The world of Tzu Chi (Vol.109)

2019 • 04 50 W hen Siddhartha was enlightened, he was only around 30 years old. The Jetavana Garden was only just finished. Whenever the residents of Sravasti heard that Buddha was coming to the park, they would joyfully go there to hear his sermons. At that time, King Prasenajit from the kingdom of Kausala heard that Buddha was preaching in the garden. He went there thinking that this enlightened saint must be very old. When he prostrated himself before Buddha, he saw that Buddha was still so young. He wondered if this young man of only 30 could really be enlightened. So he asked, “Buddha, are you truly enlightened? Can you really free us from all human suffering?” Buddha replied kindly, “Your Majesty, there are four things in this world that you cannot ignore: a young prince, young dragons and snakes, a small fire, and young novices.” Buddha explained, “When a young prince is born, you know that in the future he will ascend to the throne and govern the country, so you cannot look down on a prince even when he is still small. A dragon has the power to control the aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories Four Things in This World That Can’t Be Ignored wind and rain, and we need these for a peaceful life. If the rain comes in due season, everything will flourish. Untimely rain only creates disasters, and no rain at all brings drought. A dragon has the power to control the weather and the rain, so it cannot be ignored even when it is young.” “Although snakes are small, a poisonous one can kill with a single bite, so even a young snake cannot be taken lightly. A tiny fire can become a large, uncontrollable blaze, so it cannot be disregarded either.” “You cannot neglect novices either, because they diligently study the sutras and absorb many teachings. In future, they will be great monks who can educate the people to relieve their suffering. So do not ignore novices or young monks.” After listening to these words, the king felt Buddha was right. He realized that he should not look down on others. He had to be attentive not only to major affairs, but to minor ones as well. Big things grow out of little things, so what is small should not be ignored. From then on, the king respected Buddha very much, and he later became a disciple and a great supporter of Buddha. * This article is extracted from the book “The Master Tells Stories”. We Buddhists must always feel grateful and respectful towards others, young and old. “Seniority” can be a matter of old age or experience, but we must respect it either way. More experienced people should care for less experienced people. The elderly should care for the young as they would their own children. The social order that Buddha wanted us to build is “respecting the elderly and caring for the young”.