You probably ask me questions inside your heart because we have too many people, we can’t always ask questions, but I know what you ask. Like why, for example, Lord Mahavira only ordered to put some hot molten lead into one person’s ear, one time only. Why did He have to be tortured by that person when he became a god in Heaven? So many times. You would ask me that question; some of you asked. Only one time, why tortured so many times?
Because of the interest. It’s just like when you do some good deeds, the Buddha says immeasurable merit. It means a lot, a lot of merit. Sometimes Buddha says, “Ninety eons, still have that merit.” And some story I told you, one person even offered Buddha just some little thing to eat one time, or even stones offered to the Buddha with all respect and sincerity because he had nothing else to offer. Or just a very dirty piece of cloth because she had nothing else to offer, but then for 90 eons, always born with a beautiful cloth. And the cloth grows as the person grows, for example. Or life after life, have a lot of richness and glory and good position. Because of the interest! Just like you put money in the bank one time, you don’t touch it. If you touch it, then you will have some interest but very little. But if you lock it up for ten years, five years or more, you’ll have a lot, lot of interest.
You know that, right? (Yes.) Or if you don’t know, then I can’t help you. Even I know. Finally, I know some stuff about the bank. So, the same if we do good deeds, we have a lot of merit. So, the same if we do bad deeds, a lot of interest also. A lot of bad things come, multifold.
So, Lord Mahavira coming down as a human being must accept all this because this is a norm in this world. In the physical world, you must have give and take, must have sorrow and happiness. You cannot have only one-way street. He had to accept that before He came down. He had to do that, so that later, when He practiced, when He wanted to be liberated, He had to pay back multiple times, one person after another, even from one person like Sangam. He tortured Him by his own power many times, again, again and again, non-stop. And the Buddha also and any Saint.
Therefore, have respect for all beings because they have to undergo something. You never know, maybe they are Buddhas, they came down to suffer, so that they can have affinity with human beings or with other beings. The Buddha doesn’t only make good affinity because most people in this world, I mean not most but a lot of people, a lot of beings in this world are not so kind. So, it’s not like everybody comes out when the Buddha goes out, they would give Him food or anything like that. They maybe reject, or they maybe slander Him, they may be scolding Him, they may be chasing Him away. Even then, it’s still an affinity. Just like the first five disciples who ate His blood, sucked His blood, but became His monks and got liberation directly from the Buddha. The first ones even. So, affinity that the Saints make with beings is not necessarily always good, pleasant, happy. It would be good, then all of the Masters would come down, and all beings could be Buddhas or Masters and liberate any other beings. That would be too good. No, the maya will not allow that to happen. He wants his debt to be paid. Even though it’s all illusion, but for him, he makes it real. That’s why we must respect all beings. You never know who is what.
Respect doesn’t mean you invite a bad person to come to your house and let him do anything he wants with you and say, “You are the Buddha, and I forgive you. Come, come again. Come again, make trouble for me, come again.” No, it’s not like that. Just like if some snake bites you, I told you many times, don’t just invite him to your house and then give him food every day and sleep with him and, “Please, bite again, because I know you have Buddha inside.” Forgiving doesn’t mean being stupid. Avoid what you can, if it makes you suffer pain. If you can, avoid it. Forgive, but no more.
And not all animals are physical animals. Most of them are from a celestial abode. They came down for some purpose, either personally or to help humankind. Even if they don't want to help humankind, their own celestial energy also brought down some blessing to our world. So, that's why we must truly respect all animals, and any beings that we see. Any of the beings on this planet, even trees, rocks, any being at all, we are all playing our part in the evolution history. We will arrive one day. Sooner, later, slow, fast - we will go Home.
