Sakyamuni started to cultivate the path when he was born in the hell in one life. The hell was known as pulling the burning iron cart hell. He was one of the offenders who had to pull the red hot iron cart of fire with another offender. This is one form of punishment, that when the offender was pulling the iron cart his hands were burnt by the red hot iron bars. Such acute pain was truly intolerable. The offender who helped him could not pull and he screamed and ran away. But he was beaten by the warden in-charge and he fainted. Water was sprinkled on his face and he woke up. And he was forced to continue with this terrible chore. Before they could even move the fire cart again he fainted. This was repeated again and again. The offender who was the former life of Sakyamuni knelt on the ground and begged, ‘He could not take it anymore. Please let me pull alone. I will pull harder to replace him. Please let him rest. I will suffer this on his behalf.’
On hearing this, the hell warden was very angry. He said, ‘You have no way to pay back your sinful karma. And now you suggest you want to take over others’ karma? Don’t be funny.’
The warden raised the weapon. The offender was struck hard on the head and died on the spot.
When he woke up he was born in the heaven.
He was thinking, ‘What virtues did I cultivate that I am born in the heaven?’
He looked at his reflection in the water and saw his past life in the hell.
‘Oh, I was from the hell. Just because I have given rise to a good thought that I wish to suffer on behalf of others that I am born here. I think it is because of this one good thought that I manage to shorten my sufferings in the hell. In just an instant I am born into the heaven.’
He continued to think, ‘There are many sufferings in the human realm. The humans are ignorant and they cannot understand the truth, the principles, that they commit many sinful acts. Out of ignorant, their mind is filled with greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance and doubts. Repeatedly they continue to commit bad karma in accord with their afflictions. Finally they end up in the hells.’
Sakyamuni continued to reflect on the punishment in the hell and it was the most painful torture. The sufferings in the hell come forth from the ignorant of a man.
So this heavenly being brings forth the Great Bodhi Mind and the Great Vows,
‘I vow that I will try my best to liberate all living beings from sufferings.
I will not seek anything for self-comfort, self-enjoyment.’
So he sought to be born in the human realm as it is a place mixed with bliss and sufferings. The human realm is the place where the five paths are found. There are the heavenly beings, the humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hells. This is the place which is most suitable for cultivation. In the human realm he has the most opportunity to cultivate the path. The aim of his cultivation is to liberate all living beings from sufferings.
This is what the Buddha had related from his memory in the hell, that he had brought forth the mind to save living beings from sufferings. So he was born repeatedly in the human realms, to create good affinities with them, to cultivate blessings among them. By working with many people he understands many things. This is how a bodhisattva has his wisdom open up when he dwells among the people. By benefitting other beings a bodhisattva learns to let go of all evils as he will not take advantage of them. A bodhisattva who practises benefitting others will work with others, with the crowd and set a good example among them. If we wish to lead living beings to cultivate goodness, we must first purify our own mind. With the arising of a pure mind, wisdom is open up and one can have many expedients to benefits living beings and one-self.
An extract of the story told by Venerable Master Shi Zheng Yan
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