The Power of loving
Kindness
NEWLY-WED UTTARA was not very happy in her new household, for although she loved
to prepare almsfood for the Buddha and his disciples, she was too busy looking
after the needs of her new husband to do so. She complained to her father about
it and
he, feeling sorry for her, sent her some money. Uttara then asked her husband
if she could use it to hire a maidservant who would look after him while she used
her own time to prepare almsfood for the Buddha and his monks. The husband agreed and a maidservant was
employed.
One day,
while Uttara was busily preparing food for one of her merit-making ceremonies,
her husband happened to pass by the kitchen. Seeing his wife so happily
engaged. he thought to himself. “What a foolish little woman! She should be
enjoying herself instead of working so hard. And he smiled at her
affectionately.
When the maidservant saw his smile, she forgot that she was only a
hired hand, and in a fit
of jealousy, took a pot of hot boiling
butter from the stove to pour over Uttara. When Uttara realized what the maid
was going to do, she made this resolution: “Let the butter scald me only if I
bear any ill-will toward my maidservant.” But ill-will was far from the heart
of Utrara. Instead, she felt only loving kindness and gratitude coward her
maid, for Uttara realized that without her, she would not have been able to
carry out all of
her merit-making activities. Consequently, the hot butter simply rolled off Uttara’s body like drops of cold water.
When
Utcara’s attendants realized
what the maid had done, they seized her and
started hitting her from all
sides. Uttara immediately ordered them to stop.The maid
then realized that she was in no position to be jealous of Uttara. Feeling
ashamed, she asked Uttara for forgiveness.
Later when
the Buddha learned what had happened, he praised Uttara for having conquered
anger by loving kindness. He further instructed his listeners that abuse should
be conquered by non-abuse, selfishness by generosity, and lying by speaking the
truth.
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