The story of the lion who respected the Dharma tells that in the forest, there was a lion with beautiful fur who would come daily to sit next to a monk to listen to the teachings. One day, the king announced a great reward for anyone who could kill the lion and bring its fur back. A hunter, after learning that the lion often came to listen to the Dharma next to the monk, decided to disguise himself as a monk and sit there when the monk was absent. The lion saw the figure in monk’s robes, thinking it was its teacher, and approached. But when the hunter killed it, the lion realized this was not its teacher. Despite its strength, the lion, out of respect for the monk’s robes, did not resist and ultimately died.
This story reminds us that anyone can possess moral virtue, and sometimes we respect others simply because they wear the robes of a monk or have the appearance of someone on the spiritual path. Whether or not they truly practice, we should still respect them as fellow human beings. In Buddhism, the virtue of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is the practice of revering all Buddhas and acting with the nature of the Tathagata. Regardless of what someone does or does not do, we should respect them because they are human.
Thus, in life, even when we are angry with someone, we should avoid using harsh words to insult them. Such words only increase hatred and create negative karma. If the person doesn’t deserve the insults we think they do, we will only accumulate more bad karma.
Lesson by Venerable Thích Pháp Hoà