Embody Goodwill
To "embody goodwill" means to consistently demonstrate positive intentions and actions that reflect kindness, compassion, and a genuine desire to promote the well-being and happiness of others.
Goodness Can Turn Negativity into Positivity
This story is about the robber Angulimala.
Journey in Khosala Buddha was warned not to pass through a dense forest because there was a cruel robber Angulimala for he lived by plundering unwary travellers and had committed many murders. He was a terror and all attempts to catch him had failed. He was afraid of no one.
Now,the people of Khosala besought Buddha not to go in the territory of terror. But Buddha knew no fear and was ready to go.
Angulimala, enraged to his boldness and was determined to slay the intruder. But when he saw the Buddha, calm and self- possessed, and his words of kindness, the robber hesitated. His arm uplifted to kill, hung helpless by his side. As the Buddha reasoned with him, he changed his purpose and, before long, had confessed all his sins and declared his faith in god.
When the people saw the new disciple following his master, they were amazed and could scarcely believe that this was the same man who had been the terror of their land for so many years. Angulimala became a monk and was renowned for his holiness.
MORAL OF THE STORY
By our goodness, we can convert negativity into positivity
Do Not Be Materialistic
One day, after the Buddha and a group of monks finished eating lunch mindfully together, a farmer, very agitated, came by and asked, “Monks, have you seen my cows? I don’t think I can survive so much misfortune.”
The Buddha asked him, ‘What happened” and the man said, “Monks, this morning all twelve of my cows ran away. And this year my whole crop of sesame plants was eaten by insects!” The Buddha said, “Sir, we have not seen your cows. Perhaps they have gone in the other direction.”
After the farmer went off in that direction, the Buddha turned to his Sangha and said, “Dear friends, do you know you are the happiest people on Earth? You have no cows or sesame plants to lose.”
We always try to accumulate more and more, and we think these ‘cows’ are essential for our existence. In fact, they may be the obstacles that prevent us from being happy.
Release your cows and become a free person. Release your cows so you can be truly happy."
MORAL OF THE STORY
Accumulation leads to dissatisfaction
Hiss But Do Not Bite
The village was terrorized by a huge cobra. The snake would lie in wait, hidden by the grasses and reeds, along the paths leading to and from the village, sometimes on one side and sometimes on another.
As the villagers would pass near where the cobra was hiding, it would raise its giant hooded head as high as the shoulder of a man, hiss horribly, and lunge forward, sinking its fangs into its victim to release its terrible poison. The person bitten would often die, or take a long time to recover.
The snake instilled great fear in the villagers whenever they needed to leave the village. This state of affairs went on for years, while the villagers grew ever more anxious and suffered greatly.
The Cobra Began to Feel Repentant
Then eventually, the cobra began to feel repentant for the suffering he caused, and felt he needed guidance on how to behave. He sought out the local holy man, considered a guru to many, who lived simply in the forest.
The snake said, “O guru, for these many years I have been biting the people who live in this village, and I fear I have brought untold suffering upon them. What can I do to remedy the situation?”
The guru responded, “Simple. You can stop biting them, though I know this is not easy for you, as it goes against your nature.”
The cobra thanked the holy man and promised that he would stop biting the villagers.
The Cobra Would Lie Quietly
Some time passed and some of the villagers noticed that the cobra would just lie there quietly as they passed him on the paths and would not be aggressive or try to bite them.
One day, some of them said, “That snake is not biting anymore, but we don’t trust him. We don’t want him hanging around our pathways. Let’s go and kill him or drive him away.”
With large sticks, they went out and scoured the pathways until they came upon the cobra.
Under Orders Not to Bite, the Cobra Did Nothing
Under orders not to bite, he just lay there. The villagers beat him with their sticks until he was bloody and terribly bruised. When he looked dead, the villagers tired of beating him and went away.
But the snake was not dead. He crawled slowly in great pain to the feet of the guru, and said, “You told me not to bite, and I have followed your order, but look at what it has gotten me: a terrible beating that could have killed me.”
The guru said, “I told you not to bite, but I didn’t tell you not to hiss!”
From that day, the cobra would hiss at the villagers, and they would keep their distance, while safely going about their business.
MORAL OF THE STORY
People always take advantage of decency of others and people who are good face lot of difficulty in life. Understand that people exploit sometimes, hence one needs to behave in a manner to keep things in control.