Greed results in grief - Kapota Jataka | 09 -10-2021 скачать в хорошем качестве

Greed results in grief - Kapota Jataka | 09 -10-2021

Today we are going to learn about a wonderful Jathaka story called Kapota Jathaka. Once upon a time in the reign of Brahmadatta, king of Benares, the Bodhisatta came to life as a young pigeon and lived in a wicker cage, in the kitchen of a rich merchant of Benares. Now a crow hankering after fish made friends with this pigeon, and lived in the same place. One day he caught sight of a lot of fish and meat and thought, “I’ll have this to eat,” and lay loudly groaning in the cage. And when the pigeon said, “Come my friend, let us sally out for our food,” he refused to go, saying, “I am laid up with a fit of indigestion. So when the cook who was roasting the fish and meat came out of the kitchen, wiping away streams of sweat from his person, the crow hopped out of his basket and hid himself in a basin of spices. The basin gave forth a ‘click’ sound, and the cook came in haste, and seizing the crow pulled out his feathers. And grinding some moist ginger and white mustard he pounded it with a potsherd he wounded the bird. Then he fastened the potsherd on his neck with a string, and threw him back into the basket, and went off. The pigeon came back and saw what happened to the crow. The pigeon no longer dwelt there, but spread his wings and flew elsewhere. But the crow died then and there. Therefore, my dear dhamma friends, do not be greedy about the things that we have. As noble sons and daughters of our Gautama Buddha, be happy with what we have and have a strong determination to abandon greediness.