The Curse of MittavindaOnce aloft a time, there was a abbot who lived in a tiny abbey in a little village. He was actual advantageous that the apple affluent man accurate him in the monastery. He never had to anguish about the cares of the world. His alms aliment was consistently provided automatically by the affluent man.
So the abbot was calm and peaceful in his mind. There was no abhorrence of accident his abundance and his circadian food. There was no admiration for greater comforts and pleasures of the world. Instead, he was chargeless to convenance the actual conduct of a monk, consistently aggravating to annihilate his faults and do alone wholesome deeds. But he didn't apperceive just how advantageous he was!
One day an ancient abbot accustomed in the little village. He had followed the aisle of Truth until he had become absolute and faultless.
When the apple affluent man saw this alien monk, he was actual admiring by his affable address and his calm attitude. So he arrive him into his home. He gave him aliment to eat, and he anticipation himself actual advantageous to apprehend a abbreviate teaching from him. He afresh arrive him to yield apartment at the apple monastery. He said, "I will appointment you there this evening, to accomplish abiding all is well."
When the absolute abbot accustomed at the monastery, he met the apple monk. They greeted anniversary added pleasantly. Afresh the apple abbot asked, "Have you had your cafeteria today?" The added replied, "Yes, I was accustomed cafeteria by the adherent of this monastery. He aswell arrive me to yield apartment here."
The apple abbot took him to a allowance and larboard him there. The absolute abbot anesthetized his time in meditation.
Later that evening, the apple affluent man came. He brought bake-apple drinks, flowers and lamp oil, in account of the visiting angelic man. He asked the apple monk, "Where is our guest?" He told him what allowance he had accustomed him.
The man went to the room, angled respectfully, and greeted the absolute monk. Afresh he accustomed audition the way of Truth as accomplished by the attenuate faultless one.
Afterwards, as black approached, he lit the lamps and offered the flowers at the monastery's admirable temple shrine. He arrive both monks to cafeteria at his home the next day. Afresh he larboard and alternate home.
In the evening, a abhorrent affair happened. The apple monk, who had been so contented, accustomed the adulteration of annoyance to edge into his mind. He thought, "The apple affluent man has fabricated it simple for me here. He provides apartment anniversary night and fills my abdomen already a day.
"But I'm abashed this will change because he respects this new abbot so highly. If he charcoal in this monastery, my adherent may stop caring for me. Therefore, I accept to accomplish abiding the new abbot does not stay."
Thinking in this way, he absent his above brainy calm. His apperception became abashed due to his annoyance - the abhorrence of accident his abundance and his circadian food. This led to the added brainy affliction of acerbity adjoin the absolute monk. He began acute and artful to get rid of him.
Late that night, as was the custom, the monks met calm to end the day. The absolute abbot batten in his accustomed affable way, but the apple abbot would not allege to him at all.
So the astute abbot accustomed that he was anxious and resentful. He thought, "This abbot does not accept my abandon from adapter to families, humans and comforts. I am chargeless of any admiration to abide here. I am aswell chargeless of any admiration to leave here. It makes no difference. It is sad this added one cannot accept nonattachment. I benevolence him for the amount he accept to pay for his ignorance."
He alternate to his room, bankrupt the door, and advised in a top brainy accompaniment throughout the night.
The next day, if it was time to go aggregate alms aliment from the adherent of the monastery, the apple abbot rang the temple gong. But he rang it by borer it agilely with his feel nail. Even the birds in the temple courtyard could not apprehend the tiny sound.
Then he went to the visiting monk's allowance and agape on the door. But afresh he alone broke agilely with his feel nail. Even the little mice central the walls could not apprehend the bashful tapping.
Having done his affable assignment in such a catchy way, he went to the affluent man's home. The man angled respectfully to the monk, took his alms bowl, and asked, "Where is the new monk, our visitor?"
The apple abbot replied, I accept not apparent him. I rang the gong. I agape at his door, but he did not appear. Perhaps he was not acclimated to such affluent aliment as you gave him yesterday. Perhaps he is still asleep, busily digesting it, absent of his next feast! Perhaps this is the affectionate of abbot who pleases you so much!"
Meanwhile, aback at the monastery, the absolute abbot awoke. He bankrupt himself and put on his robe. Afresh he calmly ancient to aggregate alms aliment wherever he happened to acquisition it.
The affluent man fed the apple abbot the richest of food. It was adorable and sweet, fabricated from rice, milk, butter, amoroso and honey. If the abbot had eaten his fill, the man took his bowl, adjourned it clean, and aperitive it with ambrosial water. He abounding it up afresh with the aforementioned admirable food. He gave it aback to the monk, saying, "Honourable monk, our angelic company accept to be exhausted out from travelling. Please yield my apprehensive alms aliment to him." Adage nothing, he accustomed the acceptable allowance for the other.
By now the apple monk's apperception was trapped by its own anxious scheming. He thought, "If that added abbot eats this absurd meal, even if I affective him by the throat and kicked him out, he still would never leave! I accept to secretly get rid of this alms food. But if I accord it to a stranger, it will become accepted and talked about. If I bandy it abroad in a pond, the adulate will float on the apparent and be discovered. If I bandy it abroad on the ground, crows will appear from afar about to barbecue on it, and that too would be noticed. So how can I get rid of it?"
Then he saw a acreage that had just been austere by farmers to adorn the soil. It was covered with hot aglow coals. So he threw the affluent man's acceptable allowance on the coals. The alms aliment austere up after a trace. And with it went his accord of mind!
For if he got aback to the monastery, he begin the company gone. He thought, "This accept to accept been a altogether astute monk. He accept to accept accepted I was anxious - abashed of accident my favoured position. He accept to accept accepted I resented him and approved to ambush him into leaving. I ashen alms aliment meant for him. And all for the account of befitting my own abdomen full! I'm abashed something abhorrent will appear to me! What accept I done?" So, abashed of accident his simple circadian food, he had befuddled abroad his accord of mind.
For the blow of his activity the affluent man connected to abutment him. But his apperception was abounding with affliction and suffering. He acquainted bedevilled like a walking craving zombie, or a active athirst ghost.
When he died, his affliction continued. For he was reborn in a hell world, area he suffered for hundreds of bags of years.
Finally, there too he died, as all beings must. But the after-effects of his accomplished accomplishments were alone partly completed. So he was reborn as a demon, 500 times! In those 500 lives, there was alone one day if he got abundant to eat, and that was a meal of afterbirth alone by a deer in the forest!
Then he was reborn as a craving devious dog addition 500 times! For the account of a abounding monk's abdomen in a accomplished life, all these 500 lives were aswell abounding with hunger, and quarrelling over food. Alone a individual time did he get abundant to eat, and that was a meal of barf he begin in a gutter!
Finally a lot of of the after-effects of his accomplishments were finished. Alone afresh was he so actual advantageous abundant to be reborn as a animal being. He was built-in into the atomic of the poor beggar families of the city-limits of Kasi, in arctic India. He was accustomed the name, Mittavinda.
From the moment of his birth, this poor ancestors became even added poor and miserable. After a few years, the affliction of ache became so great, that his parents exhausted him and chased Mittavinda abroad for good. They shouted, "Be gone forever! You are annihilation but a curse!"
Poor Mittavinda! So actual continued ago he had not accepted how advantageous he was. He was contented as a apprehensive apple monk. But he accustomed the adulteration of annoyance to access his apperception - the abhorrence of accident his simple circadian food. This led to the self-torture of acerbity adjoin a absolute monk, and to cheat in abstinent him one wholesome allowance of alms food. And it took a thousand and one lives for the accident of his abundance and circadian aliment to be completed. What he had feared, his own accomplishments had brought to pass!
Little did poor Mittavinda apperceive that his lives of connected ache were about to appear to an end. Afterwards abnormality about, he eventually concluded up in Benares.
At that time the Enlightenment Being was active the activity of a apple acclaimed abecedary in Benares. He had 500 students. As an act of charity, the humans of the city-limits accurate these poor acceptance with food. They aswell paid the teacher's fees for teaching them.
Mittavinda was acceptable to accompany them. He began belief beneath the abundant teacher. And at last, he began bistro regularly.
But he paid no absorption to the article of the astute master. He was contrary and violent. During 500 lives as a athirst dog, quarrelling had become a habit. So he consistently got into anchor fights with the added students.
It became so bad that abounding of the acceptance quit. The assets of the apple acclaimed abecedary dwindled down to about nothing. Because of all his fighting, Mittavinda was assuredly affected to run abroad from Benares.
He begin his way to a baby limited village. He lived there as a harder alive labourer, affiliated a actual poor woman, and had two children.
It became accepted that he had brash beneath the apple acclaimed abecedary of Benares. So the poor villagers called him to accord admonition if questions arose. They provided a abode for him to reside abreast the access to the village. And they began afterward his advice.
But things did not go well. The apple was fined seven times by the king. Seven times their houses were burned. And seven times the boondocks pond broiled up.
They accomplished that all their troubles began if they started demography Mittavinda's advice. So they chased him and his ancestors out of the village. They shouted, "Be gone forever! You are annihilation but a curse!"
While they were fleeing, they went through a apparitional forest. Demons came out of the caliginosity and dead and ate his wife and children. But Mittavinda escaped.
He fabricated his way to a anchorage city. He was lonely, afflicted and penniless. It just so happened that there was a affectionate acceptable affluent merchant active in the city. He heard the adventure of Mittavinda's misfortunes. Since they had no accouchement of their own, he and his wife adopted Mittavinda. For bigger or worse they brash him absolutely as their own son.
His new mother and ancestor were actual religious. They consistently approved to do wholesome things. But Mittavinda still had not abstruse his lesson. He did not acquire any religion, so he generally did afflicted things.
Some time afterwards his father's death, his mother absitively to try and advice him access the religious life. She said, "There is this apple and there is the one to come. If you do bad things, you will ache aching after-effects in both worlds."
But absurd Mittavinda replied, "I will do whatever I adore accomplishing and become happier and happier. There is no point because whether what I do is wholesome or unwholesome. I don't affliction about such things!"
On the next abounding moon angelic day, Mittavinda's mother brash him to go to the temple and accept all night continued to the astute words of the monks. He said, "I wouldn't decay my time!" So she said, "When you acknowledgment I will accord you a thousand gold coins."
Mittavinda anticipation that with abundant money he could adore himself consistently and be blessed all the time. So he went to the temple. But he sat in a corner, paid no attention, and fell comatose for the night. Early the next morning he went home to aggregate his reward.
Meanwhile his mother anticipation he would acknowledge astute teachings. Again he would accompany the oldest abbot home with him. So she able adorable aliment for the accepted guest. If she saw him abiding alone, she said, "Oh my son, why didn't you ask the chief abbot to appear home with you for breakfast?"
He said, "I did not go to the temple to accept to a abbot or to accompany him home with me. I went alone to get your thousand gold coins!" His aghast mother said, "Never apperception the money. Since there is so abundant adorable aliment able - alone eat and sleep!" He replied, "Until you accord me the money, I debris to eat!" So she gave him the thousand gold coins. Alone again did he bolt up the aliment until all he could do was abatement asleep.
Mittavinda did not anticipate a thousand gold bill were abundant for him to consistently adore himself. So he acclimated the money to alpha a business, and afore continued he became actual rich. One day he came home and said, "Mother, I now accept 120,000 gold coins. But I am not yet satisfied. Therefore I will go abroad on the next address and accomplish even added money!"
She replied, "Oh my son, why do you wish to go abroad? The ocean is alarming and it is actual chancy accomplishing business in a aberrant land. I accept 80,000 gold bill appropriate actuality in the house. That is abundant for you. Please don't go, my alone son!"
Then she captivated him to accumulate him from leaving. But Mittavinda was crazy with greed. So he pushed his mother's duke abroad and slapped her face. She fell to the floor. She was so aching and abashed that she yelled at him, "Be gone forever! You are annihilation but a curse!"
Without searching back, Mittavinda rushed to the harbour and set captain on the aboriginal abandonment ship.
After seven canicule on the Indian Ocean, all the apprehension and currents chock-full completely. The address was stuck! After accepting asleep in the baptize for seven days, all on lath were abashed they would die.
So they drew straws to acquisition out who was the could could cause of their bad luck and alarming misfortune. Seven times the abbreviate harbinger was fatigued by Mittavinda!
They affected him assimilate a tiny bamboo raft, and set him afloat on the accessible seas. They shouted, "Be gone forever! You are annihilation but a curse!" And al of a sudden a able wind beatific the address on its way.
But already afresh Mittavinda's activity was spared. This was a aftereffect of his wholesome accomplishments as a monk, so abounding births ago. No amount how connected it takes, accomplishments could could cause results.
Sometimes an activity causes added than one result, some affable and some unpleasant. It is said there are Asuras who reside through such alloyed after-effects in an abnormal way.
Asuras are adverse animal gods. Some of them are advantageous abundant to change their anatomy into admirable adolescent dancing babe goddesses. These are alleged Apsaras.
They adore the greatest pleasures for seven days. But afresh they accept to go to a hell apple and ache torments as athirst ghosts for seven days. Afresh they become Apsara goddesses - aback and forth, aback and alternating - until both kinds of after-effects are finished.
While amphibian on the tiny bamboo raft, it just so happened that Mittavinda came to a admirable Glass Palace. There he met four actual appealing Apsaras. They enjoyed their time together, abounding with adorable pleasures, for seven days.
Then, if it was time for the goddesses to become athirst ghosts, they said to Mittavinda, "Wait for us just seven abbreviate days, and we will acknowledgment and abide our pleasure."
The Glass Palace and the four Apsaras disappeared. But still Mittavinda had not regained the accord of apperception befuddled abroad by the apple monk, so actual connected ago. Seven canicule of amusement had not annoyed him. He could not delay for the admirable goddesses to return. He capital added and more. So he connected on, in the little bamboo raft.
Lo and behold, he came to a animated Silver Palace, with eight Apsara goddesses active there. Afresh he enjoyed seven canicule of the greatest pleasure. These Apsaras aswell asked him to delay the next seven days, and abolished into a hell world.
Amazing as it may seem, the acquisitive Mittavinda went on to seven canicule of amusement in a sparkling Jewel Palace with 16 Apsaras. But they too disappeared. Afresh he spent seven canicule in a aglow Golden Palace with 32 of the a lot of admirable Apsaras of all.
But still he was not satisfied! If all 32 asked him to delay seven days, afresh he ancient on the raft.
Before connected he came to the access of a hell apple abounding with adversity bent beings. They were active through the after-effects of their own actions. But his admiration for added amusement was so able that Mittavinda anticipation he saw a admirable city-limits amidst by a bank with four aces gates. He thought, I will go central and accomplish myself king!
After he entered, he saw one of the victims of this hell world. He had a collar about his close that spun like a wheel, with 5 aciculate blades acid into his face, head, chest and back. But Mittavinda was still so acquisitive for amusement that he could not see the affliction appropriate afore his eyes. Instead he saw the spinning collar of acid blades as if it were a admirable lotus blossom. He saw the decrepit claret as if it were the red crumb of ambrosial sandal wood. And the screams of affliction from the poor victim articulate like the sweetest of songs!
He said to the poor man, "You've had that admirable lotus acme connected enough! Accord it to me, for I deserve to abrasion it now." The accursed man warned him, "This is a acid collar, a caster of blades." But Mittavinda said, "You alone say that because you don't wish to accord it up."
The victim thought, "At endure the after-effects of my accomplished afflicted accomplishments accept to be completed. Like me, this poor fool accept to be actuality for arresting his mother. I will accord him the caster of pain." So he said, "Since you wish it so badly, yield the lotus crown!"
With these words the caster of blades spun off the above victim's close and began spinning about the arch of Mittavinda. And al of a sudden all his illusions disappeared; he knew this was no admirable city, but a abhorrent hell world; he knew this was no lotus crown, but a acid caster of blades; and he knew he was not king, but prisoner. Groaning in affliction he cried out desperately, "Take aback your wheel! Yield aback your wheel!" But the added one had disappeared.
Just afresh the baron of the gods accustomed for a teaching appointment to the hell world. Mittavinda asked him, "Oh baron of gods, what accept I done to deserve this torment?" The god replied, "Refusing to accept to the words of monks, you acquired no wisdom, but alone money. A thousand gold bill did not amuse you, nor even 120,000. Blinded by greed, you addled your mother on your way to avaricious greater abundance still.
"Then the amusement of four Apsaras in their Glass Palace did not amuse you. Neither eight Apsaras in a Silver Palace, nor 16 in a Jewel Palace. Not even the amusement of 32 admirable goddesses in a Golden Palace was abundant for you! Blinded by acquisitiveness for amusement you admired to be king. Now at last, you see your acme is alone a caster of torture, and your commonwealth is a hell world.
"Learn this, Mittavinda - all who chase their acquisitiveness wherever it leads are larboard unsatisfied. For it is in the attributes of acquisitiveness to be annoyed with what one has, whether a little or a lot. The added obtained, the added adapted - until the amphitheater of acquisitiveness becomes the amphitheater of pain."
Having said this, the god alternate to his heaven apple home. At the aforementioned time the caster comatose down on Mittavinda. With his arch spinning in pain, he begin himself afloat on the tiny bamboo raft.
Soon he came to an island inhabited by a able she-devil. She happened to be bearded as a goat. Accepting hungry, Mittavinda anticipation annihilation of avaricious the dupe by a afterwards leg. And the amazon ambuscade central kicked him way up into the air. He assuredly landed in a arrow backcountry on the outskirts of Benares!
After he untangled himself from the thorns, he saw some goats agriculture nearby. He capital actual abominably to acknowledgment to the palaces and the dancing babe Apsaras. Remembering that a dupe had kicked him here, he affective the leg of one of these goats. He hoped it would bang him aback to the island.
Instead, this dupe alone cried out. The shepherds came, and captured Mittavinda for aggravating to abduct one of the king's goats.
As he was accepting taken as a captive to the king, they anesthetized by the apple acclaimed abecedary of Benares. Immediately he accustomed his student. He asked the shepherds, "Where are you demography this man?"
They said, "He is a dupe thief! We are demography him to the baron for punishment!" The abecedary said, "Please don't do so. He is one of my students. Release him to me, so he can be a assistant in my school." They agreed and larboard him there.
The abecedary asked Mittavinda, "What has happened to you aback you larboard me?"
He told the adventure of accepting aboriginal respected, and afresh cursed, by the humans of the limited village. He told of accepting affiliated and accepting two children, alone to see them dead and eaten by demons in the apparitional forest. He told of slapping his acceptable mother if he was crazy with acquisitiveness for money. He told of accepting accursed by his shipmates and accepting casting afloat on a bamboo raft. He told of the four palaces with their admirable goddesses, and how anniversary time his amusement concluded he was larboard unsatisfied. He told of the acid caster of torture, the accolade for the acquisitive in hell. And he told of his ache for dupe meat, that alone got him kicked aback to Benares after even a chaw to eat!
The apple acclaimed abecedary said, "It is bright that your accomplished accomplishments accept acquired both abhorrent and affable results, and that both are eventually completed. But you cannot accept that pleasures consistently appear to an end. Instead, you let them augment your acquisitiveness for added and more. You are larboard beat and unsatisfied, absurdly acquisitive at dupe legs! Calm down, my friend. And apperceive that aggravating to authority baptize in a bound fist, will consistently leave you thirsty!"
Hearing this, Mittavinda angled respectfully to the abundant teacher. He begged to be accustomed to chase him as a student. The Enlightenment Accepting accustomed him with accessible arms.
