(Photo source: Envato)
Buddha discovered the truth behind the universe and life and passed on this pure and illuminated wisdom to people. With Buddha’s words and teachings, people then put them into action. As Buddhists’ spiritual lives originate from Buddha’s teachings, Buddhists are devoted to spreading Buddha’s teachings and ideology to continue the lineage of Buddha’s wisdom.
The Āgama sutra has such a story:
One day, a king went out of his royal palace, hoping to understand how his civilians lived. Pacing through the city centre, he marvelled at the rows of lavishly built, luxurious villas and the hustle and bustle of the market. He thought to himself, "For my citizens to live in prosperity, my country must be really rich”.
Hence, he wanted to address a few of his lingering questions.
How many rich people are there in the country?
How much assets do these rich people own?
With that, he decided to pay a visit to an elder who was known as the country’s richest man.
The king asked, “How much are your assets worth?”
The elder humbly replied, “In total, I own 400 billion worth of assets”.
The king exclaimed, “I own the entire country, yet I only have 400 billion in assets. How do you own 400 billion worth of assets then? How is that possible?”
The elder replied patiently, “Your Majesty, I own 100 billion in tangible assets. For me to accumulate such wealth, firstly, I need to thank you. With your efforts in nation-building, I could partake in free trade and enjoy the gains from economic prosperity. Secondly, I am grateful to the people in this country because they have given me the resources to leverage. Last but not least, I have to thank my servants and family members for their contributions in helping me in my endeavours. As such, my tangible assets stemming from trade, the people, and the country amount to approximately 100 billion.”
The king was curious and probed further, “What about the remaining 300 billion?”
The elder replied, “The remaining 300 billion are intangible assets as I have Buddha in my heart. Buddha’s dignity, compassion and wisdom have enriched me, giving me 100 billion in assets. In addition, as I had upheld Buddha’s values and spoke well of others, I gained another 100 billion worth in assets. Also, I practice good deeds daily, giving me another 100 billion in assets. Thus, my intangible assets amount to 300 billion, and in my whole life, I have a total of 400 billion in assets.”
This story tells us that as long as one has Buddha in their heart and upholds Buddha’s values by speaking well of others and practising good deeds, it would contribute to the immense intangible wealth they own! Such wealth is inexhaustible.
Master Cheng Yen often phrases “having Buddha in one’s heart” as “using Buddha’s heart as if it is one’s own”. Buddha’s heart is that of immense compassion and care, which translates to Great Love. Being kind in one’s language and speaking good words to others is to dignify oneself. However, these traits are not enough. More importantly, one should practice what they preach to reap the fruits of their love and kindness.
Translated by Teo Jia Xin
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