The God in the Banyan
Tree
[A Bad Promise]
In the past and even in some
places today, people believe that tree gods or spirits inhabit
large or unusual trees. They also
believe that if you pray to the tree god and he helps to grant you your wish,
you have to carry out what you promise the god. In our story which took place
in the city of Kasi in northern India, a long
time ago, this was what happened to a man who chanced upon a large banyan tree.
Thinking that there must be a god staying in the tree, he made a wish and
promised to perform an animal offering if the wish was granted.
Not long after, his wish was
fulfilled. But no one knows if it was the work of a god, a demon or by some
other means. The man was sure the tree god had answered his prayer, so he
wanted to keep his promise. As he had made a huge wish, it called for a big
sacrifice. He brought many goats, mules, chickens and sheep to the tree. Then
he collected firewood and prepared to burn the helpless animals as a sacrifice.
Suddenly, the spirit living in
the banyan tree appeared. “Oh friend, you made a promise, and now are bound by
that promise. You think by keeping your promise, you will be released from the
bondage that the promise binds you. But if you commit this terrible unwholesome
act of killing, it will put you in greater bondage. You will have to suffer for
taking the lives of others, and even take rebirths in hell worlds! The way to
end suffering is to give up doing unwholesome actions!” “And furthermore, what
makes you think I eat meat? Haven’t you heard that we gods eat better stuff,
like ‘ambrosia’ or stardust or sunbeams? I have no use for meat or any other
food offerings.” Having said that, he disappeared. The foolish man realised the
mistake he had made. Instead of committing unwholesome deeds that would only
bring unhappy results to him in the future, he began to do only wholesome deeds
that would benefit himself and others.
The moral is ✏ Because you reap
what you sow, keeping a bad promise is worse than
making it.
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