Date: 06/07/2025 06/08/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
Mu Po Prince
A long time ago, in the Kingdom of Benares in India, there was a prince named Mu Po. He was born with unobstructed wisdom and was able to know his past lives, his destiny, and all matters of good and evil, suffering and joy, in the past and future. The entire country loved this prince with perfect wisdom.
However, in the year the prince turned thirteen, he suddenly stopped speaking, not uttering a single word, as if he had become a wooden figure. The king and queen saw that their son, who was to inherit the throne, had suddenly become like a block of wood or stone. They were extremely anxious and worried. While racking their brains for a solution, the king suddenly came up with an idea and sent for a famous Brahmin to treat the prince.
The king, burning with anxiety, asked, “Why has the prince stopped speaking?”
The Brahmin diviner had never seen such a condition before, so he fabricated a response at random:
“Your Majesty, although the prince appears dignified in appearance, he hides misfortune within him. In the future, he may harm his parents and bring disaster to the kingdom. Moreover, Your Majesty has been unable to have more children, which is actually due to this wicked son! According to tradition, he should be buried alive to ensure peace in the kingdom and allow Your Majesty to have another noble son. Otherwise, the king and the country will fall into peril!”
The king, after hearing the Brahmin’s advice, became deeply troubled. He could neither sit nor eat in peace. He had no choice but to summon the queen and ministers to discuss this national dilemma.
After a sorrowful night passed, everyone finally, though reluctantly, decided to dig a deep pit in a desolate area and bury the prince alive.
When the news spread, the people throughout the kingdom were grief-stricken, as if a dear family member had died. The queen was even more heartbroken. She wept as she said, “My son’s life and blessings are so thin, which is why he’s suffering this misfortune!”
In her grief, the queen carefully prepared precious jewels and fine clothing for the prince and sent them to the wilderness pit as final offerings for her beloved child.
At that time, the prince was on his way to the outskirts. He thought to himself, “My father, mother, and the people all believe that I am mute and a great disaster, but they do not understand that my silence is to purify my speech karma and avoid creating further karma. Now, I am being slandered by evil men. If I do not explain myself, more people will be harmed.”
Then, Prince Mu Po quietly took the ornaments and fine clothes, went to the riverside to bathe, and dressed himself with the garments and jewels before heading to the site where the pit was being dug.
The prince asked the workers, “What are you doing here?”
Seeing a noble figure with composed manners, the workers answered without hiding anything:
“Our prince has become mute and deaf, which is considered inauspicious for the kingdom. Since the nation cannot be without a crown prince, the king accepted the Brahmin’s advice and ordered us to dig a pit and bury the prince alive. This way, the queen may soon give birth to a new, healthy, and auspicious prince.”
The prince, after hearing this, told all the workers present, “I am Mu Po!”
The workers all opened their eyes wide in disbelief and ran to check the prince’s carriage—sure enough, the prince was no longer inside.
They turned around and saw that the man before them—the “prince”—looked calm, spoke elegantly, and was kind and sincere, nothing like someone who would harm his parents or bring disaster to the country…
At first, the workers were only shocked and doubtful. Then they realized—they had almost wrongly killed an innocent prince! They immediately prostrated themselves in fear and begged the prince for forgiveness.
The ministers at court quickly reported the good news. Upon hearing it, the king and queen were overjoyed and immediately rode out to welcome the prince.
When the king and queen arrived, the prince respectfully rose and prostrated with full sincerity to greet them.
The king and queen, seeing their long-lost prince so composed and speaking kindly, were overjoyed and said to all:
“Today, having such a prince is the greatest blessing for me and the people of the nation. We must welcome the prince back to the palace so that he may inherit the throne and bring prosperity to the people.”
After speaking, however, the prince took a few steps back and sincerely said to the king:
“Dear father, I understand that in a past life I was once a king named Xu Nian. At that time, I ruled the kingdom with virtue for decades, practiced kindness, helped the poor, upheld all good deeds, and strictly forbade the use of deadly weapons. The whole nation was peaceful and without complaints. Even the prisons had no inmates. Many neighboring countries came to sincerely submit.
However, one day, in order to receive visiting guests, the royal chef asked whether he could slaughter livestock to prepare a grand banquet. Thinking of appearances, I carelessly nodded in approval. But because of that one word, after death, I fell into a great hell to repay the karmic debt of killing. For sixty thousand years, I endured boiling and skinning punishments, unbearable torment, wishing to die but unable to. Though I had countless relatives, officials, and enormous wealth and luxury in life, who knew of the pain I suffered in the searing hell? Who could share or bear it for me?
Whenever Mu Po recalls this boundless suffering, I tremble in fear, break out in cold sweat, and my hair stands on end. The karmic retribution of ‘suffering due to a single wrong word’ constantly reminds me… To guard my speech karma, I decided never to speak again. But today, thinking that my father may commit the sin of taking life due to false belief in evil words and fall into hell, I decided to speak once more.
Because I have understood the causes and effects of past lives, I now wish to lawfully and diligently study and cultivate the path, to forever end the suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death for all beings. I sincerely beg my father not to blame me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, fragrant flowers rained down from the sky, and Indra joyfully came to protect him. In that moment, the prince’s jeweled garments transformed into a monastic robe.
After hearing Prince Mu Po’s account of past causes and conditions, the king happily agreed to his choice to renounce the world and cultivate the path. He said:
“In the past, you were a king who governed diligently, loved the people, ruled with virtue, upheld pure conduct, and practiced all kinds of good Dharma. But you still suffered immeasurable hellish punishment for one wrong word. Now, I too am a king, yet I do as I please, fail to follow the right path, neglect proper governance, and do not practice good Dharma. After death, where will I fall and suffer?”
After returning to the palace, the king worked hard to correct his faults and cultivate goodness. He ruled with the righteous Dharma, practiced virtuous policies, and cared for the people. Thus, the kingdom became prosperous, the people well-fed and clothed, and harmony spread throughout the land.
Prince Mu Po ultimately attained Buddhahood due to his diligence in seeking the path. He widely opened Dharma assemblies to guide all beings and universally deliver the sentient.
At that time, Prince Mu Po was the previous incarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha. And the king and queen were the Buddha’s parents before he renounced the world—King Suddhodana and Queen Māyā.
