Bhusuku (Shantideva)
(From the text "Caturasiti-siddha-pravrtti" {Grub thob brgyad cu
rtsa bzhi'i lo rgyus}by Abhayadatta, translated by Keith
Dowman)
The younger son of a royal family came to the famed monastic
academy of Sri Nalanda to be ordained in the mahasanghika order.
But he had been much pampered as a child, and he found it not only
difficult but unreasonable to give up his former ways. While his
fellow monks studied, he lazed in bed. While his fellow monks spent
hours in meditation, he strolled about the gardens of the monastery
for the sake of his digestion. His other greatest pleasure was
mealtime, where he savored every grain of his five measures of
rice.
His lazy ways irritated his peers beyond belief, and they took to
calling him Bhusuku, "The Shiftless One". They gossiped about him
remorselessly behind his back, said equally rude things to his
face, and dearly hoped he would soon meet his comeuppance.
It was the custom at Nalanda that scriptures were read around the
clock, morning, noon, and night, in every one season and out the
other. To maintain this tradition, each monk took his turn sitting
upon the temple throne under the monks' canopy reciting his
memorized portion of the sutras. Every one took his turn, without
exception, except of course Bhusuku. As he had managed to memorize
nothing, he often missed his turn. The accumulated annoyance and
enmity that arose from this was surprising in so holy as
institution.
Finally, Bhusuku's scandalous behavior earned him a severe warning
from the abbot. He was told that unless he mended his ways and took
his turn on the rota like everyone else, he would be expelled from
the monastery. Quite a number of monks smirked behind their hands
at this, evidently hoping for the worst possible outcome.
"But I've broken no vow," Bhusuku argued in his own defense. "I'm
simply a bad scholar. Is that any reason for expelling me?"
The abbot was adamant. Tomorrow morning bright and early his turn
came up. If he missed his recitation this time, he was out on his
ear. The monks were delighted, and a good deal of petty gossip flew
about concerning the imminent downfall of a certain
good-for-nothing lazybones.
Despite his warning, however, the abbot was a very kindly man, and
he had a soft spot for the miscreant. That night, after everyone
had gone to bed to dream of the glorious comedy to come on the
morrow, the abbot came to Bhusuku's cell to give him some
advice.
"Well, my son," said the abbot, "you've gotten yourself into a
pretty pickle. You've spent so much time pandering to your stomach
and being a slugbed, you've not managed to learn so much as half as
a dozen lines of any one sutra. You will certainly fail tomorrow
unless you follow my counsel."
Bhusuku prostrated himself at the abbot's feet and begged for his
help. "Anything, sir. Just name it. I'll do it."
"Very well," said the abbot, adding sternly, "but it means you'll
get no sleep tonight."
"Even that, sir," said the chastened monk.
"The only hope for you," said the abbot, "is to spend the night
reciting the mantra of Manjusri, the Bodhisattva for Intellect. You
must recite the arapacana mantra until cockcrow, and hope for the
best." He then gave Bhusuku the secret precepts of Manjusri's
sadhana, and the blessing of the mantra, and left the repentant one
to his task.
Knowing his own weaknesses well, Bhusuku took the precaution of
tying the collar of his robe to the ceiling by a stout cord lest he
nod off during the night. And all night long he recited the mantra
the abbot had taught him - over and over again until he was in a
stupor of fatigue.
Just before the dawn, his cell was suddenly flooded with light.
Bhusuku jerked awake and decided it must be sunup, and here he was,
not one whit wiser than he'd been the night before. Just then, a
great voice boomed from the ceiling, "What do you think you're
doing?"
Looking up, the exhausted monk saw an enormous figure floating in
the air above his head. "I am invoking the aid of Lord Manjusri to
help me recite a sutra this very day, and I have learned none. But,
who are you, and what do you want of me?"