The Bodhisatta was once a king. He was a fussy eater, demanding only the best, most expensive food, served on a dish that cost one hundred thousand coins. He always dined outdoors in a bejeweled pavilion so his subjects could watch him eat and, he believed, make merit by being so close to such extravagant food.
A greedy man desperately wanted to taste this food, and one day he ran out of the crowd toward the Bodhisatta with his hands up yelling, “Messenger, messenger!” It was the custom of the day to not stop messengers from contacting a king, so he was allowed to approach the table. When he got there, the man grabbed some rice off the Bodhisatta’s plate and ate it. The guard quickly drew his sword to cut off the man’s head, but the Bodhisatta stopped him and told the man to have a seat and join in.
When the meal was over, the Bodhisatta finally asked what news the man had to tell. The man said he was a messenger for his lust and his belly, and their power was so great he could just not control himself: “For their belly’s sake, men will go very far; Oh Lord of chariots, please do not be angry.” The Bodhisatta understood these urges and felt that the greedy man spoke so honestly and beautifully that he gave him one thousand cows and a bull and showered him with honor.
In the Lifetime of the Buddha
The greedy man was an earlier birth of one of the Buddha’s disciples who was very greedy. The Buddha told him this story so he knew that he had also been greedy in the past. The Buddha also said that there was another time when this disciple had been beheaded with a sword due to his greed.
