The Elephant and His Old Blind Mother

 

Long ago, in the hills of the Himalayas near a lotus pool, the Buddha was once born as a baby elephant. He was a magnificent elephant, pure white with feet and face the color of coral. His trunk gleamed like a silver rope and his ivory tusks curled up in a long arc.

He followed his mother everywhere. She plucked the tenderest leaves and sweetest mangoes from the tall trees and gave them to him. "First you, then me," she said. She bathed him in the cool lotus pool among the fragrant flowers. Drawing the sparkling water up in her trunk, she sprayed him over the top of his head and back until he shone. Then filling his trunk with water, he took careful aim and squirted a perfect geyser right between his mother's eyes. Without blinking, she squirted him back. And back and forth, they gleefully squirted and splashed each other. Splish! Splash!

Then they rested in the soft muck with their trunks curled together. In the deep shadows of afternoon, the mother elephant rested in the shade of a rose-apple tree and watched her son romp and frolic with the other baby elephants. The little elephant grew and grew until he was the tallest and strongest young bull in the herd. And while he grew taller and stronger, his mother grew older and older. Her tusks were yellow and broken and in time she became blind. The young elephant plucked the tenderest leaves and sweetest mangoes from the tall trees and gave them to his dear old blind mother. "First you, then me," he said.

He bathed her in the cool lotus pool among the fragrant flowers. Drawing the sparkling water up in his trunk, he sprayed her over the top of her head and back until she shone. Then they rested in the soft muck with their trunks curled together. In the deep shadows of afternoon, the young elephant guided his mother to the shade of a rose-apple tree. Then he went roaming with the other elephants. One day a king was hunting and spied the beautiful white elephant. "What a splendid animal! I must have him to ride upon!" So the king captured the elephant and put him in the royal stable. He adorned him with silk and jewels and garlands of lotus flowers. He gave him sweet grass and juicy plums and filled his trough with pure water.

But the young elephant would not eat or drink. He wept and wept, growing thinner each day. "Noble elephant," said the king, "I adorn you with silk and jewels. I give you the finest food and the purest water, yet you do not eat or drink. What will please you?" The young elephant said, "Silk and jewels, food and drink do not make me happy. My blind old mother is alone in the forest with no one to care for her. Though I may die, I will take no food or water until I give some to her first."

The king said, "Never have I seen such kindness, not even among humans. It is not right to keep this young elephant in chains." Free, the young elephant raced through the hills looking for his mother. He found her by the lotus pool. There she lay in the mud, too weak to move. With tears in his eyes, he filled his trunk with water and sprayed the top of her head and back until she shone. "Is it raining?" she asked. "Or has my son returned to me?" "It is your very own son!" he cried. "The king has set me free!" As he washed her eyes, a miracle happened. Her sight returned. "May the king rejoice today as I rejoice at seeing my son again!" she said.

The young elephant then plucked the tenderest leaves and sweetest mangoes from a tree and gave them to her. "First you, then me."

Turn Afflictions to Bodhi

We can view difficult times and situations as troubles and ask "Why me?" Or we can use them as opportunities to help us grow and advance on the path. Afflictions and difficulties will always be with us in the cycle of rebirth because everything is created by the mind.

Consider the anger and greed in the minds of people around the world. Consider how often our thoughts are purely of benefiting all beings—impartially and unconditionally. For most of us, our self-serving thoughts far outweigh our unselfish ones. These are the thoughts that create our world: a world of afflictions.

We can turn these afflictions into Bodhi, into the mind of awakening by learning from misfortune. Instead of feeling sorry for and indulging ourselves, and excusing our wrong behavior, we can understand that others go through difficulties as well. Understand that others suffer and wish for happiness. And understand that only when all beings are free of suffering will we be free as well.

Why Do We Study the Amitabha Sutra?

Question: There are so many sutras. Why study the Amitabha Sutra?

Response: The purpose of learning and practicing the Amitabha Sutra is to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land—to be close to Amitabha and to study and practice there. What is wrong with studying and practicing in this world?

This world does not provide a good learning environment nor does it provide good teachers or fellow practitioners. The human life span is short, too short for learning. Amitabha Buddha provides us with the best learning environment. And if we want to go, we can. Sakyamuni Buddha told us that when we go to that environment, all Buddhas will be our teachers, and people of supreme virtue will be our fellow practitioners.

In the Pure Land there is no cause for our greed, anger, and ignorance to arise. Why? Because whatever we need will appear before us, so we have no cause to become greedy. Everyone in the Western Pure Land is a good person. Nobody has any bad thoughts or bad intentions. Nobody uses harsh language. We have no cause to become angry. In other words, there is no condition for us to become angry.

What our senses touch is the Dharma, the sages' teachings. We will not be ignorant. In other words, we do not have to end or do anything about our greed, anger, and ignorance. When we live there long enough, our greed, anger, and ignorance will naturally be uprooted.

~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra

Releasing Animals

In the past in Asia, Buddhists often bought and released captured animals they found in local markets. This was obviously good because the animal would otherwise have been killed. Since the animal—often a fish or bird—was captured in the wild, it would be able to survive since it had gone back to its natural environment.

Today, many Buddhists still follow this tradition. But as with everything we do, we need to use wisdom in releasing animals.

1. Buying animals, like fish, encourages those who caught the fish to catch even more. Thus, more animals are at risk of capture. Also, when the animals are released on a special date, those who catch them will catch even more in anticipation of increased demand.
2. Those who release the animals must know they will be able to live in the wild. Domestically raised animals do not have the survival skills that wild animals do. Releasing domestic animals can endanger their lives.
3. The animals need to be released in their natural environment. Introducing them into an environment that is unsuitable for them will endanger them as well as upset the natural balance of that environment.

Times change. A kind act wisely performed in one situation may turn out to be neither kind nor wise in another.

As Ven. Master Chin Kung has said on releasing animals, “We need to understand thoroughly the situation so in our attempts to be kind, we do not unintentionally cause harm instead.”

Let the Buddha's Name Flow

 

When practicing Buddha-name chanting,
the most important thing is to keep our minds
continuously focused and without distraction.
It is not necessary to chant rapidly.
Chant comfortably—neither too slowly nor too quickly.
Continuously and clearly,
let the Buddha’s name flow through our minds.

If we can mindfully chant the Buddha’s name in this way,
even during our daily activities,
then we will be zealous in Buddha name chanting.

~ Master Shin Cheh