My darlings, do you know the story of the taming of the mad elephant, Nalagiri?
In the Cullavaga of the Pali cannon, the taming of Nalagiri is explained as one of many attempts made by Devadatta, to kill his cousin, the Buddha. It is a story driven by the passion of resentment.
But, perhaps more profoundly, it is the story of how a even a blood-thirsty rage can be transformed by the energy of loving-kindness.
As the story is told, Devadatta was expected to become the future leader of the monks. However, to his surprise, the Buddha treated him no differently than anyone else. To the Buddha, Devadatta sat equally amongst all living beings – there were ties of loyalty in the space of equanimity.
This made Devadatta so angry, that he conspired against the Buddha – dispatching the mad elephant, Nalagiri, to cause him harm. On the morning of the malicious deed, Devadatta gave Nalagiri alcohol to further incite her rage. He then unleashed her madness into a crowd of unsuspecting villagers.
“Everyone saw the elephant approaching, swaying madly from one side of the road to the other, slamming his weight into market stalls and house-fronts.”
“Run for your lives,” they shouted, “Mad elephant.”
But, to everyone’s surprise, the Buddha sat undisturbed by the panic. Instead, he radiated the boundless heart of compassion towards the charging Nalagiri.
“Ambho, Nalagiri,” the Buddha said, “Come here, my friend.”
It was within this very moment that the tragedy of Nalagiri’s life began to unfold. Her days as a young calf playing in the rivers and fields; the time spent wandering through the forest trees with her Mother; the crisp coolness of water on a hot summer’s day. And sadly, as well, her eventual capture by the king’s elephant keepers – who forced the young Nalagiri to become a slayer of men. In that moment, she felt the overwhelming desperation of her loneliness – the torment by her captors, the sadness of her abuse.
“Like two waves meeting, the force of the Buddha’s loving-kindness collided with the moving mass of the raging elephant. Nalagiri felt it like a wave breaking against her brow.”
“Ambho, Nalagiri,” he said. “You are safe now, my friend.”
And, with that, the elephant bowed humbly before him. She was finally ‘freed’ from the chains that bound her.
“Your new name, Nalagiri,” said the Buddha, “is Dhanapalako, Guardian of the Treasure. And the treasure, my friend, is your own loving heart.”
My darlings, we all face these ‘charging elephants’ in our day. But, with boundless heart – the energy of loving-kindness will always prevail.
Whatever we wish for others, we wish for ourselves.
It is perhaps the greatest lesson we might ever learn.
