The world of Tzu Chi March 2021 (Vol.132)

2021 • 03 54 T here was once a king who had a daughter. She was very ugly and bad-tempered, so when she was old enough to be married, no one in their social class wanted to marry her. Finally, the king announced that as long as a man had a good background and was not a slave, even if he were poor, he could marry the princess. One day, a young man wandered into the kingdom. He came from a good family and was willing to marry the princess. After they were married, they got along well with each other. One day, the young man decided to take his new wife back to his hometown. The king was delighted and gave them chests of gold and expensive gifts to take to the young man’s family. The king also ordered bodyguards to escort them. The husband went home proudly and all his relatives and friends came to celebrate. They felt that their household was honoured and they wanted to see what the wife looked like. However, the young man made up all sorts of excuses why they could not meet his wife. He even locked the door so that no one could force their way in. The princess passed the days in sadness, and she felt wretched every time she saw herself in the mirror. She tried to hang herself, but the rope broke in half. She was overwhelmed with emotions. She realized that suicide would not solve anything. It would be an offence against her parents and would bring many troubles to her husband. With so much misery in her heart, she cried bitterly. At this point, she suddenly thought of Buddha, so she folded her hands together and, aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories * This article is extracted from the book “The Master Tells Stories”. The Ugly Princess facing the place where he lived, she sincerely and devoutly prayed. Perhaps because she prayed so intensely, she seemed to see Buddha talking to her. “In your previous life, you gave alms joyfully, so in this life you were born into a royal family and enjoyed all sorts of luxuries. However, because of your violent temper, you beat your servants for any little thing and you treated others with anger, therefore, you became ugly and everyone who sees you is frightened. You create your own fortune, good or bad. You must repent wholeheartedly, think about the majestic, dignified appearance of Buddha, think about the suffering of all beings, and cultivate your compassion and love. This will solve your problem.” After hearing this, she earnestlycontemplated Buddha’s compassionate appearance, and she spoke and acted towards others with kindness. One day, her husband was drunk. Everyone wanted to see what the princess looked like, so they slipped his keys from his pocket and entered his house. When the door was open, they admired the princess’ upright, dignified silhouette. Their curiosity satisfied, they went back and woke up the husband. “Congratulations! Not only are you a king’s son-in-law, but your wife is also beautiful.” The husband was puzzled. She was certainly ugly, so how could they say that she was beautiful? He ran into her room to take a look. Although her appearance had not changed, she had become well-tempered, modest and gentle, so she seemed to be kind and attractive. It was like seeing a different people. This is what is meant by the Chinese saying: “One’s appearance comes from one’s mind.”