The Neru Jataka: Choosing the Right Environment for Growth

In the Neru Jataka, the Bodhisatta is born as a golden goose living in the Himalayas with his younger brother. One day, while flying home, the two geese come across the magical Mount Neru, a place where all the animals that reside there turn a golden hue. Intrigued by the transformation, they land on the summit.

However, as they observe the inhabitants of Mount Neru, they notice that all animals, regardless of their qualities—whether dim or clever, cowardly or brave—are treated equally. Even creatures like jackals are given the same honor as tigers, and crows rival the golden geese in prestige. The Bodhisatta’s younger brother expresses his discomfort with this strange hierarchy, saying that good creatures would never stay in such a place where there is no proper distinction between noble and ignoble beings. Disgusted by this, the two geese quickly decide to leave.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In the time of the Buddha, a disciple of the Buddha is sent by the Buddha to spend the rainy season in a frontier village, where he is given a hut and food by the villagers and initially finds happiness in the solitude and peace of the place. However, over time, the people of the village start to shift their allegiance to different groups: first, they follow teachers who assert that everything is permanent; later, they switch to a sect that denies the immortality of the soul, and eventually, they support a group of naked ascetics.

As the disciple witnesses this lack of consistency in the village’s beliefs and the constant shifting of support among various sects, he becomes disillusioned. When the rainy season ends, he returns to the Buddha‘s monastery and expresses his dissatisfaction with the village, saying that he felt lost in a place where people did not know right from wrong and were constantly changing their beliefs.

The Buddha, understanding his disciple’s frustration, advises him that if he had been dissatisfied with the environment, he should have moved to a different place. He tells the disciple this story from his past as an example of how he himself had chosen to leave places that were not conducive to spiritual growth.

The Deeper Moral

In the Neru Jataka, the story of the golden geese and their experience on Mount Neru serves as a metaphor for the importance of choosing the right environment for personal and spiritual development. The golden geese, by rejecting a place where good and bad are equally honored, teach us that spiritual growth requires an environment where values, wisdom, and virtue are properly distinguished and upheld.

Lessons for Buddhist Practice

1. Choosing the Right Environment: Just as the Bodhisatta and his brother decided to leave Mount Neru because it did not provide an environment conducive to their well-being, the Buddha advises his disciple to move to a better environment when the one he is in does not support his growth. This is a reminder that the people and surroundings we expose ourselves to have a significant impact on our spiritual development. A conducive environment is one where truth, virtue, and wisdom are practiced and respected.
2. The Influence of Environment on Beliefs: The disciple’s dissatisfaction with the village, where beliefs kept changing, mirrors the experience of the golden geese in Mount Neru. This teaches that when values and truth are uncertain or inconsistent, it becomes difficult for one to progress spiritually. Just as the villagers switched their support based on the beliefs of the moment, individuals must find a path or environment grounded in consistent wisdom and moral clarity.
3. The Importance of Discerning the Right Path: In both the story of the golden geese and the Buddha’s advice to his disciple, there is an underlying call for discernment. The Bodhisatta and his brother recognize that not all environments, despite their outward appearance, are conducive to growth. Similarly, the disciple learns that spiritual progress requires a strong foundation and should not be swayed by external changes or trends. The message is clear: to progress on the path to enlightenment, one must choose the right environment and stay true to the wisdom that leads to liberation.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

The younger goose in this Jataka is identified as an earlier birth of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s closest and most revered disciples. Ananda is known for his faithfulness, devotion, and clarity in understanding the Buddha’s teachings. Just as the golden geese reject an environment that is not conducive to their nature, Ananda, in his previous birth, also learned the value of finding the right spiritual environment in order to thrive and grow.

Moral of the Story

The Neru Jataka offers an important lesson on the need to cultivate and choose environments that support and nurture spiritual growth. Just as the Bodhisatta and his brother refused to stay in a place that did not honor good qualities, the Buddha’s story highlights how choosing the right surroundings, people, and teachings can significantly impact one’s ability to progress on the spiritual path. In this way, the Jataka encourages us to be mindful of where we seek guidance and the kind of influences we expose ourselves to on our journey toward enlightenment.