Once upon a time, in the royal capital of India , it was customary not to perform offerings to the Three Treasures -Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha– unless there were so (a cheese-like product) and honey.
One day, a lay supporter climbed a mountain to make offerings to a monk (bhikkhu) at a temple, but he had forgotten to bring so.
At that mountain temple, there was a master monk who had two novice monks (Samanera) as his disciples. These two novices never neglected their duties and served their master with diligence -gathering vegetables, drawing water, collecting firewood, and attending to their master from morning to night. However, the master was a man of indolence and false views. He never gave his disciples rest and relentlessly drove them with harsh labor.
The two novices went out to obtain the so that the supporter had forgotten. Time passed, but they did not return. Worried about their delay, the supporter went out onto the road and sat in the grass to wait for them.
Then the two novices appeared. But when they reached a certain point along the road, they suddenly transformed into radiant beings, entering the Samadhi of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. They emitted a brilliant light, preached the Dharma, and revealed their past lives.
The lay supporter was astonished by the sight and came to realize, “These were no ordinary novices. They were holy arhats!” He was overcome with reverence. He hurried back to the master and reported what he had seen. The master, upon hearing this, could not help but feel bewildered and amazed.
Eventually, the two novices returned, carrying the so. The master, now aware of their true nature, bowed and said:
“Because of my ignorance and foolishness, I have behaved disrespectfully toward holy arhats for so long. I beg your forgiveness for my grave offenses.”
The novices replied:
“It is sorrowful that, by revealing our spiritual powers along the way, we have been found out by our master. What shall we do now to continue serving you?”
They lamented deeply:
“If we are no longer allowed to serve our master, our path to Buddhahood will take longer.”
Even as they stayed where they were, they emitted a divine light and preached the Dharma. Both the master and the lay supporter heard this and were deeply moved, strengthening their faith.
Then the novices said:
“We shall now ascend to the first stage of the Bodhisattva path.”
As they said this, their spiritual rank rose even higher, and they became Supreme Bodhisattvas. Though they had appeared as ordinary young monks, they were in fact engaged in profound practice by serving others.
It is said that the path to Buddhahood is full of many obstacles. Therefore, those with awakened hearts should hear this tale and take it to heart.
Statue of Puxian (Samantabhadra) on Mount Emei in Sichuan, China
[Translation]
Siro Inuzuka
This text was created by using ChatGPT and Claude to translate a modern Japanese translation into English, and then making some modifications. There may be errors in the English expressions. Please correct any mistakes.
[Explanation]
Shinichi Kusano / Siro Inuzuka
Here, the term “novices” is used,
but *Samanera* actually refers to “those who have not yet received ordination and therefore are not fully ordained monks.”
Thus, there were quite a few middle-aged men among the *Samanera*.
The reason the master looked down on the *novices* was largely due to the perception that they were “unqualified and therefore inferior.”
When the *novices* asked,
“What shall we do now to continue serving you?”
it was because being looked down upon and made to serve was itself considered part of their training.
Once their true identities were revealed, their presence would no longer serve as a means of practice – and that is why the *novices* had no choice but to disappear.
It makes one wish to live with the awareness that the person before us might, in fact, be a Buddha.
[Cooperation]
Shinichi Kusano
●Japanese
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