During the first session of the , a unique and profound story emerged from the most unexpected of places. It was not a tale of a great master or a legendary figure, but the life story of a tiny sesame seed found on a piece of toast used as an offering. When the disciple Ruti asked what should be recorded, the Buddha guided her to document the life story of this humble sesame seed. This story serves as a poignant reminder that every being, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, possesses a life story and a deep, inherent connection to the .
The sesame seed, addressing us as a , expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to share its journey. It felt an immense sense of fortune to be purchased, brought into the Hsiang Kuang Buddhist Centre, and placed upon the altar as an offering for the Thrice Yearning Ceremony. To be connected to the entire Dharma realm of emptiness in this way was something it had never imagined possible while living its life as a simple seed. Yet, through this connection, it found the hope of rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, a destination it once thought entirely beyond its reach.
The Weight of Small Matters and the Laws of
We often use the common phrase, "It is just a small matter, why be so calculative?" However, the sesame seed Bodhisattva reminded us that even the smallest matters carry significant weight. It is precisely in these small, seemingly insignificant moments that our mind-capacity is tested. If our mind-capacity is narrow, we are bound by the laws of karma and cause and effect. The sesame seed's own journey began with this very lesson, illustrating how our daily attitudes shape our future existence.
In its previous life, the sesame seed was a human named Ma Liujia. Born into a farming family, he grew up surrounded by the cultivation of sesame. His father, driven by economic success, expanded their farm significantly. While his mother was a woman of great , always sharing her homemade sesame cakes and pastries with neighbours, his father was more focused on frugality and material gain. This difference in perspective often left the children in the family confused about the right way to live, caught between the warmth of sharing and the coldness of hoarding.
A Life of Labour and the Unseen Consequences
As the farm expanded, the father sought to maximise production, even using pesticides in ways that were harmful to human health. At the time, the family did not understand the laws of karma and cause and effect. They viewed the father's eventual terminal illness as a mere misfortune of farming practices, unaware of the deeper karmic consequences of their actions. The father suffered greatly through surgeries and treatments, and the family was left in despair, watching their once-happy home become clouded with sorrow.
Ma Liujia, who had been working a comfortable corporate job, returned home to help with the farm. Though he was initially unskilled in agriculture, he found a strange sense of peace in the rhythm of nature. He learned to appreciate the sunrise and the sunset, finding a connection to the earth that he had long missed. He eventually married, and despite the difficulties of farm life, he found contentment in nurturing the green leaves and the ripening seeds, treating them with the same care one would give to a child. He learned to settle his restless heart and find in the simple, daily tasks of the greenhouse.
The Sudden Shift into the Dharma Realm
One afternoon, while resting in the greenhouse, Ma Liujia drifted into a deep sleep. In his dream, he was in the sesame field, examining the fruit of his labour. When he awoke, he found himself no longer in his human body. He had become a single white sesame seed. He could see his wife calling his name and shaking his physical body, but he could not make her hear his cries. He was trapped in the space of a sesame seed, unable to escape, feeling the profound helplessness of a soul caught between worlds.
He spent an indeterminate amount of time in this state, feeling helpless and lost. It was only through the grace of the Buddha and the compassion of the practitioners who purchased the bread from the bakery that he was brought to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Now, as an offering for the Thrice Yearning Ceremony, he has been given the chance to speak and to seek deliverance. He is deeply grateful to Practitioner Su and to Namo Amituofo for this miraculous opportunity to transcend his current state.
A Plea for Deliverance and the Path to the Western Pure Land
The sesame seed Bodhisattva now turns its heart toward the path of . It asks for help not only for itself but for all the friends and beings connected to its past life. It seeks , that they too may leave suffering behind and find happiness. We are reminded by this story that the work of saving endless suffering beings never stops, and that the compassion of Namo Amituofo extends to every corner of existence, reaching even the smallest of beings.
We pray that all beings, like this sesame seed, may find their way to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. May we all learn to expand our mind-capacity, cherish every moment, and live in accordance with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way. Namo Amituofo.
