One of the unsurpassably
supreme sacred sites known as the Three Stupas in Nepal is Tagmo
Lüjin (lit. "the place where the future Buddha sacrificed his body
to a tigress"). It is the very sacred place where our teacher, the perfect
and supreme Buddha-at that time still on the path of learning-offered his
own body without regret to a tigress suffering from great hunger. What
follows is a history of this supreme and distinguished sacred site, whose
location is unmistaken based on the clear identification given in the Sutra
Requested by the Tigress and so forth.
A long time ago, innumerable aeons
in the past, there was a king in this world with the name of Great Vehicle.
He ruled over nearly five thousand vassals and had three sons, the eldest
of whom was called Great Sound, the middle, Great Deity and
the youngest, Great Sentient Being. From childhood the youngest
son was of a loving and compassionate nature. To everyone he was like a
beloved son. One time, the king went outside for a walk together with his
ministers, his queen and his sons. Then, while they rested a little while,
the three sons strolled in the woods. They saw a tigress who had given
birth to cubs and was so exhausted by days of hunger and thirst that she
was on the verge of eating her young. The youngest prince said to his two
elder brothers, "This weak and meager tigress is at the edge of death,
and suffering so that she would even desire to eat her own offspring."
When the younger brother asked his two elder brothers: "What does the tigress
eat?" the two elder brothers replied, "She eats freshly killed meat and
drinks blood." Then he said: "Who has such strength that they would not
to fail to save her life by giving her these things?" The two brothers
replied: "Nobody as it is extremely difficult."
The younger brother thought: "For
a long time I have been wandering in samsara wasting innumerable bodies
and lives. I have given up my body sometimes to desire, sometimes to anger
and sometimes to ignorance. What is the use of this body which for the
sake of Dharma has not even once engaged in merit?" Once he had made up
his mind in this way, the three had not walked very long together on their
way back, when he said to his two elder brothers, "You two brothers go
on ahead. I have something to do and shall come later." Returning back
along the path, he swiftly returned to the lair of the tigress and lay
down in front of her, but the tigress could not bite and eat. Thereupon,
the prince took a sharp branch and made blood flow from his body and let
the tigress lick it. She then opened her mouth and completely devoured
the flesh of his body.
His two brothers waited for a long
time and still their younger brother had not come back, so they returned
to look for him. Considering the way he had talked, they thought that he
had most certainly fed the tigress [with his body]. When they got there
and looked, they saw that he had been eaten by the tigress who was lying
in his flesh and blood, and they fell to the ground in a faint. Regaining
consciousness after a while, they cried and fainted again.
At that moment the queen dreamed
that three pigeons had been flying and playing, and that a falcon had caught
the youngest. She woke up immediately and terrified, told the king, "I
have been told that a pigeon is the soul of a son. I dreamed that a falcon
caught the youngest of three pigeons, so something unfortunate has certainly
befallen the most beloved of my sons." Immediately he ordered a thorough
search and not much later, the two elder brothers returned. The queen asked
them, "Is there not something wrong with the most beloved of my sons? What
is it?" The two brothers´ speech faltered and for a long while they
could not even exhale and remained speechless. When they finally breathed
out, they reported, "He was eaten by a tiger." When the queen heard this
she fainted, falling to the ground. A long while elapsed and when she regained
consciousness, the two sons, the queen and the entire entourage proceeded
swiftly to the place where the prince had expired. They saw nothing but
bones and blood as the tigress had completely consumed the flesh of the
prince. The queen held her head and the king, holding her in his arms,
wept and cried. He, too, fainted and it took a long time till he regained
consciousness.
Having died in this place, the Prince
Mahasattva was reborn in the Tushita realm of gods. He wondered, "Through
what positive action was I born here?" and started to search with his divine
eye through all five realms. In a forest, he saw the bones he had left
behind, which were surrounded by his parents who, out of their great love
for their son, were weighed down by great grief. He thought, "When my parents
are so sad, obstacles will be created for their body and life. I shall
go and reassure them."
He descended from heaven and reassured
his parents with many pleasant words from the heavens above. The parents
looked up into the sky and said: "Deva, tell us who you are!" The god said:
"I was your son Mahasattva." Having fed the tigress with my body, I was
born in the Tushita realm of gods. Great King, know this! Whatever has
come into existence will meet with destruction in the end. When there is
arising, there is certainly destruction. If they engage in negative actions,
sentient beings will fall into hell. If they engage in virtuous ones, they
will take rebirth in the higher realms. Arising and destruction effects
everything. Why then are you experiencing an ocean of suffering just because
of me? Strive for virtue!"
His parents said, "Out of great
compassion you gave your body to the tigress. If you have love and compassion
for everyone, extend it also to us! When we think of you, your death causes
us such distress, just as if our flesh were being cut, so should not you,
great Compassionate One, refrain from acting towards us like that?" Again
the god placated and encouraged his parents with many pleasant words. Being
a little comforted, they made a casket of seven precious jewels, put his
bones inside and buried it. Above they erected a stupa.
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