從愛心出發

這是有關一隻金鵝的故事，我猜那就是佛陀的前世。

很久以前，有個國王叫做巴哈帕特克，這個名字的本義是「多子之父」，他和王后迦瑪兩人一起統治拜諾爾斯，這是印度的一個聖城。

有一天，王后迦瑪夢見一隻金鵝如智者般說著智慧之言，她告訴國王她很想見見這隻奇妙的鵝，並聽牠講話，國王便展開調查。有人稟告國王說，確實有黃金鵝這種鳥類，但牠們非常稀有，在國內很難找到，不過確實存在。於是國王派遣了許多侍從去尋找這種鵝，據說牠們是棲息在某個遙遠的湖邊。

他們也雇了獵人去幫忙尋找，並把牠們帶回拜諾爾斯。許多人更建議國王在城郊建造一個湖，這樣也許那些鵝就會被吸引而飛來附近棲息。

當時有許多鵝住在吉大喀特山上，牠們的國王叫做達塔拉喀特。這隻達塔拉喀特鵝王是隻非常美麗的鵝，有閃亮的金色羽毛。哇！（師父開玩笑）這下牠給自己惹來麻煩了！

一段時間以後，拜諾爾斯附近便造了一個大湖，國王依皇后的名字，把它取名為迦瑪湖。湖的四周種滿了各式各樣美麗又稀有的花草樹木，湖裡還栽種了睡蓮、荷花，和一些水生植物及花朵，而且每天都會有人來撒些玉米和穀粒，以吸引鳥兒等等。然後國王的一個傳令侍者大聲宣佈說：「拜諾爾斯的國王歡迎所有的鳥兒來此和平又美麗的湖泊定居。國王有令，朝廷的人馬會保護牠們免於危險。」

於是有關這個湖的消息傳到了吉大喀特山的野生鵝群那裡，牠們便去跟金鵝說：「殿下！拜諾爾斯的國王在城郊造了一個芬芳美麗的大湖，他保證會保護所有棲息在那裡的鳥兒，而且會有林務官去餵食鳥兒。我們去看看那是什麼樣的地方吧！我們已經對住在山頂上，還得自己覓食的生活感到厭倦了。」

身為群鵝之王的金鵝，答應了牠們的提議，於是牠們一起飛向拜諾爾斯。

國王早已命令獵人定期在湖邊巡視，並指示他們，如果看到一隻金鵝接近水面，必須立刻撒網捕捉牠。於是獵人首領和他的部下日夜包圍湖的四周，等待機會捕捉這隻金鵝。

一天清早，獵人看見一大群鵝和一隻較大的金鳥，那金色的羽毛在陽光下閃爍著，牠們一起朝向湖面飛來。獵人很快地在睡蓮和荷花之中佈了一層網，他知道金鵝是領袖，會第一個落在水面上。

然後九萬隻鵝像濃密的白雲般，朝湖面飄然而下。金鵝一落到水面，雙腳立刻被網困住。看到領袖被捉，這群鵝在四周盤旋悲鳴，但是沒有一隻有足夠的勇氣去救牠。最後牠們振翅高飛，安然無恙地飛回吉大喀特山去了，只有一隻名叫「蘇姆卡」的群鵝將領，獨自和國王一起留下。

金鵝對牠說：「其他的鵝都飛走了，牠們毫不猶豫地遺棄了我。蘇姆卡，為何你還要留在這裡呢？趁現在還有機會，趕快飛走吧！如果你留下來，也會被抓的！」

蘇姆卡這位將領可能是鵝王的貼身侍衛，牠優雅地飄落在水面上，靠在鵝王身邊，回答說：「殿下，我絕不會離開你。儘管危機迫在眉睫，但不論是生是死，我都會留在你身邊。」

正當牠們在談話時，獵人首領朝湖邊走來，蘇姆卡決定想辦法軟化獵人的心。牠飛向他，乞求他釋放金鵝。獵人為金鵝絕美的帝王之姿所震撼，問牠：「尊貴的鵝啊，你的同伴都逃走了，難道你在遠處沒看到陷阱嗎？」

金鵝回答說：「當生命走到盡頭，死亡就在眼前時，和命運掙扎是沒用的，所以我看不到陷阱。」

獵人被金鵝的智慧深深感動。他問蘇姆卡：「為什麼你獨自留在這裡呢？其他的鵝都不見了，你可以自由離去，卻選擇留在這隻高貴的金鵝身邊。牠到底是誰，讓你在危急時仍不離開牠？」

蘇姆卡回答：「牠是我的國王、我的同伴，也是我的朋友，就算會死，我也絕不遺棄牠。」

聽到這些話，獵人心想：「牠們真是勇敢高貴的鳥兒！如果我傷害牠們，上天必會懲罰我。我何必在乎國王的獎賞呢？我要放牠們自由。」他告訴蘇姆卡：「既然你肯為朋友犧牲，我就放了你們，你們要飛到哪裡都行。」

他輕輕地鬆開縛住金鵝之腳的陷阱，用乾淨的湖水把腳上的血洗淨，再把脫臼的部位和肌腱接好，牠的腳便奇蹟似地復元了，完全沒有被縛過的痕跡。

蘇姆卡看到鵝王恢復自由，非常高興，牠對獵人說：「獵人啊！您慈悲釋放了吾王，祝您和您的家人永遠興盛昌隆。」

金鵝問獵人：「你抓我是出於自己的決定或是他人的命令？」

「高貴的鵝啊！我是遵照國王的命令，而設了這個陷阱。」獵人接著告訴金鵝整個事情的真相，以及王后是多麼渴望看到這隻奇妙的鳥兒。

金鵝心想：「也許我進城會更好，這樣獵人就可以得到獎賞。而且巴哈帕特克國王素以智慧和道德聞名，如果我自願來到他面前，他滿足了，說不定會讓我自由使用這個美麗的湖。」所以牠跟獵人說：「請帶我們去見國王，我們要跟他說話。如果他願意，就會讓我們自由。」

獵人說：「高貴的鵝啊！未必每個國王都很慈悲，也許他會把你們兩個都關起來。」

可是金鵝跟他說：「獵人，我能感化你的心，一定也能得到大王的善意回應。這件事就交給我，你就盡你的職責，把我和蘇姆卡帶到他面前去吧！」

獵人就把兩隻鵝放在他的扁擔上，帶到宮殿去了。

當國王與王后看見這兩隻非凡的鳥兒，一隻有著閃亮的金色羽毛，另一隻則宛若山頂積雪一樣白，他們歡喜異常。國王把牠們放在黃金的棲木上，親手餵牠們吃蜂蜜、上等的穀粒，還有甘甜的水。國王和金鵝並徹夜談論有關君王的職責與道德。

金鵝告訴國王：「要及時行善，否則會功虧一簣。一位君王若失去智識，將是一大損失。他如果看不見真理，就得不到智慧。要善待你的子民，使他們智慧增長、永行正道。」金鵝非但給國王建言，又鼓勵了他一番。

黎明來臨時，金鵝便向國王和王后道別，與忠心耿耿的蘇姆卡由北邊的窗戶飛了出去，返回吉大喀特山去了。

故事說完了！（大眾鼓掌）

現在我們會想知道，為什麼同樣是鵝，卻只有兩隻如此高貴，而其餘的都是懦弱、普通的鵝呢？九萬隻耶！只有兩隻是高貴的眾生。

所以事實上，即使在動物界裡也有差異，不光是人類而已。也許本該如此，我不知道為什麼會這樣。也許眾生的進化程度本來就不同，即使是同類的物種，還是有所差異。因為只有少數幾個選擇往上提昇，朝更高雅的方向走，而其餘的則選擇平凡、容易又可獲取物質利益的路。也許是我們的選擇決定了我們的高雅或低下。如果我們內邊不奮鬥，不努力改善自己的想法、理念、工作或行為，那我們會一直停留在以前的等級，就像一隻普通尋常的鵝，我們怕人所怕、憂人所憂、食人所食、夢人所夢、行人所行，期望別人所期望的事，不求改善，了無進展，相較於那些只會吃草、喝湖水，就這樣度過一生的鵝，我們實在好不到哪裡去。這種生活也很平靜、和諧、沒有壓力，鵝看起來也蠻漂亮，可是牠們除了吃草、喝湖水之外，沒有任何成就。

因此我們該捫心自問：是否也想要過這種所謂平靜的生活？所以我才一直教你們不要驕慢，如果你們家庭和諧、四周環境祥和、物質方面有所成就，或是你認為藉由師父加持或修觀音法門而得到種種利益，都不要因此而驕慢。

不論我們想要什麼，師父真的都會加持，但我們不該就此感到滿足，或為這種成就感到驕慢，因為這根本不算什麼。味道難聞的肥料是花所需要的，不過我們要的是花，不是肥料。

也許這就是為什麼故事中的金鵝會是金色輝煌又有智慧，而其他的鵝卻很平凡的原因。佛陀也許以前當過金鵝，也許沒有，說不定這只是一則寓言，好讓我們了解身為國王或明師的孤寂，就像跟一群沒有頭腦智慧的呆頭鵝說話一樣。所以不管這則故事是真是假，其中都有令人警醒的真理。故事內容不一定完全屬實，輪迴之說也不見得一定存在，佛陀以前也不一定真的轉世成金鵝、金兔等等；這些只是一個故事，述說一個真理。從這個故事中，我們不難看出國王、明師或智者的孤寂。不論佛陀是否曾經轉世成鵝，或者只是虛構，都是為了藉由不同的故事，說明同樣的道理。 

http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/ch/news/176/

This is a story of a golden goose, and I suspect it’s about Buddha’s previous life.

A long time ago, there was a king. His name was Bahuputtaka. This name actually means “the father of many sons.” His queen was Khema. Both of them ruled in Benares. Benares is one of the holy cities in India.

One day the queen, Khema, dreamed of a golden goose who spoke with the wisdom of a sage. She told the king that she greatly desired to see and hear such a wonderful bird. The king consequently made inquiries and was told that there were such birds as golden geese, but they were rare and not easily found. People informed the king that it would be very difficult to find these kinds of geese in his kingdom. But nevertheless, they existed. So then, many of his attendants were sent out to look for the geese, which were supposed to be near a lake, very far away somewhere.

They also employed hunters to try to look for them and bring them back to Benares. Many people also advised the king to construct a lake near the city so that maybe the goose or the geese would be attracted, and would fly to live near there.

At that time, there were many geese that lived on Mount Cittakuta. Their king was called Dhatarattha. And this Dhatarattha goose king was an absolutely beautiful bird, with feathers of shining golden color. Wow… (Master jokes) He was inviting trouble!

In the course of time, a large lake was made near Benares, and the king named the lake Khema, after the name of the queen. Flowering trees, flowers, and beautiful rare botanical species were planted around the lake. Also, water lilies, lotuses and some water vegetables and flowers were planted in the lake. And every day, the people would come and scatter some corn and cereal to attract birds and things like that. Then the king’s herald, one of the attendants, would call out very loudly: “The king of Benares welcomes all birds to come and live in peace in this beautiful lake! They will be protected from danger by the king’s order and the king’s men.”

So, news of this lake reached the wild geese on Mount Cittakuta. They went to the golden goose, and said, “Lord! The king of Benares has made a large and sweet-smelling lake near the city. He guarantees protection for all birds who settle there. The birds will also be fed by the foresters. Let us go and see what sort of place it is. We are weary of living on this mountain top and having to search for food ourselves.”

So the golden goose, king of the geese herd, agreed to their proposal. And then he and some of his flock flew towards Benares.

The king had ordered his hunters to watch regularly by the lakeside. He told them that if they saw a golden goose approach the water, they were to immediately set a snare for him. The head hunter ringed the lake with his men at all hours of the day and night, waiting to capture this golden goose.

Early one morning he saw a huge flock of geese and a larger bird in golden color whose feathers gleamed in the sun rays, flying towards the lake. Quickly the hunter set a snare amongst the water lilies and lotuses. He knew that the golden goose, being the leader, would alight first on the water.

Like a dense white cloud, the 90,000 geese drifted down towards the lake. The golden goose settled on the water, and at once his foot was caught in the snare. Seeing that their leader was trapped, the flock of geese circled around, honking in distress, but none were brave enough to attempt to rescue him. They rose up and flew back towards Mount Cittakuta in safety. Sumukha, the chief captain of these geese, alone remained with the king.

The golden goose turned to him and said, “The other geese have all flown away, Sumukha! Without hesitation, they deserted me. Why do you wait here? Fly away quickly while you have the chance. If you remain here, you will be captured as well.”

Sumukha, the chief captain, maybe the next attendant to the king goose, sat floating gracefully on the water by the side of his king and replied, “I will never leave you, Royal Goose. Now that danger draws near, I will remain and either live or die by your side.”

As they were talking, the chief huntsman came close to the lake. Sumukha decided to try and soften the huntsman’s heart and flew up to him, begging him to let the golden goose go free. The huntsman was struck by the regal beauty of the golden bird, and asked him, “Your comrades have all fled, Oh noble goose. Did you not see the snare from afar?”

The golden goose answered him: “When life is coming to an end and death draws near, it is of no use to struggle against fate; thus, I did not see the snare.”

The huntsman was greatly impressed by the wisdom of the golden goose. He asked Sumukha, “And why do you also alone remain here? The other geese are no longer to be seen. You are free, yet you have remained by the side of this noble bird. Who is he that you have not left him in an hour of need?”

So Sumukha answered, “He is my king, my comrade and my friend. I will never forsake him though I die for it.”

Hearing this, the hunter thought, “Indeed, these are brave and noble birds. If I were to harm them, the gods would punish me. What do I care for the king’s reward? I will set them free.” He said to Sumukha, “Since you are prepared to die for friendship’s sake, I will set your king and comrade free. Then fly where you both will.”

Tenderly, he loosened the golden goose’s foot from the snare and washed the blood away in the clear, pure water of the lake. He set the dislocated muscle and tendons, and by a miracle the foot became whole again. Not a mark showed where it had been caught.

Sumukha was overjoyed at seeing his king free, and said to the huntsman, “May you and yours always live in prosperity, Oh hunter, for your merciful act in setting my lord free!”

The golden goose asked the huntsman, “Did you capture me for yourself or was it at someone else’s command?”

“It was by order of the king that I set the snare, Oh noble goose.” The hunter told the golden goose the truth and how the queen desired to see the wonderful bird.

The golden goose thought to himself, “Perhaps it would be best if I went to the city. The hunter will be rewarded, and King Bahuputtaka is known to be a wise and virtuous monarch. If I appear before him of my own free will, he will be satisfied and may decide to give me the freedom of this beautiful lake.”

So he said to the huntsman, “Take us to the king. We will speak with him, and then if he wishes, he will set us free.”

The huntsman said, “Noble goose, kings are not always merciful. He may decide to keep you both as prisoners.”

But the golden goose said to him, “I have softened your heart, huntsman. Surely I can find favor with a great king. Leave that to me! You do your duty, and take me and Sumukha into his presence.”

So the huntsman put both birds on his carrying pole, and took them to the palace.

When the king and the queen saw the two magnificent birds, one with feathers of shining gold, and the other as white as the snow on the mountaintops, they were absolutely delighted. The king set them both on a golden perch, and with his own hands, gave them honey and fine grain to eat, and sweetened water to drink. The whole night through, the king and the golden goose conversed together on the duties of kingship, and the virtues of kings.

The golden goose told the king, “He who puts off until too late the effort to do good will sink low. He loses all knowledge and great will be his loss. He who does not see the truth, gains no wisdom. Cherish your sons so that they may grow wise and always follow the path of virtue.” Thus the golden goose advised and encouraged the king.

When dawn came, he bade farewell to the king and queen, and with the faithful Sumukha, flew out of the northern window and far away to Mount Cittakuta.

Finished! (Applause)

Now, we would wonder why being geese together, there are only two so noble geese and the rest were cowardly, ordinary geese. Nine thousand in number, only two were noble beings!

So actually even in the animal kingdom there are differences, not only in humankind. Perhaps this is the way it should be. I don’t know why it should be like that. Perhaps there are different developments within sentient beings as well. Even with the same species there should always be this difference, because one chooses to go upward in a more noble direction, and the others choose to go the ordinary way, the easy way and the more materially beneficial way. Perhaps our choice makes us noble or lowly. And if we do not struggle within ourselves, trying to better our thinking and our ideals, or our work and our actions, then we will always remain at the same level as before - a very ordinary goose. We fear everyone else’s fears, worry everyone else’s worries, eat everyone else’s food, dream everyone else’s dreams and do everyone else’s actions and habitual expectation. There’s nothing better about us, nothing improves, and we’re nothing more than the geese that eat the grass and drink lake water and pass their life like this. Their life is also peaceful, harmonious and stress-free, and they also look good. But they achieve nothing more than just grass and lake water.

So now we should ask ourselves whether we would desire such a so-called peaceful life, too. Therefore, I have asked you before not to be proud of your harmonious family, your peaceful surroundings, your material gain and your whatever benefit that you think comes to you through the blessing of the Master, or through the practice of the Quan Yin Method.

It is true that the Master will bless us with whatever we desire, but we should not be satisfied with that and feel proud of that achievement, because this is just nothing! The stinky fertilizer is necessary for the flowers, but the flowers are what we want, not the fertilizer.

Perhaps that’s why the golden goose looked golden and so magnificent and wise; and the other geese looked ordinary, you see, like in this story. Perhaps the Buddha had been a golden goose at one time, or perhaps not. Perhaps this is only an exemplary story, so that we understand the loneliness of being a king or a Master. It’s just like talking to a mass of ignorant geese that don’t have human brains or intelligence. So whether this story is true or not, it has a ringing truth in it. This story does not have to be perfectly true. The reincarnation theory doesn’t have to truly exist, and the Buddha didn’t have to truly have been reincarnated as a golden goose or golden hare, or whatever that was before. It’s just the story has a truth. The loneliness of being a king or a Master or a wise person is obvious in this story. It doesn’t matter if the Buddha had been reincarnated as a goose or not, or if He just made it up to illustrate the same principle through different stories.

http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/176/st_80.htm