The Hungry Tigress

In one of his previous lives, the Buddha was born as Prince Mahasattva. He gave up royal life to live in the forest as an ascetic, accompanied by his disciples.

One day, while walking in the mountains, they looked down a ravine and saw a starving tigress. She was emaciated, weak, and surrounded by her newborn cubs. Driven mad by the agony of starvation, she was looking at her own cubs with a crazed hunger, ready to devour them to survive.

Mahasattva felt a profound, overwhelming wave of compassion. He told his disciple, "Go and find some food for this poor mother, quickly!"

As the disciple ran off, Mahasattva looked at the tigress. He thought, "Why should I search for food elsewhere when this body of mine, which is impermanent and will eventually decay, can serve a noble purpose right now? By sacrificing this body, I can save the mother from the terrible karma of eating her young, and save the innocent cubs."

Without hesitation, Mahasattva threw himself off the cliff into the ravine. His body shattered upon the rocks below. The scent of fresh blood brought the tigress to her senses; she and her cubs ate his flesh and were saved.

When the disciple returned and saw what had happened, he wept, realizing the supreme level of selflessness his master had achieved. This act of giving one's own life out of pure compassion is considered the highest expression of the Bodhisatta ideal.