September, being the traditional zaimu month, has been designated the Month of Good Fortune & Gratitude for SSA. To bring across the spirit of making offerings in Buddhism, we courageously made a novel attempt - we did a sketch adapted from the Buddhist parable, The Poor Woman's Lamp.
In our sketch, Nanda, a poor woman with a strong & pure heart, was very touched by King Ajatashatru's long procession of lamp offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha. So touched that she too wanted to offer a lamp to the Buddha! Alas, she had no money. So she sold her long, beautiful hair in exchange for a little oil to light a tiniest lamp for the Buddha, at the same time praying for the wisdom to lead everyone in the world to enjoy great happiness. Due to her sincerity & selfless prayer, her tiniest lamp among all was the only remaining one to glow brightly on Eagle Peak throughout that night of cold, strong wind from Mount Sumeru. Not even Maudgalyayana could extinguish the tiny lamp's beautiful glow the following morning! Shakyamuni Buddha acknowledging Nanda's pure, sincere offering for the whole world's happiness, prophesied that Nanda will definitely become a Buddha who possess the most wonderful wisdom in the future!
Well, Nanda's *"efforts were not impressive, and people preoccupied with mundane affairs might not have taken the slightest notice of the dedication she expressed in offering the amount of oil. But Shakyamuni was indeed a man of penetrating insight. You can no more severe the ties of sincerity which bind human beings to one another in the depths of their lives than you can cut through water or air. Even when all other things wane & collapse into the whirlpool of life's relentless difficulties, such sincerity will only glow all the more brilliantly. "
"It is not the material worth of an offering but the spirit behind it that counts. The poor woman's single lamp meant far more than the five thousand barrels of lamp oil which Ajatashatru, the ruler of that country, donated to the Buddha. The little lamp contained the sincerity that a nameless woman felt with her entire being. A mind which attaches the importance even to the slightest matters and which loves and treasure even seemingly insignificant things can profoundly move people even through a small action."
We sincerely hope to bring through Nanda's sincere and selfless spirit of offering through this amateurish effort. Enjoy ~~ !
* extracted from Treasures of the Heart by SGI President, Daisaku Ikeda
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