The Deer and The King

Isn't the sound of birds chirping outside in the quiet early morning very lovely? In fact, if everyone can realize that all living beings, be it humans, birds, etc. all share the same pure, true nature, we will not discriminate against other living creatures and will live in harmony with them as one. Wouldn't that be very beautiful?

Similarly, if our hearts can become one with Buddhas', wouldn't our world become a Pure Land on earth? The Buddha said that all living beings share the same enlightened nature, which is the Buddha nature.

As I often say, the mind of the Buddha and all living beings is one and the same. But, due to the deluded thoughts we give rise to, we lose sight of our direction in life; it is also due to our deluded thoughts that we discriminate against others, which in turn has led to many disputes and conflicts. Not only do people fight with one another, but they also disturb animals.

See how vicious we humans can be. Compared to people, animals are much more simpler. In a forest, there was a deer whose fur had nine colors. One day, as he walked along a river, he heard someone calling for help. He saw a man struggling in the river. So, he immediately jumped into the river.

He swam toward the man and said: "Grab my antlers and get on my back." With all his strength, he carried the man ashore. The man was very moved. He said: "I'll serve you for the rest of my life." The deer said, "You don't need to do that. But, as many people want my fur, I hope you can promise not to tell others about me." The man swore, "I won't. Thank you so much."

The king of the country is very benevolent. One day, his queen dreamt about a deer whose fur had nine colors. She couldn't help but think: If the fur could be made into a coat, and the antlers be made into earrings, how wonderful it would be."

So, she told the king about it. The king said: "Is there such a deer in the world?" The queen said: "If you don't get it for me, I'd rather die." So, the king offered a reward for the deer. The man whom the deer had saved saw the notice. He knew he was going to be rich. He told the king about the deer.

So, the king led a troop to hunt the deer. The deer was asleep under a tree. A bird saw the king and his troop approaching. So, the bird went to warn the deer. Seeing the troop drew closer and closer, the bird pecked the deer on his ear. The deer woke up, only to find that he was surrounded by the king and his soldiers.

So, he came forward, knelt before the king, and said: "I know I won't be able to escape this time, but can I ask you something? How did you find out where I am?" The king replied, "A man told me about it." The deer told the king: "A few days ago, a man was drowning in a river and I risked my life to save him. To thank me, he said he wanted to be my servant, but I declined and just asked him not to tell others about me."

Hearing that, the king sighed and said: “How vicious people are that they dare to harm those who have saved their lives. I'll ban deer hunting from now on." The queen was very angry that the king didn't get what she wanted. She was so mad that she passed out and died.

The king was heartbroken. But, realizing how greedy people could be, he knew it's important to protect animals. So, he immediately issued the order to ban deer hunting. The King of Gods was very moved, but he still had doubts. So, he sent many deer to eat up all the crops that people had grown.

People were helpless. They couldn't hunt the deer, but their crops had been eaten up by them. So, they sent a representative to see the king. The king said, "I must keep my words. I've promised to protect deer." Hearing that, the King of Gods was very moved, so he took back the deer and blessed people with even more crops than they originally had.

This is a very well-known Buddhist story. Many people have heard about it. Even though the deer was an animal, he also had the enlightened nature within. That's why he had pure love for others and willingly risked his life to save the man.

As for the king, having realized how people would harm animals, he promised to protect deer. But look at the man whom the deer had saved and the queen. The man was ungrateful to the deer and the queen died of greed.

People's hearts truly are very difficult to fathom. That said, we must still believe that all living beings share the same enlightened nature, which is the pure, true nature of all beings. It's just that this pure, true nature has been buried away and so, we give rise to many afflictions and create much bad karma.

If we want to turn our tainted mind back to its original state of purity, we must be resolved to cleanse away all impurities from our minds. This is what everyone must reflect carefully and work hard to do.