The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.115).

TZU CHI 115 55 * This article is extracted from the book “The Master Tells Stories”. attitude towards the Buddha. “There’s nothing good to listen,” he said. “He just talks about how to be a good person, and I already know that.” Another three days passed by, Husi felt that if they kept on like this, both of them would miss this chance of a lifetime, so he went to Homan again. Homan still had the same attitude, and Husi’s temper finally flared up. He grabbed Homan’s hair and said, “Whether you like it or not, you’re coming with me!” Homan now realized his friend was serious and thought, “All right, maybe I should visit this sage.” “Don’t get so upset,” he told Husi. “Let go of my hair and I’ll follow you.” So the two of them went to Kyasa Buddha, and Husi respectfully bowed before him. Seeing his friend’s respectful attitude, Homan also bowed. Husi then faced Kyasa Buddha. “Buddha, my friend here doesn’t cherish what he has. I ask you to instruct him, so that he can follow your teachings wholeheartedly.” Kyasa Buddha praised them for coming and began preaching to transform Homan’s mind. Concluding his story, Sakyamuni Buddha explained its meaning. “Homan was my previous existence, and Husi was the heavenly being who helped me to escape frommy father’s palace. He guided me and helped my horse to fly over the castle walls.” “You can’t let good opportunities slip by, and you must pay attention so that you don’t make mistakes. In my incarnation as Homan, I was only reluctant for six days, but from that time on I have always had six years of obstacles in every life, including this one. I have had six years of hardship in this life. I spent six years going down the wrong path of ascetic practice. Therefore, everyone should constantly be careful to avoid my mistakes.” Buddha had created these six years of obstacles in a previous lifetime, before he attained his Buddhahood. We can take this story and apply it to ourselves. If our goal is correct at the start, we must persevere towards it. We have to appreciate the people and events around us, which allow us to develop ourselves spiritually. Our minds create our own obstacles and anxieties, and this is the most fearful. Not only must we try to eliminate these problems in our minds, but we also have to redeem ourselves and others from the suffering of the world.