The Grateful Vulture: A Lesson in Selflessness and Compassion

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was born as a vulture, living on a mountain with his mother and father. They lived peacefully, but one day, a fierce storm swept through the region, bringing freezing winds that forced the vultures to flee for safety. The Bodhisatta and his family flew to the city, seeking shelter from the cold. As they huddled near the city walls, shivering from the icy winds, a kind-hearted merchant noticed their misery. He immediately built a fire to warm them and offered them meat to eat, saving their lives from the harsh storm.

Once the storm passed and the weather returned to normal, the vultures flew back to their mountain home. In gratitude for the merchant’s kindness, they decided to repay him. They agreed that whenever any vulture saw clothes or jewelry, they would swoop down, snatch it, and drop it in the merchant’s courtyard as a gift. The merchant, bewildered by the strange offerings, simply set the items aside without knowing their source.

Soon, the people of the city began complaining to the king, reporting that vultures were plundering the streets and stealing valuables. The king ordered his men to capture one of the vultures in order to understand the reason behind these strange actions. Traps were set around the city, and eventually, the Bodhisatta was caught.

As the vulture was being taken to the palace, the merchant, who recognized the bird, rushed to ensure it would not be harmed. When the king interrogated the Bodhisatta, the vulture explained that they had been repaying the merchant for saving their lives during the storm. The merchant confirmed that he had indeed gathered all the items the vultures had dropped, and promised to return them to their rightful owners. After hearing this, the king was moved by the vulture’s loyalty and compassion, and ordered that the Bodhisatta be set free.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In a later time, one of the Buddha’s disciples had a similar situation. His parents had been hesitant to let him join the religious life, but after much pleading, they reluctantly agreed. The disciple studied diligently, mastering the dharma over the course of five years. Seeking spiritual insight, he left the monastery to meditate alone in the forest for twelve years, but despite his hard work, he had not yet attained enlightenment.

One day, another disciple visited him and brought troubling news: the disciple’s parents had fallen into ruin. Without children to care for them, their servants had stolen their belongings, and now they were living in poverty, homeless and clothed in rags. The disciple, devastated by this, realized that he had spent twelve years striving for enlightenment while his parents suffered. He decided to leave the sangha and return home to care for them.

Before leaving, the disciple went to hear the Buddha speak one last time. The Buddha, sensing his troubled heart, gave a sermon that morning on the virtues of caring for one’s parents. Upon hearing the Buddha’s words, the disciple realized that, although difficult, he could remain a follower of the Buddha and still care for his parents. He resolved to do so.

The disciple set up a humble hut near his parents’ home, and from then on, he went on two daily alms rounds: one to provide for his parents, and the other for himself. Often, the disciple received little or no alms for himself, growing pale and weak from lack of food.

Other disciples, seeing what he was doing, criticized him for sharing his alms with his parents, saying it was an offense to give alms to non-disciples. They reported him to the Buddha. When the disciple was summoned back to the monastery, he admitted that he had been sharing his alms with his parents. To the surprise of the other disciples, the Buddha praised the disciple for his selflessness and care. He then told the story of the vulture and the merchant to explain that helping and caring for others is always virtuous, even if they are not family. The Buddha noted that in a past life, he himself had helped someone who was not even his relative.

Moral of the Story: Caring for others, whether family or not, is always a virtuous act. Selflessness and compassion should be cherished, for they lead to true spiritual growth and fulfillment.