While the Buddha and Mahākassapa were walking toward Rājagaha, the Buddha wanted to rest. Mahākassapa folded his double robe in four and requested that the Master sit on it.
The Buddha sat on Mahākassapa’s robe and remarked, “Soft is your robe of patched cloth, Kassapa.”
Mahākassapa replied, “May the Blessed One, O Lord, accept this robe of patched cloth out of compassion for me!”
Mahākassapa’s response strikes me as intimate, immediate, spontaneous, and obvious.
But it is not enough that he gave the Buddha his robe – he requested that the Buddha accept it out of compassion for him.
In this exchange, Dharma shines brightly. It is enough for us to turn out the lights and practice with this radiance.
May we all have the opportunity to give someone our clothes. And may we shine brightly when the occasion arises!
(Note: This story about the Buddha and Mahākassapa can be found in Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their Lives, Their Works, Their Legacy, p. 118.)
Oh, this is a marvelous story! To offer something and ask that it be accepted out of compassion for the donor. Inconceivable!