Then it must happen that some of them come to you and ask you to explain to them the path from here to Rajagaha. Do you hide anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?"

"What is there to hide, Sir? I explain it to them as clearly as I can: you start walking towards the East and then head towards Banaras, and continue onward until you reach Gaya, and then Rajagaha. I explain it very plainly to them, Sir."

"And these people to whom you give such clear explanation, do all of them reach Rajagaha?" 

"How can that be, sir? Those who walk the entire path to it's end, only they will reach Rajagaha." 

"This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path from here to Nibbana and so knows it perfectly. They come to me and ask,'What is the path to Nibbana, to liberation?' And what is there to hide? I explain to them clearly: This is the path.' If somebody just nods his head and says,'Well said,well said, a very good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but won't take the trouble to walk over it,' then how can such a person reach the final goal?"

"I do not carry anyone on my shoulder to take him to the final goal. NOBODY can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say,'Well, this is the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work, you also walk, and you will reach the final goal.'But each person has to walk himself to take every step on the path himself. He who has taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has taken one hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer to the goal. He who has taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have to walk on the path yourself."

http://globalholisticmotivators.blogspot.in/2013/07/the-search-to-walk-on-path.html