The world of Tzu Chi Nov-Dec 2021 (Vol.138)

2021 • 12 48 S undari was a prostitute. She heard that many people followed Buddha and became monks, and among them were some of her former lovers. So, she was quite resentful towards Buddha and the monks. Several other religious groups hired her to destroy the order of monks by using her beauty to seduce the monks. However, all the monks were strict followers of the precepts. Under Buddha’s wise, compassionate teaching, no one ever broke the precepts. Although Sundari tried all her charms, she was unable to tempt any of the monks. She finally hit on a shameful plan: She pretended to be pregnant and went around crying that a Buddhist monk had raped her. She spread the rumour everywhere, wanting everyone to think that the monks were anything but pure. The rumour spread throughout the city and soon reached the palace. Then even the king knew that the situation had become serious. After some time, these religious groups feared that Sundari could not keep up the pretence forever, so they killed her and spread the rumour that the monks had done it out of rage. The seriousness of the situation had escalated to such a degree that the king immediately ordered a thorough investigation. Finally, the whole truth came out and the Buddhist order was vindicated. When the truth was publicized, the rumour-mongers were extremely ashamed of themselves, because they had just heard the rumour and passed it along, so that everyone suspected Buddha and his monks. Even the king felt that he had misunderstood Buddha, so the king and all the people went to Buddha and asked for forgiveness. “I do not blame you,” Buddha said to them. “I can only blame myself for having planted the cause in a previous life and thus getting this result now.” So, they all asked him, “What did you do?” Sundari pretended to be pregnant and went around crying that a Buddhist monk had raped her. She spread the rumour everywhere, wanting everyone to think that the monks were anything but pure. aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories Sundari’s Slander