The Finest Flavors Were All That the Buddha Ate

The Buddha received offerings and expounded the Dharma, yet for three months, he and five hundred bhikkhus ate horse fodder. While the bhikkhus found eating horse fodder unbearably bitter, the Buddha perceived it as the supreme flavor among foods. What does this illustrate? The Buddha encountered all matters without thoughts, without ideas, without views, and without opinions, for he had long ceased to use the conscious mind to comprehend or analyze any dharma. He forever followed the wisdom-habit of the root faculty of intellect (manas), simply acting as the situation required. How could there be so many mental conceptions?

Due to the Buddha’s own meritorious virtues, whatever he consumed naturally became the finest flavor, without the need for deliberate mental enhancement or focused intention. This was the karmic fruit of his practice across three asaṃkhyeya kalpas (incalculable eons). Thus, when the caravan of horse-drawn carts departed from the Ganges River, the Buddha instructed Ānanda to fetch water from the Ganges for him to drink. Even if someone offered the Buddha mere sand and soil, he would still accept it, enabling the donor to accumulate blessings. The Buddha’s physical body was the most precious form within the three realms of existence, yet its maintenance did not require the most expensive substances; humble materials sufficed to meet its functional needs. Even without any material offerings, the Buddha’s physical body would still radiate with splendor, illuminating the entire universe.

Consider, for example, starting a company to earn money and support a family. Some people can establish and operate a company smoothly with a low investment of one or two hundred thousand, achieving high returns, low input with high output, and excellent efficiency. Others, however, require investments of tens or hundreds of millions; less than ten million would prevent normal operation, yet the returns may not be satisfactory—truly a case of high investment with low yield. The maintenance of each person’s physical body and family is like running a company. Some individuals and families live very contentedly and joyfully with low costs, while others require high expenditures to feel satisfied and happy, believing they cannot survive without lavish feasts and high consumption. Whose blessings are being consumed? Who bears the cost? The final destination of the physical body is the same for all: it becomes a pile of dust and white bones. So, what manner of life constitutes true nobility and success? Which company is truly profitable?