Sagaing U Bo Thin - The world is full of eyes

The world is blind.

King Sera Kyaw Htin of Paukkan ruled according to the law. The people of the country loved him and gave their lives for him.

In the reign of King Sera Kyaw Htin, the kingdom of Pakkan was, from an external perspective, very prominent... as wise men were not absent. As wise men were prominent, the people of the great kingdom of Pakkan were prosperous, but they seemed to be free from poverty. The countries east of the river... and the great kingdom of Thindwe, the land of the gods, were considered to be the land of Pakkan.

The countries to the north also believed that the land of Pakkan was a land where there were many trees.

Ser Kyaw Htin Min, the great king, also understood the meaning of the law.

The great land of Loka was also very pleased with him.

Once, Sera Kyaw Htin was traveling through the provinces and camped at a place where a certain village was flooded. He saw an old man passing in front of the king's camp. He ordered a fellow king to follow the old man and help him.

Ser Kyaw Htin, the king, when that old man arrived at his palace, gave the old man a high place, but he himself took a low place.

Then the old man said, "Your Majesty, do not do this, the world will laugh at you." The king said, "Grandfather, as long as the worldly law can be maintained, it is the nature of wise people to respect the elderly and the great. Among the honors and honors, the honor of old age is the highest among the people of the world. For one thing, it is because everyone who has not yet given up the passions is afraid of death."

The old man could not refute the king's words, so he sat down in the place given to him by the king. The king, standing low, said, "Speaking like this, you have become a fool."

"How old is your grandfather?" "Your Majesty, the life span of your family is one hundred years."

"My friends, this is amazing. How do you get food for your father?"

"Your Majesty, I was a soldier during the reign of your father. During the reign of your father, when a fierce army like the Taung River came from the north, I served at the forefront of the army."

"Aren't you afraid, Grandpa?"

"Fighting is not for personal gain, not for commercial gain, but for the sake of one's own expertise and service to the country, so there is nothing to fear.. God, do not be afraid."

"Isn't military service very close to death because it involves life and service?"

"There is no one who is far from death, venerable sir, among living beings. Although military service is fatal, a life of one hundred and five years is not worth living, venerable sir."

"Good morning, my friends. It's a pleasure to meet you. We've lost touch. Please continue, Grandpa."

“After the villagers repelled a large army that was ten times stronger than them, the country of Pakkham became peaceful and prosperous. The villagers were able to serve the country with the knowledge of the land. When they reached the age of sixty and applied to the Buddha to retire, the Buddha granted them permission and gave them a pit of salt as a pension for the rest of their lives. He ordered that no one should take it for any reason as long as the villagers lived.

“Yes, Grandpa, is that enough?” “A liar can have enough food.” “Does Grandpa have no children or grandchildren?”

"Your Majesty. The generals, the generals, and the captains serve with their colors, power, and intelligence. The soldiers of the village, however, serve with their chests as shields... If they were to grow old, they would not dare to risk it, so they did not marry." "Oh, you are about to retire."

"I don't want to be with someone my own age because they are both young and old, and I'm afraid that someone younger than me will become like an animal because they are my daughter's age or my granddaughter's age, so I live alone."

"Yes, what kind of morals do you practice?"

"Of the five precepts that people should practice, four are observed according to their own merits."

“Don’t you control a woman?” “You don’t control a woman.” “Why?” “If you don’t drink alcohol, palm juice, or coconut juice, you will get sick with heartburn. So you drink these. I think it’s a luxury to drink. Sometimes I drink a lot with wild cats, and I especially like it.

The king, after speaking and questioning the old man, respectfully bowed his head and kicked him. Then the nobles asked, "Is it right to kick a drunkard?" The king replied, "I will not kick him because of alcohol, but because of the honor of serving his country and his life in his old age."

Then the king called the wise men and spoke thus.

“Wise men, wouldn’t it be fitting to take this old man to Nay Pyi Taw and offer him as a sacrifice?”

“It is not right, my lord.” “Why, because you drink alcohol?” “No, the villagers are very sharp, my lord.” “Tell me about it.” “If this old man were to be brought to Nay Pyi Taw and honored, he would first be affected by the difference in climate and weather conditions. Then he would be affected by the opposite of his natural environment, such as his lifestyle, transportation, and sleeping arrangements. Then he would be affected by the difference in his diet.”

"Yes"

“Because of such a feeling, it is as if mature trees were moved to an unsuitable place, but by raising them to Nay Pyi Taw and offering them, it will be as if the life of that old man was decided, O Golden Buddha.”

The king was pleased with this proposal, so he made many offerings and offerings to the old man so that he could live in his place with dignity.

Once, while King Sera Kyaw Htin was mingling with the monks in a village and talking useful words, a beggar asked him to give him alms for his breakfast at the time of the festival.

Then... His Majesty the King, intending to give his own portion of food to the beggar, took the beggar's black cup and, seeing the dirty appearance of the cup, said:

"My dear.. your cup is not clean. It makes my heart sink and wrinkle. Therefore, take your cup back and put it in your husband's bag..."

When the king had finished speaking... he ordered the butler to prepare a golden platter and some delicious food and drink, such as meat dishes, and gave it to the beggar.

The beggar took his breakfast not far from the king, so that the king could see it.

The chief of the bodyguard reported this to the king.

"Lord, the one who is full of gold, should only give and sacrifice what is worthy in this world. Giving and sacrificing like this to this poor man is like giving and sacrificing to a leper and a goddess, a beautiful woman, a goddess, a goddess."

Then the king said this. My dear friend. Your example is not a pretense. If you give a leper a beautiful woman, he will be happy. The woman will be afraid and will not like it. Therefore, this behavior is not appropriate as you say. However, if the woman likes the leper, then it would be appropriate. Now, when I offer the beggar a meal and a golden plate... do you not like it? Are you sad? The beggar is a person who is addicted to sensual pleasures. He wants to eat food that is good and pleasant. According to the nature of sensual people, he will want to eat with a golden plate, pursuing his desires and preferring beauty. He does not consider whether he is worthy of it or not, but I give it to the one who gives it to him by fulfilling his beautiful desire.