A Story of Buddha With Sick Man
(By Tsem Rinpoche)
Dear friends around the world,
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh has always been an inspiration of mine, he is such a holy and compassionate sangha who has held his vows very very well and has been working for others most of his life. He has truly practised the dharma taught by Lord Buddha, and he further disseminates the teachings of Lord Buddha to thousands of his disciples.
Action speaks louder than words, his determination and strong-will in upholding the Buddhadharma is witnessable and undeniable. I hope he will live long and continue to teach the dharma, my prayers are with him.
Tsem Rinpoche
Dharma Talk: Taking Care of Each Other
Posted on August 2, 2013 by Sandra Duban
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
One day, Ananda and the Buddha came to a retreat center where there was only one monk. The monk was very sick with diarrhea. When the Buddha and Ananda came to his room, they noticed a very bad smell. The Buddha asked the sick monk, “Did nobody take care of you?” He answered, “I have been sick for a long time and many monks took care of me. But I do not want to disturb them anymore. Now I can take care of myself.” But the Buddha said, “No. You should not do it that way.”
The Buddha told Ananda, “Go and get a bucket of water and a rag.” The Buddha cleaned and washed the sick monk, while Ananda cleaned his room. The Buddha and Ananda cleaned the room for three hours. Then Ananda offered one of his three robes to the monk. He washed the monk’s robe and dried it outside. After that, the Buddha and Ananda sat outside. Soon they saw all the monks coming home.
When the other monks saw the Buddha and Ananda, they were very happy. But the Buddha said to them, “Dear friends, we are all away from our families. Our blood sisters and brothers and our parents do not take care of us. If we don’t take care of each other, who will take care of us? If you want to take care of the Buddha, then you have to take care of your brothers. When you take care of your brothers, you are taking care of me, and when you take care of the Buddha, you are taking care of your brothers.”
Today, we too must support each other in the practice and take care of each other. Our practice is not an individual practice. We practice with other people, we practice with our Sangha. The Sangha is also our body, and all our brothers and sisters are a part of this Sangha body. Sangha bodies have eyes, noses, and ears. Our Sangha body can hear and understand.
The practice of the second body is one way we take care of each other in the Sangha. Each member of the Sangha needs a second body. When you go to sitting meditation, you invite your second body. If your second body is sick, you have to know that your second body is sick, and look for a doctor or someone to help. The second body doesn’t need to be younger, the second body can be older. The second person also has his or her second body, that third person also has a second body, and so forth.
We have to be responsible for the mindful manners and the practice of our second body. If the manners and the mindfulness of the second body are not very high, you are responsible. If you cannot do that, if you need help, you can ask help from Thay or from other brothers or sisters. If your second body’s manners and mindfulness are not very good, you have to remind him or her. If you feel that you cannot, then you should ask brothers or sisters to help you. This practice is not just for monks and nuns, but for all of us.
When each Sangha member takes care of his or her second body, the whole Sangha is taken care of. When your second body has some happiness, you share that happiness. If your second body has difficulties, you need to understand these difficulties. And if alone you cannot help your second body, you need to ask for help from somebody else. You don’t have to be better than your second body, you need to help your second body.
Practicing like this, you will see a miraculous result. You are responsible for everything that happens to your second body. When you take care of your second body, your third, fourth, and fifth bodies are also taken care of. Taking care of your second body, you take care of everybody else.
We may have a second body who feels difficult to look after. Perhaps the people we think would be easy to look after have already been taken. The method of getting a second body is this: everybody in turn says the name of the person they want to be their second body. At first, there are many people to choose from, but as we go along perhaps there is only one person left, and we have to choose that person. We may feel that this person is very difficult to look after, but you should know that this is a wonderful opportunity. The person who you think would be difficult can bring you a great deal of benefit and joy in your practice. Some fruits have thorns and are hard, but when we break them open, they taste very good. The monkeys know that—they break open these hard-skinned fruits. There are people we see who from the outside are not very sweet, but if we know how to open them up, the fruit is wonderful. Don’t be deceived by the outside. Don’t think that the second body is very difficult to look after. Bring all your ability to look after that person and he will become a sweet spring of water.
The practice of the second body is a wonderful Dharma door and we need to succeed in its practice. We should not practice according to the outer form, just saying I have a second body. We should not practice only half-heartedly. With sincere practice, we will have a direct experience of the benefits of the practice.
Another very important practice is Shining Light, offering guidance in the principle of Sangha eyes. The Sangha eyes can see thoroughly. Many people think that the Sangha does not know, but the Sangha knows. It can see much better than you can. This practice comes directly from the tradition that on the last day of the winter retreat (or the rainy season retreat) a monk should bow down in front of his brothers and ask, “Please, with compassion, shine light on me so that I can see my strengths and my weakness during the past three months of this retreat.” He must prostrate deeply to receive this guidance. In Plum Village, we have developed this into a practice that is not only used at the end of the winter retreat, but also from time to time, when any of us needs the guidance of the Sangha. We can come forward, make deep prostrations, and ask for guidance. Even a senior teacher, like Sister Annabel Laity, comes to the Sangha from time to time, prostrates, and asks her younger sisters to shine light on her practice. Most of the people who are there, whom she bows before, are her students.
Shining Light practice is a Dharma door which we offer to the Three Jewels and which we will hand on to future generations. We have to do what we can. We have to shine the light with all our compassion and lovingkindness, all our respect and love. We should see the person we are shining light on as ourselves. We haven’t the right to hide what we have seen. We have to be sincere in saying what we have seen. This is a method of deep looking. We may need to take time from sitting meditation to look deeply, because sitting meditation and looking deeply are the same. In a session of shining light, we need the same seriousness as we have in meditation. We should sit, body and mind as one, our backs straight, not in a sloppy way. We should shine light, sitting as straight as we do in sitting meditation and with all our heart.
The collective insight of the Sangha is offered in the form of a letter. The letter always begins by mentioning the positive qualities of the person who has asked for guidance to help him or her strengthen his or her self-esteem. The weaknesses of the person concerned will be mentioned after, with details, and then the suggestions to help him or her to practice. All are written with the language of lovingkindness and compassion.
One beautiful autumn day during a retreat at Omega, we were happy to walk in the forest beside trees with all their leaves of different colors. I came to a maple tree and looked deeply at the leaves. I realized that no leaf was perfect. Many leaves had holes or ragged edges. But when I looked at the whole tree, the maple tree was so beautiful. Each leaf has its own position, its own integrity. There are small leaves and big leaves, and the tree is beautiful because of the harmony of all leaves. The leaves on the top were not proud that they were the top leaves, and the leaves at the bottom were not sad that they were at the bottom. All the leaves were very happy with their own positions. The whole tree forms a miracle, and that is the harmony of the tree. Like the leaves, we don’t need to be perfect, but when we live together in harmony, our Sangha is beautiful and we don’t need to feel bad about ourselves.
Harmony is the practice of the Sangha. If we have harmony, we have happiness. We don’t need to be perfect. I myself am not perfect and you too, you don’t need to be perfect. But in your own position, if you can express your harmony in the Sangha, this is your beauty. The Sangha of the Buddha is called the Sangha of six harmonies. When the Sangha makes a decision, we first ask, “Has the community assembled in sufficient number?” Then we ask, “Do we have harmony in our community?” If the answer is no, then the decisions are not valid. If you want to build a Sangha, you have to remember that harmony is the basic ingredient.
We need to practice in such a way that there is harmony in our Sangha. Each of us is a younger brother or a big brother, a younger sister or a big sister; each of us has our own position. We are happy in that position, like the maple leaves. When the maple leaves are in their own position, they make the harmony of the whole tree, and when we look at the tree, the tree is so beautiful.
Source: http://www.mindfulnessbell.org/wp/tag/story-of-buddha-with-sick-man/
For more interesting information:
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- Lama Anagarika Govinda
- The Life Story of Lama Tsongkhapa in art
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Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this wonderful story…..The “Story of Buddha with Sick Man”. A good example for us to follow nor matter what happened or whom , we are to help each other and have compassion for all even its our enemies. Helping, supporting and taking care of each other is important in our Dharma practice. Having a perfect human body in this life, we have to live wisely and be grateful , learn and practice Dharma as life is short. We only live once, living harmoniously and peaceful will change the environment for us all to work and benefit more people in our spiritual practice. Harmony is the practice of the Sangha. If we have harmony, we have happiness. We don’t need to be perfect…..quoted.
This is inspiring, thank you for the sharing The “Story of Buddha with Sick Man”, tells us the way of life should be. Being responsible helping each other keeps all the relationship more alive.
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh is truly a great Spiritual Master, he has been faithfully, sincerely and genuinely worked and traveled internationally to give retreats talk for the benefits of others all his life.
This article is a reminder to show empathy and kindness and to create a world with more love, more understanding, and more compassion. No matter who we are, no matter how successful, no matter what our situation, compassion is something we all need to receive and give. Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike, each has their suffering.
Thank you for sharing this nice post of Taking Care of Each Other by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. The Sangha or community of monks support the dharma and the continuation of Buddha’s teachings.
When there is harmony, everything will work out. To have harmony, we need to work on our weaknesses and look at ourselves to correct what is not working for us.Once again thank you for a good article.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these profound teachings by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.
The “Story of Buddha with Sick Man”, tells us a thousands meaningful words and teachings for us to learn. Taking care of our Sangha is equally important of taking care of oueselves.,helping each other and having compassion nor matter who they are like our enemies or friends or our Dharma brothers and sister. The practice is Shining Light and offering guidance in the principle of Sangha eyes.
“Whosoever serves the sick and suffering, serves me.” Quoted
Having to shine the light with all our compassion and loving ,kindness, all our respect and love.we lead us to true happiness in life.
Thank you Rinpoche for these sharing.
Be grateful that we have this perfect human body which gives us all the opportunities to learn and practice the Dharma and therefore it is important for us to be responsible for the mindful for our body, speech and mind. Nevertheless, our practice is not an individual practice but to practice with other people and Sangha as what have said by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. We have to give care, support, courage and be tolerant to our dharma sisters and brothers others especially to those may have many bad habituations and need to some time to transform and change. If we are truly apply dharma in our practice, we are able to see peace, harmony and happiness in the Sangha and bring much benefits to many others.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this nice post of Taking Care of Each Other by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. Would like to share an article that is interrelated and important for us to keep reading: Dharma work, attitude & TDL | 佛法工作、态度及图登达杰林佛法中心
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/me/dharma-work-attitude-tdl.html
It is very important to be harmony in a community. Thus, taking care of each other in a Sangha may lead to harmony and we all eventually can practised dharma with the hardship that each of us encounter. Nobody and nothing is perfect so appreciate what we have.
The body, or the human condition is one of the most precious commodity we have. With a perfect human body and conditions we can engage in spiritual practices that can potentially end our cyclic existences on this earth.
Hence perhaps the seer Thich Nhat Hanh, used this skillful method,to show the importance of caring for the Sangha. The Sangha or community of monks support the dharma and the continuation of Buddha’s teachings. Without harmony, many things and accomplishments would not be possible.
Looking out and caring for your second body is like focusing out in motivational/ leadership course. When we focus out and have another person’s well being above ours, then we can practice kindness and compassion. Just like Master Thich teaches to look after our second body. When we take care of our second body as our own, we will not abuse or neglect it. When everyone is doing so, then there will be peace. It is a long shot but it has to start somewhere. We just need to focus on another person other than ourselves all the time. This will cut our self indulgence.Start with our family, friends and spread to others. From our inner circle to our outer circle.
Master Thich also talks about harmony in this article. With harmony, all things will work well. We do not live alone in this planet but we are interdependent with each other. Our strengths may be someone else’s weakness and vice versa. When we work together in harmony, then the overall beauty will shine. Tsem Rinpoche always emphasize on harmony in everything we do. When there is harmony, everything will work out. To have harmony, we need to work on our weaknesses and look at ourselves to correct what is not working for us. When we focus on harmony instead of our own ego, then our mind will expand to include others.
Thank you for the wonderful teaching.
In short, the essence of this beautiful article is to teach us to be caring, kind and compassionate to the people around us, for example our Dharma brothers and sisters who we spent most of our time with. To take on this “second body” and take care of it is to cultivate our lovingkindness and the unconditional care for others. Since we are so absorbed with ourselves, from body to emotions, by taking care of our second body, we can focus out and not to be so self-centered and self-indulgent.
“Shining-light” is wonderful. It provides a platform for people to face themselves, in order to face themselves, they have to get rid of their big fat ego and be prepared to listen to things they do not wish to hear i.e their downfall and weaknesses. We tend to be selective in people’s comments about us, with this session, it helps us to force ourselves to face our problems.
Both exercises is to get rid of the “me, me,me and myself”
Thank you Rinpoche for this teaching.
Taking care of each other when doing dharma work is very important.
Why we need a second body is for us to keep an eye and take care of each other. When we do that we can work in harmony. We need to support each other spiritually as well. When we have a second or third body to take care of it makes us more mindful, kind and aware of each other which otherwise we only do what we want to do.
The next point on Shining Light.
This again show us to be humble and letting go of our ego. To bow down and ask someone to shine a light on us is not a easy thing to do.
Last but not least I like how Rinpoche describe harmony – like the autumn leaves on a tree.
It’s like people of any character put together. We may varies in our attitude but put together something wonderful may happen.
Like the different sizes of the leaves put together looks so beautiful.
Thank you.
Jill Yam
“Harmony is the practice of the Sangha. If we have harmony, we have happiness. We don’t need to be perfect.”
This is such a beautiful words. In the few years in Kechara within Rinpoche’s mandala, I have heard Rinpoche gave the same advice over and over again, be harmony with each other. But Rinpoche went further on this.
To Rinpoche, being harmony is not just “be nicer” to another person on a superficial level. It is encompassing. It includes not showing black face to others; cover the mistakes made by others; do our work well so that we don’t burden others; be unlazy to transform our mind; ask nothing from others and just give; be kind; be responsible; etc etc.
As we can see, it is really not about being just friendly when we meet with our Dharma brothers and sisters. When we genuinely want to benefit others, we will automatically be harmonious. This can apply in our family as well as work space.
Thank you great masters for sharing these thoughts.
The practice of the second body is one way we take care of each other in the Sangha.
I like the above very much and this is exactly how Tsem Rinpoche has requested all his students to practice. The welfare which Rinpoche has instilled in Kechara is very much along the same line as what Buddha said in the above article and I am very fortunate to be involved and be taught by Rinpoche on how to look after others.
Recently, there was a dharma sister who was sick and was hospitalised, her movement had to be controlled as it was part of the doc instruction. Rinpoche himself personally with a team of us set a special sick bay in the office for her so that she can recover while the team looks after her. There are many more examples which Rinpoche himself personally has overseen whenever anyone of his students were sick and this has been consistent throughout the years I have been with Rinpoche. And sometime, is not just physically sick but emotionally “sick” or “recovering” that Rinpoche has urged us to always look after for and after.
And this is what I always like to refer to as Compassion with action and results.
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh is truly a great spiritual friend of the 20th century for all sentient beings. He has been faithfully, sincerely and geniunely working for the benefits of others all his life. His teachings, which uphold the Buddhadharma, desseminate the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni to tens of thousands of his disciples and are rooted, tried and tested in life. It is said that all buddhist teachings is compassion, and the Buddha who teaches these doctrines is even said to be born from compassion. It is said that many religions are the same in having powerful systems of good advice with respect to the practice of compassion. The basic behaviour of non-violence, motivated by compassion, is needed not only in our daily lives, but also nation to nation through-out the World. We pray and hope that Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh will have a long, healthy and peaceful life to continue teaching the valuable Buddhadharma to benefit all beings.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing,
I had learnt from the article above that :
We should practise taking care of others. Like Sangha, some of us come to Dharma centre and away from friends and family. If we don’t take care of our dharma sisters and brothers, no one else will.
We should responsible, practise compassion, and do this full-heartedly. If we have difficult friends, we should take care of them because this is a good opportunity for us to practise compassion. The person who we think is difficult can bring us a great deal of benefit and joy in our practice. There are people we see who from the outside are not very sweet, but if we know how to open them up, the fruit is wonderful.
Shining Light practice teaches us to be compassionate and lovingkindness. The person who is shining light must have compassion and kind and willing to tell the strong point and week point of a person, as well as providing suggestion to improve. For the person who request for shining light, the person must put down the ego and accept weaknesses highlighted.
We must instil harmony in our Dharma centre, we should respect everyone in every position because all positions play important roles. . No one is perfect. For example, the maple tree. Many leaves of mable tree had holes or ragged edges. But if we looked at the whole tree, the maple tree was so beautiful. Each leaf has its own position, its own integrity.
Thank you Pee Bee Chong
Be a Sangha must have many virtuous personalities which we can learn from him. The article above inspired me that sangha /guru always take care of others sangha or disciples . We must also take care and help our dharma friends when they are facing any problem in learning dharma to create conducive condition for them .
Besides that, Sangha must do shining light practice which is a Dharma door offer to Three Jewels. It means that Sangha must do dharma with full of compassion to all sentien beings. Tsem Rinpoche’s quoted “Don’t wait the light ,but be the light”. We should always take initiative in doing dharma works.
Finally, every sangha must maintain harmony within sangha community.Harmony bring happiness and can create a conducive environment for us to do dharma works.We must always tolerant with others people to ensure all Kecharian work in harmony environment. Refuge to Sangha is also the way we learn and apply all the good personalities of Sangha.
Please correct me if I misunderstand the write up.
Thanks Rinpoche for posting.
With folded hands
Jason
Thanks Rinpoche for posting.
Thanks Rinpoche for the posting.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for sharing this along article. This is what I had learnt.
1. The practice of having a second body trains our awareness, selflessness and compassion. When we care for another being other than ourselves, we can practice all those qualities and will be less attached to ourselves. Our ego will reduce.
2. The practice of shining light is very special. It is also a practice that can deal with our ego. People who have ego will not be able to do the practice. The practice requires the person to be humble and to see all others are more supreme and ask for their humble opinion about themselves.
3. The practice shining light is also a good practice for us to find our own faults. Most of the time, we are unaware of our own faults because of our ego. We think that e are the best all the time and hence turning a blind eye to our short comings.
4. The emphasis on harmony in the Sangha community by tue Buddha is very profound. The harmony of the community is so crucial that it has to be made priority in any situation. It was said that harmony must be achieve in any decision making process or the process will have to restart again.
5. If the Sangha community have harmony, everything will go well. Everyone plays a vital role in the community and everyone is equally important. When everyone have their sense of self worth, harmony will be there. When the Sangha community is in harmony, only then the Buddha’s teaching will spread well.
Humbly,
Chris
This wonderful story teaches us that as long as we focus out to others to be better off, we find happiness and peace within ourselves.
The illustration of second body is so profound in the sense that we should care for others physical well being as we care and cherish so much our own. In this way our own comforts and indulgences can be lessen as we look into and provide for same in others, especially at times when such care is need in sickness.
The second illustration of Shining Light show us how to be aware of others and what is their emotional state of mind and help in a kind and compassionate manner. As lay and not well practised Buddhist, it is important for us to be conscious of our lack of perfect methods and always operate from kindness and compassion. This feed back is emotional support for us and others to overcome our negativities and enhance our virtues.
Thank you Rinpoche for Rinpoche’s generosity in enhancing what Rinpoche always teaches us with this post on Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. All great Masters teach the same of which I am most grateful.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post. Drawing inspiration from Lord Buddha in the “Story of Buddha with Sick Man”, Venerable Thich teaches about the importance of the Sangha to care for one another as they care for themselves. He introduces the lovely practice of the Second Body where every member of the sangha takes care of another member like his second body, with total commitment and responsibility. It works like a chain – the first person has a second body, the second person also has a second and the third also has a second body. In this way the whole sangha is taken care off very closely. Hence, by taking care of the second body mindfully, you take care of the whole sangha! Underlying this is the beautiful concept of ‘interbeing’, which is something special to Venerable Thich and something he believes in fully and sincerely.
When you finally find a second body whom you feel is difficult, the practice of looking after them well become a lovely act of true compassion; and the joy of the benefit of this practice will unfold itself to you.
The second teaching is on the practice of Shining Light – a practice of giving guidance to anther sangha who needs it and requests for it. This practice is done with great compassion and loving kindness. Seeing the person in need of guidance as ourselves, we practice compassion and loving kindness towards them, as we listen to them . Then we guide them with equally great compassion , loving- kindness, respect, and love.
The third teaching is a beautiful teaching on harmony of the Sangha. Venerable Thich draws his teachings from the harmony of leaves of a tree. Leaves in higher positions are not proud, and leaves lower down are not sad that they are at the bottom. There is a symphony of harmony that gives the tree its special beauty. So too should the sangha be in harmony, with no one feeling proud or sad in their respective positions. The sangha, Venerable Thich say, is built on the harmony of all.
Venerable Thich shows how compassion and harmony can make the Sangha wheel go round.
There are so many parts to this teaching. We have to accept that when we help help and guidance we should ask for it as shown in the “Shining Light” practice. We should also look out and help our Dharma siblings and help bring harmony to all. We should also sincerely say what we mean in a mindful, positive way to maintain harmony.
I especially like the part about the “Shining Light” where one makes prostrations and ask for the guidance of the Sangha to help one see their own strengths and weaknesses. Such a wonderful checkpoint.
All in, mindfulness and awareness encompasses so very much more than meets the eye.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this lovely article on Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and his teaching. His method of caring for a second body as our own and the more difficult the second body, the more rewarding it would be to our practice. This reminds me of Rinpoche’s talk of how Atisha kept the monk who always disparaged him close until the day that the monk passed away. Atisha had said that without the monk, he would not be able to practice as everyone else had only nice words for him. Caring for a second body will help us to look beyond ourselves, practice compassion for another and also to practice equality which is the start towards non-duality. With each caring for a second or third or fourth body, peace and harmony will prevail in the sangha/community as we put the needs of others above ourselves. The example of the maple tree was such a simple and yet example of imperfect variety that brings harmony within one body.
The Shining light method was interesting and certainly teaches us humility, by the seeker and those offering guidance. It helps us to check our minds if and when ego arises whilst the guides offer guidance from compassion and care.
His teaching brings to mind of what Rinpoche always tells us…to carry on and complete our work in harmony.
This is such a wonderful post and I like many things about this article. I like especially this phrase, “The Sangha is also our body, and all our brothers and sisters are a part of this Sangha body”. And so, it makes no sense for us to start all our prayers with ‘NAMO GURU BEH; NAMO BUDDHA YA; NAMO DHARMA YA; and NAMO SANGHA YA’ and then not care for everyone around us in the Dharma centre. To honour the Guru is to honour all his students and family, no matter how difficult we find them to be, because they, like us, are all parts of the Guru.
Before I read this article, I was not aware of the principle of ‘second body’ but I realised all enlightened masters like Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and Tsem Rinpoche teach the same things. It is also very wise because for most of us, we cherish nothing more than our own bodies and so by thinking of another as also our body, we learn to cherish others.
This is really a powerful sharing of the caring eachother in the sangha, Rinpoche. We need to have sense of genuine care and love for our fellow brothers and sisters. I really love the analogy of the leaves, harmony the different leaves with combination creates beauty. _()_
Thank you Rinpoche
This is such an eye opener. There is a “feedback process” in Dharma that is called “Shining Light”. Below is a paragraph describing how it is done in a spiritual space amongst spiritual communities. It is done with kindness, love, patience, honestly and TREATING THE OTHER PERSON AS IF YOU ARE IN HIS/HER SHOES.
Feedback like this facilitates growth not only spiritually but also secularly. Developing beneficial beings that serve society.