Bodhisatta, Father, and Daughter: A Lesson in Virtue

In a time long ago, the Bodhisatta, in his previous life as a tree fairy, witnessed an unsettling event that would later become a lesson in virtue and morality.

A humble fruit and vegetable seller had a beautiful daughter who was known for her kindness and virtuous behavior. However, there was one thing that troubled her father: her frequent laughter. He doubted whether her lighthearted nature could be reconciled with the strict standards of chastity and virtue. So, when a family came forward with a marriage proposal for her, her father feared the consequences of a potential scandal should his daughter not be as virtuous as she appeared.

To test her purity, the father decided to take his daughter to the forest under the pretext of gathering herbs. Once they were secluded, he took her by the hand and, in a shocking act, proposed a test of her chastity. In response, the daughter burst into tears, cursing her father for his cruel and baseless doubt. She swore that she was still a virgin, and her father, realizing the gravity of his mistake, asked for forgiveness. He then returned home, arranged a feast, and graciously gave his daughter away in marriage to the suitor.

The Buddha’s Lesson

In a later life, when the Buddha was recounting the tale of the Pannika Jataka, he revealed that the father and daughter, in a previous existence, had played the same roles in a similar situation—testing each other’s virtue in the same way, with the same outcome. The Buddha used this story to illustrate the cycles of rebirth and to show that even seemingly trivial actions and doubts can have deep moral significance, teaching us about integrity, trust, and the consequences of our actions across lifetimes.

This story serves as a reminder that true virtue is not to be questioned lightly and that wisdom, not doubt, is the key to understanding the heart of another.