The audio file podcast is the telling of the story found in the Lotus Sutra Chapter 27 about a king his wife and their two sons. The king did not practice Buddhism, however his sons did. The two sons wished to convert their father to Buddhism. This story tells of the importance our actions have in helping others understand Buddhism.
I hope you enjoy the story. I’ll admit I am not the best storyteller, perhaps I’ll improve as I try to do more of this sort of thing.
You may be a better story teller than I am so I have included below my rough outline that I used in telling this story. Perhaps you will find it useful.
With Gassho,
Ryusho 龍昇
————-Notes for Storytelling—————-
Notes for Lotus Sutra Chapter XXVII
Story Telling:
Time: long long time ago in the age of Gladly-Seen
Place: different world called Light-Adornment
Buddha of that time: Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom
Father: King Wonderful-Adornment
Mother: Pure-Virtue
Two Sons: Pure-Store and Pure-Eyes
Story:
• previously they had practiced Buddhism and had obtained great supernatural powers
• they had been good people
• they tried their hardest to follow the teachings of the Buddha
• they practiced as Bodhisattvas
o things like helping others
o studying hard
o telling others about Buddhism
o good example of nice people
o kind
o gentle
• they had attained
o compassion
o loving kindness
o joy
o impartiality
• also practiced 37 different ways to enlightenment
o recognize suffering in other people
o all things are temporary – nothing lasts forever
o tried to prevent evil
o mindfulness
o thought things over carefully
o believed in Buddhism
o had good memory
o concentration
o wisdom
o discrimination between true and false
o joy
o and so forth
• One day they heard their Buddha teach the Lotus Sutra to them
• They had the greatest joy they had ever had
• Went to mother to convince her to go listen to the Buddha
• Mother agreed but said their father did not believe and was attached to non-Buddhist teachings
• So two sons said they would visit with their father
• the mother suggested that the two sons show their father some wonders as a result of their practice of Buddhism
• Two sons performed great miracles
o floated in sky way way high
o because they were thinking of their father they did wonderful things
o walked – stood – sat – reclined in the sky
o then they issued water from the upper parts of their bodies and fire from their lower parts
o then water from the lower parts and fire from upper parts
o then they became giants, then dwarfs and then giants again so big they filled up the entire sky
o disappeared from the sky and appeared on the earth
o then they dove into the earth just like it was water
o then they went back up into the sky
• seeing these things the father had the greatest joy he had ever had
• father asked who their teacher was
• then the father agreed to go see their teacher
• Then the mother and father began to practice the Buddha’s teachings
By your behavior you can become great Buddhas and lead your parents to happiness and they too can become Buddhas.
