Date: 01/10/2026 01/11/2026
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Jason
Dharma Talk
The King of the Yuezhi and the Three Sages
Long ago, the king of the Yuezhi kingdom, Candana-Kanita, formed close associations with three wise and virtuous figures. The first was Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa, the second was the minister Mātara, and the third was the physician Caraka. The king treated these three with the utmost respect; they frequently remained at his side and constantly offered counsel imbued with wisdom.
One day, Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa addressed the king, saying: “If Your Majesty practices in accordance with my instructions and accords with the Dharma, in future lives you will surely encounter wholesome conditions and be forever free from calamities.”
The minister Mātara also spoke to the king: “If Your Majesty adopts my secret strategy and keeps it strictly confidential, you will be invincible in battle, and all under heaven will come to submit to you.”
The physician Caraka then said: “Your Majesty, if you follow my advice, not only will you avoid an untimely death in this very life, but you will also be able to enjoy all manner of fine foods at will, with body and mind in balance and free from worry.”
The king first followed the physician Caraka’s advice, and indeed his body and mind became healthy and at ease, free from any illness or suffering.
Next, he adopted the secret strategy of Minister Mātara and began to expand his territory. The armies of the Yuezhi were invincible; within the four seas, three directions were fully pacified, leaving only the eastern region unconquered.
The king therefore reorganized his forces and continued his eastern campaign, first dispatching Hu troops and war elephants as the vanguard, while he personally led the main army behind them.
When the army reached the Congling Mountains and had passed through many perilous mountain passes, the elephants and horses they rode refused to advance any further. The king was greatly astonished. Patting his horse on the back, he said, “In the past I rode you as I campaigned north and south.
Now only the eastern lands remain unsettled—why do you refuse to go forward?” At this moment, Minister Mātara said to the king, “Your servant previously made it clear that the secret must not be disclosed to others. Yet Your Majesty has revealed the strategy. Now, it may be said that your life hangs by a thread.”
Realizing that his death was near, the king was seized with great fear. He reflected that throughout his many campaigns he had taken countless lives and would surely have to bear the bitter consequences. In an instant, a profound sense of shame and deep remorse arose concerning his past actions.
Thereupon, the king finally heeded the teachings of Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa: he observed the precepts with purity, diligently built stupas and temples, extensively constructed monastic dwellings, made offerings to the Sangha, cultivated all kinds of meritorious deeds, and practiced with unremitting vigor.
When the court ministers saw such a marked transformation in the king, they could not help but question it, saying: “The king has waged war year after year, slaughtering countless beings on the battlefield. Although he now widely cultivates merit, the dead are already gone—how can this possibly remedy or compensate for past wrongs?”
In order to dispel their doubts, the king ordered the ministers to boil a large cauldron of water, keeping it at a rolling boil with firewood continuously supplied for seven days and seven nights. At the end of this time, he cast a ring into the cauldron and commanded the ministers to retrieve it with their bare hands.
All the ministers declared that it was impossible to take out the ring and that they would rather die under some other charge. The king asked, “Is there truly no way to retrieve this ring?” The ministers replied, “One must first extinguish the fire beneath the cauldron, then pour in a great quantity of cold water to lower the temperature. Only then can the ring be retrieved without injuring one’s hand.”
The king said, “In the past, in order to expand my territory, I created extensive evil karma—this is like the cauldron of boiling water fueled by firewood without interruption for seven days and seven nights.
Now Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa has taught me to repent sincerely of my past offenses; this is like removing the firewood from beneath the cauldron and allowing the flames to die out. He has also taught me to observe the precepts, to practice diligently, and to cultivate generosity and offerings so as to increase merit—this is like pouring a great amount of cold water into the boiling cauldron.
In this way, the boiling water will naturally and gradually cool. Therefore, by cultivating good and abandoning evil now, one may avoid falling into the three lower realms in future lives and instead obtain the fruits of rebirth among humans and devas.”
Upon hearing this, all the ministers were awakened and convinced. They unanimously praised the wisdom of Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa.
