White Chalcedony & The Buddha

[Guest guest]

This is one of my favorite stories about attainment.  If the

dependently arising nature of creation is taken into account it is

truly an amazing legend.  All the elements-including the golden bowl,

the jewels put on the maid, the tree spirit, the women, the baby boy,

the river, the grass, the chalcedony etc. all played a part in the

enlightenment of Siddhartha:

 

According to some legends Siddhartha studied with over 60 masters,

Alara & Uddaka being among the most famous. But it was probably

through Uruvela that the practice of extreme ascetism began.  His

followers were attempting liberation through the extreme distess and

gradual destruction of the physical body. 

 

The day before he attained enlightenment, Siddhartha very was close

to dying.  The thirst and the hunger took a great toll. He was

suffering greatly, so he upped the pressure. He meditated taking in

even less food.  Even the breath was carefully watched and rationed.

So silent he had been for so long.  He sat by a river-the end was in

site.

 

There was not enough energy for much thought at all, yet somehow

while his brain and other organs were shutting down, he came to the

realization than in order to have the insight that would set him free

there must be thought. So he crawled to the river hoping that a sip

of water would refresh him enough to at least generate thought.  It

took him nearly an hour to go a very short distance.

 

Those witnessing the great being crawling on the ground shook their

heads and said he would die at the river. It won't be long now.

 

Not far from the river lived  a beautiful young woman named Sunjata.

She was the wife of a very rich man. She had been praying to a tree

spirit for a son and vowed that if she was to have a son, each year

the tree spirit would be given an offering. 

 

She had recently given birth to a baby boy and was truly elated, so

that morning she was boiling her best milk and rice.  While chanting

she had even built the fire herself.  She would pour the milk and

rice into a fine golden dish and offer it to the spirit of the wood.

When it was almost done, Sunjata sent her maid, Punna, to go and

prepare the place for the offering.

 

Siddhartha had made it to the river, taken some water and was

crawling towards the tree where Sunjata was to make her offering to

the tree spirit.  "Well this did not work well." he thought.  "The

body cannot support the intellect."  He looked so awful from eating

nothing but 1 crab apple and 1 grain of rice a day. He was all hollow

eyed with limbs like reeds and his was spine like a long thin braid

of hair. Yet he made it to a tree on the bank, and there he sat.

 

When the young maid saw Siddhartha sitting under the tree, she was

sure he was the tree spirit sitting there waiting for his offering. 

She dashed back to Sunjata.  "Hurry!"  He is there!  The Tree Spirit

is there!"  Sunjata was so happy she quickly put some of her jewels

on the maid. They put the food into the golden bowl and hurried

happily towards the river.

 

The legend goes: She came along the river bank, worshipping at dawn.

She was robed in grey like a cloud before sunrise and on her wrists

were bracelets of white chalcedony.  The grey and white of them

resembled the river bubble just before it breaks. And that is how

sofly she came."

 

Seeing the dying man, she knew he was not the tree spirit but a

seeker in the last stage of exhaustion. Compassion filled her heart.

She raised the gold dish with both hands, and offered it and bowed. 

Siddhartha ate and she watched him with great joy.

 

She wished for him that he would attain and then left him. For

Siddhartha there was then enough energy to beg some grass from a

farmer to sit on and he sat under that tree vowing not to move until

he had entered a state of enlightenment. 

 

At dawn the next day, just as the sky began to turn grey with the

early light from the East, Siddhartha attained.......

 

I always think of this legend when I see grey or white chalcedony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Beautiful!

-

dharma_dharini

sacred-objects

Saturday, May 13, 2006 9:15 AM

White Chalcedony & The Buddha

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite stories about attainment. If the

dependently arising nature of creation is taken into account it is

truly an amazing legend. All the elements-including the golden bowl,

the jewels put on the maid, the tree spirit, the women, the baby boy,

the river, the grass, the chalcedony etc. all played a part in the

enlightenment of Siddhartha:

 

According to some legends Siddhartha studied with over 60 masters,

Alara & Uddaka being among the most famous. But it was probably

through Uruvela that the practice of extreme ascetism began. His

followers were attempting liberation through the extreme distess and

gradual destruction of the physical body.

 

The day before he attained enlightenment, Siddhartha very was close

to dying. The thirst and the hunger took a great toll. He was

suffering greatly, so he upped the pressure. He meditated taking in

even less food. Even the breath was carefully watched and rationed.

So silent he had been for so long. He sat by a river-the end was in

site.

 

There was not enough energy for much thought at all, yet somehow

while his brain and other organs were shutting down, he came to the

realization than in order to have the insight that would set him free

there must be thought. So he crawled to the river hoping that a sip

of water would refresh him enough to at least generate thought. It

took him nearly an hour to go a very short distance.

 

Those witnessing the great being crawling on the ground shook their

heads and said he would die at the river. It won't be long now.

 

Not far from the river lived a beautiful young woman named Sunjata.

She was the wife of a very rich man. She had been praying to a tree

spirit for a son and vowed that if she was to have a son, each year

the tree spirit would be given an offering.

 

She had recently given birth to a baby boy and was truly elated, so

that morning she was boiling her best milk and rice. While chanting

she had even built the fire herself. She would pour the milk and

rice into a fine golden dish and offer it to the spirit of the wood.

When it was almost done, Sunjata sent her maid, Punna, to go and

prepare the place for the offering.

 

Siddhartha had made it to the river, taken some water and was

crawling towards the tree where Sunjata was to make her offering to

the tree spirit. "Well this did not work well." he thought. "The

body cannot support the intellect." He looked so awful from eating

nothing but 1 crab apple and 1 grain of rice a day. He was all hollow

eyed with limbs like reeds and his was spine like a long thin braid

of hair. Yet he made it to a tree on the bank, and there he sat.

 

When the young maid saw Siddhartha sitting under the tree, she was

sure he was the tree spirit sitting there waiting for his offering.

She dashed back to Sunjata. "Hurry!" He is there! The Tree Spirit

is there!" Sunjata was so happy she quickly put some of her jewels

on the maid. They put the food into the golden bowl and hurried

happily towards the river.

 

The legend goes: She came along the river bank, worshipping at dawn.

She was robed in grey like a cloud before sunrise and on her wrists

were bracelets of white chalcedony. The grey and white of them

resembled the river bubble just before it breaks. And that is how

sofly she came."

 

Seeing the dying man, she knew he was not the tree spirit but a

seeker in the last stage of exhaustion. Compassion filled her heart.

She raised the gold dish with both hands, and offered it and bowed.

Siddhartha ate and she watched him with great joy.

 

She wished for him that he would attain and then left him. For

Siddhartha there was then enough energy to beg some grass from a

farmer to sit on and he sat under that tree vowing not to move until

he had entered a state of enlightenment.

 

At dawn the next day, just as the sky began to turn grey with the

early light from the East, Siddhartha attained.......

 

I always think of this legend when I see grey or white chalcedony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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