Once, the Bodhisattva was born as a scholar and mastered all the scriptures. He became a monk and had 500 disciples. One day, while the Bodhisattva was passing through the forest with his disciple Chandaka, he saw a hungry tigress about to eat her own cubs. Feeling pity for the cubs, the Bodhisattva decided to offer himself as food for the tigress. But he knew that his disciple would not allow him to do so. Hence, he sent Chandaka away on an errand and placed himself in front of the tigress. The tigress and her cubs fed on him ravenously. When Chandaka returned and saw his master’s bloodstained clothes, he cried out in terror, “O Lord! These are the Master’s clothes. That means these creatures must have fed on him!” With a heavy heart Chandaka returned to narrate how his master had sacrificed his own life out of charity and compassion.
Moral: Charity and compassion are the ultimate qualities that make a true man.
