A Story of “The Monkey Who Offered Honey"
To Learn About Karma, Speech Karma, and the Power of Repentance
Excerpted from The Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish (Damamukanidana Sūtra), Chapter 40: The Story of Śreṣṭhin’s Son, Madhuvāsiṣṭha.
During the Buddha’s lifetime, there lived in the kingdom of Śrāvastī a wealthy man named Śreṣṭhin. Although he possessed great wealth, he had no heir, and this caused him great sorrow. He consulted the famous Six Heterodox Teachers of that time, who pronounced, “You are destined by fate to remain childless!” Upon hearing this, Śreṣṭhin fell into despair. He refused even to change into clean clothes, thinking, “I have no children. Once I die, all my properties will be confiscated by the state.” The more he thought about this, the more distressed he became. His wife believed that what a Buddhist nun had told her was true―that the Six Heterodox Teachers were not omniscient beings and thus could not know the karmic conditions of a person’s actions. The Tathāgata was present in the world then, and He clearly understood and penetrated all phenomena, with no obstruction regarding the past or future. Śreṣṭhin’s wife thus urged her husband to consult the Buddha. His hope rekindled, Śreṣṭhin changed into new clothes and went to pay respects to the Buddha. Bowing his head to the Buddha’s feet, he asked respectfully, “World-Honored One! Will I have a son in this lifetime?” The Buddha prophesied, “You will have a son endowed with merit and virtue. When he grows up, he will want to leave home for monastic practice.”
Śreṣṭhin, overjoyed, said to the Buddha, “As long as I can have a son, I will never stop him from leaving home to practice the Buddhist Path in the future.” He joyfully invited the Buddha and the Sangha to accept offerings at his home the following day. The next day, after the Buddha led the monastics to accept the meal offering, on their return journey, they rested beside a marsh that flowed with pure, sweet spring water, and they rinsed their bowls there.
At that moment, a monkey ran toward Venerable Ānanda and asked him to give his alms bowl to it. The Buddha signaled to Ānanda to give the bowl to the monkey. After receiving the bowl, the monkey happily ran toward a honey tree, filled the bowl with honey, and respectfully presented it as an offering to the Buddha. The Buddha instructed the monkey to remove the small insects from the honey and dilute the honey with water. He then accepted the monkey’s offering and distributed the honey water to all the bhikṣus.
Seeing that the Buddha and the Sangha had all accepted its offering, the monkey became so excited that it jumped up and down and danced about. However, it accidentally lost its footing and fell into a deep pit, dying instantly. Its eternal-vijñāna was immediately reborn in the household of Śreṣṭhin and his wife. Before long, Śreṣṭhin’s wife became pregnant. The child was exceptionally handsome—a rarity in the world then. On the day of his birth, all the containers in the household were miraculously filled with honey. The physiognomist praised the child’s profound merit and virtue and named him Madhuvāsiṣṭha (meaning “Honey Excellent” or “Honey Victor”).
When Madhuvāsiṣṭha grew up, he wanted to leave home for a monastic life. His parents were initially reluctant to part with him, but they remembered the Buddha’s prophecy and saw their son’s unwavering determination, so they finally agreed tearfully. Their son was extremely joyful and came before the Buddha, prostrating himself to request ordination. With the Buddha’s single phrase “Good approach, bhikṣu!” Madhuvāsiṣṭha’s beard and hair fell off by themselves, a kaṣāya robe appeared on his body, and he immediately became a bhikṣu. The Buddha taught him the Four Noble Truths and other Dharma teachings. He immediately attained fruition, severed his fetters, and realized arhatship. Moreover, he possessed a special ability: When traveling with other bhikṣus and feeling thirsty or hungry, he could simply toss his bowl into the air, and it would automatically be filled with honey, benefiting himself and others.
Venerable Ānanda was curious about the foregoing and asked the Buddha about its causes and conditions: What merit had Madhuvāsiṣṭha accumulated that enabled him to realize arhatship so soon after leaving home and to have his needs satisfied according to his wishes whenever he was thirsty or in want? The Buddha explained, “The Madhuvāsiṣṭha of today is that monkey in the past who offered honey with a joyful mind. Because he saw the Buddha and joyfully made an offering to Him, he was reborn into a wealthy and noble family, assumed a handsome appearance, and swiftly attained the sacred fruit.”
Ānanda then kneeled and asked further, “What karma did Madhuvāsiṣṭha create in the past that caused him to be reborn into a monkey?” The Buddha revealed an even more distant cause and condition: “In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha in the past, Madhuvāsiṣṭha was a young bhikṣu. Once, when he saw a realized arhat jump over a drainage ditch, he contemptuously said, ‘This person jumps just like a monkey!’ Upon hearing this, the sage seriously reminded him that he should not consider him a nominal śramaṇa and should not mock and slander a holy one, for he had personally realized all four fruits of śramaṇa practice. The young bhikṣu was so frightened that his hair stood on end. He immediately prostrated himself fully on the ground and begged for forgiveness with repentance.
The Buddha concluded, “Because he repented in time, he was spared the grave sin of falling into hell. However, because he had ridiculed the sage’s appearance, he still had to bear the karmic consequence of being reborn as a monkey for five hundred lifetimes. It was also because of the wholesome roots from his past ordination and observance of precepts that in this life, he was able to encounter me descending into the world, hear the Buddha Dharma, and ultimately attain liberation.”
After hearing what the Buddha said, Ānanda and the whole assembly were moved. They said in unison, “The three karmas of body, speech, and mind truly must not be treated carelessly! This bhikṣu of the past, because he could not guard his speech, received evil retribution.”
The Buddha then extensively taught the assembly of fourfold disciples about various dharmas and the methods for purifying the three karmas. Many people realized on the spot the first, second, third, or fourth fruits, while others generated an unsurpassed bodhi mind and abided in the stage of non-retrogression. Everyone rejoiced greatly and faithfully accepted and practiced the teachings.
This wonderful story is not merely a legend but a practical lesson on the law of cause and effect. Now, let us unravel the mysteries within it one by one. To Be Con't.......
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