Bodhisatta’s Temptation: A Tale of Self-Control

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was once an ascetic who lived alone in the Himalayas, achieving great spiritual attainments. On one of his short trips to the city, he slept in the royal park. The next morning, the king, impressed by the Bodhisatta’s demeanor as he collected alms, invited him into the palace for a big meal. After their conversation, the king invited the Bodhisatta to remain in the city and live permanently in the royal park. The Bodhisatta accepted this offer and stayed there for sixteen years, being fed and cared for by the king.When the king had to leave to put down a rebellion in a border region, he instructed his queen to ensure the Bodhisatta was well taken care of. One morning, the Bodhisatta was late for his meal and flew through the air to the palace instead of walking. Hearing him arrive, the queen hastily rose to greet him, and her robe slipped off, exposing her naked body. The Bodhisatta, overcome by the sight, felt his heart fill with lust, and his spiritual insight vanished.For seven days, the Bodhisatta remained alone in his hut, burning with lust. After the king returned, he visited the Bodhisatta and saw that he had taken ill. When the Bodhisatta explained the true cause of his illness and the object of his lust, the king, in an attempt to save the Bodhisatta, gave him his queen. However, the king secretly instructed the queen to follow a plan to cure the Bodhisatta of his lust.The Bodhisatta and the queen left the palace and moved into an abandoned house that passersby used as a toilet. The queen directed the cleaning and repair of the house, assigning the Bodhisatta numerous tasks that made the project long and difficult. When the house was finally finished, the queen lay on the bed with the Bodhisatta and grabbed his beard, drawing his face toward hers. Instead of kissing him, she asked, “How have you forgotten that you are a holy man?”Shocked by her words, the Bodhisatta suddenly came to his senses and realized how close he had come to spiritual downfall. Cured of his lust, he rushed back to the palace, returned the queen to the king, and then returned to the mountains, restoring his power of insight.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

This tale has a significant connection to the Buddha’s later life. One of the Buddha’s disciples, while on a morning alms round, saw a woman so beautiful that he fell in love at first sight. He lost interest in his studies and meditation and became depressed, neglecting his personal hygiene. The Buddha told this disciple the story of the Mudulakkhana Jataka to remind him that controlling natural passions takes great effort, even for highly purified individuals.The king and queen in the story were revealed to be earlier births of Ananda and Uppalavanna, two of the Buddha’s top disciples. This narrative highlighted the challenges of maintaining spiritual purity and the importance of self-control.

Moral

The Mudulakkhana Jataka teaches us about the importance of self-control and the dangers of succumbing to lust and other worldly desires. The story emphasizes that even highly purified individuals can fall prey to such temptations and that great effort is required to maintain spiritual purity. The queen’s wise intervention serves as a model for how to help others regain their spiritual focus. This tale underscores the Buddhist principle of cultivating mindfulness and self-discipline to navigate life’s challenges effectively and avoid spiritual downfall.