Mahasiddha Manibhadra - part 1

Manibhadra was born in Kamarupa. She was the daughter of a wealthy merchant and a marriage had been arranged with the son of an equally wealthy family. Being prosperous the family supported all religious mendicants who called at their home – and on one occasion they were visited by Kukkuraja, the caninophile.
Manibhadra welcomed Kukkuraja into the house and arranged for their servants to present him with a fine meal. Manibhadra had grown to an age where she had developed a keen sense of curiosity and so she sat with Kukkuraja as he ate his meal. When he had finished eating, Manibhadra asked
“You are obviously young, handsome, and intelligent – so you could easily become as rich as my father – so why do you live by begging?”
“You ask me this question . . . ” Kukkuraja laughed “ . . . because you know nothing of the nature of wealth.”
“That is interesting.” commented Manibhadra “What is the nature of this wealth of which I know nothing.”
“Its nature is that anyone may have it.”
“If anyone could have it . . . ” laughed Manibhadra “ . . . why is it that they do not avail themselves of it.”
“Because they see wealth such as yours as the real wealth and care nothing for the wealth that is primordially theirs.”
“Ah . . . I see . . . ” smiled Manibhadra “ . . . you speak of religion – I have no great interest in religion.”
“That does not surprise me.” laughed Kukkuraja
“Do you think I am so foolish, then – that I would not understand?” asked Manibhadra – but not with disrespectful snappishness.
“Not at all. A fool would not ask me such questions. No . . . I said that it did not surprise me, for other reasons entirely. Organised religion, you see, is not so very interesting. Mainly it is a way of passing time – or of trying to secure a better rebirth. Many are foolish enough to hedge their bets – claiming that they earnestly wish to practise but that they are ill prepared for it in this life. So what they do, is to accumulate merit so that they can be practitioners in the following lives.”
“Is this of no value then?”
“It is not of any great value.”
“But is not better than unkindness or cruelty to others?”
“Yah, it is better than that – but there is nothing more to be said in its favour – and those you adhere it poverty are little better.”
“But is not poverty something that was enjoined upon monks by Shakyamuni Buddha.”
“Certainly – and if one practises as Shakyamuni Buddha taught, I have no fault to find. Most of these ascetics however, are merely addicted to asceticism – and as vain as peacocks on that basis.”
“But are you not an ascetic?”
“No . . . but neither am I a hedonist – I am not addicted to either extreme. If it were of benefit to beings for me to be conventionally wealthy I would gather wealth. If it were of benefit to beings for me to be conventionally austere I would practise austerities. As it is, I simply live as a live – without concern either for possessions or possessionlessness. If great wealth comes my way I accept it. If it is required elsewhere I give it away.”
On hearing this Manibhadra gained a sense of curiosity that she had not experienced before. “Please venerable sir – will you tell me, then – about tell me the nature of real wealth.”
“That, young lady will have to wait ’til tomorrow – as I have visits to make in this town. If you would like to hear of the nature of real wealth, I shall be happy to tell you all you need to know – but before I return I would like to you notice what can be seen with your eyes and heard with your ears. I would like you to pay attention to all your senses and see what can be found interesting – especially those things to which you would usually not pay too much attention.”
Manibhadra assured Kukkuraja that she would follow his suggestions – and bade him farewell, looking forward to their further discussions. After he left Manibhadra noticed that her vision and hearing were not what they were before. It was not that she saw anything or heard anything utterly marvellous – but she became astonishing conscious of that fact that she continually saw and heard the world. Then she discovered that she continually touched the world, that there were always fragrances in the air, and that food and drink were somehow experiences that contained more than she expected.
By the time that Kukkuraja returned, Manibhadra felt strangely disconcerted yet somehow ebullient: she had lost who she had been before she had met Kukkuraja. He came, greeted her cordially and ate lunch. Once having eaten he commenced “For one who remains in the nondual state – possessions and possessionlessness have the same taste. One possesses whatever enters the sense fields – for as long as they remain. One thus owns everything and carries nothing. One is not hampered by the need for objects.”
“I understand that . . . but I do not feel hampered.
“I imagine that you do not – but . . . let me ask you a question. Have you ever left home? Are you free to travel wherever you please?”
“No . . . I have never left home and should I desire to do so . . . you are right, I am not free to travel wherever I please – but my home is pleasant and I have never wished to go anywhere else.”
“Yes young lady . . . your home is pleasant – but you will not live here for ever. You will have to marry and when you marry it will not be your choice.”
“Yes . . . my marriage is already arranged. I had not thought so far – but the time is sooner than I would wish it to be.”
“And if you renounced marriage – you would have no wealth, would you?”
“No . . . I would not. I would probably be cast out and have to beg for my living. My parents are kind – but they would not brook my disobedience.”
“So . . . tell me – of what worth is your wealth when it is contingent upon the demands of others? You husband may well be a good and kind man – but the choice is not yours. Your life is not your own. I do not say this to unsettle you or to cause you to disobey your parents – I merely answer your question as to why I have no interest in conventional wealth. If I was conventionally wealthy—and had a daughter such as you—I would be forced by society to make the same demands of you as your parents have done – and I would not wish to act in such a way.”
“But my parents only wish the best for me.”
“I have no doubt of it. It is the way they see the world. I do not judge your parents for being as they are – I only say that I would not wish to be in their position. To be wealthy as they are, is not to be free or to allow others to be free. When you gain the conventional wealth of society through following the rules of society – you become the prisoner of that wealth and the society.”
Kukkuraja paused—observing Manibhadra closely as she absorbed the portent of his words—and finally said “again . . . I have visits to make in this town. If you would like to hear more of the nature of real wealth, I shall be happy to tell you – but before I return I would like to you to continue in noticing that which is seen with your eyes and heard with your ears. Pay attention to all the senses – but avoid commenting internally, with thought, in terms of your sense perceptions.”
Manibhadra promised Kukkuraja that she would follow his instructions– and bade him goodbye till the next day. She told him that she was eager for their further discussions and Kukkuraja nodded with a smile the seemed to betoken something. After he left Manibhadra perceived that her vision and hearing entirely other than they were before. She saw what was ordinary and found it to be extraordinary. The mundane appeared mysterious and the commonplace became astonishing – but everything remained exactly as it was. Nothing was actually different – but everything was somehow fresh and vial as if she had only ever perceived the world through fine layer of dust before. If this was what could occur after two meetings with Kukkuraja and through following fairly simple advice – what more could be possible?
By the time that Kukkuraja returned, Manibhadra was impatient to speak with him. She felt enigmatically perturbed yet somehow passionately alive: she had misplaced who she had been even the day before when he whole sense of sensory perception had changed. Kukkuraja arrived, acknowledged her affectionately and ate lunch. Once having eaten, he embarked from as new perspective on what they had discussed before. “Do you find the sky beautiful at the end of the day when the clouds are raddled red?”
“I do!” She replied “How did you know?”
“Oh that is nothing to know – I find it beautiful too. The sky was beautiful last night. I find many things beautiful – but . . . tell me, who owns all this beauty? Who owns the sky?”
“No one owns the sky – it is simply there.”
“That is true, young lady. It is also true that anyone can own the sky . . . Who would you guess to be a sky owner?”
“You?”
“Well yes . . . ” Kukkuraja laughed “ . . . but other than me or anyone like me?”
Manibhadra pondered for a while and finally ventured “Those who truly own the sky . . . must be those you love it the most – those who appreciate it the most.”
“Yes. You are correct - but what of those who are disinterested?”
At this question Manibhadra’s eyes lit up “They!” she exclaimed “They surely are those who cannot own even a moment of it! To them it cannot be wealth – but to those who love it, it is wealth.”
“Now you understand the meaning of authentic wreath and why it is available to everyone.”
“But still . . . ” pondered Manibhadra “ . . . one cannot buy anything with that wealth.”
“No—I would not deceive you—you can buy nothing but pleasure with that wealth. Conventional wealth will buy you anything that can be bought – but it will not buy you the pleasure of seeing the sky if you do not already have it.”
Manibhadra was amazed to hear this and realised that the nature of reality was nowhere close to what she had imagined before she met Kukkuraja. She asked him if he would be her teacher – and Kukkuraja agreed. “Come to my island then. You will find me in the middle of the lake at the centre of the charnel ground.”
“Is that not a terrifying place?” she quailed
“According to some . . . yes . . . You will find that any place is what it is—and appears as it appears—to whomever sees it. However . . . don’t be frightened – because you will be helped. Everyone knows where I live. There is no one who will not assist you once you arrive at the charnel ground – but you must not come dressed in your wealthy finery; for if you do, you will never find me.”