Bodhisatta’s Wisdom: The Monkey and the Missing Necklace

Bodhisatta’s Wisdom: The Monkey and the Missing Necklace

Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was once a king’s advisor. One day, while the king was swimming with some of his wives in his royal park, a significant incident occurred. The chief queen’s slave dozed off, and a monkey stole her valuable pearl necklace. The monkey wore the necklace briefly before hiding it away in a hole in a tree to avoid problems with other monkeys.When the slave awoke and saw that the necklace was gone, she tried to avoid blame by yelling out that a man had just run off with it. This commotion led the guards to spread out in search of the thief. A frightened peasant outside the park, hearing the commotion, fled out of caution, even though he didn’t know what was going on. However, the guards saw him running and, assuming he was the thief, gave chase.The guards beat a confession out of the peasant, who feared for his life if he denied stealing the necklace. When asked where the necklace was, he claimed that the treasurer had forced him to take it and that he had given it to him. This led to a chain of accusations, with each person strategically confessing and naming another high-ranking official or individual to shift the blame: the treasurer named the king’s chaplain, the chaplain named the palace’s chief musician, and the musician named a prostitute. However, the prostitute denied any involvement.As sunset approached without resolving the matter, the king decided to continue the investigation the next day. The Bodhisatta, however, was skeptical of the peasant’s guilt and the chain of accusations. He believed that none of the accused could have snuck into the park or escaped without being seen. Convinced that all five were innocent and that the accusations were tactical, he suspected that a female monkey had stolen the necklace.The Bodhisatta requested and received permission from the king to carry out his own investigation. He had his servants carefully listen to the suspects’ conversations that night, which further confirmed their innocence in his mind. Turning his attention to finding the necklace, the Bodhisatta put beaded necklaces around the necks, wrists, and ankles of many of the park’s monkeys and ordered men to watch them carefully.As expected, the thieving monkey grew jealous of the others flaunting their beads and put on her pearls. When the men saw the queen’s necklace, they frightened the monkey, causing her to drop it. They took the necklace to the Bodhisatta, who returned it to the king. The king was so pleased with the Bodhisatta’s wisdom that he showered him with praise and treasure.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale has a significant connection to the Buddha’s later life. One day, a jewel went missing from the king’s turban, and everyone residing and working in the palace was searched, causing great worry. When Ananda, one of the Buddha’s top disciples, arrived at the palace to teach dharma to the king’s wives, he heard about the missing jewel. Ananda proposed getting the jewel back by allowing the thief to return it anonymously, which would achieve the desired result without causing stress to innocent people. After a few days, his plan worked.When the Buddha heard some of his disciples talking about what Ananda had done, he told them this story to illustrate that he himself had also once cleverly retrieved lost jewels and spared innocent people from worry in a past life.The king from the past was revealed to be an earlier birth of Ananda.

Moral

The Mahasara Jataka teaches us about the importance of wisdom, critical thinking, and compassion. The story emphasizes that true wisdom can uncover the truth without causing unnecessary suffering to others. The Bodhisatta’s actions serve as a model for how to investigate and resolve complex issues with fairness and intelligence. This tale underscores the Buddhist principle of non-harming and the value of finding solutions that spare innocent people from distress.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments