A Butcher Lays Down His Knife and Becomes a Buddha

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vikas113
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Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:04 pm

A Butcher Lays Down His Knife and Becomes a Buddha

Post by vikas113 »

The following episode is recorded in Part 28 of Collected Records of the Buddha:

In Changan during Tang times, there was a butcher surnamed Jing. Because Master Shandao urged people to undertake Amitabha-recitation, many had stopped eating meat. Butcher Jing resented him deeply. With a knife in his hand, he entered Shandao's monastery with the intention of killing the monk.

Master Shandao pointed to the west and manifested a vision of the Pure Land. Jing immediately repented and sought rebirth in the Land of Bliss. He climbed a tall tree, reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha; he then fell from the tree and died. Onlookers saw an emanation Buddha lead his spirit out of the top of his head.

This shows that even the Butcher who all his life killed animals and showed hatred to a virtuous monk to an extent to take a knife and kill him was born in pureland by the merit of reciting Amitabha's name.

Reciting even for such a short time expunged his evil karma of killing animals all the life and the evil karma of trying to kill a Bodhisattva who attained the visualization samadhi.

The deliverance of Amitabha Buddha is always present, everywhere. It attaches no preconditions, and does not discriminate between black and white, or good and bad. Anyone who recites Amitabha’s name and aspires to rebirth in the Pure Land will achieve it. Master Shandao was able to touch others with his compassion. On seeing his face, people with virtue shed all their negative intentions.
The Buddha said to Ananda, “You should carefully hold these words in mind. To hold these words in mind is to hold in mind the name of Amitayus Buddha”

Namo Amitabha Buddha :bow:
Admin_PC
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Re: A Butcher Lays Down His Knife and Becomes a Buddha

Post by Admin_PC »

Interesting fact: some later sectarians misunderstood this story and spread the rumor that ShanTao himself fell off that tree, and did so purposely, committing suicide.
vikas113
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 4:04 pm

Re: A Butcher Lays Down His Knife and Becomes a Buddha

Post by vikas113 »

Admin_PC wrote: Mon Dec 10, 2018 12:17 am Interesting fact: some later sectarians misunderstood this story and spread the rumor that ShanTao himself fell off that tree, and did so purposely, committing suicide.
Indeed so, In this dhamma ending age many people try to degrade true monks and master and spread rumors without knowing any actual facts.
We should definitely ignore such rumours.

What is remarkable in this story is that the butcher who spent his entire life killing animals and showing hatred to a Bodhisattva to the point of killing him was saved by Amitabha's majestic vows.

It also shows that the pureland of Amitabha is truly marvellous and splendid, surpassing the beauty of the heavens just as the Sakyamuni Buddha says. The beauty of pure land made the butcher forget his hatred and he even abandoned the love for his own life and body to take rebirth in pure land.

Namo Amitabha Buddha!
The Buddha said to Ananda, “You should carefully hold these words in mind. To hold these words in mind is to hold in mind the name of Amitayus Buddha”

Namo Amitabha Buddha :bow:
Admin_PC
Former staff member
Posts: 4860
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:17 pm

Re: A Butcher Lays Down His Knife and Becomes a Buddha

Post by Admin_PC »

The story truly is inspirational. :twothumbsup:
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