buddha & the mad elephant
[Due to technical difficulties with my computer, I was unable to post the following entry on the day it was intended - yesterday. Better late than never, I suppose. In lieu of this post, I'll resume 'This Moment' next week.]
With all of its hope for resurrection and life, Easter is awesome. But Good Friday kind of sucks. Death sucks, and facing the literal and metaphorical deaths throughout our lives is incredibly painful and challenging. However, I don't think resurrection has much meaning if we don't actually consider and enter death - including the one that happened on Good Friday.
Most of us know the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Today, I want to share another story that has challenged and encouraged me in different ways to face death in my own life...
Toward the end of his life the Buddha was aging and weary. His influence over the Sangha was waning accordingly. The monk Devadatta, his cousin, watched the Buddha’s aging carefully, and decided to take over the control of the Order as his successor. Devadatta had the courage not to pursue his aim solely by intrigue, but to proclaim it openly.
Once, when the Buddha was preaching before a large congregation, Devadatta got up and said to the Buddha: "Lord, you are now old, worn out, an aged man, you have lived your allotted span and are at the end of your existence. Lord, may you be content to live in this world henceforth unburdened. Hand over the Order to me— I will lead the Sangha!" The Buddha declined, but Devadatta repeated his plea three times. This stirred the Buddha to a rebuke: "I would not even hand over the Order to Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, still less to you, Devadatta!" By his sharp reaction, the Buddha had made Devadatta his enemy.
Devadatta, who was humiliated in public, planned a series of intrigues to kill the Buddha. The third attempt on the Buddha’s life took place within the city of Rajagraha. Devadatta bribed with promises certain mahouts to let the working elephant Nalagiri loose against the Buddha.
The mighty bull-elephant, which had already killed one person, stormed through the streets on the exact path along which the Buddha was coming on his alms-round. Throwing away a person with his trunk, the brute elephant rushed at the yellow-robed Buddha who, unafraid, radiated loving-kindness towards him. Then came the miracle! Suddenly the raging elephant became calm and peaceful, and knelt before the Buddha, who lifted his right hand and patted the animal's forehead. This is the well-known story of the Buddha's subjugation of a mad elephant in Rajagraha.
In moments where I feel completely full of fear and rage toward my perceived enemies, this image repeatedly calms me. Buddha sits calmly in his smallness - "unafraid, radiating loving-kindness" toward the raging elephant. He pats the elephant's forehead. What a powerful moment.
With all of its hope for resurrection and life, Easter is awesome. But Good Friday kind of sucks. Death sucks, and facing the literal and metaphorical deaths throughout our lives is incredibly painful and challenging. However, I don't think resurrection has much meaning if we don't actually consider and enter death - including the one that happened on Good Friday.
Most of us know the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Today, I want to share another story that has challenged and encouraged me in different ways to face death in my own life...
Toward the end of his life the Buddha was aging and weary. His influence over the Sangha was waning accordingly. The monk Devadatta, his cousin, watched the Buddha’s aging carefully, and decided to take over the control of the Order as his successor. Devadatta had the courage not to pursue his aim solely by intrigue, but to proclaim it openly.
Once, when the Buddha was preaching before a large congregation, Devadatta got up and said to the Buddha: "Lord, you are now old, worn out, an aged man, you have lived your allotted span and are at the end of your existence. Lord, may you be content to live in this world henceforth unburdened. Hand over the Order to me— I will lead the Sangha!" The Buddha declined, but Devadatta repeated his plea three times. This stirred the Buddha to a rebuke: "I would not even hand over the Order to Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, still less to you, Devadatta!" By his sharp reaction, the Buddha had made Devadatta his enemy.Devadatta, who was humiliated in public, planned a series of intrigues to kill the Buddha. The third attempt on the Buddha’s life took place within the city of Rajagraha. Devadatta bribed with promises certain mahouts to let the working elephant Nalagiri loose against the Buddha.
The mighty bull-elephant, which had already killed one person, stormed through the streets on the exact path along which the Buddha was coming on his alms-round. Throwing away a person with his trunk, the brute elephant rushed at the yellow-robed Buddha who, unafraid, radiated loving-kindness towards him. Then came the miracle! Suddenly the raging elephant became calm and peaceful, and knelt before the Buddha, who lifted his right hand and patted the animal's forehead. This is the well-known story of the Buddha's subjugation of a mad elephant in Rajagraha.In moments where I feel completely full of fear and rage toward my perceived enemies, this image repeatedly calms me. Buddha sits calmly in his smallness - "unafraid, radiating loving-kindness" toward the raging elephant. He pats the elephant's forehead. What a powerful moment.
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