釋迦牟尼住在舍衛國衹樹給孤獨園的時候，有一天早上，與阿難一起進城乞食，途中遇見一群小孩。這些孩子正在遊戲，他們用泥土搭建宮殿、房舍、倉庫。倉庫裡堆滿了泥土，代表著財寶、五穀。
有一個小孩遠遠看見了釋迦牟尼佛，被佛陀的光明相吸引，不由升起敬心。他取出「倉庫」中的「穀米」請釋迦牟尼佛品嘗。這個可愛的小孩墊起腳尖，依然搆不著佛陀，便請另外一個孩子幫忙，另一個孩子蹲下身，由他踩肩而上。釋迦牟尼佛低頭受土。這兩個孩子歡天喜地，心滿意足如同大施主。
釋迦牟尼讓阿難用土抹房，土太少，只夠抹佛房舍的一邊牆角，阿難卻做得很認真。佛告阿難，他涅槃百年之後，此獻土孩子將做國王，相助孩子將做輔臣。這就是歷史上很有名的阿育王的前世故事。
初讀此品，十分感動。一個証得無上智慧，能夠遍觀十方無量世界，洞悉三世因果的佛陀，在眾富豪搶著供養，眾百姓爭著布施的時代，鄭重其事地接受一缽稚兒的泥土，是何等的慈悲、平等、仁愛。萬法都由心起，佛法無有高下。佛就這樣引導了眾生。
同樣地，施土的孩子也令人感動。孩子是多麼地純真，他根本沒想到泥土做成的穀米不能入口。他也根本沒有考慮將土送給別人，別人會不會拒絕。他更不像一些成人存有施恩圖報的俗念。當然，他也不具備宿命通，了知這一捧土竟能在百年之後變為富貴。他只是真心實意地捧出自己所好，因此，掌上的泥土變成了金子。這也是平常心啊！倘若他不是將佛看成同我不二的孩子；倘若他在那一刻受了俗世事理的束縛，他怎能快快樂樂地將骯髒的泥土，放進佛的飯缽之中呢？
孩施土，佛受土，他們誰覺難堪了？誰覺卑下了？誰覺可笑了？誰覺受騙了？沒有。他們自然而然，威儀不亂，童真不失，在隨緣中閃出莊嚴感動人的光華。
倘若我們都能具備這樣一種平常心，這世界還會有聰明算計、蹂躪心智，只為了貪得無厭的物欲而耗盡一生嗎？
小朋友！你們知道什麼是做人的根本嗎？
就是八德，孝、悌、忠、信、禮、義、廉、恥
～宣公上人 |
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When Shakyamuni Buddha dwelt at Shravasti in the Jeta Grove in the Garden of the Benefactor of Orphans and the Solitary, one morning he went into the town with Ananda to make his almsround. On their way, they passed by some children who were playing and using dirt to build palaces, houses, and warehouses. The warehouses were filled with dirt, which represented treasure and grain.
One child, upon seeing the Buddha from afar, was attracted by the Buddha's bright light and inspired by a sense of respect. He brought out the "grain" from his "warehouse" and invited the Buddha to taste it. Although this adorable little boy stood on tiptoes, he still couldn't reach the Buddha. He asked for help from another boy, who squatted down and allowed him to step on his shoulders. The Buddha lowered his head and accepted the dirt. The two children were overjoyed and felt like great donors.
The Buddha asked Ananda to use the dirt to paint his house. There was only enough dirt to cover one corner of the Buddha's house, but Ananda did a decent job. The Buddha told Ananda that one hundred years after he entered Nirvana, the child who offered the dirt would become a king and the child who helped him make the offering would be his minister. This is the story of the previous life of King Asoka, the famous patron of Buddhism.
When I first read this story, I was very touched. A Buddha, who has realized unsurpassed wisdom and can contemplate limitless worlds in the ten directions and understand the causes and effects of the past, present and future, solemnly accepted a bowlful of dirt from some children, while so many rich people competed to make offerings to him. What he manifested were kindness, compassion, equality and benevolence. Everything is a creation of the mind. There are no class distinctions in Buddhism. That is how the Buddha guided living beings.
The child who offered the dirt touched me as well. What an innocent child: it never occurred to him that the “grain” made of dirt was not edible. He did not consider that other people would turn down his offering of dirt. He did not even think of expecting anything in return, the way most adults do. Of course he did not possess the spiritual powers to know that with such an offering he could become a noble a hundred years later. He simply offered what he himself cherished; therefore the dirt in his palm turned to gold. He had an ordinary mind. Had he not treated the Buddha like another child equal to himself, had he been restricted by worldly conventions, how could he have happily placed the filthy dirt into the Buddha's bowl?
The child offered the dirt; the Buddha accepted the dirt. Who felt embarrassed? Who felt inferior? Who thought it was ridiculous? Who was fooled? No one was. They very naturally, with perfect composure and innocence, shined forth with that most touching and beautiful glow.
If we could all have such ingenuous hearts, would there still be people who spend their whole lives scheming and abusing others just to satisfy their own insatiable materialistic desires?
Young friends! Do you know what is the root of being a human? It is the Eight Virtues.They are: filiality, brotherhood, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, incorruptibility, and a sense of shame.
Venerable Master Hua
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