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During the Buddha's time, he once preached in Kapilavastu, where there lived a wealthy elder who, despite his riches, treated money as his life. Whenever he saw monastics, he would quickly shut the door, unwilling to give alms. He would also refuse beggars, living like a miser.
As the elder grew older, he said to his son, “I have painstakingly guarded our family wealth; now it is yours. You must guard it as I did and never give alms easily.” Soon after, he passed away.
At that time, a pregnant woman outside the city was about to give birth. When her labour pains began, her husband lamented, “I work hard and still cannot provide for us. Now we will have another mouth to feed. I cannot bear to see this child born. I am leaving.” The woman later gave birth to a boy, but his eyes remained closed for a long time, and she realised he was blind.
Every day, she took the child out to beg, enduring hardship and poverty to support him. When the boy turned seven, she fell gravely ill and had to let him go out to beg alone. When she was with him, people would sometimes give, but now that she was sick, no one showed compassion. The boy became a target of scorn, with children throwing stones and even adults beating him with bamboo.
When the mother’s health improved slightly, the son held her, and they went out to beg together. They approached a large house in the city to ask for alms. However, the gatekeeper saw them coming and shouted, “Don’t come any closer! Our rule is that beggars cannot come near the door!”
The beggar mother pleaded, “I haven’t eaten for days, and my child is so small. Please, just a bowl of rice.” The child chimed in, “Please! Even half a bowl of porridge would be enough.” At that moment, the owner of the house came out and yelled, “How dare you come to my doorstep? Get out of here!” When the mother and child persisted, the owner ordered them to be beaten. The child was bloodied, and the mother was pushed to the ground.
At that moment, a spiritual cultivator passing by intervened, and said, “Stop! Stop hitting! How can you strike your own father? A father works hard to provide for his son, and the son strikes his father; this is truly unfilial!”
The wealthy man was confused and replied, “When did I strike my father? He has been dead for many years.” The spiritual cultivator responded, “Karma is not mistaken; this beggar child was your father in a past life. In his lifetime, he was miserly and unkind, which is why he is reborn into this poor and suffering family. He earned so much wealth for you, yet you won’t even give him a bowl of rice. Is this not unfilial?”
The wealthy man found it hard to believe and asked, “How do you know these things?” The spiritual cultivator suddenly manifested the form of a Bodhisattva. Upon seeing this, the wealthy man exclaimed, “It’s Manjushri Bodhisattva!” and immediately knelt down to repent.
The most important thing in life is to strive diligently, cherish opportunities, and do good deeds to benefit others. If one does not seize good opportunities, once they are lost, bad karma will follow. In short, we must treasure connections and blessings, and engage in good deeds. Whether it is being filial to parents or performing charitable acts, it is through cherishing blessings and seizing opportunities that we achieve fulfilment.
Translated by Yang Yu Jia
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