Once there was a mother and her son, who lived in a certain village in Tibet during. The mother was a very spiritual and affectionate woman who was considered to be an inspiring woman by all the villagers. Her son was a merchant who was very dedicated to his work. He used to travel all over India to trade goods.
One day when he was about to go to Bodhgaya (the sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site where the Buddha attained perfect enlightenment) to trade goods, his mother said, “Son, as you are going to that sacred place, please bring me an object that I can put on the altar and worship.”
“Yes, mother,” her son replied,“I will definitely bring one for you.”
And then he left. The mother remained behind, full of expectation to receive a sacred object from her son.
After one month, he completed all his work and returned to his village. When he arrived home his mother asked him, “Did you bring the sacred object?” He had forgotten to bring it so he said, “My apologies mother, I forgot to bring it, but I will surely bring it next time.”
But the same thing happened each time he went to Bodhgaya and returned home.
Sometime later, he had to go to Bodhgaya to trade again. On his way back he remembered what his mother had told him before he left home. She had threatened him, saying that she would commit suicide if he forgot to bring a sacred object that time. So, he rested for a while on the way and thought about how he would fulfil his promise to his mother. Then he looked here and there and finally saw a carcass of dog lying under a tree. He extracted one tooth from it and carried it home.
When he arrived home, he washed it and covered it with a clean piece of cloth and handed it to his mother, saying, “Mother, this is the tooth of Lord Buddha.” The mother was overjoyed, as her wish had been fulfilled. Then she placed it on her altar as the primary object of worship. From that day onwards, she worshiped it with deep devotion and faith without fail.
One day she saw a spectrum of light emitting from the dog’s tooth,which had turned into a sacred relic. Then she called her son and all her neighbours to witness the miraculous sight. Everyone gathered and prayed together. The son was filled with surprise seeing what had happened with the false gift that he had presented to his mother.
So, if one has deep faith and devotion, even a dog’s tooth can be transformed into a sacred relic. Therefore, faith and devotion are the indispensable ladder towards the path of ultimate liberation.
By Pempa Tsering
Final Year, NNI
