Bhikkhu or Brahmana?
ONCE THERE WAS A REBELLION against the king which one of his officers successfully
suppressed. The king was immensely pleased and rewarded him handsomely with
costly gifts and a dancing girl to keep him entertained and happy. For several
days he was allowed to relax and enjoy himself, which he did with good food and
wine, and the dancing girl was so beautiful and danced so gracefully that he
eventually fell madly in love with her.
One
morning as he was on his way to the river to take a bath, he ran into the
Buddha and his disciples going on their almsround and bowed casually as a sign
of respect.
The Buddha smiled and said to Ananda, “That officer will come to see me
later today. and after I have preached to him, he will attain full
enlightenment
and then die. That officer will today realize Parinibbana.
The
officer, however, had no idea what was in store for him that day. He continued
entertaining his friends on the banks of the river, enjoying himself immensely.
He was dizzy with delight as his lissom dancer ceaselessly swirled and twirled
for their pleasure and amusement. That evening, however, the dancer collapsed
from excessive exhaustion and died.
The
officer felt so grieved that he went to the Buddha for some comfort and relief,
his eyes still wet and swollen from all his weeping. The Buddha told him that
the tears he was
shedding due to his loss was nothing compared to the amount he had already shed
throughout his previous lifetimes. “Isn’t it time to stop?” the Buddha asked
him. ‘Desire is the root of your sorrow. Why not get rid of that and have no
more sorrow?” At the end of the Buddha’s discourse, the officer attained
arahatship. Soon after that, as the Buddha had predicted, he died.
The
bhikkhus were curious to know whether the officer was a bhikkhu or a brahmana
since he attained Parinibbana in the clothes of a layman. The Buddha said that
he could be called both because it was not by external appearances that one
became holy, but by whether one’s mind was pure and free from greed, hatred,
and delusion.
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