Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
Recently we have all been glued to the tv watching the spread of the wildfires here in Southern California. All over the nation, people are watching on the news, the fires that have destroyed so many homes and hillsides. Watching these fires reminded me of a beautiful story from the Buddhist Jataka Tales.
Once there was a forest where many animals lived. One day the forest caught on fire and the animals all tried to fight the fire but it became too large for them to fight. The lion, a leader of the animals, called all of them to escape from the fire. The animals all began to flee from the forest. As they ran away from the fire, they noticed one little bird that continued to fight the fire. This little bird was injured, but despite its injury it continued to fight the fire by dropping into a nearby pond, wetting its wings, and then flying over the fire, flapping its wings and dropping a few drops of water over the fire. Time after time the little bird flew over the fire. The other animials called out to it, "What are you doing? The fire is too dangerous! You can't put out the fire that way!" The little bird flew down to where they other animals were and said to them, "I may not be able to put out the fire, but this is all that I can do," and flew off again to fight the fire.
What a brave and admirable little bird that was in the story, and it teaches us a wonderful lesson. Sometimes in life, we must take on a task that is seemingly insurmountable. Despite the fact that it is insurmountable, we take it on, and like the little bird, we do what we can, because it is "all that we can do." There is something noble and virtuous in taking on something that is insurmountable. In this modern era, we find ourselves always looking for the quick and easy way, and no one wants to take on something that is really difficult, much less insurmountable. Sometimes, however, the long and difficult path has much more meaning and fulfillment than the short and easy path. Even cooking nowadays is like that. Who makes homemade bread or bakes a cake from scratch? My grandfather used to bake homemade bread. To this day, I have never tasted bread as delicious as my grandfather's homemade bread. It used to take him all day long, but it was the most delicious bread. I continue to think of and recall my grandfather because of his homemade bread. So there is virtue in doing things the long, difficult way sometimes.
In Mahayana Buddhism, we have what are called the four universal vows of a Bodhisattva, called, Shiguzeigan (四弘誓願). The four vows are:
1. However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them.
2. However inexhaustible the passions are, I vow to extinguish them.
3. However limitless the dharmas are, I vow to study them.
4. However infinite the Buddha-truth is, I vow to attain it.
These vows of a Bodhisattva are clearly to take on something insurmountable. No matter how many sentient beings there are, I vow to save them all. No matter how deep and unending my human passions and ego is, I vow to extinguish them. No matter how much there is to learn about Buddhism, I vow to study it all. No matter how lofty the goal of enlightenment might be, I vow to attain it. These are the vows of a Bodhisattva.
The spirit of a Bodhisattva is to take on such an insurmountable task, it is to take on a vow that on the surface, seems impossible to fulfill. But despite the fact that it seems insurmountable and unattainable, the Bodhisattva takes it on, willingly, joyfully. What tremendous meaning and fulfillment there is for the Bodhisattva who takes on such vows of one's life.
This can apply to other things that we do in life as well. You could choose to be a doctor that takes the easy, short path of trying to make the most amount of money in the shortest period of time so that you could retire and relax. Or, you could be a doctor who takes on something insurmountable, like finding the cure for cancer, or aids. You could be a teacher that just wants to put in thirty years and retire, or you could be a teacher that takes on the insurmountable task of teaching all the children of the world to read. You could be a mother who wants to hurry up and get your kids grown up and out of the house so that you can go on a cruise, or you could be a mother who wishes to nurture and raise her children with homecooked meals, stories at bedtime, PTA meetings, school fundraisers, and being team mom of the soccer team, and all that it takes to be a nurturing, loving mother to your children.
Many great things in life have been accomplished by individuals who took on seemingly insurmountable tasks. Even our own temple, OCBC, when it was first built, those pioneering members must've wondered how they were going to pay for such a lofty project. OCBC started with only about 75 families who took on the task of building the hondo, social hall, and classroom building in 1965. They took on a huge mortgage with a small membership. But they went forward, undaunted, and we are all most grateful that they did.
We should not be afraid of a task that is large or daunting. Taking on something insurmountable is more than just a challenge. It is rewarding, fulfilling, and meaningful. The journey is the reward, even if you do not see the result within your lifetime.
Namuamidabutsu,
Rev. Marvin Harada
November 2007
