This is a story of a golden goose, and I suspect it’s about Buddha’s previous life.

A long time ago, there was a king. His name was Bahuputtaka. This name actually means “the father of many sons.” His queen was Khema. Both of them ruled in Benares. Benares is one of the holy cities in India.

One day the queen, Khema, dreamed of a golden goose who spoke with the wisdom of a sage. She told the king that she greatly desired to see and hear such a wonderful bird. The king consequently made inquiries and was told that there were such birds as golden geese, but they were rare and not easily found. People informed the king that it would be very difficult to find these kinds of geese in his kingdom. But nevertheless, they existed. So then, many of his attendants were sent out to look for the geese, which were supposed to be near a lake, very far away somewhere.

They also employed hunters to try to look for them and bring them back to Benares. Many people also advised the king to construct a lake near the city so that maybe the goose or the geese would be attracted, and would fly to live near there.

At that time, there were many geese that lived on Mount Cittakuta. Their king was called Dhatarattha. And this Dhatarattha goose king was an absolutely beautiful bird, with feathers of shining golden color. Wow… (Master jokes) He was inviting trouble!

In the course of time, a large lake was made near Benares, and the king named the lake Khema, after the name of the queen. Flowering trees, flowers, and beautiful rare botanical species were planted around the lake. Also, water lilies, lotuses and some water vegetables and flowers were planted in the lake. And every day, the people would come and scatter some corn and cereal to attract birds and things like that. Then the king’s herald, one of the attendants, would call out very loudly: “The king of Benares welcomes all birds to come and live in peace in this beautiful lake! They will be protected from danger by the king’s order and the king’s men.”

So, news of this lake reached the wild geese on Mount Cittakuta. They went to the golden goose, and said, “Lord! The king of Benares has made a large and sweet-smelling lake near the city. He guarantees protection for all birds who settle there. The birds will also be fed by the foresters. Let us go and see what sort of place it is. We are weary of living on this mountain top and having to search for food ourselves.”

So the golden goose, king of the geese herd, agreed to their proposal. And then he and some of his flock flew towards Benares.

The king had ordered his hunters to watch regularly by the lakeside. He told them that if they saw a golden goose approach the water, they were to immediately set a snare for him. The head hunter ringed the lake with his men at all hours of the day and night, waiting to capture this golden goose.

Early one morning he saw a huge flock of geese and a larger bird in golden color whose feathers gleamed in the sun rays, flying towards the lake. Quickly the hunter set a snare amongst the water lilies and lotuses. He knew that the golden goose, being the leader, would alight first on the water.

Like a dense white cloud, the 90,000 geese drifted down towards the lake. The golden goose settled on the water, and at once his foot was caught in the snare. Seeing that their leader was trapped, the flock of geese circled around, honking in distress, but none were brave enough to attempt to rescue him. They rose up and flew back towards Mount Cittakuta in safety. Sumukha, the chief captain of these geese, alone remained with the king.

The golden goose turned to him and said, “The other geese have all flown away, Sumukha! Without hesitation, they deserted me. Why do you wait here? Fly away quickly while you have the chance. If you remain here, you will be captured as well.”

Sumukha, the chief captain, maybe the next attendant to the king goose, sat floating gracefully on the water by the side of his king and replied, “I will never leave you, Royal Goose. Now that danger draws near, I will remain and either live or die by your side.”

As they were talking, the chief huntsman came close to the lake. Sumukha decided to try and soften the huntsman’s heart and flew up to him, begging him to let the golden goose go free. The huntsman was struck by the regal beauty of the golden bird, and asked him, “Your comrades have all fled, Oh noble goose. Did you not see the snare from afar?”

The golden goose answered him: “When life is coming to an end and death draws near, it is of no use to struggle against fate; thus, I did not see the snare.”

The huntsman was greatly impressed by the wisdom of the golden goose. He asked Sumukha, “And why do you also alone remain here? The other geese are no longer to be seen. You are free, yet you have remained by the side of this noble bird. Who is he that you have not left him in an hour of need?”

So Sumukha answered, “He is my king, my comrade and my friend. I will never forsake him though I die for it.”

Hearing this, the hunter thought, “Indeed, these are brave and noble birds. If I were to harm them, the gods would punish me. What do I care for the king’s reward? I will set them free.” He said to Sumukha, “Since you are prepared to die for friendship’s sake, I will set your king and comrade free. Then fly where you both will.”

Tenderly, he loosened the golden goose’s foot from the snare and washed the blood away in the clear, pure water of the lake. He set the dislocated muscle and tendons, and by a miracle the foot became whole again. Not a mark showed where it had been caught.

Sumukha was overjoyed at seeing his king free, and said to the huntsman, “May you and yours always live in prosperity, Oh hunter, for your merciful act in setting my lord free!”

The golden goose asked the huntsman, “Did you capture me for yourself or was it at someone else’s command?”

“It was by order of the king that I set the snare, Oh noble goose.” The hunter told the golden goose the truth and how the queen desired to see the wonderful bird.

The golden goose thought to himself, “Perhaps it would be best if I went to the city. The hunter will be rewarded, and King Bahuputtaka is known to be a wise and virtuous monarch. If I appear before him of my own free will, he will be satisfied and may decide to give me the freedom of this beautiful lake.”

So he said to the huntsman, “Take us to the king. We will speak with him, and then if he wishes, he will set us free.”

The huntsman said, “Noble goose, kings are not always merciful. He may decide to keep you both as prisoners.”

But the golden goose said to him, “I have softened your heart, huntsman. Surely I can find favor with a great king. Leave that to me! You do your duty, and take me and Sumukha into his presence.”

So the huntsman put both birds on his carrying pole, and took them to the palace.

When the king and the queen saw the two magnificent birds, one with feathers of shining gold, and the other as white as the snow on the mountaintops, they were absolutely delighted. The king set them both on a golden perch, and with his own hands, gave them honey and fine grain to eat, and sweetened water to drink. The whole night through, the king and the golden goose conversed together on the duties of kingship, and the virtues of kings.

The golden goose told the king, “He who puts off until too late the effort to do good will sink low. He loses all knowledge and great will be his loss. He who does not see the truth, gains no wisdom. Cherish your sons so that they may grow wise and always follow the path of virtue.” Thus the golden goose advised and encouraged the king.

When dawn came, he bade farewell to the king and queen, and with the faithful Sumukha, flew out of the northern window and far away to Mount Cittakuta.

Finished! (Applause)

Now, we would wonder why being geese together, there are only two so noble geese and the rest were cowardly, ordinary geese. Nine thousand in number, only two were noble beings!

So actually even in the animal kingdom there are differences, not only in humankind. Perhaps this is the way it should be. I don’t know why it should be like that. Perhaps there are different developments within sentient beings as well. Even with the same species there should always be this difference, because one chooses to go upward in a more noble direction, and the others choose to go the ordinary way, the easy way and the more materially beneficial way. Perhaps our choice makes us noble or lowly. And if we do not struggle within ourselves, trying to better our thinking and our ideals, or our work and our actions, then we will always remain at the same level as before - a very ordinary goose. We fear everyone else’s fears, worry everyone else’s worries, eat everyone else’s food, dream everyone else’s dreams and do everyone else’s actions and habitual expectation. There’s nothing better about us, nothing improves, and we’re nothing more than the geese that eat the grass and drink lake water and pass their life like this. Their life is also peaceful, harmonious and stress-free, and they also look good. But they achieve nothing more than just grass and lake water.

So now we should ask ourselves whether we would desire such a so-called peaceful life, too. Therefore, I have asked you before not to be proud of your harmonious family, your peaceful surroundings, your material gain and your whatever benefit that you think comes to you through the blessing of the Master, or through the practice of the Quan Yin Method.

It is true that the Master will bless us with whatever we desire, but we should not be satisfied with that and feel proud of that achievement, because this is just nothing! The stinky fertilizer is necessary for the flowers, but the flowers are what we want, not the fertilizer.

Perhaps that’s why the golden goose looked golden and so magnificent and wise; and the other geese looked ordinary, you see, like in this story. Perhaps the Buddha had been a golden goose at one time, or perhaps not. Perhaps this is only an exemplary story, so that we understand the loneliness of being a king or a Master. It’s just like talking to a mass of ignorant geese that don’t have human brains or intelligence. So whether this story is true or not, it has a ringing truth in it. This story does not have to be perfectly true. The reincarnation theory doesn’t have to truly exist, and the Buddha didn’t have to truly have been reincarnated as a golden goose or golden hare, or whatever that was before. It’s just the story has a truth. The loneliness of being a king or a Master or a wise person is obvious in this story. It doesn’t matter if the Buddha had been reincarnated as a goose or not, or if He just made it up to illustrate the same principle through different stories.

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