At the end of the sangha’s annual summer retreat, the bhikshus had deepened their understanding of the Dharma; their bodies and minds were pure and at ease. With hearts full of gratitude, they prostrated before the Buddha. He asked them, “Did you have everything you needed these past three months? Were your bodies and minds joyful and at peace?”
The Buddha’s attendant Ananda saw how much he cared for the monks. He asked the Buddha, “World Honored One, you cannot bear to see living beings suffer—your compassion inspires us all. Would the World Honored One please tell us, when did you first give rise to this mind of great compassion?”
The Buddha smiled and said, “Immeasurable kalpas ago, there were two people who fell into hell. The guards stripped the skin from their bodies, tying the ends to heavy iron carts. Harnessed by their own skin, the men were forced to pull the carts back and forth while guards beat them with iron clubs. They could not stop even to catch their breath.”
“One man finally reached the end of his strength. He collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground. When the guards saw, they beat him mercilessly. Seeing his partner’s wretched state, the other man was filled with pity. He told the guards, ‘Stop! I will pull this cart by myself.’ The guards heard and flew into a rage, beating the second man to death with their clubs. But with this thought of compassion, he was liberated from hell and reborn in the heavens.”
The Buddha told Ananda, “In one of my previous lives, I was that man in hell who was willing to suffer in place of his partner. Ever since then, in all my rebirths, I have harbored unconditional compassion for all sentient beings in thought after thought.”
Learning the causality behind the Buddha’s mind of compassion, Ananda was filled with admiration and gratitude. He and the other bhikshus diligently cultivated according to this teaching.
REFLECTION
The Sutra on the Contemplation of Immeasurable Life says, “The buddha mind is the mind of great compassion.” The Nirvana Sutra says, “All the World Honored Ones of the three periods have great compassion as their foundation.” Developing compassion towards sentient beings is the first step in cultivation, an essential part of reaching buddhahood. The right causes and right views ensure we head down the right path. As long as we cultivate on the right path, we will surely reach enlightenment.