Once upon a time in India there lived an old woman who was a great devotee of Buddha. One day when her son was traveling to Bodhgaya, the place of Buddha's enlightenment, she asked him to bring back a relic of Buddha. Bodhgaya is nowadays a great pilgrimage center for all Buddhists. There is still the Bodhi tree there, an offshoot of the tree under which Buddha found his enlightenment. Therefore, this tree is known as the Enlightenment Tree.
When the son was doing his prayers in the great Mahabodhi temple in front of the statue of the Buddha with the king cobra, he suddenly remembered that he should bring something to his old mother. He bought a small Buddha statue. But that didn't seem enough for him. His mother had specifically requested a relic as a souvenir. Where should the son get a relic? There was no such thing to buy. So the son broke off a small branch from the bodhi tree when the guards were not looking.
The old mother was very happy about the gift. She planted the small branch in her garden, placed the Buddha statue in front of it, and began to meditate every day in her sacred place. She firmly believed that Buddha's sacred energy still flowed through the branch and that she was personally connected to Buddha through the statue. Every day she recited mantras in front of the statue and meditated in the presence of Buddha. Over time, the spiritual energy in this place increased more and more. This was also felt by the neighbors. More and more people came to pray at this holy place and ask for their wishes to be fulfilled.
When the old woman died, she had a smile around her mouth. Rainbow lights appeared, indicating that the old woman had ascended to nirvana, Buddhist paradise, after her death. Her faith combined with her daily spiritual practice, had brought her to enlightenment. Her devotion to Buddha had made her a Buddha herself. As the Dalai Lama said, "Whoever meditates on Buddha becomes a Buddha."
The old woman
Re: The old woman
Thank you, Nils.
Perhaps now due to karma, we need to go over huge piles of complexities, many city trips through the Buddha Dharma, to realize simplicity in practice. Or is it practice in simplicity?
It is a nice story, making me remembering how important faith in Buddha nature and devotion is. And how important the influence is when we interact with other beings. Whether our behavior/attitude inspires, invites.Over time, the spiritual energy in this place increased more and more. This was also felt by the neighbors. More and more people came to pray at this holy place.
Study is as well really important but is alone not sufficient.Her faith combined with her daily spiritual practice, had brought her to enlightenment. Her devotion to Buddha had made her a Buddha herself.
Perhaps now due to karma, we need to go over huge piles of complexities, many city trips through the Buddha Dharma, to realize simplicity in practice. Or is it practice in simplicity?
"Absolute truth 'arisen from itself'
Is realized through faith alone.
So it is said."
Re: The old woman
I lock this topic in order to remind you that this is no thread about solid teachings or study. It's only the subforum Creative Writing here.