In September, we welcome the autumn equinox season of Ohigan as a time to reflect on the direction of our lives. Here in the United States, we also find ourselves reflecting on the direction of our nation as we enter the heart of another election season. When I consider the choices before me as a voter, I recall the Buddha’s wish for all people to live in a country where “Peace and harmony reign throughout the land. . . The land is prosperous and the people live in peace, so there is no need to use soldiers and weapons. People respect virtue, cultivate benevolence, and diligently observe propriety and humility.” (The Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, Section 40)
In describing the virtues of an admirable leader, Sakyamuni Buddha once told the story of a troop of monkeys that lived in a banyan fig tree, led by a wise and compassionate monkey king. The tree bore ample and delicious fruit and the monkeys lived comfortably, never needing to worry about what they would eat.
When the human king who ruled the local people discovered the fig tree, he became enraged by the sight of so many monkeys eating the delicious fruit, while he had none for himself. He ordered his soldiers to attack the monkeys, and as arrows and stones rained down on them, they could do nothing but scream out in terror.
The monkey king boldly leapt from the tree to the side of a mountain that stood nearby. He quickly found a tall bamboo stalk and grasping the top of the stalk, he leapt back over to the tree to rescue the other monkeys. The bamboo stalk was just long enough for the monkey king to grab hold of the nearest branch of the tree with his feet while his hands clung to the bamboo stalk.
The other monkeys rushed across the bamboo stalk over to the safety of the mountainside, many stepping on the body of their king as they fled. After all his subjects had escaped, the monkey king continued to hold himself between the tree and the bamboo stalk, too exhausted and injured from the trampling to climb away to safety.
Moved by courageous compassion of the monkey king, the human king ordered his soldiers to help the monkey king down. Once the monkey king was safely on the ground, the human king went to his side to express his admiration for the monkey king’s virtuous actions and ask him what motivated him to practice such generous kindness for his subjects, even though it was their duty to protect him as the king.
The monkey king replied by saying: “Your highness, though my body be shattered, yet my spirit has attained perfect well-being, inasmuch as I have relieved the distress of my subjects who I have ruled for so long.” He then went on to instruct the king on the path to realize happiness for himself, saying “Beasts of burden, army, country people, townsmen, ministers, the helpless poor, monks, and brahmins—the king should, like a father, endeavor to procure for them all a fruitful happiness. By increasing your merit, your wealth, your fame in this way, you will earn happiness both in this life and in the next.” (Once the Buddha Was a Monkey: Arya Sura’s Jatakamala, trans. Peter Khoroche, p. 191)
While the courage of the monkey king is truly remarkable, what I find most compelling about this story is the way in which he responds to the human king who, motivated by greed, ordered the attack on the monkey king’s subjects that led to his own pain and serious injury. Rather than expressing anger and vengeance toward the human king, he shows great compassion teaching him the path to realizing true peace and joy—which can only be found in serving and caring for others free of concern for one’s own comfort and convenience. This wise teaching of Buddha reminds us that those who lead with generosity (dana) and patience (ksanti) reflect the Buddha’s wish for all beings to live in peace and comfort.
Namo Amida Butsu