This is Part II. If you have not already done so, please read the post below - Prat I
Little did poor Mittavinda know that his lives of constant hunger were about to come to an end.
After wandering about, he eventually ended up in Benares. At that time the Buddha was living the life of a world famous teacher there, he had many students. As an act of charity, the people of the city supported these poor students with food. They also paid the teacher's fees for teaching them. Somehow Mittavinda wheedled his way in and was permitted to join them and he began studying under the great teacher.
At last he began to eat regularly, but he paid no attention to the teachings of the wise master, instead he was disobedient and violent.
During Mittavinda's 500 lives as a hungry dog, quarreling had become a habit so he constantly got into fist fights with the other students. It became so bad that many of the students quit and the income of the teacher dwindled down to almost nothing. Because of all his fighting, Mittavinda was finally forced to run away from Benares.
He found his way to a small remote village. He lived there as a hard working laborer, married a very poor woman and had two children. It became known that he had studied under the famous teacher of Benares, so the poor villagers selected him to give advice when questions arose. They provided a place for him to live near the entrance to the village and they began following his advice.
But things did not go well there. The village was fined seven times by the King. Seven times their houses were burned and seven times the town pond dried up. They finally realized that all their troubles began when they started taking Mittavinda's advice. So they chased him and his family out of the village. They shouted, 'Be gone forever! You are nothing but a curse!"
While Mittavinda and his family were fleeing, they went through a haunted forest. Demons came out of the shadows and killed and ate his wife and children, but Mittavinda escaped. He made his way to a seaport city. where he found himself to be lonely, miserable and penniless.
It just so happened that a kind and generous wealthy merchant living in the city heard the story of Mittavinda's misfortunes. Since they had no children of their own, he and his wife adopted Mittavinda. For better or worse they treated him exactly as their own son. Mittavinda's new mother and father were very religious. They always tried to do wholesome things, but Mittavinda still had not learned his lesson. He did not accept any religion, so he often did unwholesome things.
Some time after his father's death, Mittavinda's mother decided to try and help him enter the religious life. She said, "There is this world and there is the one to come. If you do bad things, you will suffer painful results in both worlds."
But foolish Mittavinda replied, "I will do whatever I enjoy doing and become happier and happier. There is no point considering whether what I do is wholesome or unwholesome. I don't care about such things!"
On the next full moon holy day, Mittavinda's mother advised him to go to the temple and listen all night long to the wise words of the monks. He said, "I wouldn't waste my time!" So she said, "When you return I will give you a thousand gold coins."
Mittavinda thought that with enough money he could enjoy himself constantly and be happy all the time. So he went to the temple but he sat in a corner where he paid no attention and fell asleep for the night. Early the next morning he went home to collect his reward.
Meanwhile his mother, thinking he would appreciate the wise teachings and would bring the oldest monk home with him, prepared delicious food for the expected guest. When she saw Mittavinda returning alone, she said, "Oh my son, why didn't you ask the senior monk to come home with you for breakfast?"
He said disdainfully, "I did not go to the temple to listen to a monk or to bring him home with me. I went only to get your thousand gold coins!"
His kind mother was disappointed but she said, "Never mind the money. Since there is so much delicious food prepared, just eat and get some rest."
He replied, "Until you give me the money I refuse to eat!"
So she gave him the thousand gold coins. Only then did he gobble up the food until all he could do was fall asleep.
Mittavinda did not think a thousand gold coins were enough for him to constantly enjoy himself. So he used the money to start a business, and before long he became very rich. One day he came home and said, "Mother, I now have 120,000 gold coins, but I am not yet satisfied. I have decided to go abroad on the next ship and make even more money!"
She replied, "Oh my son, why do you want to go abroad? The ocean is dangerous and it is very risky doing business in a strange land. I have 80,000 gold coins right here in the house. That is enough for you. Please don't go, my only son!"
Then she embraced him hoping he would change his mind, but Mittavinda was so filled with greed he pushed his mother away and slapped her face and she fell to the floor. She was so hurt and shocked that she yelled at him, "Be gone forever! You are nothing but a curse!"
Without looking back, Mittavinda rushed to the harbor and set sail on the first departing ship.
To be continued
Peace,
Lalo
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