10-16-2010, 07:27 PM
Are there wanderers that go to 2D instead of 3D?
In the Buddhist writings there are many stories of the Buddha's previous lives when he was a Boddhisattva. These stories are called Jataka stories, and many many years ago I found a book of such stories, which are wonderful little nuggets. Begging everyone's indulgence, I transcribe one here for your enlightenment. This is entitled "The Hare Jataka", a tale of a wander to 2D giving a lesson on service to others.
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"seven red fish." -This the Teacher told while living at the Jetavana about giving all the requisites. They said that a landowner of Savatthi provided the Sangha, with the Buddha at its head, with a gift of all the requisites, invited them to a pavilion which he had set up at the door of his house, caused them to be seated on excellent prepared seats, dispensed various and choice foods, invited them for a week, saying always "Again tomorrow!" and on the seventh day gave to each of the five hundred monks a set of requisites. The Teacher, at the end of the meal returning thanks said: "Layman, it is meet that you give joy and gladness, for this is a tradition of wise men of old, who, laying down their lives for suppliants they met, even gave them their own flesh." And being begged he brought up the past...
In the past, when Brahmadatta was reigning at Benares, the Bodhisat, reborn of a hare, lived in the forest. Now on one side of this forest was the foot of the mountains, on the other side a border-hamlet. Later on he came to have three companions: a monkey, a jackal, and an otter. And those four wise folk, dwelling together, hunted their food each in his own beat, meeting together in the evening. The hare-pundit as a lesson to the three taught them the right, saying "There should be giving of gifts, warding of morals, observing the holy day." They accepted his lesson, then entered each his own lair, and there abode. Now, as time went on, the Bodhisat, one day, looking at the sky and seeing the moon, saw that "tomorrow is the holy day," and said to the other three: "Tomorrow is holy day; do you three people carrying out the moral code be keepers of the day; established in that code whatever you give becomes very fruitful; hence if a beggar arrives feed him with the food you were going to eat yourselves." "Very good," they assented, and abiding each in his own place, on the following day the otter, going out early to seek his food, went to the bank of the Ganges. Now an angler having drawn out seven red fish, strung them on a withy, buried them in the sand on the bank, and to catch fish strolled down the Ganges. The otter, smelling a fish-smell, dug up the sand, saw the fish, brought them out and, thinking "Is there, I wonder, anyone who owns these?", called three times. Seeing no owner, he bit hold of the withy and placed the catch in his lair, thinking "In due time I'll eat them." So warding his morals (by the fast) he laid down. The jackal, too, going out for his food, saw in the hut of a field-warder two spits of meat, a lizard, and a pot of milk. He did as the otter had done, and seeing no owner, he put the cord-handle of the milkpot round his neck, gripped spits and lizard with his teeth, brought them to his own lair, put them aside, thinking "In due time I'll eat them", and warding his morals lay down.
Now the Bodhisat, going out betimes, thinking "I will eat dabba grass," thought as he lay in his form: "I cannot give grasses to beggars who may come to me, and I haven't got any rice and oil. If a beggar come to me I will give him my own body's flesh." By the moral splendour of that the bright cloth stone seat of Sakka showed heat. Mindful of it he saw the reason and though: "I will examine the king of hares." And first he went to the otter's abode and stood in the garb of a brahman. When it was asked, "Brahman, needing what are you stainding here?" "Wise man, if I could get food after observing holy day I could do my religious duty," he saying "Good, I will give you food," conversed with him in the first verse:
"Seven red fish have I here
From water drawn to land
Brahman, I've these (to give)
Eat and in wood abide!"
The brahman, saying "Let be til to-morrow; later on I shall know," went to the jackal, and when asked what he wanted, he said the same. The jackal said, "Good, I will give," and in conversing with him said the second verse:
"Supper of field-ward brought
Is mine and 'twill not keep:
Two flesh-spits, lizard one,
And eke a pot of milk:
Brahman, I've these (to give):
Eat and in wood abide."
The brahman, saying "Let be till-tomorrow; later on I shall know," went to the monkey, and when asked what he wanted, he said the same. The monkey said, "Good, I will give," and in conversing with him said the third verse:
"A mango-bunch, cool water,
Cool and delightful shade:
Brahman, I've these (to give):
Eat and in wood abide."
The brahman, saying "Let be till-tomorrow; later on I shall know," went to the hare-pundit, and when asked what he wanted, he said the same. Hearing that, the Bodhisat was glad: "Brahman, you did well in that you came to me to find food. To-day I will give a gift never before given by me, but you, as being moral, will not be taking life. Go, tata, drag sticks together and make a fire, and let me know. I giving up my own life will leap into the heart of the fire, and when my body is roasted, you having eaten my flesh will carry out your religious duties." And in conversing with him he said the fourth verse:
"To hare belongs no oil,
Nor any beans, nor rice,
Me roasted on this fire
Eat and in wood abide."
Sakka, hearing what he said, by his mighty power caused a heaped fire to appear and let the Bodhisat know. He, rising from his couch of dabba grass and going to it, said "If there be little beasts in my fur let them not die!" and he shook his whole body thrice and, giving his free gift sprang up with joyful mind and like a royal swan fell on to the heaped up fire. But the fire was not able to heat even the fur-pores on his body, and he became as he had if entered a cave of snow. Then he said to Sakka: "Brahman, the fire you have made is too cold; it isn't able to heat even the fur-pores on my body. How is this?"
"Wise man, I am not a brahman. I am Sakka come to examine you." "Sakka, leave it at that! If all the denizens of the world as well were to examine me in giving, they would not see in me reluctance to give!" - so the Bodhisat roared his challenge. Then said Sakka "Wise hare, be your virtue manifest throughout this age!" and squeezing the hillside he took hill-essence and on the disc of the moon he scratched the mark of a hare. And he told (this to) the Bodhisat, and laid him to rest on a soft couch of dabba-grass in that same thicket in that jungle and went to his own abode. And those four wise folk, in mutual concord and happiness keeping the holy day and fulfilling the moral code, went according to their deeds.
The Teacher . . . assigned the Jataka: "Then the otter was Ananda, the jackal was Moggallana, the monkey was Sariputra, the hare-pundit was just I."
In the Buddhist writings there are many stories of the Buddha's previous lives when he was a Boddhisattva. These stories are called Jataka stories, and many many years ago I found a book of such stories, which are wonderful little nuggets. Begging everyone's indulgence, I transcribe one here for your enlightenment. This is entitled "The Hare Jataka", a tale of a wander to 2D giving a lesson on service to others.
------
"seven red fish." -This the Teacher told while living at the Jetavana about giving all the requisites. They said that a landowner of Savatthi provided the Sangha, with the Buddha at its head, with a gift of all the requisites, invited them to a pavilion which he had set up at the door of his house, caused them to be seated on excellent prepared seats, dispensed various and choice foods, invited them for a week, saying always "Again tomorrow!" and on the seventh day gave to each of the five hundred monks a set of requisites. The Teacher, at the end of the meal returning thanks said: "Layman, it is meet that you give joy and gladness, for this is a tradition of wise men of old, who, laying down their lives for suppliants they met, even gave them their own flesh." And being begged he brought up the past...
In the past, when Brahmadatta was reigning at Benares, the Bodhisat, reborn of a hare, lived in the forest. Now on one side of this forest was the foot of the mountains, on the other side a border-hamlet. Later on he came to have three companions: a monkey, a jackal, and an otter. And those four wise folk, dwelling together, hunted their food each in his own beat, meeting together in the evening. The hare-pundit as a lesson to the three taught them the right, saying "There should be giving of gifts, warding of morals, observing the holy day." They accepted his lesson, then entered each his own lair, and there abode. Now, as time went on, the Bodhisat, one day, looking at the sky and seeing the moon, saw that "tomorrow is the holy day," and said to the other three: "Tomorrow is holy day; do you three people carrying out the moral code be keepers of the day; established in that code whatever you give becomes very fruitful; hence if a beggar arrives feed him with the food you were going to eat yourselves." "Very good," they assented, and abiding each in his own place, on the following day the otter, going out early to seek his food, went to the bank of the Ganges. Now an angler having drawn out seven red fish, strung them on a withy, buried them in the sand on the bank, and to catch fish strolled down the Ganges. The otter, smelling a fish-smell, dug up the sand, saw the fish, brought them out and, thinking "Is there, I wonder, anyone who owns these?", called three times. Seeing no owner, he bit hold of the withy and placed the catch in his lair, thinking "In due time I'll eat them." So warding his morals (by the fast) he laid down. The jackal, too, going out for his food, saw in the hut of a field-warder two spits of meat, a lizard, and a pot of milk. He did as the otter had done, and seeing no owner, he put the cord-handle of the milkpot round his neck, gripped spits and lizard with his teeth, brought them to his own lair, put them aside, thinking "In due time I'll eat them", and warding his morals lay down.
Now the Bodhisat, going out betimes, thinking "I will eat dabba grass," thought as he lay in his form: "I cannot give grasses to beggars who may come to me, and I haven't got any rice and oil. If a beggar come to me I will give him my own body's flesh." By the moral splendour of that the bright cloth stone seat of Sakka showed heat. Mindful of it he saw the reason and though: "I will examine the king of hares." And first he went to the otter's abode and stood in the garb of a brahman. When it was asked, "Brahman, needing what are you stainding here?" "Wise man, if I could get food after observing holy day I could do my religious duty," he saying "Good, I will give you food," conversed with him in the first verse:
"Seven red fish have I here
From water drawn to land
Brahman, I've these (to give)
Eat and in wood abide!"
The brahman, saying "Let be til to-morrow; later on I shall know," went to the jackal, and when asked what he wanted, he said the same. The jackal said, "Good, I will give," and in conversing with him said the second verse:
"Supper of field-ward brought
Is mine and 'twill not keep:
Two flesh-spits, lizard one,
And eke a pot of milk:
Brahman, I've these (to give):
Eat and in wood abide."
The brahman, saying "Let be till-tomorrow; later on I shall know," went to the monkey, and when asked what he wanted, he said the same. The monkey said, "Good, I will give," and in conversing with him said the third verse:
"A mango-bunch, cool water,
Cool and delightful shade:
Brahman, I've these (to give):
Eat and in wood abide."
The brahman, saying "Let be till-tomorrow; later on I shall know," went to the hare-pundit, and when asked what he wanted, he said the same. Hearing that, the Bodhisat was glad: "Brahman, you did well in that you came to me to find food. To-day I will give a gift never before given by me, but you, as being moral, will not be taking life. Go, tata, drag sticks together and make a fire, and let me know. I giving up my own life will leap into the heart of the fire, and when my body is roasted, you having eaten my flesh will carry out your religious duties." And in conversing with him he said the fourth verse:
"To hare belongs no oil,
Nor any beans, nor rice,
Me roasted on this fire
Eat and in wood abide."
Sakka, hearing what he said, by his mighty power caused a heaped fire to appear and let the Bodhisat know. He, rising from his couch of dabba grass and going to it, said "If there be little beasts in my fur let them not die!" and he shook his whole body thrice and, giving his free gift sprang up with joyful mind and like a royal swan fell on to the heaped up fire. But the fire was not able to heat even the fur-pores on his body, and he became as he had if entered a cave of snow. Then he said to Sakka: "Brahman, the fire you have made is too cold; it isn't able to heat even the fur-pores on my body. How is this?"
"Wise man, I am not a brahman. I am Sakka come to examine you." "Sakka, leave it at that! If all the denizens of the world as well were to examine me in giving, they would not see in me reluctance to give!" - so the Bodhisat roared his challenge. Then said Sakka "Wise hare, be your virtue manifest throughout this age!" and squeezing the hillside he took hill-essence and on the disc of the moon he scratched the mark of a hare. And he told (this to) the Bodhisat, and laid him to rest on a soft couch of dabba-grass in that same thicket in that jungle and went to his own abode. And those four wise folk, in mutual concord and happiness keeping the holy day and fulfilling the moral code, went according to their deeds.
The Teacher . . . assigned the Jataka: "Then the otter was Ananda, the jackal was Moggallana, the monkey was Sariputra, the hare-pundit was just I."
