Our Motivation – Buddha Story
[Music]
[Music]
at the time of Buddha there lived an old
beggar woman called relying on joy she
used to watch the Kings princes and
people making offerings to Buddha and
his disciples and there was nothing she
would have liked more than to be able to
do the same
she went out begging but at the end of a
whole day all she had was one small coin
she took it to the all merchants to try
to buy some oil he told her that you
could not possibly buy anything with so
little but when he heard that she wanted
it to make an offering to buddha he took
pity on her and gave her the oil she
wanted she took it to the monastery
where she lit a lamp she placed it
before Buddha and made this wish I have
nothing to offer but this tiny lamp but
through this offering in the future may
I be blessed with the lamp of wisdom may
I free all beings from their darkness
may I purify all their obstructions and
lead them to enlightenment
[Music]
that night the oil in all the other
lamps went out but the beggar woman’s
lamp was still burning at dawn when
Buddha’s disciple maudgalyayana came to
collect all the lamps when he saw that
one was still alight full of oil and
with a new wick he thought there is no
reason why this lamp should still be
burning in the daytime and he tried to
blow it out but it kept on burning he
tried to snuff it out with his fingers
but it stayed alight he tried to smother
it with his rope but it still burned on
the Buddha had been watching all along
and said moudgalya jana do you want to
put out that lamp you cannot you cannot
even move it let alone put it out if you
were to pour the water from all of the
oceans of this world over this lamp it
still wouldn’t go out the water in all
the rivers and lakes of the world could
not extinguish it why because this lamp
was offered with devotion and with
purity of heart and mind and that
motivation has made it of tremendous
benefit when Buddha had said this the
beggar woman approached him and he made
a prophecy that in the future she would
become a perfect Buddha called light of
the lamp you see in life our motivation
good or bad is what determines the fruit
of our actions it is easier for a rich
man to give than for a poor man to give
it is hard to give something which means
so much to you and which is almost
everything you have just to help someone
who is more in need
you can help someone but maybe in the
back of the mind you’re thinking if I
help him
I will profit from this myself or you
can help someone knowing that if you
help him
you will lose out and that it won’t have
any positive outcome for you this is our
motivation that is important so it is
not only the actions that we do the good
that we do but the thinking behind that
don’t forget that this is there to do
motivation stories thanks for watching
and stay blessed
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