Once upon a time, there lived in India King Prasenajit. One day, while having a meal, he said to his wife, Mallika, “My Queen, you are loved and respected by the people. Everything good that has ever happened to you is because of me. If it weren’t for me, you would not have what you have now, including your crown, jewelry, and everything else.”

 

Hearing this, Queen Mallika replied, “Your majesty, it is actually due to many causes and conditions that we are husband and wife in this life.”

 

Annoyed, the King said, “What causes and conditions? Nonsense, it’s only because I’m King.”

 

“My dear King, do you remember how we met?” The Queen asked.

 

“Yes of course! I remember it was right after my defeat in battle with King Ajatashastru. On my way back, I was feeling miserable. Then you appeared, I was enchanted by your beautiful singing voice. When I saw you, your beauty dazzled me. When I asked if you were married, I was so happy when you told me you were not. I remember how comfortable I felt around you, and so I confided in you about my defeat. You consoled me with kind words and care. I knew then I wanted to bring you home.” The King said.

 

“My dear king, what if that day, I had decided not to sing? What if you had thought my words were unkind? Do you think you would have taken me home then?”

 

The King thought for a while and quietly said, “Probably not.”

 

The Queen continued, “Many causes and conditions came together for our encounter. Such causes and conditions are mutual and harmonized. That means you rely on me, and I rely on you. Therefore, my honor and merit have come about because of you and me, not only because of you alone.”

 

“If I’m not King, You would not be Queen.” Exclaimed the King.

 

“Even if I am not Queen, I will have my own merit and virtue.” The Queen replied.

 

Feeling unappreciated and belittled by his wife, the King was furious, “If I never crowned you Queen, do you think people would respect you? Your merit and virtue come from me!”

 

The King’s ego was hurt and he was outraged. He saw the ring on the Queen’s finger and said to his minister, “Remove the Queen’s ring at once! Throw it into the river. I never want to see it again!” He turned to the Queen and said, “Since you do not appreciate what I have given you, I shall take all that I have given you back!”

 

The Queen kept silent as she knew the King was too angry to listen to anything she had to say.

 

After their argument, the Queen reflected on the conversation. She recalled the Buddha’s teachings and how she resolved to practice compassion and patience. She did not feel angry towards the King. Every day, she continued to do her daily Buddhist practices as well as her duties as a wife.

 

A week passed and the King was still angry with his Queen. The Queen decided to ask the chef to cook the King’s favorite dishes. Knowing that the King liked to eat fish, the chef thought to prepare a big fish he recently caught. When he cut open the fish, something dropped to the ground. As he picked it up, he saw that it was a ring. He thought, “Why would there be a ring inside a fish?” After preparing the dishes, the chef reported the ring to the minister. Upon seeing the ring, the minister kept quiet, grabbed the ring, and went to see the King.

 

Both the King and Queen were already seated at the table, ready for their meal. The Queen smiled and said, “My dear King, I’m grateful for everything you have done for me. So everything here has been prepared especially for you.”

 

The King, now happier, smiled and nodded.

 

At that moment, the minister came forward and presented the ring to the King. When everyone saw the ring, they all recognized it as the Queen’s ring.

 

The minister explained to his King, “Your majesty, this ring was found inside the big fish being served today. It appears that the ring you had ordered to be thrown in the river was swallowed by this fish. After the fish was caught, it was brought to the palace to be made ready for your special meal.”

 

Astonished, the King finally understood what the Queen meant about causes and conditions coming together. He then returned the ring to his Queen. She happily put the ring back on and said smugly, “Whatever is meant to be mine will still be mine.” They both laughed and began eating.

 

After this experience, King Prasenajit realized that every person has their own merit. It cannot be taken away by anyone. For every action, there is a consequence. 

 

This story draws on the proverb, “we reap what we sow.” In other words, depending on how much we have sowed, it is what we can expect to harvest. But, we must also understand the concept of causes and conditions. Everything in this world arises dependent on other conditions, and nothing is possible without existing in a web of causes and conditions. 

 

For example, let us take a seed of a flower. The seed is the cause and the flower is the effect. Between that seed being planted and becoming a flower, many conditions are required. These conditions are water, soil, air, sunlight, and so on. Without any of these elements, the seed will not be able to grow into a flower. Therefore, we can also see that the seed coexists with the required conditions, and there is a mutual relationship between them.

 

This concept can also be applied to this story. The relationship between King Prasenajit and Queen Mallika is one of coexistence. They rely on each other, and there are many causes and conditions for the relationship to work. Though it may be true that without the King’s decision to crown Mallika as Queen, her life would be very different. On the other hand, the Queen’s virtues and merits were due to her efforts in practicing generosity, compassion, and patience. Her ring coming back to her through being swallowed by a fish represents her merits. As the saying goes, “Life’s disasters and fortunes are incurred by one’s actions.” Ultimately, we are in charge of our destiny based on the merits that we accumulate.

 

Just as Venerable Master Hsing Yun says,

Good or bad fruit comes from good or bad causes and conditions; 

You are your own gardener. 

Good or bad karmic justice comes from good or ill will; 

You are the master of your own will.