True Word

"Oh, good man! I recall that once in the past, we were shopkeepers, Devadatta and me. Each of us had about 500 merchants. In search of earnings, we went to great sea in search of rare things. Through evil causal relations, we met along the way with a storm and, ship-wrecked, all our comrades died. At that time, Devadatta and me, because of non-harming (others) and by the causal relations for a long life, were blown across onto land. Then, Devadatta, regretting that he had lost the treasure, was greatly worried and sobbed uncontrollably. I then said: 'Oh Devadatta! Do not cry '! Devadatta said: 'Listen to me carefully, listen carefully! For example, there is a man overwhelmed by poverty. He goes to the graveyard, grabs a corpse and says: 'Oh you! Give me the joy of death. I'll give you now life and poverty’. Then the corpse stands up and says to the poor man: 'Oh good man! Take poverty and life for yourself. I am now immersed in the joy of death. I'm not glad to see him alive and poor '. The situation is like this. But I have no the bliss of death at hands, and furthermore, I'm in misery. What else can I do other than sob and cry '? I also appease him: 'Do not be sad. I have now two beads, which are priceless. I will give one to you’. I gave it [to him] and said: 'A person who has life gains this gem. If you have no life, how can you expect to have this'? So, I felt tired and slept in the shade of a tree. Devadatta, with feverish greed, acquired an evil thought. Boring and blinding my eyes, he caught the other bead. In pain, I cried and sobbed. Then, there was a woman who came to me and asked: 'Why are you sobbing and crying'? So, I told her everything that had happened. Upon hearing that, she further asked: 'What is your name'? I said: 'My name is True-Word'. (She said:) 'How can I know that you're truthful '? So, I took an oath: 'If I should now have evil thoughts against Devadatta, let me be a one-eyed; otherwise, let my eyes gain the light’. In saying this, my eyes were healed and were as good as before. Oh good man! This is where we say that the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva talks about the reward that comes about in this life. "

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 38 - On Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 6.

true word.mp3