Heart of the matter

“Lord Buddha sir, I wish to disrobe from Bhikkhu life” said one practitioner sitting in front of the Buddha, disappointments dulling his speech and motion. Standing beside him was Sariputta who had brought him to see the Lord of Sages.

“Why would you do that?” Asked the Exalted One.

“The rules that Venerable Maha Kassapa laid out to me induced more suffering now than in my lay life sir.” Replied the Bhikkhu.

“Well for you Bhikkhu…” Said the Buddha. “You can keep just one rule. Can you do that?”

“Yes of course I can my Lord” the Bhikkhu answered cheerfully, his emotions instantly uplifted.

“Keep your mind pure.”

Within a few days the Bhikkhu had attained Arahantship.

Buddhism is beyond interpretation. For Buddha wasn’t God, rather he who was free from all hatred and judgments beyond them all. Keeping the mind pure is hard. Hardest in fact, than all of Bhikkhu’s precepts put together.