Poetry and Writings Index Spiritual Stories 6

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Asanga and the dog: Developing Great Compassion It is not possible to have sympathy for the suffering of others without knowing suffering oneself. The person who has experienced constant happiness and radiant, blissful health throughout life is unable to relate to the suffering of sickness experienced by someone else. When you understand the suffering of others and wish to remove their suffering you have compassion. Compassion is of two types: ordinary compassion and great compassion. The object of Great compassion (the basis of the mahayana Tibetan Buddhist path) is all living beings without exception. When someone with Great compassion sees a suffering being, she/he has the wish to remove all living beings' suffering. The practice of great compassion purifies ones afflictive harmful emotions (negative karma) very quickly. If you wish to gain realisations (in Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism), and wish to gain the final goal of enlightenment quickly, the secret is to develop a very deep, strong realisation of great compassion.

The great Bodhisattva, Asanga ,meditated in retreat in a cave for many, many years while aspiring to gain a vision of Maitreya Buddha. He meditated continuously for three years, but was not successful in gaining realisations and was unable to perceive Maitreya. Discouraged, he left his cave but on the way down the mountain he noticed some birds entering and leaving their nest. He saw that their wings brushed over rocks as they flew in and out and that the constant brushing of feathers had actually smoothed down the rocks over a long period of time. He thought, 'If soft feathers can wear away rock by constant brushing, I can remove the obstacles to realisations by constant energetic perseverance in my meditation practice.' Inspired, Asanga returned to his cave  and enthusiastically practised meditation for a further three years. However, due to his karmic obstructions, Asanga was still unable to gain realisations and had not a glimpse of the Buddha, Maitreya. He again decided to leave his retreat, but as he left the cave he noticed a spring where drops of water had gradually worn away a large rock. Again he thought that if tiny drops of water could wear down rock by constant dripping over time, then surely if he kept working at his meditation he could wear down his mind's stubborn resistance to gaining realisations. (continued next page)