The Noble Eightfold Path explained ☸️🛞

(The East Made Simple) The Ennobling Eightfold Path of Buddhism explained: What each step (path factor) actually means:

1. right view
2. right intention
3. right speech
4. right action
5. right livelihood
6. right effort
7. right mindfulness
8. right meditation

Enlightenment: Four Stages to Awaken

(Buddha's Wisdom) The Four Stages of Enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism

The Ten Stages of Zen Enlightenment

The way to sudden awakening is abduction by ETs then gurgling on TV: Disclosure Day

The Ten Bulls (created with Dream by WOMBO feat. music by Infraction) : r/AIArtwork

.

The 10 Stages of Zen Enlightenment: A Map to Buddha-Nature

Bongeunsa paintings of ox herding, the Ten Bulls (wiki)

.

Ten to Zen Bulls

(Buddha's Wisdom) 🔍 The ancient [Taoist] Zen map that reveals we've been seeking what we already have: The 10 stages of Zen enlightenment, known as The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, are Zen Buddhism’s 1,000-year-old roadmap to awakening and self-discovery.

• What does Zen consider "enlightenment"? There are two words used. The first is satori (from Japanese satoru, to know, to see, understand a gestalt) or "sudden realization." Any insight or epiphany might do. But there's another word, kenshō, that means suddenly seeing our "true face," our "nature," our intrinsic "Buddha-nature." Certainly, our "true nature," which is the true nature of all things, has three marks. Penetrating this is necessary to letting go of all clinging.
• None of these accords with what the historical Buddha taught as enlightenment (bodhi, "awakening"), but seeing "emptiness" (suññatā) -- how all things are impersonal -- is necessary for the first stage of awakening called "stream entry."
• The Ten Bulls or the "Ten Ox Herding Pictures" (Chinese shíniú 十牛, Japanese jūgyūzu 十牛図, Korean sipwoo 십우)

Created by 12th-century Chinese Chan Master Kuòān Shīyuǎn, these images explain the stages of enlightenment—from desperate seeking to the realization that the ox we’ve been chasing has been the "Buddha-nature" we already possess and have always possessed.

This isn’t just ancient art. It’s a mirror showing where we truly are on the path to awakening right now.

This video explores The 10 Stages of Zen Enlightenment: A Map to Buddha-Nature, decoding the Zen Buddhist path to awakening through Zen’s most iconic teaching story.

Learn how Kuòān Shīyuǎn’s Ten Ox-Herding Pictures became a timeless visual guide to mindfulness, meditation, and non-duality in Chinese Chan and Zen Buddhism.

DISCOVER

• The 10 ancient Zen stages explained step-by-step
• How 12th century Master Kuòān Shīyuǎn transformed Taoist symbols into Zen training tools
• The mystery behind the final picture—why enlightenment ends in a noisy marketplace
• How the Heart Sutra and Zen Master Dōgen’s teachings appear inside these images
• Why these ancient pictures still describe the modern search for meaning and peace
• [Hasbara propaganda works as 'Disclosure Day' invades globe with $93M worldwide opening
• Box Office: 'Disclosure Day' opening to $44 mil in U.S.
• 'Disclosure Day' nears $100 mil, 'Michael' eyes $950 mil]

Are ETs into Zen? (Disclosure Day)

🙏 Are you somewhere between Picture 1 and Picture 4, searching, struggling, or starting to see glimpses? That's exactly where you need to be. Subscribe to continue the Path to Enlightenment series as we explore Theravāda's Four Stages and Mahāyāna's Bodhisattva Path.

 ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Intro – “You’ve lost something”
• 01:09 Chp 1 – The finger pointing at the moon
• 03:11 Chp 2 – When you first spot what you’ve lost 
• 07:52 Chp 3 – The years of wrestling your own mind
• 12:06 Chp 4 – The death of everything you think you are
• 17:57 Chp 5 – Why enlightenment [Zen's version of the awakened state] looks like a drunk in the market
• 21:45 Chp 6 – The ox you’re already riding

Ox herding pictures, No. 7 (Ten Bulls)

#buddhism #zen #enlightenment #oxherding #buddhanature #dogen #mindfulness #meditation, #buddhaswisdom #ZenBuddhism #ZenEnlightenment #OxHerding #BuddhaNature #SpiritualAwakening #PathToEnlightenment #ZenMaster

📱 Join community: Instagram: / buddhaswizdom Facebook: / buddhaswizdom ☕ Support the channel: buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom

📚 SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Primary texts:

"Ten Ox-Herding Pictures" by Kuòān Shīyuǎn (Kakuan) - 12th century Chan Buddhism classic "The Platform Sutra" - Teachings of Huìnéng, Sixth Patriarch "The Diamond Sutra" (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) "The Heart Sutra" (Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya) "Shōbōgenzō" by Dōgen Zenji - 13th century Zen master "The Gateless Gate" (Wúménguān) - Classic Zen kōan collection featuring Zhàozhōu

Modern scholarship:

"Zen and Japanese Culture" by D.T. Suzuki "The Three Pillars of Zen" by Philip Kapleau (commentary on ox-herding) "Wild Ivy: The Spiritual Autobiography of Zen Master Hakuin" translated by Norman Waddell "The Zen Teaching of Rinzai" translated by Irmgard Schloegl Historical Context: Earlier buffalo-herding sets from Chinese Chan tradition Evolution from earlier versions to Kakuan's refined ten-stage cycle Song Dynasty Buddhist art and philosophy

• Buddha's Wisdom, Nov. 2, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Who were the original "Aryans"?

My Brother, Buddhist Monk (short Scandinavian documentary on spiritual seeking)

The TRUE meaning of “Aryan” - Poseidon is also the "horse lord" to the ancients?

Sons of the Steppe | Part 4: India, Middle East, Anatolia from the Yamnaya to present day

When the Buddha spoke of the Aryans, he spoke of the "noble ones" (the enlightened).

A rebuttal of Hitler's supreme white “Aryan Race” (1940s) : r/worldhistoryarchive

Indo-European migrations - Tocharians into China (Wikipedia map)

.

In this series, JK explores the full story of the Proto-Indo-European migrations — from the Yamnaya Steppe nomads of prehistory, through the ancient and medieval periods, all the way to the present day. The goal here is to create a simple, digestible overview that explains:

1. How these migrations occurred
2. Where the various archaeological, linguistic, and tribal names come from, and
3. How they shaped the modern world we live in today

In Part 4, the series concludes by exploring the branches of the Proto-Indo-Europeans who migrated south into Anatolia, the Middle East, and India.

Part 1 covered Northern and Western Europe, following the chronicles of the Celtic and Germanic peoples. Part 2 explored the branches that gave rise to the Hellenic, Italic, Balkan, and Balto-Slavic peoples of the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Part 3 covered the branches that remained in the vast and ever-changing Eurasian Steppe.

SPANISH: (Historias Para Un Cafe) The white Tocharians of China?

Mixed race beauty? Handsome | Shawn Felipe

Are Spain's Basque the original "Europeans"?

In France and Spain, they speak Euskara

TIMESTAMPS

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:57 - Addressing Parts 1-3
• 3:00 - The Meaning of "Aryan"
• 6:20 - The first Yamnaya migrations
• 8:18 - Bronze Age cultures
• 15:25 - The fall of Troy and the Bronze Age collapse
• 17:21 - The Iron Age and Vedic India
• 22:44 - The Classical Age and the rise of Persia
• 31:20 - The medieval Turkic and Arab expansion
• 43:38 - The formation of modern nations
• 49:17 - Outro

 Watch the first three parts:

1. Part 1: Celtic and Ge...
2. Part 2: Mediterranean...
3. Part 3: The Nomads of...

Follow on social media where posts are posted daily: Instagram (jonaskilker), TikTok (jonaskilker). X (x.com/jonaskilker), Website: jonaskilker.com. Sons of the Steppe merch: constantinegraphicsco.com... Thanks to everyone who has supported this endeavor through the creation of this series through comments, shares, subscriptions, and even insights and bits of research. (A collaborative effort is truly enjoyable.)

THE SERIES

With this series completed, it is thrilling to have a solid framework to be able to reference as we move ahead and explore the virtually THOUSANDS of exciting and thought-provoking histories within all of these regions and cultures. Of course, this channel will also be exploring various topics in philosophy, mythology, and much more. This is only the beginning, the very, very beginning.

• Jonas Kilker, Jan. 4, 2026; Pat Macpherson, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Greek, Persian influences on Early Buddhism

Monks of the Mines (National Geographic) in ancient Afghanistan/Gandhara, Central Asia

Greek and Persian influence on Early Buddhism

Non-Jonesian Indology, Alexander (Ranajit Pal)

(Ajahn Sona) Premiered June 22, 2025: This video essay explores the influence of Western culture -- particularly those of ancient Persia (Aryan Iran) and Greece -- on Indian Buddhism in the first 500 years after the Buddha's passing [into final nirvana].

Focusing on the region of Gandhara (in present-day Afghanistan/Pakistan, Central Asia), this video traces how early encounters between these civilizations shaped the development of [Greco-] Buddhist art, writing, and the transmission of ideas [particularly along the Silk Road].

Through reflections on script, statuary, and cultural exchange, this documentary sheds light on the oft-overlooked role that Western thought played in shaping early Buddhism -- a legacy that still echoes to this day.

• 0:00:00 - Title
• 0:00:15 - Chapter 1: Two empires arrive in India
• 0:24:11 - Chapter 2: Roots of writing the Dhamma
• 0:52:23 - Chapter 3: Buddha statues and monasteries
• 1:22:48 - Photo/video credits
• 1:24:00 - About Ajahn Sona

Greco-Buddhist Relations in the Hellenistic Far East (Olga Kubica)

Gray schist seated Buddha, Gandhara, 2nd/3rd century (Christie's)

Early Buddhism = Gandhari

Other videos with Ajahn Sona on Greeks in Early Buddhism:

• June 25th Interview
• Earliest Western Buddhist Monks
• Hercules and the Buddha: The Legend...

Ajahn Sona's Podcast:

• AppleAjSona, SpotifyAjSona, PodbeanAjSona
• Who were the nomadic Scythians?
• The Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan
• Pillars of Ashoka: borrowing ideas to build empire
• Ajahn Sona, June 22, 2025; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Three Buddhisms: A Great Divide

The THREE SCHOOLS of BUDDHISM explained: Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna

(Buddha's Wisdom) May 25, 2025: 🔍 THE 3 PATHS TO ENLIGHTENMENT: WHICH ONE SPEAKS TO YOU?

How did one teacher's simple message create three different paths to enlightenment? Three monks sit in meditation...but they’re not seeking the same thing.

One follows the Buddha’s exact words (Theravada). Another vows to save every living being (Mahayana). The third uses esoteric [Vedic, Brahminical, Hindu, tantric] practices hidden for centuries.

How did Buddhism split into three radically different paths — and what does it mean for our spiritual journey today?

(Holy Koolaid) The SURPRISING reason most religions FAIL

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 - Three monks, different goals
• 03:16 - Chapter 1: Theravada - The Way of the Elders
• 07:25 - Chapter 2: Mahayana - The Great Vehicle
• 11:33 - Chapter 3: Vajrayana - The Diamond Vehicle
• 15:44 - Chapter 4: When Buddhism meets itself
• 18:53 - The One Mind: Which path did the Buddha intend?

DISCOVER

• Why Buddhism split into three schools after the Buddha's passing into final nirvana
• The dangerous mission that saved Theravada Buddhism from extinction
• How Avalokiteshvara's broken heart created the Mahayana revolution
• The secret tantric techniques that promise enlightenment in a single lifetime
• Why mixing Buddhist traditions might be exactly what the modern world needs [at least that's what we as Americans seem to think]

🙏 Subscribe to Buddha’s Wisdom for weekly stories, history, and teachings that bring ancient insight into modern life. Join community: Instagram: buddhaswizdom. Facebook: buddhaswizdom. Support the channel: buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom

SOURCES

• The Pali canon (Theravada texts)
• Lotus Sutra (Mahayana literature)
• Tibetan Book of the Dead (Vajrayana teachings) 
• Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown
• The Heart of Buddhist Meditation by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera

#buddhism #theravada #mahayana #vajrayana #buddhawisdom #spiritualjourney #mindfulness #buddhistexplained #easternphilosophy

• Buddha's Wisdom, May 25, 2025; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Spring Begins: Vernal Equinox (3/20)

Tibetan Buddhist Goddess White Tara (among other Taras), whose name means "star"

(NBC News) Deadly storms expected across USA as millions brace for tornadoes before spring

Now it's called March equinox in the U.S.

No one seems to have told the rest of the country, but where the sun sets (West Coast), the sun rose this morning to a new spring. Everything is green and sunny, cool and moist, and a person's thoughts lilt towards thoughts of 

The Spring Equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is one of the four solar festivals of the year. The equinox — which translates roughly in Latin to “equal night” — is when the sun sits vertically above the equator, making day and night equal across the planet.

Buddhist Angkor Wat, Cambodia, on the equinox

Persephone, Goddess of Spring (animalia-life)

The Spring Equinox officially marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and there are celebrations around the world to usher in longer days and springtime. [This is the real traditional New Year's Day, when the Earth (Tierra, Gaia, Bhumi) renews herself in preparation for another cycle.]

In some cultures, this day also marks the beginning of the new year, which in Iranian (original Aryan) culture is called Nowruz. The Spring Equinox is a brilliant time for new beginnings [like maybe a nice spring cleaning], no matter how one celebrates on March 20th.

Here are some Spring Equinox Activities...  More

• This is the best time to begin a regular meditation practice, graduating to walking meditation, mindfulness in nature, and deep stillness to see things as they really are.

An outfit just for practice helps.

Do the basics: Put on all white. Find a quiet spot apart from distractions. Use this spot over and over again. It becomes powerful. Set down a mat and cushion (a bundle of leaves or grass is enough to get the tailbone higher than the knees). Sit. Inhale deeply. Release. Do it again a few times, without forcing the air out. It's just about letting go completely, so completely that the body hangs as if held up by a clothing hanger, not stiff, not slack.

You're a baby in white, so go easy.

Straighter is more comfortable, even though it doesn't seem like it at first. Posture is important to attention. Bring (advert) the attention to the present moment, this moment, and to stay in just this moment, remain aware of the breath. Which breath? This breath, just the one happening now all by itself. Become the watcher (not the commenter, fixer, improver, slowdowner, or anything else), just the watcher. This is mindfulness -- clear awareness of the present without evaluation.

Whoa, what a trip! What was that? I want that again!

Set a time limit in advance and keep it. Even if it would be nice to go longer because it is going so well, know the time of rising. Even if it is going horribly with raving lunatic thoughts of a psychopath with lurid fantasies and wrath, lust and revenge, delusion and a lightshow, know the time of rising. The mind will thank you later.

Ten minutes is a good start time, slowly working up to an hourlong sit. That seems impossible now, but in time, whaddyaknow, it suddenly is possible. What changed? I'dunno. This practice is about persistence. It does itself and then there is no effort. The enemies of that are expectations, unsettled greed or desire for achieving something, and the Five Hindrances. They will come to hinder. They are already present. They can be overcome. But whether or not they have been overcome, persist. This is spring. This is the beginning. Have "beginner's mind" in place of the "monkey mind" that usually rules the cage. Smile. It helps.

Instructions are confusing because it's so simple.

It is easy to say that "meditation is NOT about thinking." That's clear. That's easy to see. Don't indulge thought; just let them be by turning your attention to this subtle breath that keeps changing. What is difficult to grasp is that "meditation is NOT about not-thinking." Not-thinking may happen. It doesn't matter. As that is not the goal, if it doesn't happen, it's okay. Giving attention to one object and bringing attention back and back again and again ("Begin again" as Sharon Salzberg says) is what is important.

Feed me, Phone-Momma! Feed me more!!

The mind like a petulant and insolent child will resist. Let it. Bring it back. Do not scold it or become upset. Let it be. Surrender completely to this moment, whatever is in this moment, not being moved to do anything no matter what the mind says it must do. See what happens. Could the mind be wrong no matter what it feels or demands or insists is true?

How did Siddhartha Gautama do it?

We'll never see things as they really are so long as we keep believing that we already are seeing them that way. We have never been seeing them that way. If we had, we'd awaken. We'd be enlightened, which is to say, Dependent Origination would make sense. And it doesn't, does it? (Hint: It's a practice, not a theory). That's a whole different kind of meditation called insight (vipassana) after getting good at this kind, which is called serenity (samatha). Don't jump ahead. Let it go. (If all else fails, sign up for a free 10-day Goenka retreat. Everyone should do at least one in life).

TODAY IS ALSO

• SPRING BEGINS - March 20, 2025
• SPRING EQUINOX - March 20, 2025
• MARCH EQUINOX - March 20, 2025
• GREAT AMERICAN MEAT OUT DAY 
• INT'L DAY OF HAPPINESS - March 20
• ALIEN ABDUCTION DAY - March 20
• ASTROLOGY DAY - March 20, 2025
• FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH - March 20
• DOGS IN YELLOW DAY - March 20
• NATIONAL PROPOSAL DAY - March 20
• KISS YOUR FIANCE DAY - March 20

POEM: "Locksley Hall"

By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Greco-Roman Cora

Comrades, leave me here a little, while as yet 't is early morn:

Leave me here, and when you want me, sound upon the bugle-horn.

'T is the place, and all around it, as of old, the curlews call,

Dreary gleams about the moorland flying over Locksley Hall;

Locksley Hall, that in the distance overlooks the sandy tracts,

And the hollow ocean-ridges roaring into cataracts.

Many a night from yonder ivied casement, ere I went to rest,

Did I look on great Orion sloping slowly to the West.

Many a night I saw the Pleiads, rising thro' the mellow shade,

Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies tangled in a silver braid.

Here about the beach I wander'd, nourishing a youth sublime

With the fairy tales of science, and the long result of Time;

When the centuries behind me like a fruitful land reposed;

When I clung to all the present for the promise that it closed:

When I dipt into the future far as human eye could see;

Saw the Vision of the world and all the wonder that would be.—

In the Spring a fuller crimson comes upon the robin's breast;

In the Spring the wanton lapwing gets himself another crest;

In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish'd dove;

In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. More

• Buddhist temple: Angkor Wat on the Equinox
• NationalToday, March 20, 2025; Alfred, Lord Tennyson (The Poetry Foundation); Ashley Wells, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Walking on water, high cost of eggs

O, Sea Spirit, we were shipwrecked! - Thank the Dragon King for saving you, Good Man.

.

Silanisamsa Jataka: Noble friendship [and the high cost of eggs]

How to get rid of predators stealing your eggs

(Jat 190) The Buddha told this story at Jetavana, the Jeta's Grove Hermitage, about a virtuous lay follower. One evening, when this faithful disciple came to the bank of the Aciravati River on his way to Jetavana to hear the Buddha, there was no boat at the landing stage.

• 

  The Buddha is best noble friend

  [What is "noble" friendship (kalyāṇa-mittatā) in Buddhism? The greatest thing about a "noble" (enlightened) friend, whether a layperson as in this case or a monastic, is the opportunity to HEAR the Dhamma, the Buddha's Teachings that lead to enlightenment and nirvana. They speak of it when they speak, though often pleased just with quietude and noble silence, are just by their being fine examples of good conduct, virtuous, uplifting (although capable of misconduct and even immorality until they reach the stage of arahant even if the popular misconception is that a stream-enterer immediately becomes morally flawless and of perfect conduct, never mind what the Ratana Sutta has to say about it). The Noble Sangha (lit., "community of enlightened beings"), which includes every being attained at least to the stage of stream-entry or possibly even the two preliminary stages (saddhanusari and dhammanusari), is one of the "Three Treasures" (ti-ratana) or Jewels, the ultimate guides for beings subject to suffering (disappointment in this unending Cycle of Rebirth, which can be brought to an end (nirodha) but never ends by itself). There are by this reckoning seven such "noble ones." However, Ven. Upatissa's Path of Freedom has more details on the three types of stream-enterers (the sattakkhattu-parama facing as many as seven more rebirths, the kolaṅkola or "passing from one noble family to another" is the stream-enterer who may be reborn fewer times and travel from teacher or school until settling down with the right one and reaching nibbana, and the eka-biji or "one-seeder" or "germinating only once more" stream-enterer, each weakening the further fetters binding one to ignorance and the Wheel of Becoming or Cycle of Rebirth, see AN 9.12), which is more helpful than the standard condensed Path of Purification enumeration of just four stages of enlightenment/awakening.]
• [The Threefold Training that leads to enlightenment]
• [There are cankers, corruptions, biases to overcome]

The ferrymen had pulled their boats onto the far shore and themselves gone to hear the Buddha. However, the disciple's mind was so full of delightful thoughts of the Buddha that even though he walked into the river, his feet did not sink below the surface: He walked on water, going across as if on dry land.

But when he noticed the waves as he reached the middle of the river, his ecstasy subsided and his feet began to sink. Then as soon as he again focused his mind on the qualities of the Buddha, his feet rose and he was able to continue walking joyously over the water.

When he arrived at Jetavana, he paid his respects to the Teacher and took a seat respectfully to one side.

"Good layman," the Buddha said, addressing the disciple, "I hope you had no mishap on your way."

"Venerable sir," the disciple replied, "while coming here, I was so absorbed in thoughts of the Buddha that, when I came to the river, I was able to walk on water and cross it as though it were solid."

"Friend," the Blessed One said, "you are not the only one who has been protected in this way. In olden days, virtuous laymen were shipwrecked in mid-ocean and saved themselves by remembering the virtues of the Buddha." At the man's request, the Buddha then told this story of the past.

Story of the past: Jataka

It's not a sutra, Homer, it's a jataka. - Shut up, Flanders! *Whisper* I'll be back for those eggs.

.

This ship is going to sink, friend.

Long, long ago, at the time of the Buddha Kassapa [3], a lay [stream-enterer] disciple who had already entered the path [reached the first stage of enlightenment] booked passage on a ship with his friend, a rich barber.

The rich barber's wife asked the disciple to look after her husband. But a week after it left port, the ship sank in the middle of the ocean.

The two friends saved themselves by holding on to a plank of wood and were eventually cast up on the shore of a deserted island rookery.

Famished, the foolish barber raided egg nests, killed birds, slaughtered and cooked them, offering a share of his bloody meal to the Buddha's disciple.

Farmer trying to steal the mother chicken's babies/eggs goes viral

The wise go for guidance to the Buddha.

"No thank you," the disciple answered, "I'm fine" [not wishing to encourage the foolish barber in his defilements or unskillful karma]. He thought to himself, "In this desolate place, there is no help [guidance] for us here except the Three Jewels [the Buddha, Dhamma, and noble Sangha]."

As he sat meditating on the Three Jewels, a naga (reptilian, dragon, CDs) king who had been reborn on that island magically transformed himself into a beautiful ship filled with the seven precious things [4]. Its three masts were made of sapphire, the planks and anchor of gold, and the ropes of silver.

The naga king transforms into a ship to save the good man

The helmsman, who was a sea spirit, stood on the deck and yelled, "Passengers for Jambudipa [earth, subcontinent, or India] now boarding for immediate passage!"

"Yes," the virtuous lay disciple called back, "that's where we're bound!"

"Then come aboard," the sea spirit invited.

The virtuous layman climbed aboard the beautiful ship and turned to call his friend the foolish barber.

Go vegan with an abundant mindset: How much are New Yorkers

willing to pay for Eggs? Josh Johnson investigates | The Daily Show

(The Simpsons) Stealing to kill and devour mother and their offspring

"You may come," the sea spirit declared "but he may not."

"Why not?" the disciple asked.

"He is no follower of the pure life," answered the sea spirit. "I brought this ship for you, but not for him."

"If that's the case," the virtuous layman announced, "then all the gifts I have given, all the virtues [restraints and exertions] I have practiced, all the powers I have developed — I give the fruit of all of them to him!"

"Thank you, Master!" cried his friend the barber.

"Very well," relented the sea spirit, "now I can take both of you aboard."

List of the Buddha's rebirth tales or Jataka Stories (Wiki)

.

The ship carried the two men across the sea and up the Ganges River that pours into it. After depositing them safely at their home in Baranasi [the holy ancient city of Varanasi/Benares], the sea spirit used his magic power to create enormous wealth for both of them. Then, poising himself mid-air, he instructed them and their friends:

"Keep company with the wise and good. If this barber had not been in the company of this virtuous layperson, he would have perished in the middle of the ocean."

• 

  McDharma's: Can the US get Beyond Meat?

  [Taking eggs from nests, killing birds to survive, the foolish barber was engaged in things that make sense to worldlings even though they are very unskillful karma capable of bringing one to ruin, storing up unwholesome deeds avoided by the wise who neither encourage nor engage in them. That is the high cost of eating eggs, bloody handed, eating babies (bird fetuses), depriving them of life. Who would eat the womb of a woman with the excuse, "No, this womb was not a baby yet because sperm hadn't impregnated it"? The same people eat eggs with blood, indicating the eggs were fertilized and ready to produce a baby chick. Similarly, people eat murdered chicken-mothers, hens who lay eggs, and their rooster partners, calling them "poultry," ignoring that they are sentient beings, conscious entities killed to keep human-ghouls fed on corpses. Going vegan/vegetarian might be a better and more compassionate, environmentally-conscious option.]

Finally, the sea spirit returned to his own abode, taking the naga king with him.

Having finished this recounting of the past, the Buddha identified the rebirth (jataka) and taught the Dhamma, after which the virtuous layperson listening to him entered the fruit of the second path [reached the second stage of enlightenment].

"On that occasion [in that past life]," the Buddha said, "that disciple attained full enlightenment (arahantship). Sariputta was the naga king, and I myself was the sea spirit." Source

• List of Jatakas (Buddhist Rebirth Stories)
• Ken and Visakha Kawasaki (trans), Jataka Tales of the Buddha: Part III retold by the Kawasakis; edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly