The World Of Tzu Chi December 2019 (Vol.117)

TZU CHI 117 51 * This article is extracted from the book “The Master Tells Stories”. her to appear, she insisted that she would not go. “I can do as the king commands on any normal day, but there’s only one fifteenth day in every month. I’ve waited so long for this day.” She insisted on her rule of abstinence and would not go to see the king. The king waited for a long time and still Queen Mallika did not appear. He became furious and commanded her to come before him. When she heard that the king was in a rage, she went to the main hall without any makeup or elegant clothes. When the king saw her, his eyes opened wide. He had been dazzled by all the beautifully dressed women milling about in the hall. Mallika, however, had come in with simple, dignified clothes and a clean face. Normally he did not consider her especially beautiful, but why was she so beautiful today? The king happily gave her the precious bag. Mallika was surprised to see the present. “How can I accept this? As a woman, I already have so much bad karma. Furthermore, I only enjoy life here in the palace, and I don’t create any good fortune. What right do I have to receive such a rare, valuable gift?” We know from this story that everyone seeks “beauty”, but beauty is not something that can be put on and worn. Real beauty comes from our hearts, and simplicity and purity can best show our beauty. No matter how people decorate themselves, they can’t prevent the coming of old age. A woman is beautiful when she is young; but when she is old, she would not be beautiful no matter how much makeup she puts on. It seems that beauty based on makeup can only fool us for a while. But if there is beauty in one’s heart, everyone else will be happy to see that person regardless of his or her age, and that is real beauty. In order to obtain real beauty, we must have a pure, wise mind. Beauty based on truth and goodness is the real beauty of the world. “I wanted to give this to the woman that I love the most,” the king said. “You’re the one I love the most, so I’m giving this to you. Otherwise, who else should I give it to?” A thought came to Mallika’s mind. “You want to give it to the one you love, and I want to give it to the one I respect the most. If you love me the most, you will grant me this wish.” “OK, if it’s your wish, then I’ll grant it to you.” “I want to give this to Buddha. The most difficult thing in this world is to have a buddha preach in our kingdom and thus allow the citizens to live in peace. So I want to present this bag to Buddha in order to receive great merit.” The king thought that this was reasonable, because he had heard that even many government ministers went to hear Buddha teach, and that he had changed many people and made their society more harmonious. So, the king agreed to Queen Mallika’s request and went to visit Buddha. When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him and offered him the precious bag. The king then asked him to teach. The king was so moved by Buddha’s sermon that he immediately became his disciple.