佛教故事:Prince Goodspeaker and the Water Demon
Prince Goodspeaker and the Water Demon
[Chapter 1. Rebirth of the Bodhisatta]
Once upon a time， there was a very righteous king. He had a lovely queen who gave birth to a beautiful baby. This made the king very happy. He decided to give his son a name that might help him in later life. So he called him Prince Goodspeaker.
It just so happened that the prince was no ordinary baby. This was not his first life or his first birth. Millions of years before， he had been a follower of a long-forgotten teaching'Buddha' a fully 'Enlightened One'. He had wished with all his heart to become a Buddha just like his beloved master.
He was reborn in many lives sometimes as poor animals， sometimes as long-living gods and sometimes as human beings. He always tried to learn from his mistakes and develop the 'Ten Perfections. This was so he could purify his mind and remove the three root causes of unwholesomeness the poisons of craving， anger and the delusion of a separate self. By using the Perfections， he would some day be able to replace the poisons with the three purities nonattachment， loving-kindness and wisdom.
This 'Great Being' had been a humble follower of the forgotten Buddha. His goal was to gain the same enlightenment of a Buddha—— the experience of complete Truth. So people call him 'Bodhisatta'， which means 'Enlightenment Being'. No one really knows about the millions of lives lived by this great hero. But many stories have been told including this one about a prince called Goodspeaker. After many more rebirths， he became the Buddha who is remembered and loved in all the worldtoday.
[Chapter 2. The Teaching of the Gods]
In time， the queen gave birth to another son， who was named Prince Moon. Shortly after both children began walking about， their mother suddenly became very sick， and died.
To help him look after his playful children， the king found a princess to become his new queen. In a few years， this queen gave birth to a beautiful bright little boy. He was named Prince Sun. Since the king was so happy， he wanted to please his queen， and reward her for bringing up all three children. So he promised to grant her one wish. The queen considered， and said， "Thank-you my lord， I will make my wish at some time in the future."
As time went on， the three princes grew into wonderful playful youngsters. The queen saw that Prince Goodspcakcr was intelligent and understanding. She thought， "If these two older princes remain in the palace， my son， Prince Sun， will never get a chance to be king. Therefore， I must do something to make him the next king."
One day， when the king was in a good mood， the queen respectfully approached him and reminded him of the promised wish. He was very happy and said， "Ask whatever you want！" The queen said， "Oh my husband and king， grant that after the course of your life is over， my son， Prince Sun， will be the next king."
The king was shocked by this request. He became angry and said， "My first two children are like bright stars！ How can I give the kingdom to my third son？ All the people will blame me. That cannot be done！" The queen kept silent.
As happy as the king had been， he now became just as unhappy. He was afraid and filled with doubt. He suspected that the queen might destroy his first-born children by some wicked means. He decided that he must make sure his children were safe.
Secretly， the king called Prince Goodspeaker and Prince Moon to him. He told them of the queen's dangerous desire. He sadly said that the only safe thing for them to do was to leave the kingdom. They should return only after their father's death， and take their rightful places ruling the kingdom. The two obedient princes accepted their father's order and prepared toleave.
In a few days they were ready. They said their sadgood-byes to their father and friends， and left the palace. On their way through the royal gardens， they came upon Prince Sun. He had always been very affectionate and friendly towards his two older half-brothers. He was upset to hear that they were leaving for a very long time. So he decided that he too would leave the kingdom. The three friendly princes departed together.
For several months they traveled， until they reached the forest country of the mighty Himalayas. They were very tired and sat down under a tree. The oldest brother， Prince Goodspeaker， said to the youngest， Prince Sun， "Please go down to the nearby lake and fill some lotus leaves with water. Bring them back here so we all can drink."