The Emperor and the Monk

Bodhidharma was a great Buddhist monk. He was the third son of King Sugandha of Kanchipuram in South India. He left India to spread Buddhism and reached China. Many monks had visited China before him. They told the kings and wealthy people there that if they wanted salvation and heaven, they should continue to donate.

Monks often preach the importance of giving because their lives are unsustainable. People are also eager to donate because they believe it will bring them merit.

Earlier monks who visited China had also preached this. For this reason, Emperor Wu was extremely enthusiastic about giving. He built monasteries, constructed temples, and donated millions of rupees to the monks. When he received news that Bodhidharma was coming to China from India, he personally went to welcome him.

The emperor bowed respectfully and touched his feet. Bodhidharma casually asked, "What was the motive behind this honor?"

No monk would normally ask such a question.  Most monks are simply delighted by the touch of feet, considering it an honor.

Emperor Wu replied, "I've heard that touching feet brings merit."

Bodhidharma smiled. He said, "Your vision finds benefit in every action. You touched my feet; it's a courtesy. If you receive merit, what reward will the one who made you touch my feet receive? When the merit goes to your account, I will incur sin. I don't want such a reward. Take back your touch."

The emperor was astonished. He said, "All the monks I've met so far have been delighted by the touch. Why are you any different?"

Then the emperor posed his second question.

"I've donated a great deal of money. I've built monasteries and temples. I've published books. I've fed the monks. What reward will I receive from all this?"

Bodhidharma replied calmly, "Nothing. You'll gain absolutely nothing."

The emperor was astonished and said, "All the other monks say that it brings great merit. Why do you say that?"

Bodhidharma said clearly, "If they didn't say that, they wouldn't be able to extract any donations from you. You're driven by greed. Now that you're growing old, you feel like you're leaving this world. That's why you dream of gaining a kingdom in heaven. The monks see this desire and exploit it. You won't get any reward from your donations. Not by building a monastery, not by constructing a temple, not by printing books, not by feeding the monks."

The emperor said, "But I'm giving up wealth. That's the same as giving up greed. You won't get anything from it either."

Bodhidharma replied, "You're giving up wealth because of greed. When renunciation is done with the hope of gain, it's no longer renunciation. It's merely a show. In reality, you haven't given up anything."

This story shows that true renunciation is one where there's no desire of any kind in the mind.  Merely demonstrating renunciation through actions yields no results. A transformation of the mind is the true transformation. Charity given out of greed does not lead to spiritual progress.

Read more : -  Divine Love