The Two Princes and the Non-Buddhist King

In an ancient forest, where sunlight filtered through the canopy creating shimmering patterns of light on the ground, two young men sat beneath a bodhi tree, gazing into the distance. They were Pure Store and Pure Eye, two princes of the Kingdom of Glorious Adornment. But they cared nothing for thrones or power, for their hearts had long belonged to the Buddha Cloud Thunder Sound King Flower Wisdom Tathagata.

"Brother," said Pure Eye, his voice heavy with sorrow, "we are disciples of the Buddha, yet our father is a follower of wrong views. He is deluded and does not believe in the true Dharma. How can we save our father from the abyss of false beliefs?"

Pure Store sighed and looked up at the deep blue sky. "For many years I have tried to advise him, but my words pass over him like the wind. He only scoffs, saying that what I speak of is mere superstition."

The two brothers decided to seek out their mother, Queen Pure Virtue, a gentle and wise woman. She was sitting in the royal garden, softly caressing the petals of white lotus flowers.

"Mother," said Pure Store, kneeling before her, "we wish to follow the Buddha's path of practice, but our father remains lost in wrong views. Do you have any counsel for us?"

The queen looked at her two sons, her eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "Your father follows wrong views, so you must first transform him. If you can display miraculous powers, then your father will come to believe in the Buddha."

"But Mother," said Pure Eye, his voice full of concern, "we have never used miraculous powers to show off. The Buddha taught us humility, not display."

"This is not showing off, my child," the queen replied gently. "This is skillful means to save your father. When people witness wonders, their hearts open, and then you can lead them to the true Dharma."

The two princes looked at each other and nodded. They understood that sometimes, to save a person, one must use unexpected means.

The next morning, as King Wonderful Adornment sat upon his throne attending to the affairs of state, suddenly his two sons rose into the air, as high as seven banyan trees. The king looked up in astonishment. The two princes displayed every kind of miraculous transformation: now walking, standing, sitting, and lying in the air; now emitting water from the upper half of their bodies and fire from the lower; now appearing as vast bodies filling the sky, now shrinking small as a grain of dust; vanishing and reappearing upon the earth, entering the ground as if it were water, and walking upon water as if it were land.

"Father," called out Pure Store, his voice echoing from above, "I am a disciple of the Buddha Cloud Thunder Sound King Flower Wisdom Tathagata. He is one of enlightenment, teaching us the path of liberation. Please, Father, go to meet him."

King Wonderful Adornment, his heart deeply stirred, pressed his palms together toward his sons. "Who is your teacher?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"That Buddha is one of perfect omniscience, Father," Pure Eye replied. "He is teaching the Dharma on Vulture Peak. Please go there."

The king felt a joy he had never known rise within his heart. He hastily arranged his royal carriage and went with his two sons to meet the Buddha. Standing before him, King Wonderful Adornment knelt down and asked to become his disciple. From that day on, he abandoned his wrong views and became a devout Buddhist, and the entire kingdom followed him in taking refuge in the Three Jewels.

## The Meaning of the Story

This story reminds us that to teach those of great blessings from merit—those who are wealthy, powerful, or learned—words alone are sometimes not enough. There must be concrete results, special abilities born of genuine practice, to demonstrate the value of the Buddha's teachings (Dharma). This is the skillful means that practitioners need in order to save sentient beings.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.