An ungrateful monk, thinking he deserved what he received.
All of us had best remember that we enter this world naked, and we leave this world the same way too. In between, every breath we breathe, every bite of food and swallow of water, is provided by life and supports us now. Your dwelling place is not truly your own, nor your clothing or the car in the drive. As Keizan said, your life was totally conceived by this land as if by a pregnant woman. It is supported by the wind, the rain, the stars. All belongs to that from whence it came. Can you repay that debt? Do you know humility and gratitude (even for a life that is sometimes bitter and sometimes sweet)?
Truly, this whole universe is placed in your begging bowl. How rare to be born in human form, to have the opportunity to practice as we do.
Whether you take literally or not the story of a monk who came back as lunch, know that we all feed each other ... we all have a duty to feed the others. Here is a famous Buddhist story, though it is told in other religions too ...
Cook from 96. Hixon from 93
All of us had best remember that we enter this world naked, and we leave this world the same way too. In between, every breath we breathe, every bite of food and swallow of water, is provided by life and supports us now. Your dwelling place is not truly your own, nor your clothing or the car in the drive. As Keizan said, your life was totally conceived by this land as if by a pregnant woman. It is supported by the wind, the rain, the stars. All belongs to that from whence it came. Can you repay that debt? Do you know humility and gratitude (even for a life that is sometimes bitter and sometimes sweet)?
Truly, this whole universe is placed in your begging bowl. How rare to be born in human form, to have the opportunity to practice as we do.
Whether you take literally or not the story of a monk who came back as lunch, know that we all feed each other ... we all have a duty to feed the others. Here is a famous Buddhist story, though it is told in other religions too ...
The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.’
‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.’
The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.
The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’
They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.’
‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.’
and I am grateful even for that.
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