Mobile VersionA true friend can sacrifice his life for you
The real reason for our rebirth is to seek our real refuge, seek the eternal and unchangeable entities that truly exist and make us happy. All that we want comes together in the Dhammakaya. Thus, the Dhammakaya is the core of every life. The Dhammakaya is the deep inner body within our bodies. When we attain the Dhammakaya, we are called the person who attains the Triple Gem. That is, we have the Triple Gem as our refuge. Today, Dhamma for People presents the story of a true friend who can easily sacrifice his life for his friend, which is not a rare occurrence. Why would a friend have the courage to give up his life for another? What is the importance of a true friend? We will find out.
A wise one thoroughly knows about the 4 kinds of true friends. The first kind is friends who support you. The second kind is friends who are with you through thick and thin. The third kind is friends who bring you benefits. The last kind is friends who love you. So you should treat these true friends with respect like the way a child treats his mother.”
No one can avoid making friends. So the Lord Buddha taught the way to observe the people around us, as to what kinds of friends they are. Are they true friends who can die for you, or are they false friends who are disguised as true friends? If our lives are to follow the right path, we must be able to depend on our friends. You and your friends can help and encourage each other to perform good deeds to have better lives.
The Lord Buddha taught that the first kind of true friends will support and protect you from bodily and monetary danger. When you are in trouble, you can depend on them and they will help you. If you ask for a little, they will give you a lot. If you don’t ask them and they know that you are in trouble, they will offer to help you. The Lord Buddha taught that the second kind of true friends keep no secrets from you. They trust you and are sincere with you. When you are in danger, they do not leave you alone and can sacrifice their life for you. It is like the story of the great golden swan; it did not leave its friend alone when its friend was in danger:
In his past life, the Bodhisatta was born as a great golden swan named, Dhatarath, and he had 90,000 swans as followers. They lived at Cittakut Mountain. Dhatarath had a close friend named, Sumukha. He governed his followers and they lived together happily.
One day the King wanted to capture the great golden swan to teach Dhamma to the Queen. The King gave an order to dig a big pond in the middle of the forest, grow rice there, and ordered a hunter to capture only the great golden swan and to not hurt the other birds eating the rice. So many birds came to eat at this pond. At that time, 2–3 swans flew to eat at this pond and returned to tell the great golden swan about this. But the great golden swan wasn’t happy and warned them, “You shouldn’t prefer places near humans because there is only danger around human places.”
Although the great golden swan objected, many golden swans kept pestering him to go there. The great golden swan could not resist their pleas, so he led all his followers in flight from Cittakut Mountain to this pond. While landing at the pond, the great golden swan’s foot accidentally got trapped in the hunter’s snare. When he knew that his foot was caught, he thought to pull and rip the snare. The first time he tried shaking it off, the snare abraded his skin. The second time he tried shaking it off, the snare tightened his muscles deeply, causing continuous blood flow. Then the snare tightened until it reached the bone. Thus, he could not move anymore.
The great golden swan was in great distress but he could not tell his followers because if he told them, they would panic and become afraid; then they wouldn’t eat enough to have strength for the return flight home which included an ocean crossing. So he restrained himself until they were all full. That was when he shouted to all the golden swans, “There is danger here! Fly home quickly!” When the swans heard that, they flew towards Cittikut Mountain in a hurry. While they were flying home, Sumukha, the swan, noticed that the great golden swan did not fly in front of his followers. He became worried and flew back to the pond and saw that the great golden swan was caught in a snare.
When the great golden swan saw the return of Sumukha, the swan, he asked, “Why don’t you go back? I am caught in this hoop like a creature of no value.” Sumukha, the swan, replied, “If I were to fly back, I wouldn’t be happy because living with you is better, even if I were to die with you. But if I could choose, I would rather die in your place so that you can return to govern the swans so they can live happily ever after.”
The great golden swan said, “Why do you want to die? Doing this is similar to the blind, is similar to working in the dark. There is no good purpose in this. It’s better for you to fly back.” Sumukha, the swan replied, “You have Dhamma in your mind and I am loyal to you. If I were to die, I wouldn’t regret it. When a friend recalls the Dhamma, he doesn’t leave his friend who is in danger even if it may end his life. This is the Dhamma of a righteous man.”
Dhatarath, the great golden swan, listened and appreciated the magnificent mind of Sumukha, the swan. So, he said, “I know you have practiced this Dhamma well and I know that you are loyal to me. But now, I want you to fly back. Please do as I say.”
While they were talking, the hunter observed that there was only one swan caught in the snare, but why didn’t the other swan escape? Having seen this miraculous event, he asked Sumukha, the swan, “Why don’t you escape? Aren’t you afraid of dying?” Sumukha replied with a beautiful voice, “This great golden swan is my king and my true friend, so how could I leave him?”
The hunter listened to the human words of Sumukha, the swan, which was spoken softly and gently. This caused his mind to soften and the feeling of love welled up inside as if it were for his child. He tested the mind of Sumukha, the swan, by asking, “If I were to take your life instead of your friend’s, would you be willing?” Sumukha, the swans replied bravely, “A true friend can give his life and this great golden swan is more than a friend. He is the king of all golden swans. If he lives, it will bring great benefit to the tens of thousands of golden swans. I can die in his place.”
When the hunter heard these words, he became filled with faith and appreciated the love and goodness of this friend. So he decided to free both swans. When the hunter undid the snare and treated the great golden swan’s wound, the great golden swan’s wound healed completely with the miracle of his loving kindness. No scar remained at all.
You can see that “friend” is a powerful word and has a deep and impressive meaning. It is not easy to find a true friend. It is very difficult to find one who suggests good things which brings benefits to you in this world and the next. A true friend will give guidance about how to succeed in life, at work, and at school, in regards to this world. As for the next world, a true friend will give you guidance about how to perform good deeds through generosity, observing precepts, and meditating. Through this guidance, a true friend is showing you the path to heaven or Nibbana. Thus, the Lord Buddha said, “A person who has a kalyanamitta, or a true friend of virtue, will gain benefit that brings only happiness.”
The Dhammakaya is the greatest true friend. The Dhammakaya is the true friend within you. You can attain the Dhammakaya by stilling your mind lightly, softly, and gently at the center of your body. If you practice in the right way, you will see him clearly and brightly. The Dhammakaya is a clear and bright crystal Buddha image sitting in the cross-legged position. You should recall the image frequently wherever you go. If you do this regularly until you see him all the time, heaven will be your only afterlife destination. So, let us still our minds so we can to attain our true friend within, the Dhammakaya.
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