Turning Around From Bad to Good
Once
when the
Buddha was
propagating the Dharma in a large kingdom, the king, his ministers
and thousands of civilians went to take refuge with the Buddha. As a result, the Sangha's reputation became
more widespread and the size of the community increased by the day. In the minds of many people, the Buddha was the
spiritual master with a large number of supporters. Witnessing the glory and success of the Buddha, Devadatta was filled with jealousy and this led to his many attempts
on the Buddha's life.
There was once when he spent a large sum to hire five hundred
Brahmans who were skilled in archery to assassinate the Buddha. He said:" The Buddha is my worst enemy. I hate
him because he uses magical trickery on the king and the people. They are like
being hypnotised to such an extent that they are willing to do anything he says
or even give up their lives for the sake of his teaching. It is detestable of
him to have beaten my accomplished merits! Now I have employed you with this
grand sum to do as I order. When the Buddha goes out on his round of alms
tomorrow, you will hide in the nearby forest and wait for him. As soon as he
comes near, you must shoot your arrows all at once to kill him. I will heavily
reward you further when it is done."
The next day, they hid in the forest and
waited. It did not take long before the Buddha came along, walking his usual
majestic pace. They all aimed at him and shot their arrows. In a matter of
seconds, the arrows that were raining down on the Buddha all turned into lotus flowers.
The Buddha was therefore unharmed.
The five hundred Brahmans who saw this were
petrified. They threw away their bows and arrows and knelt down before the
Buddha in remorse:" Buddha! Please save us! We have been greedy for money,
and have been used by Devadatta to hurt you. We know our sin is grave, and only
the Buddha's compassion can allow us to repent for salvation." They cried
bitterly as they spoke.
The Buddha knew that their repentance was
genuine, and he said softly:" Do not be afraid. Sinful deeds do not have a
nature of their own. They are manifestations of the mind. When the mind is not
stirred at all, delusions and evil thoughts will not arise, and all sins will
automatically vanish. Those who have the courage to repent on knowing their
wrongs will have their sins purged. I am not at all bothered by your plot on me. From now on, work hard
towards the good. It is most vital to cultivate the saintly Way."
Having been consoled and encouraged by the Buddha, the Brahmans were much happier, and they said to the Buddha:" Buddha! You are
most compassionate. You are like our kind mother who will forgive the wrongs of
her children and never desert them.We would like to follow the Buddha to learn
the Way and thereafter benefit others. It is only with your guidance that we
will not wander off the proper track. We really hope you can lead us!"
Knowing that they had truly reformed, the Buddha agreed to accept their renunciation of home life. These five hundred
Brahmans were shaved, and they came under the tutelage of the Buddha to
diligently practise the Way.