Monday, November 26, 2012

Parable Of Returning Love For Hatred

Gautama Buddha

      Buddha, 5th Century; B.C., a prince of the house Gautama and himself called Siddhartha, was the great religious leader of northern India and the founder of Buddhism, one of the chief religious faiths of mankind today. He arrived at his beliefs by long meditation. he held that "suffering is inseparable from existence, which is an evil; that the principal cause of suffering is desire; that the suppression of suffering can be obtained by suppression of desire, and this in turn by Buddhist discipline."
    The parable given below illustrates the Golden Rule. Find out if you think you could have done what Dighavu did.

1. A king of the Kosales and his queen were robbed of their kingdom and cruelly slain by Brahmadatta, king of the Kasis. At the time of his death the condemned king looked at his son and gave his last injunction: ["Not by hatred, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased. By love, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased."]

2. And the orphan prince wept and wandered in the forest and then took employment as a menial in the royal stables of Brahmadatta. And one day he sang a song and played on the flute. And the king heard him and was so pleased with him that he engaged the boy as his attendant, not  knowing who he was.

3. And it so happened that on one occasion the king went out to hunt, taking Dighavu with him. And the king lost his way and felt tired and lay down. He laid his head on the lap of Dighavu and fell asleep.

4. And Dighavu thought within himself: "This king Brahmadatta of Kasis has done much harm to us. By him we have been robbed of our troops and vehicles, our realm, our treasures and storehouses. And he has killed my father and mother. Now the time has come to me to satisfy my hatred."

5.And Dighavu unsheathed his sword, but the dying injunction of his father came to his mind: "Not by hatred, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased." And the prince put up his sword.

6. And the king dreamed a frightful dream, and when he awoke Dighavu told him the whole truth, forgave him the murder of his parents, and gave him his life. And the king then rendered back to Dighavu his father's kingdom and gave him his daughter to wed.

7. "Now, O monks," concluded the Buddha, "If such is the forbearance and midlness of kings who wield the scepter and bear the sword, so much more, O monks, must you so let your light shine before the world, that you, having embraced the religious life according to so well-taught a doctrine and

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