There are many stories surrounding Buddha and his path to enlightenment. One of the most entertaining might be the story of the eagle and the dove.
Before Buddha became the Buddha, he was known as Siddhartha. He was a King who was known for his compassion and love for all creatures. Sakra was the king of the Gods, and decided to test Siddhartha to ensure that he was, indeed, the future Buddha.
Sakra turned himself into a dove. He called upon one of his Gods to turn himself into an eagle. Together, the dove and eagle flew toward the castle. The eagle chased the dove through the palace until they found Siddhartha.
The dove cried, “Please save me! The eagle is going to eat me!”
Siddhartha, loving toward all creatures, stopped the eagle. The eagle then called out, “But I have to eat the dove! Otherwise I will starve to death!”
“Can you eat something other than the dove?” the King asked, trying to be diplomatic and find a solution.
“I have to eat flesh,” the eagle told him. “It is the way I was created. I have no other choice.”
The King then commanded his men to remove a piece of flesh from his body body and feed it to the eagle. By doing so, he reasoned that the dove could go free, and the eagle could still be fed. His men were horrified at the idea, but Siddhartha was the King, so they did as he asked.
Much to their astonishment, the King showed no pain. There was no blood where the wounds were made. The King’s soldiers fed the eagle the exact weight of the dove, and throughout it all, Siddhartha did not flinch.
The selfless nature of the King convinced Sakra and his fellow God that this was indeed the future Buddha. They immediately appeared in their own bodies and restored Siddhartha to full health.