A man with an altruistic mind,
Who takes responsibility for others
Even if at first he is a servant,
Slowly rises up,
Like a dragon flying up into the sky.When we benefit others, even if we are like servants, gradually, more and more
people regard us highly, and we can become leaders of men. This is the result of
an altruistic mind and freedom from selfishness. So it is better to think how we
can benefit others rather than how we can benefit from them. This will provide a
good environment, and there will be harmony among parents, relatives, friends,
countries, and so on. It can make this twenty-first-century world a happier place to
live.
Consider this story of Upagupta from the Vinaya. There was once a woman in the
city of Varanasi in India who was beautiful like a goddess, and her song and dance
charmed everyone, including the king, nobles, and ministers. As time passed, she
gained power and wealth, and the king and ministers happily obeyed her in her
every whim. Due to her position as a courtesan, sometimes she had to sleep with
them, but she herself was not interested in sex. One day, in front of the palace, she
set eyes on the monk called “Upagupta” and became so attracted to him that she
would watch him every day as he passed by the palace. Even though she tried for
several days to attract his attention, she failed to draw even a glance. She tried
many methods to pull his attention to her, but all were in vain. This only increased
her interest. One day she waited for him at the crossroads, and when he came by,
she invited him to visit her house for alms, but he refused her request. Her
attachment grew in intensity until one day she lost control and touched him, again
requesting that he visit her. The monk replied that though he had no need to visit
her, he would come later. And they parted. Her attachment to him remained, but
several years went by in which she was still fully engaged in her work,
mesmerizing people with her dance and song. But one day she caught the dreaded
disease of leprosy and, her mouth and nose being eaten away, very quickly lost her
beauty. Finally her friends and relatives no longer visited her, and she found
herself alone in the cremation ground, deprived of the last bit of her wealth, and
there she remained. One night, when she was left with no food to eat or clothes to
wear, she felt so thirsty that she cried out for water, but there was no one to hear
her. She was tired of this life and so sad. Just then she heard someone
approaching, a man who had come to give her water to drink, and she felt
restored. She asked him who he was. “I am the monk Upagupta,” came the reply.
She asked him why he had not come to visit her in her youth but waited until this
sad moment to see her. “In the past your beauty and charm attracted many friends,
and you had no need of me,” he replied. “Now there is no one to look after you, so I
have come.” She was touched by his affection and tears filled her eyes.
The monk Upagupta was not interested in her voice or her beauty, but later,
when she was diseased, he came to visit her. The king, ministers, and others who
were attached to her beauty shunned her when she lost it. The moral of this story
is that compassion and an altruistic mind free of self-interest is supreme, while