Once upon a time, King Brahmadatta ruled Benares in northern India. His son, the prince, was an Enlightenment Being. Intelligent and educated by sixteen, he was made second in command.
The people of Benares were deeply superstitious, believing gods controlled their fate. To gain favors like marriage, children, or wealth, they prayed and promised offerings. They thought gods desired animal sacrifices, so they killed goats, lambs, chickens, and pigs when they believed their prayers were answered.
The prince observed this and thought, "These helpless animals are also the king's subjects and deserve protection. People act this way from ignorance and superstition; this is not true religion. True religion respects life and brings peace, not killing and cruelty."
"They cling too strongly to superstition to abandon it," he reflected. "But perhaps their beliefs can be used for good. When I become king, I must devise a plan. If they must sacrifice, let them kill their own greed and hatred instead of helpless animals. Then the whole kingdom will benefit."
Thus, the prince devised a long-term plan. Periodically, he rode his grand chariot to a popular banyan tree outside the city, where people prayed to a tree god. He dismounted and made offerings of incense, flowers, perfumes, and water—but never animals. This public display led people to believe he was a devout follower of the banyan tree god.
In due time, King Brahmadatta died, and the prince became king. He ruled righteously, earning his subjects' trust and respect.
One day, he decided to execute the next phase of his plan. He summoned Benares's leading citizens and asked, "Worthy ministers and loyal subjects, do you know how I ensured I would become king?" No one answered.
"Do you recall my frequent offerings to the great god of the banyan tree?" he asked. "Yes, our lord," they replied.
The king continued, "Each time, I promised the powerful tree god: 'Oh mighty one, if you make me King of Benares, I will offer a special sacrifice far greater than flowers and perfumes.' Now that I am king, you see the god answered my prayers. I must keep my promise."
The assembly agreed, asking, "We must prepare this sacrifice at once. What animals do you wish to kill?"
The king said, "My dear subjects, I am glad you are willing to cooperate. I promised the great god I would sacrifice anyone who fails to practice the Five Training Steps: those who destroy life, take what is not given, engage in sexual misconduct, speak falsely, or lose their mind from alcohol. I vowed to offer their guts, flesh, and blood on the great god's altar!"
Steeped in superstition, everyone agreed this must be done to avoid divine punishment.
The king thought, "Such is superstition's power that they've lost all common sense! They don't see that if I sacrificed a subject for killing—the first training step is to avoid killing—I'd be next on the altar. And such is its power that I can make this promise and never fulfill it!"
Confident in superstition's hold, the king instructed the leaders, "Go throughout the kingdom and announce my promise to the god. Proclaim that the first one thousand who break any training step will have the honor of being sacrificed to keep the king's word."
Lo and behold, the people of Benares became famous for diligently practicing the Five Training Steps. The wise king, who understood his subjects well, sacrificed no one.
The moral is: Sacrifice your own wrongdoing, not some helpless animal.