A Penniless Man Becomes a Billionaire
in Twenty Years

by Rev. Shokai Kanai

A little boy of a billionaire ran away from his father and became homeless for many years. Meanwhile his father had trading business with foreign countries and made innumerable treasures and wished to inherit all his treasures to his son.

The homeless son wandered about all directions to beg food and tried to get odd jobs for many decade years.  One day he happened to stand at a gate of the rich man’s estate.

The rich man recognized him at first sight as his son and immediately dispatched a man standing beside him to quickly bring back the poor man standing at the gate.  The messenger pulled him by force.  The poor son thought, “I am caught though I am not guilty. I shall be killed,” and fainted and fell to the ground.

Seeing the frightened son who was too base and mean to meet a noble man, the father said to the messenger, “I don’t want him any more.  Pour cold water on his face and let him go!” 

The rich man dispatched another messenger in secret to bring him back for a work to clear dirt with double day’s pay in advance.

 Many months passed.  The father took off his garment and jewels, and wear worn-out defiled with dirt and dust to approach his son and said, “Man!  Stay here and work hard.  I will pay you more.

Many years passed.  The rich man gave him a name and more higher pay to take care the storehouses.

Thus, twenty years have passed.  The father told his son to call in the king, ministers and householders.  When they all gathered, he said to them, “This is my son, my real son. All my treasures are his.”

This story of a penniless man becomes a billionaire is revealed in Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith of the Lotus Sutra. It says, “We have obtained unsurpassed treasures although we did not seek them.”

The Buddha and deities are always trying to save us from misery; however, we do not understand their intentions.

 You may think that the poor son inherits his father’s treasurers because he is the real son of the rich man.  The Buddha says, “All living beings are my children” in Chapter 3.  We all are able to inherit the Buddha’s treasurers (Buddhahood) when we trust in the sacred title of the sutra, “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.”  Thus, we will realize reality of all things without notice and have peaceful mind.

Lotus Sutra Teaching Series

"empty in meaning -- practice w/o joy, life w/o the great vehicle dharma {daijo myohorengekyo}"