Buddhist Stories: Wish-Fulfilling Jewels, Part 2 of 10 Aug. 13, 2015

So that's why we should never, never ask to be born again, or even in this lifetime, to become a king or anything. You have enough food to eat, you have enough clothes to wear; that is the best thing already. And whatever's left, maybe you can spare it, then you give it to the poorer people. Whatever you can. Even just a little bit of something, some food. The food that we've wasted on our planet in every rich country, we could use that to nourish the whole planet three times over. We must organize together. The food organizations, the food ministries of all the countries have to sit together and tackle this intelligently, compassionately, or else. Or else we all have consequences. This story's about somebody named Đại Thí. He's the one who tried to empty the ocean. “Thus I have heard.” At one time, the Buddha was in the country called La-duyệt-kỳ (Rajagariha) in the mountain Linh Thứu (Ghridhrakuta). “Kiều-trần-như (Kaundinya), and then Mahakasyapa, and then Sariputra, and then Maudgalyayana, and another 500 big monks came out one by one, one by one, wanting to be His attendant. But He refused them all.” It's not easy. Everybody wants to be the Buddha's attendant. But you have to be able also.