Bodhisattva's Life: King Maitribala

One of the Bodhisattva’s greatest attributes is his generosity and not just in the western version of the word of giving alms to the poor on holidays. Instead he would go to any length to aid someone and give them whatever they asked for even if he had to sacrifice his own body to give it to them. During the Buddha’s life as King Maitribala the power of his generosity acts as a talisman protecting his kingdom from the evils of the world. When to ogres require that he feeds them flesh and blood he offers his own body. He only feels pity for the ogres because they are “destroying their own best interests in this world and the next” (Sura 51). Maitribala selflessly gives his body as food to the ogres and feels such joy from his generosity that it distracts him from the pain. The ogres stop Maitribala from hurting himself for they are awestruck at his ability to sacrifice himself with out flinching in pain and actually keeping a serene look upon his face. Sakra is alerted of the king’s plight and upon

They go to the king and demand that Visvamtara be banished because he has taken his generosity to far. His wife and children go with him during his banishment. Along the way a beggar asks for their horses so Visvamtara gives them to the beggar. Visvamtara thinks that he will have to pull the carriage himself but from the forest four deer come to pull it instead. When they get settled and old man asks to take his children so Visvamtara gives to the old man. When his wife returns she is initially upset but soon realizes the scope of his selflessness and generosity. Finally he is asked to give away his wife and so he does. In the end his wife and kids are returned to him and the people come to give him back the kingdom. Visvamtara would have happily given his body as a sacrifice but it was a true sacrifice to give up his children to help