This
is an Indian story. In a city in India, there was a very honest and benevolent
Hindu. The Hindus worship God, and any of Hiers symbols, including stones
or so-called God's shadows -- past enlightened Masters. They worship all of
them and chant their names the way we chant the names of Amitabha Buddha,
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Sakyamuni Buddha. That is how they pray for
blessings. Some Hindus are very pious and pure at heart. Although they do
not have the power of being omnipresent or omnipotent, any magical powers,
anything spectacular, or many disciples, they are pure at heart and live a
very comfortable life. They are poor but they live a life of ease are full
of faith, and free of worries. Indian people are always laughing; they may
be very poor or even have nothing to eat the next day, but still they laugh.
Of course, the dying people are too ill to laugh, but we really can't blame
them.
One
day, two great masters, perhaps Hindu monks or Brahmans, arrived at the city
where this Hindu lived. Being a pious believer, he would pay respect to any
great master, spiritual practitioner or monk that he knew. When he went out
that day, he met one of the masters who lived near his house. Forgetting that
he had not brought any gifts, milk or fruit for offering, he prostrated and
said, "Oh, great master! Please have mercy and protect my family. You
have immense blessing, so please bestow a little on us, and your humble servant
would be extremely happy! Allow me to prostrate before you!"
The
next day, he bought some fruit as an offering to the master, and took the
opportunity to ask, "Master, I heard that another great soul has come
and he is staying on the west side." The title they use is Mahatma, which
means a great soul, great wisdom, great sage or great master, as in Mahatma
Gandhi whom they revere. It simply means a very great person. The Hindu asked,
"Master, do you know about that great master living on the west side,
the other side of town?" The monk accepted his offerings and said, "Hmm!
I know him; he is a bull!" (Master laughs) "Really?" The man
was amazed. "So he is a bull! How grateful I am for your guidance. I
am such an ignorant person that I am not able to tell a bull from a human.
I am really sorry! Thank you very much, master. Now I understand."
He
went home and quickly bought some fresh grass (laughter) as an offering to
the master on the west side. He laid the grass before the master and prostrated.
"Please accept the prostration and modest gift from this humble servant
and ignorant being. Will you kindly give protection to my family, and bestow
a little wisdom and blessing to your humble servant? I will be extremely grateful
to you, master."
As
he bowed down, do you know how the face of this master change? (Laughter)
It was not a bull's face; it became a horse's face because it was stretched
very long. He asked, "What do you mean by making this offering of grass
to me? I don't understand!" The Hindu said, "Oh! It is because the
master on the east side told me that you are a bull, so I thought you will
definitely love fresh grass." (Laughter) The monk exclaimed, "That
man is an ass! You go and tell him that he is an ass." (Laughter)
Hearing
his words, the man said, "Oh! I see, so he is an ass! Thank you very
much for your guidance, and I am sorry for having offended you just now. Being
an ignorant being, your humble servant knows nothing, has no knowledge, no
aspiration, nothing.... Owing to my ignorance, I didn't realize that you were
a great soul. Instead, I thought you were a bull as that master had told me.
If you hadn't denied it, an ignorant being like me would never have known
the truth." He kept apologizing and then left.
He
went to buy some cotton seeds to make an offering to the first master. "Master,
will you please accept my humble gift and bestow some protection and blessing
on me in return? Your modest servant is truly ignorant and has no blessings
at all. I will be grateful if you would give me some blessings and accept
my sincere offering." The face of the monk turned green and he didn't
looked like an ass, but like gr-ass. (Master plays with the words.) "What
do you mean? How can I eat this? I am a human being. Why did you buy this
instead of other things?"
The
man replied, "How do I know that you are a human? As an ignorant being,
I know nothing. Your humble servant has never studied any Vedas or practiced
with any enlightened master. I am just an ordinary person, so how can I discern
what a great soul like you truly is? Thanks to the guidance of another master,
I know that you are an ass. (Master laughs) That was why I quickly went to
buy this to make an offering to you. Please pardon my ignorance." The
monk was furious. "Take me to see that man; I'll teach him a lesson and
show him the way to treat his elder."
When
the two monks eventually met, they had a fierce quarrel. Watching on one side,
the farmer (the Hindu) was extremely amused to see a bull quarreling with
an ass. (Master and everyone laugh)
Because
of their ignorance, they didn't realize that they were in fact alike! They
behaved that way because they were not enlightened. If they had been enlightened,
they would have known that speaking ill of others is speaking ill of ourselves.
Instead of talking face to face, they talked behind each other's back, not
knowing who the bull was and who the ass was.
The
world is really funny! Everyone indulges in these games; no one is serious.
They really have nothing to do! You don't have to feel frustrated either.
Nothing truly happens in the world; all troubles are self-created. If we could
recognize our original nature, we would feel very peaceful and happy within,
knowing that nothing is happening. We create everything, just for fun. It
is true, and it is real fun!
Transform
into a butterfly and see how it feels. For the same reason, some take the
form of an ant, a bird, a lion or a tiger. Oh! Everyone is having great fun
with the game. Actually it is the same electric current flowing through, only
the connecting cables are different. Some are very thick, some are very thin,
some very beautiful, some very dark. The color and thickness may vary, but
it is the same electricity inside, coming from the same powerhouse. (Applause)
Master
Tells Stories
Who
Is Who?