A
Kind Thought
It is said in the sutra
that: “if Buddhadharma is separated from compassion, it becomes Dharma of
the demons”. The significance of compassion in Buddhist teachings is most
evident in the Bodhisattva concept of Mahayana Buddhism, as practice of the
Bodhisattva Way is in itself the manifestation of the spirit of compassion.
The Buddha
once tried to illustrate the importance of compassion through the following
story about a war between the asuras and the heavenly beings:
‘Long
ago, there was one time when the asuras were victorious in the battle. In their
escape, the heavenly troops were commanded by Sovereign Sakra to flee
northwards back to the palatial grounds. During their retreat, the chariots had
to traverse the woodlands of Mount Sumeru, and amid the groves was the nest of
a golden-winged bird whose newborn chicks had just hatched. At the sight of the
nest, Sovereign Sakra was concerned about the safety of the birds and shouted
in urgency: “ Turn round! We must not trample on the nest and harm the
birds!”
The
charioteers replied: “ The asuras are coming close behind, if we turn
back now, we will surely be killed!”
Sovereign
Sakra cried: “ We would rather die turning back than allow our chariots
to run over the birds’ nest!”
On hearing
this, the whole regiment turned south. The asuras, startled to see the heavenly
troops turn back, suspected their enemies’ sudden change of direction as
a strategic move. The commander of the asuras immediately ordered his own
troops to return to base, and the whole situation was reversed.’
The Buddha
told his disciples: “One kind thought of Sovereign Sakra had brought
about the defeat of the asuras. All of you who have joined the Sangha to learn
the Way must take heed to nurture kindness to help you ward off hindrance on
the Buddhist path caused by greed, anger and delusion.”
[The sutra
says: “Sentient beings arouse compassion in Bodhisattvas to deliver them
from suffering, and this compassion in turn helps to sustain in Bodhisattvas
the Bodhi resolve which is essential for attaining Buddhahood. It is impossible
for Bodhisattvas to accomplish the Bodhi Way if they have no compassion to
deliver sentient beings.”]