Sat, 24 Jul 2010
Simple Is Better
Here is a story that Lama Phurbu Tashi told, most recently during the Amitabha empowerment. It used to be on his website, but got lost in the meltdown. So I've resurrected it from memory.
Back during the time of the mahasiddhas in India, a king heard that a great siddha was dwelling in his kingdom. And being a pious Buddhist, he invited him to his palace to give an empowerement. The siddha came, but instead of performing the usual empowerment ceremony, he just opened his palm in front of the king. This was his way of telling the king that enlightenment is nothing more than releasing our grasping. But the king failed to understand, called the siddha a fraud, and threw him into his dungeon.
One of the siddha's disciples heard that he was imprisoned. In order to free him, he went to the king and offered to give him an empowerment. He performed an elaborate ceremony and then explained in detail how the king should perform the sadhana. The king quickly gained realization from his practice and in gratitude offered to grant the disciple's wish, whatever it was. The disciple asked to have the siddha set free. And the king, realizing the mistake he had made, freed the siddha and asked his forgiveness.
The moral of the story is, simple is better than elaborate, but not everyone can appreciate simplicity.
