Shakyamuni Buddha: Four Auspiciousnesses of Harmony

 

A long time ago, there was a place called Gasi, where there was a dense forest. There is a horned bird, a mountain hare, a monkey, and an elephant in the forest. The four animals live in harmony, never quarrel, and live happily and peacefully.

 

One day, the four animals discussed and said: "We should respect the oldest one." So after mutual consultation, everyone agreed to use the ancient tree as a reference to compare the order of eldest and younger among each other. Sheephorn suggested: "Everyone should talk about the height of the trees they saw when they were children."

 

The elephant spoke first and said: "The tree I saw when I was a child was as tall as my current body."

 

The monkey then spoke: "The tree I saw with the monkeys when I was a child is as tall as my current body."

 

After listening to their speeches, everyone unanimously agreed: "Compared with elephants and monkeys, monkeys are older."

 

Mountain Rabbit took over and said: "When I was a child, this tree only had two young leaves. I even licked the dew on these two leaves."

 

So everyone commented: "Compared with the first two, Mountain Rabbit should be considered older."

 

The Sheephorn Bird finally said: "No matter what, you have seen this tree when you were young. But I have eaten the seeds of this tree before. After spreading dung in this place, it can break out of the ground and grow day by day." "

 

The other three companions said together: "You are the oldest among us. It is natural for everyone to respect you and listen to your words." After saying that, the monkey first saluted the mountain hare and the horned bird, and then the mountain hare The elephant bowed respectfully to the sheep-horned bird, and finally, the elephant bowed respectfully to all its companions.

 

From then on, the four animals accompanied each other in order of age, whether in daily life or out walking. Sometimes when we go to a steeper mountain, we will see a monkey squatting on the elephant, a mountain hare on the monkey's shoulder, and a horned bird standing on the mountain hare's head, in a harmonious and orderly manner.

 

The four animals jointly vow to stop evil and do good. The sheep-horned bird said: "We should stop killing immediately." After hearing this, everyone asked it: "How can we do it?" The sheep-horned bird explained: "Even if we only eat fruits and weeds, there are two possibilities: killing and not killing. From now on, we should only eat in a non-killing way. In addition, we should stop stealing and never take things that are not ours. In daily life, we should also abstain from lying, drinking and other faults, even some containing substances that can make people dizzy and intoxicated Things like certain leaves and fruits should also not be eaten.”

 

As a result, the four partners began to observe the precepts and persisted in doing so. Later, the sheep-horned bird encouraged its companions: "We should not only observe it ourselves, but also mobilize other sentient beings to strictly observe the five precepts." Next, the mountain rabbit began to persuade all the mountain rabbits, the monkey began to persuade all the monkeys, and the elephant began to persuade all the monkeys. and tigers, lions and other fierce beasts tried to persuade each other, hoping that they could protect the precepts. At this time, the Sheephorn Bird said to them: "All the legless, four-legged, flying birds, etc. that you cannot advise, give them to me, and I will find ways to make them observe the commandments."

 

Several good friends have since tried their best to help everyone keep the precepts. Under their guidance and persuasion, the animals can gradually live peacefully in the forest in harmony without harming each other. Therefore, the gods also send rain at the right time. The entire land has abundant crops, dense plants, and flowers blooming everywhere. The country enjoys a bumper harvest and its wealth is increasing day by day.

 

People have witnessed with their own eyes the scene of peace and prosperity, and the king naturally believes that this is due to his own contribution to governing the country, while the princess, princes, ministers, and people in the city also believe that this is due to their respective contributions. The king later learned about this situation and wanted to go to a fortune teller to ask what happened. But people who read fortune-telling cannot see the mystery.

 

Not far from Sarnath there is a garden in which an immortal lives. The king came here in person and asked the sage: "Currently in our country, all living beings are peaceful, living in harmony, and living and working in peace and contentment. The weather is smooth, so that the trees are lush and the crops are abundant. I think this is the result of my ability to preside over the country wisely, but the princess, The people in the city, etc., all think that this is their contribution. May I ask who caused such an auspicious scene?"

 

The immortal finally revealed the secret: "This is not obtained by relying on the abilities of the king, princess or prince. In fact, it is caused by the power of the four animals in your land."

 

The king unconsciously became curious: "I would like to see what magic they have?"

 

The immortal replied: "There are no strange places for you to see. They are just strict observance of the precepts. If you can do this, it will bring endless benefits to you and the country. The so-called five precepts refer to killing and killing..." The sage then preached the teachings of the Five Precepts to the king.

 

After hearing this, the king made a vow: "I will strictly abide by the precepts." Following the king's example, everyone from the princess to the princes and the people in the city began to regulate their personal behavior with the five precepts.

 

Hearing that King Fanshi and his family members were observing the Five Precepts one after another, neighboring countries also spread the news to each other, so that many sentient beings in each country gradually adopted the Five Precepts as their daily behavioral norms.

 

After death, all living beings who observe the Five Precepts are reincarnated in heaven. The gods explain the reason to their relatives: "The sheep-horned bird, which is respected by others and practices asceticism in the forest, takes the lead in observing the precepts and guides many living beings in the world to observe the precepts. Therefore, it is There are so many sentient beings who are reincarnated into heaven after death.”

 

The goat-horned bird is the Buddha's previous life, the mountain rabbit is the later Sariputta, the monkey is the later Moggallana, and the elephant is the later Ananda.

 

——Adapted from "Sakyamuni Buddha's Broad Transmission: Precept Precepts"

 

Original source: http://big5.xuefo.net/nr/article14/137700.html