(Photo source: Envato)
Countless eons ago, in a dense and primordial mountain forest that was home to many birds and beasts, a baby elephant was born. Right from birth, this baby elephant was different from all others—it possessed a pair of beautiful tusks that glistened and glowed with pure white brilliance. Its trunk when curled up, resembled a silver ring, and on its forehead was the likeness of a lotus flower. To all who saw it, the elephant indeed was a most auspicious and pleasing sight.
As time passed, the baby elephant too, grew and reached maturity. It won the hearts of all the animals in the forest; whether it was a savage beast, poisonous snake or even a tiny harmless mouse, all of them loved him without exception and would gather by his side every day.
One day, as the sun was slipping away at dusk, the elephant found a quiet spot to enjoy some peace by himself. Just as he was settling down, the cries of a man was heard and the elephant got up to investigate.
A poverty-stricken man had ventured into the forest to gather materials for a living, and, having lost his way as daylight was fading, he was sobbing loudly in hopes that someone would hear him.
Just as he was losing hope, he caught sight of the elephant and in fear, tried to run away. The elephant saw his panic and stopped in its tracks. Seeing that the elephant had stopped, the man calmed down and stopped running too. Then, the elephant slowly approached the man, who tried to run away in fear again.
This went on for a while, and the man then thought to himself, “This elephant looks gentle and does not seem to harbour any evil intentions.”
Just as the man was deep in thought, the elephant knelt with its two front legs in a friendly manner and the man, sensing its kind intentions, began to inch nearer towards it. Although he still felt scared and anxious, he also sensed a feeling of calm and safety.
“I am lost and frightened! And I have gone hungry for the whole day,” said the man.
The elephant seemed to understand every word he said, and with its trunk, picked him up gently and placed him upon its back before setting off towards its home.
When they arrived, the man saw that fruits were abundant where the elephant lived, and he gobbled up what he could with great relish. When he was done, the elephant picked him up again and began to make its way out of the forest.
Sitting on the elephant’s back, the impoverished man began to entertain these thoughts: “This is an extraordinary elephant……and this forest has plenty of resources. I must remember the path it takes so that I can come back again and gather resources.”
When they reached the opening of the forest, the elephant let the man down from its back. The man then continued his way home, turning his head back ever so often in order to take note of the distinguishing features of the forest opening and remember the path that they had taken.
A greedy heart repays kindness with enmity
Along the way, the man passed by a marketplace where he saw an artist sculpting art pieces out of elephant tusks. These art pieces generated intense interest among buyers and had high asking prices. He approached the artist and asked, “Did you find these tusks in the elephants’ habitats? And what do you think of tusks from a live elephant?”
The artist replied, “Oh yes! Tusks from a live elephant are worth much more!”
Hearing this, the man’s heart was tempted. The thought arose in his mind that he should avail himself of that very resource off the elephant’s body. So, off he went, making his way back into the forest again.
The man retraced the forest path he had taken the first time and eventually found the elephant. He told the elephant that though he was grateful for its help because he had no means of making a living, he wished to have the elephant’s two tusks as they could help him live a comfortable life. The elephant nodded its head, giving its permission with nary a trace of ill will.
With a saw, the man was able to remove the two tusks, which he later sold off at the market. After some time, however, the man appeared again in front of the elephant and said, “After I sold off the ivory, it was only enough for me to repay my debts. Once again I am penniless and unable to get by. Can you let me have the portion of the tusks that are in your mouth?”
The elephant kindly agreed to his request and again, the man got what he wanted.
However, after some time had passed, the man returned to look for the elephant yet again. This time, he begged, “Though my request may be quite unreasonable, without your help, I cannot survive. Can you give me even the roots of your tusks?”
Once again the elephant nodded its head kindly and allowed the man to cut open its flesh and dig out the roots of its tusks. Though bloody and in pain, the elephant bore the suffering silently so that the man could have his wish.
The elephant had continually sacrificed itself selflessly to help the man. But the man had not only allowed greed to get the better of him, he also took what he wanted without so much as a thought of gratitude. Carrying the roots of the elephant’s teeth, the man was a picture of smugness as he made his way back.
He had covered about half the homeward journey when suddenly, the ground started to tremble and shake. Cracks appeared underfoot and a fiery blaze arose. Unable to run away in time, the man was engulfed by the flames and was eventually buried alive under a wave of falling mountain rocks.
Rising above the mentality of the common man
There are times when we see that human beings cannot even be compared to beasts. The elephant in the story was one of the Buddha’s past incarnations. Though manifesting the body of a beast, he did not forget his desire to help those in need.
From this story, we can see that countless aeons ago, the Buddha had already vowed to walk the Bodhisattva Path. Even if it was just for the sake of one person in hardship, he was willing to endure bodily pain and suffering, and selflessly give of himself. It was because of this that the Buddha was able to attain enlightenment and Buddhahood.
Buddha nature is inherent in everyone. It is just that spiritually, we are still at the level of the common men. If we can be diligent in our cultivation and rise above the common men’s mentality, then we, too, can also attain the level of the Buddha.
All of us should work hard and make diligent efforts in our spiritual cultivation, and at the same time, we must develop the quality of patient endurance. When we give of ourselves with Great Love, we must also persist in enduring (suffering and hardship). Hence, as we go about our daily lives, we must be mindful at all times!
Extracted from Tzu Chi’s newsletter, Issue 261
Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team
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