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From: wa371@sdcc12.UUCP (wa371)
Newsgroups: net.suicide,net.religion,net.philosophy
Subject: A different value of life; monks and tigers.
Message-ID: <194@sdcc12.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 3-Mar-85 00:21:10 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcc12.194
Posted: Sun Mar  3 00:21:10 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Mar-85 02:17:02 EST
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Academic Computer Center
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Xref: watmath net.suicide:657 net.religion:5847 net.philosophy:1495

(From the Jataka Tales, as I remember it.)                                      
A Buddhist monk, walking through the jungle, came to the edge of an
abyss.  There, below him he saw a tigress with her cubs.  Her
cubs were starving because she hadn't had anything to eat.
The monk, heaving practiced compassion with all living beings,
felt immense compassion with the cubs and flung himself over the
abyss so that he could be food for the tigress.

...A monk, walking through the jungle, was attacked by a tiger.
The monk, having practiced total awareness, calmly observed as
the tiger started eating him, starting with his feet.  When the
tiger reached his knees, the monk reached the first stage of
enlightenment.  The tiger continued eating.  The monk continued
being calmly aware of what was happening.  When the tiger reached
the monk's hips, the monk reached the second stage of enlightenment.
The tiger continued chewing as the monk continued just being
calmly aware.  When the tiger reached the monk's heart, the
monk became fully enlightened and entered nirvana.

Bernd Riechelmann  (Not affiliated with, nor speaking for U.C. San Diego)
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