….The Gem in the Robe…. The World-Honored One explains, “it was like the case of a man who went to the house of a close friend and, having become drunk on wine, lay down to sleep. At that time the friend had to go out on official business. He took a priceless jewel, sewed it in the lining of the man’s robe, and left it with him when he went out. The man was asleep drunk and knew nothing about it. When he got up, he set out on a journey to other countries. In order to provide himself with food and clothing he had to search with all his energy and diligence, encountering very great hardships and making do with what little he could come by. Later, the close friend happened to meet him by chance. The friend said, ‘How absurd, old fellow! Why should you have to do all this for the sake of food and clothing? In the past I wanted to make certain you would be able to live in ease and satisfy the five desires, and so on such-and-such a day and month and year I took a priceless jewel and sewed it in the lining of your robe. It must still be there now. But you did not know about it, and fretted and wore yourself out trying to provide a living for yourself. What nonsense! Now you must take the jewel and exchange it for goods. Then you can have whatever you wish at all times and never experience poverty or want.’ - - - - - - - The close friend in the parable is none other than the Buddha. The person who falls asleep is us, going through life and not knowing we possess the priceless gem of perfection. Once seeing our close friend again, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we are delighted beyond measure. To take the jewel and exchange it for goods, is in its utilization to better our lives and others, leading to enlightenment. - - - - - - - “The Buddha is like this friend. When he was still a bodhisattva, he taught and converted us, inspiring in us the determination to seek comprehensive wisdom. But in time we forgot all that, became unaware, unknowing. Having attained the way of the arhat, we supposed we had gained extinction. Finding it difficult to provide for our livelihood, as it were, we made do with what little we could come by. However, we have not yet lost the desire for comprehensive wisdom. And now the World-Honored One awakens us and makes us aware, speaking these words: ‘Monks, what you have acquired is not the ultimate extinction. For a long time I caused you to cultivate the good roots of Buddhahood, and as an expedient means I showed you the outward signs of nirvana, but you supposed that you had in truth attained nirvana.’ “World-Honored One, now we understand. In fact we are bodhisattvas and have received a prophecy that we will attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. For this reason we are filled with great joy, having gained what we never had before.” At that time Ajnata Kaundinya and the others, wishing to state their meaning one more, spoke in verse form, saying: We have heard the sound of this prophecy assuring us of unsurpassed ease and tranquility; we rejoice in gaining what we never had before and make obeisance to the Buddha of measureless wisdom. Now in the presence of the World-Honored One we bewail our faults and errors. Of the Buddha’s immeasurable treasure we have gained only a small portion of nirvana, and like ignorant and foolish persons have taken that to be sufficient. We are like a poor and impoverished man who went to the house of a close friend. The house was a very prosperous one and he was served many trays of delicacies. The friend took a priceless jewel, sewed it in the lining of the poor man’s robe, gave it without a word and then went away, and the man, being asleep, knew nothing of it. After the man had gotten up, he journeyed here and there to other countries, seeking food and clothing to keep himself alive, finding it very difficult to provide for his livelihood. He made do with what little he could get and never hoped for anything finer, unaware that in the lining of his robe he had a priceless jewel. Later the close friend who had given him the jewel happened to meet the poor man and after sharply rebuking him, showed him the jewel sewed in the robe. When the poor man saw the jewel his heart was filled with great joy, for he was rich, possessed of wealth and goods sufficient to satisfy the five desires. We are like that man. Through the long night the World-Honored One constantly in his pity teaches and converts us, causing us to plant the seeds of an unsurpassed aspiration. But because we are without wisdom, we are unaware of this, unknowing. Having gained a small portion of nirvana, we are satisfied and seek nothing more. But now the Buddha (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) awakens us, saying, “This is not really extinction. When you have gained the Buddha’s unsurpassed wisdom, then that will be true extinction!” Now we have heard from the Buddha these prophecies and description of adornment, and how each in turn will bestow a prophecy on his successor, and in body and mind we are filled with joy. ….end of parable.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 08:11:16 +0000
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