Buddhist Story: The Elder's Son Póshìzhì and the Divine Bird
Adopted from Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, Chapter 38
Long, long ago in a thriving ancient city,
there lived an extremely wealthy elder named Shīlìzhì. He had his first and
only son very late in life. The child was born with extraordinary features and
remarkable intelligence, bringing great joy to the entire family. They invited
a fortune-teller to name the child.
The fortune-teller asked, "Were there
any auspicious signs when the child was born?"
The elder replied, "My wife used to
be slow of speech, but after she became pregnant with this child, she became
eloquent and articulate, far surpassing ordinary people!"
Thus, the child was named "Póshìzhì."
As Póshìzhì grew up, his brilliance and
talent amazed everyone. One day, while out, he saw a young woman from a
traveling performance troupe. She was graceful and beautiful, and he was
instantly captivated. Returning home, he begged his parents to arrange a
marriage.
His parents objected: "We come from a
noble family, and she is a performer's daughter—the match is completely
unsuitable for the families are not of equal rank!" But Póshìzhì's mind
was made up. He even declared, "If I cannot marry her, I would rather
die!"
Left with no choice, his parents sent
someone to propose to the girl’s family. The woman's family set a condition:
"Unless he masters all the performing arts—singing, dancing, and
acrobatics—and successfully performs before the king, we will not agree to the
marriage."
Driven by his obsession, Póshìzhì actually
set aside his pride and practiced day and night, gradually becoming skilled in
these arts.
Before long, the king held a grand
performance festival. When it was Póshìzhì's turn to walk the tightrope high in
the air, his strength failed him. Just as he was about to fall from the great
height, at this critical moment, the Venerable Maudgalyayana suddenly appeared
in the sky.
He asked, "Would you choose to
renounce the world and save your life, or would you rather die to marry that
woman?"
At that moment, Póshìzhì immediately cried out, "I choose to
live! I don't want that woman anymore!"
The Venerable Maudgalyayana instantly used
his supernatural powers to manifest a solid platform in mid-air. Póshìzhì, his
heart still racing, walked down safely. Deeply moved by life's impermanence, he
followed the Venerable Maudgalyayana to pay respects to the Buddha.
After the Buddha expounded to him the
discourse on generosity, moral precepts, and the path to higher realms, [He] then
specifically reminded him: "Worldly romantic love is illusory like a
dream. Only through spiritual practice and transcending the three realms can
one attain liberation."
Hearing this, Póshìzhì's mind opened. In
that moment of clarity, he immediately attained the first fruition and
requested to become a monk under the Buddha's guidance. Through diligent
practice, he eventually achieved arhatship.
Later, the Venerable Ananda asked the
Buddha, "Why was Póshìzhì so obsessed with that woman? Why did the
Venerable Maudgalyayana go to rescue him? And what karmic connections
ultimately enabled him to achieve arhatship?" The Buddha smiled and said,
"Countless eons ago, Póshìzhì was the son of a nobleman in the kingdom of
Varanasi, and he raised a divine bird. Once, riding this divine bird, he flew
to another country to watch performances and unexpectedly fell in love with the
king's daughter. When the king discovered their secret meetings, he was about
to have Póshìzhì executed. In desperation, Póshìzhì quickly climbed a tree,
mounted the divine bird, and flew away, saving his life. That divine bird is
now the Venerable Maudgalyayana; that princess is now the performance troupe
woman. Because of their past attachment and passionate love, they met again in
this life; and because of the kindness Póshìzhì showed in caring for the divine
bird in his past life, he was rescued again in this life and found
safety."
The Buddha continued, "Póshìzhì's
intelligence in this life and his attainment of sacred fruit are because he
once made offerings to a pratyekabuddha and made this vow: 'May I meet an even
greater teacher in the future, hear boundless profound teachings, and
ultimately attain enlightenment myself.' This virtuous aspiration has now been
completely fulfilled."
Personal insight: The law of cause and effect is real; every thought
we have sows a seed.
This story profoundly teaches us: every
encounter has a prior cause; every consequence is created by the mind.
Póshìzhì's infatuation with that woman was
no accident—it stemmed from their emotional entanglement in a past life. The
Venerable Maudgalyayana's timely rescue was no coincidence—it was repayment for
the kindness shown long ago. And Póshìzhì's intelligence and cultivational
attainment in this life were all results of his virtuous aspirations and good
deeds from previous lives.
When conditions ripen, we each reap the
results of our own actions. This is the principle of "cause and effect"—not
superstition. According to Buddhist teaching, the fundamental cause is each
person's eighth consciousness, called the "Tathāgatagarbha." It
possesses an intrinsic nature of true suchness, characterized by equanimity and
purity. The seed of our every action in each lifetime is stored without error
in this Tathāgatagarbha, and when conditions mature, it ripens and we reap the
karmic results.
So if you treat others well, others will
certainly treat you nicely in return, because the Tathāgatagarbha operates with
perfect equality and impartiality. The law of cause and effect is the
universe's fair order, the most just arbiter.
The difficulties you face today may be the
result of an unwholesome thought from the past. The kind thought you plant at
this moment will also trigger pure, peaceful, and secure karmic results in the
future. In truth, each of us lives every moment within our own “karmic
script" written by our own Tathāgatagarbha.
Today's version of you can work diligently
toward a future of "wholesome results." Your single wholesome
thought, wholesome word, wholesome action, or opportunity to connect with
authentic and correct teachings and virtuous mentors can all plant wholesome seeds
and conditions for a future of purity and liberation.
May we all, like Póshìzhì, encounter wholesome
conditions when lost, and after awakening, learn, contemplate, and practice the
path to attain liberation—deeply believing in causality, carefully guarding our
mental intentions, and creating lotus blossoms with each step.
#dharma #buddhism #buddhateachings #karma #tathagatagarbha
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