Bhalaṁ・Bear of Patience・Candlestick

Once upon a time, there was a big bear living deep in the forest. Although he was extremely powerful, he was gentle and compassionate, as if he was the incarnation of a bodhisattva. He was practicing a certain discipline: he hoped to never get angry easily and not retaliate with violence. One day, a young hunter entered the forest where the bear was. He saw the bear and became competitive. He shot the bear's eye with a precise arrow. The bear roared in pain but did not fight back. It just looked at the hunter and whispered: "You attack me only because you are afraid. If I fight back out of fear, there will be no one who is at peace in this forest before us." The hunter was terrified. He dropped his weapon and knelt down to apologize. The bear forgave him and led him out of the forest. The hunter later became a practitioner and never killed again in his life. This story symbolizes the Buddhist concept of "forbearance". Among the six paramitas in Buddhist practice, forbearance is an important cultivation to combat hatred and revenge. The bear in the story clearly had the ability to fight back, but it chose not to get angry and not to hurt anyone. This is not cowardice, but a powerful inner strength. Dhammapada 201: "Victory breeds hatred, and defeat dwells in distress. Victory and defeat both give rise to the upasanto, and the peaceful (upasanto) dwell in bliss." Although the bear is a wild beast, it has a kind heart. Even if it is hurt, it does not have evil thoughts towards the enemy, but instead understands the opponent's fear. This is an expression of transforming hostility with compassion, and is the highest "great compassion contemplation" in Buddhism. When the bear said, "You are afraid of me, so you attack me," He actually no longer regarded himself as an "existent self." This is a kind of wisdom of "dependent origination and emptiness of nature": the actions of all beings are born from the combination of causes and conditions. There is no essential enemy or sinner, only ignorance and wrong reactions. This story is still very inspiring in today's society. When we are misunderstood, attacked, or even hurt, Do we have the power to choose forgiveness and respond wisely rather than instinctively fight back? Of course, counterattack can also be a manifestation of wisdom. If we can not only think in two ways about all things, but also think, observe and listen more, then we are putting spiritual practice into practice in our lives. Length: 11.5cm Width: 9cm Height: 12.5cm Origin: Taiwan Material: Yellow pottery Handmade The encaustic technique is used, after bisque firing at 900 degrees and glaze firing at 1230 degrees, the glaze is non-toxic and can be used as edible utensils. Remark: The size is measured manually, there may be an error of 0.5cm, but I will try to be as accurate as possible. All photos are taken with natural light, and try to capture every angle of the object. However, there may still be different color differences and some subjective differences due to different brands and settings of computer screens or mobile phones. Before purchasing, look at the photos and feel them, pick up a ruler to help, and you can place an order if you feel it is right :) Due to limited manpower, we do not accept returns or exchanges for reasons that the product is not as expected. If you have any questions, you can message me and I will try to respond. Customers who have messaged you should know that I will definitely reply to messages and I will do my best to reply. Thank you. Finally, there are many variables in the firing of pottery. Sometimes there will be some small pores that do not affect the use. If found, it is normal. I will try my best to avoid those variables during the production process. I look forward to receiving feedback from you pottery fans. See you next time.