Better Meritorious Rewards than a King

Extract from The Buddha Speaks Jotike Sutra(【佛說樹提伽經】)

There was once a very wealthy elder named Jotike. Though he was only a courtier, he was fully replete since he was born with plenty of gold and silver, numerous maids and servants, …. Conclusively, Jotike was said to possess all sorts of glory, splendour, wealth and honour in the world that one could wish for.

One day, a piece of unfamiliar white towel appeared in the Palace. No one knew where it was from but its detailed and exquisite handiwork made even people in the Palace regarded it as a rare treasure. The King immediately called in all his courtiers to study the white towel together and they eventually concluded that it was a gorgeous towel from heaven. It was an augury that their country was going to develop greatly.

The King discovered that Jotike was the only one who was not excited at all; he had kept silent throughout the discussion. The King then asked, “Everyone’s very happy except you, Jotike, why don’t you utter a word?”
Jotike answered, “As a courtier, I daren’t deceive you, your Majesty. I’m afraid it’s not any gorgeous towel from heaven; it’s actually a bath towel from my home. It’s supposed to be hung at the rim of the bathing pool and it might be blown to the Palace by a strong wind.”

Some days later, in the Palace, there appeared an unusual nine-coloured golden flower which was as big as a wheel. After conferring, the King and his courtiers all agreed that it was a golden flower granted from heaven which was an augury that their country would greatly develop. Once again, Jotike did not say a word. Under the inquiry of the King, he said, “I daren’t deceive you, your Majesty. It’s not any golden flower granted from heaven. It’s a withered flower from the backyard of my home and was blown by a strong wind to the Palace.”
Doubting about Jotike’s words, the King decided to lead his courtiers to Jotike’s home to learn the truth. Jotike assented to the King’s request with pleasure.

When the King’s party arrived at the entrance of Jotike’s home, there stood a cute and lovable boy in front of the door. The King asked in admiration, “Jotike, this smart and lovely boy is your grandson, isn’t he?” Jotike shook his head and said, “Not concealing from your Majesty, he’s only a servant who guards the door of my home.” The King met an elegant and pretty lady inside Jotike’s mansion, he then asked, “Jotike, is she your daughter?” Jotike denied by shaking his head again, “Not concealing from your Majesty, she’s one of the maids at my home who is responsible for cleaning the house.”

The walls of the great hall (the living room) were built with silver while the ground was covered with crystal. Never seen any crystallized ground before, the King thought that it was a pool of water, so he hesitated to walk on it. Finally, he was guided inside by Jotike leading in front of him. The decorations inside was unprecedented with beds made of gold, small tables made of white jade … everything was extremely luxurious. At the time, Jotike’s wife came out to meet and greet the King. The elegant woman was so dignified and unique that she was absolutely unrivalled; her presence in the great hall made the brilliant hall lose its magnificence.

Jotike owned a twelve-storey building on which the King was invited to the top floor to admire the scenery. Viewing the scenery in the east side, the King forgot what he had just seen in the west side; similarly, when he was viewing from the south side, the scenery in the north side was forgotten. After that, Jotike brought the King to his backyard to play and relax. The King bathed in the bathing pool filled with spring water and ate the delicious fruits from the trees there. Life was better here than that in the Palace.

The King stayed at Jotike’s home for some times and he enjoyed living there so much that he lingered on without any thought of leaving. Finally, under the urge of his courtiers, the King returned to the Palace reluctantly bringing with him the rare treasure and jewelleries as well as silks and brocades offered by Jotike.

Back at the Palace, the King cherished the memories of the days at Jotike’s home, so he discussed with his courtiers, “Jotike is one of my courtiers, yet, his house, his wife and even his servants are much better than mine. As a King, can I confiscate his wife as well as his house and keep them all for myself?”
The courtiers echoed, “Of course you can, your Majesty. The King should be the most venerable and respectful in the country.”

The King then sent a troop to take over Jotike’s mansion. When the troop was at the entrance of Jotike’s home, a strong man who was holding a golden cane in his hand suddenly appeared at the door. With only a slight sweep of his cane forward, the strong man managed to make all the soldiers fall onto the ground simultaneously. Consequently, the attempt of the troop proved futile and was forced to return.

The King was completely baffled by the meritorious rewards of Jotike, so he went to consult the Buddha with Jotike.

The Buddha explained, “A long time ago, there were five hundred merchants, who had brought with them precious treasure, walked their way in the mountains. However, they came across bad weather and were trapped in the dangerous mountain roads. Fortunately, they met a man who lived in the mountain, he brought them out of the trouble and thus both their lives as well as properties were saved. The same man also met a sick Buddhist practitioner in the mountain, he unconditionally provided this practitioner with a place where he could shelter from wind and rain, warm beddings, candles, fresh water and rice so that the practitioner could recover from his sickness and continue with his cultivation. At that time, the man’s wish was to have the livelihood of heaven. Now, with the merits and virtues of his donation, his dream comes true. The man who lived in the mountains and gave donations is Jotike; the practitioner who was plagued by both poverty and illness is me; the five-hundred merchants are enlightened arhants at later Ages.”