The Bodhisatta was once a vulture. In his old age, he and his wife were fed and cared for by their strong and stubborn son, the king of their flock. Ignoring the Bodhisatta’s warnings, the son often flew to great heights, and one time while doing so, he flew into fierce winds that smashed him to death. When the Bodhisatta heard the news, he criticized those who ignore the wise advice of elders due to their foolish pride, noting that the people who depend on them also suffer and die.
In the Lifetime of the Buddha
The young vulture was an earlier birth of a disobedient and impatient disciple of the Buddha who tended to ignore the instruction of his teachers and fellow disciples. The Buddha told him this story of his past so he knew that his failure to follow advice had once led to his death.
