I hope you can find time this month to take a little break from everyday responsibilities like school and work to enjoy leisure time with family and friends. Summer breaks can be a great opportunity to reflect on the direction of our lives and consider new possibilities. However, there are times when we get so bogged down in our daily responsibilities that we cannot find even a minute or two to pause and reflect on the lives we are living. Sakyamuni Buddha had particularly deep concern for those who were struggling to find their way in life and actively sought out those who were most in need of compassionate care. The following story from The Sutra on Wisdom and Folly illustrates the patient persistence of the Buddha:
At one time the Buddha was dwelling at Jetavana in the country of Sravasti. At that time, many people lived inside the walled city of Shravasti. There were few lavatories, so most people went outside the city to urinate and defecate. There were also wealthy people of high status, who did not venture outside the city walls. They would use containers for toilets and hire people to take them outside the city.
There was one man named Nītha who was extremely poor and destitute. He had nowhere to go and earned a meager living taking out the toilet pots. The Buddha came to know of his situation and resolved to help him. He instructed Ananda that they would go into the walled city with the intention of bringing Nītha out and saving him. When they arrived at the city, they happened upon Nītha carrying a clay pot filled to the brim with filth on his way out to dispose of it.
When Nītha saw the Buddha, he was extremely ashamed and went back to find another road by which he could discreetly leave the city. Again, he saw the Buddha and was doubly embarrassed, so he went back again trying to run away. In his haste, he bumped the clay pot filled with filth against a wall, where it shattered dousing his body in urine and feces. He was deeply ashamed and could not bear to meet the Buddha.
At that time, the Buddha went straight to Nītha and said to him, “Would you like to leave this life and join the Sangha, or not?”
Nītha replied, “The Buddha is more honored than a king adorned with gold jewelry. You are surrounded by disciples who are all of noble birth. I am the most destitute and despised. How could I join them and be ordained?”
The World-Honored One told him, “My Dharma is pure and marvelous. It is like pure water that can completely wash away any defilements. Moreover, it is like a great fire that can burn anything. Large or small, beloved or despised, it can burn them all up. My Dharma is vast without boundary. Among the poor and the rich, male and female, those who practice it all bring an end to their various desires.”
Hearing these words, Nītha felt that he could trust the Buddha completely and awakened the desire to leave his life of destitution and join the Sangha. The Buddha instructed Ananda to take Nītha outside the city to the edge of a great river, where he cleansed his body. Once he was cleaned up, they proceeded to Jetavana so the Buddha could teach the sutras of the Dharma, the principle that all people suffer, renouncing birth-and-death, and that nirvana is lasting peace. Nītha quickly understood the meaning of the teachings and clearly saw his path to a life of peace and ease of mind. Joining his palms Nītha faced the Buddha and asked to be ordained as a monk. The Buddha immediately welcomed him into the Sangha.
(The Sutra on Wisdom and Folly (Xiangujing), Fascicle 6, Chapter 30, translation by Henry Adams)
The Buddha welcomes us just as we are. There is no need for shame and guilt. Recognizing the difficulties of life in this world, the Buddha only wishes to help all who are struggling and guide us on the path to peace of mind. Just as Sakyamuni Buddha called out to Nītha when he was exhausted and overwhelmed, Amida Buddha calls to each of us in the words “Namo Amida Butsu.” These words of the Nembutsu are the voice of compassion welcoming us to the Pure Land of peace and comfort.
Namo Amida Butsu