[ The best horse or the worst horse ]

In one of the Buddha's discourses, he talks about the four kinds of horses: the excellent horse, the good horse, the poor horse, and the really bad horse. The excellent horse, according to the sutra, moves before the whip even touches its back; just the shadow of the whip or the slightest sound from the driver is enough to make the horse move. The good horse runs at the lightest touch of the whip on its back. The poor horse doesn't go until it feels pain, and the very bad horse doesn't budge until the pain penetrates to the marrow of its bones.

[ Bruce's remark:

What's the message behind the Buddha's discourses? Some people may think that Buddha wanted us to be the best horse. However, this is totally wrong.

In the Sutra, Buddha had never tried to say that we should be the best horse. Buddha, through his Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, pointed out that real happiness/enlightenment isn't about being the best horse or the good horse or the poor horse or the worst horse. It's about finding our own true nature and speaking from that true nature and acting from that true nature.

Assuredly I say unto you, "Whatever our quality is, that's our wealth and our beauty; and to find our own True Nature is the first key to enlightenment, to real happiness." ]

 

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