The World of Suffering vs. the Pure Land
Out of curiosity, a man went to hell to see what it was like. It was about lunch time in hell. Many people were sitting on both sides of the table. He thought that there wouldn’t be anything good to eat on the table since, after all, it was hell.
However, the fact was there were actually all sorts of delicacies! Yet, for some reason, all the people there were thin. “How strange,” he thought, as looked more closely. Then he noticed that each person had a threefoot- long set of chopsticks.
“Now I get why they’re hungry! They can’t bring any food up to their mouth,” the man realized.
Then he went to the Pure The World of Suffering vs. the Pure Land Land. It was just about the dinner time, and the people there were also sitting on both sides of the table. Of course, there were mountains of delicious foods to be had. But everyone in the Pure Land had a healthy complexion and seemed like they were having fun! He looked at their chopsticks, and surprised to find that they were??the same size as the one in hell. Three feet long!
Now here’s the question. What is the reason for this discrepancy? The residents of the Pure Land were trying to let others eat the food they picked up instead of bringing the food to their own mouths. They were offering their food to each other.
“Oh, I see. People who go to the Pure Land have a great mindset.”
If you are concerned about others’ happiness, your own happiness will also be secured. Let’s cultivate the mind of “Others-benefit, my-benefit.”
Source: The Buddhist Village Times #10 | 2011, The World of Suffering vs. the Pure Land
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