The great wall of Dharma protection
One day, King Bimbisari came to join the assembly of Bodhisattvas and Bikshus
in listening to the Buddha's discourse on the Triple Gem and the merits of alms
giving.
King Bimbisari asked the Buddha respectfully:"
Buddha! The devotees usually like to make offerings of houses and gardens to
the Bikshus who practise in accordance with the Dharma after hearing the Dharma
themselves.If these offerings of pure wealth are being plundered for self
possession, what retribution will such actions entail?"
The Buddha said:" My king! It is not
necessary to ask how much."
Being really concerned with people doing this
out of ignorance on the Dharma and the law of cause and effect, King Bimbisari
reiterated his request for the Buddha to expose on the extent of retribution effected by such a transgression. The Buddha said:" The
retribution is going to be horrendous."
The king implored again:" Buddha! KIndly
elucidate such that people of the future will understand the consequences and
thereafter practise pure acts, make offering to the Triple Gem and further
support those Bikshus in proper cultivation to prevent them from being
oppressed."
The Buddha nodded, and said:" My king! You
have said well. In future, those who do not believe in the Buddhist teachings
and the law of cause and effect, and those who plunder the pure assets donated
to the Sangha, will have to bear twenty kinds of retribution in their current
lifetime:
1.
All good spirits will leave them.
2.
Their bad name will spread to all corners of the world.
3.
They will be ostracised by their friends and relatives.
4.
They will meet the vicious and their enemies.
5.
They will lose all their possessions.
6.
They will become deluded, bad tempered and mad.
7.
They will be physically handicapped.
8.
They cannot sleep soundly.
9.
They will constantly feel hungry and thirsty.
10. The food they eat will
be like poison.
11. Their beloved ones
will desert them.
12. They will have
frequent disputes with their colleagues.
13. Nobody in the family
will trust them.
14. Their privacy will be
exposed.
15. Their possessions will
be scattered by the 'five disasters'.
16. They will contract
serious illnesses and nobody will care for them.
17. They will encounter a
lot of dissatisfaction.
18. They will be
physically worn and haggard.
19. They will be in
constant pain without relief.
20. Their habitat will
continue to be filthy until they die.
My king! Apart from getting these twenty kinds
of retribution in their current lifetime, they will fall into the three evil
paths for millions of years before their evil karma can be gradually diminished.
Then they will be reborn as humans with hideous forms and incomplete organs and
will be abhorred by all. The reason they have to be retributed is because the
Bikshus they plunder are potentially very beneficial for all sentient beings. And
to jeopardise such benefits for so many would necessarily induce very serious
retribution."
King Bimbisara wept on hearing this:" Buddha!
I would rather be in hell today than plunder on the temples' assets."
The Buddha said:" As a king, one should
protect the Bikshus of proper cultivation to prevent them from being harmed."
The king asked:" What retribution will the
policy makers get if they do not stop people from plundering the temples?"
The Buddha said:" If a man has complete
merits of an Arahat, do you think he is meritorious?"
" Of course, Buddha! His merits should
be countless."
" If you amputate the limbs of such a
person, or hollow out his eyes and cut his nose, how great do you think is such
evil?"
The king cried bitterly as he said:" Buddha!
His evil is boundless. Hurting a person with merits is already deserving of
retribution, not to mention a person of complete merits."
The Buddha said:" If policy makers of the
future do not punish those who plunder the temples' assets, they will have to
suffer heavy retribution."
King Bimbisari remarked in vain:" Buddha! It
is really difficult for the leader of a country to achieve benefits for the
people and the country. He cannot even lapse for a moment as this would allow
evil to creep in, and this will lead to unending suffering. If, however, these
leaders do their utmost to support the virtuous and meritorious Bikshus, and
prevent them from being harmed, they will have immense blessings."
The Buddha said compassionately:" Yes, my
king! They will have unlimited blessings."
On hearing this, King Bimbisari nodded, and
said:" Buddha! I will follow your teaching and be a patron of the Buddhist
Dharma."
[Compassion gives rise to aid and
service for others out of selfless wisdom. It is an offering without
expectation of reward, but with the wish for the accomplishment of others. The
Buddha's advice for the kings and leaders to love their people was given out of
great compassion. This realises the description:' Loving-kindness for all
though unrelated; compassion for all because we are one'.]