Suddhipanthaka
Suddhipanthaka was one of Sakyamuni’s most famous disciples. He was dull by birth, unable to remember even his own name. One day Sakyamuni found him crying and asked him kindly, “Why are you so sad?”
Suddhipanthaka lamented, “Why was I born stupid?”
“Cheer up,” said Sakyamuni. “You are aware of your foolishness, but there are many fools who think themselves wise. Being aware of one’s stupidity is next to enlightenment.”
He handed Suddhipanthaka a broom and instructed him to utter just two words while he worked, He was told to simply repeat the two words, “sweep” and “clean” over and over.
Once during those twenty years, Sakyamuni complimented Suddhipanthaka on his persistence and determination. “No matter how many years you keep sweeping, you grow no better at it, and yet that does not cause you to give up. As important as making progress is, persevering in the same endeavor is even more important. It is an admirable trait—one that I do not see in my other disciples.”
In time, Suddhipanthaka realized that dust and dirt accumulated not only where he thought they would, but in places he least expected. He thought, “I knew I was stupid, but there’s no knowing how much more of my stupidity exists in places I don’t even notice.”
In the end Suddhipanthaka attained the enlightenment of an arhat, a very high stage. Besides encountering a great teacher and true teachings, it was his long years of effort and perseverance that was his crowning success.
The practice of ritualized cleaning is related to discarding illusions, ignorance and the Buddhist understanding of ‘nonself’. What we view as our personalities are merely illusions created by our egos: “The characters for ‘human being (人間 Nin Gen)’ in Japanese mean ‘person 人’ and ‘between 間.’ Human being ‘a person in between.’
Thus, I as a human being exist, only through my relations with others—people such as friends, colleagues, and family. As a person, I have certain traits, facial expressions and behaviors, but these arise only through my interaction and connections with other people. This is the Buddhist concept “en” or “interdependence.”
Namo Amida Butsu
Rev. Tatsuya Aoki Bishop of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada
