Story 21. Three men crossing a bridge
Three men came across a chain bridge over a steep valley. Of them, one was blind, one was deaf, and the other had good sight and hearing. They all had the same intention of crossing the bridge. They were high up in the air and grasped the iron chain as they crossed. In the end, the blind person and the deaf person crossed the bridge successfully, but the other man fell off the bridge.
Was the able-bodied man not as capable as the two disabled people? The able-bodied person was so smart that he overestimated himself.
The blind man said, “Because I couldn’t see, I didn’t know how high the bridge was and the associated dangers. Therefore, I took calm and slow steps and eventually got to the other side.”
The deaf person said: “Because I couldn’t hear the roaring river and waves crashing beneath me, I was less frightened.”
This is the same for Buddhist practitioners. We should not be hesitant, nor should we overestimate our own abilities, thinking we know everything. That is why a person who seems to know everything becomes schizophrenic, and why the more we know, the more worries we have.
Story 22. A donkey’s escape from a well
Once upon a time, a donkey accidentally fell into an abandoned well. The farmer considered every possible way to rescue it. After a long while, the donkey was still wailing inside the well. Finally, the farmer decided to give up since the donkey was too old. He felt it was not worth the effort. To prevent other donkeys from falling into the well, the farmer decided to fill the well. As a result, the farmer asked around for help, and the neighbours came to help fill up the well and bury the donkey.
The people kept filling the well with soil and dirt. When the donkey realised what they were doing, it cried bitterly. After a while, it stopped crying, and stayed quiet. The donkey shook off every shovel of mud and dirt and stood on top of it, one step after another. Gradually, several hours later, the donkey reached the surface, and to everyone’s astonishment, it hurried away.
In the process of learning Buddhism, we will get caught up in affliction and confusion. We feel as if we are trapped in an abandoned well with dirt being poured on us. If we want to get out of our troubles and difficulties, the secret is to shake off the dirt and let go of our desires. Refrain from being greedy and jealous of other people, then we will be able to eliminate our worries and achieve the realm of the Buddha and live fearlessly in our own Pure Land.
Story 23. The mouse in a rice jar
A mouse was over the moon when it accidently fell into a jar halfway filled with rice. It seemed to feel safe in the rice jar, so the mouse spent days just eating and sleeping. Life had never been so lucky, until the mouse soon realised that once the jar was empty, it was too late to escape and the mouse felt helpless.
Our lives seem to be peaceful, but in fact, there are dangers everywhere. People hardly think of misfortunes when they enjoy their lives. Many people feel that they have always been in good health, but when they realise one day that they have cancer, it is too late.
Turning to the Buddha only when disasters happen is like making last-ditch efforts.
Story 24. The most important day of our life
One day, a young man visited a sage. He asked: “Master, which is the most important day of our life? Is it the day of our birth or death, the day we fall in love or the day we become successful?”
The sage answered, “The most important day in our life is today.” The young man asked, “Why?”
The sage added, “Because today is the only wealth we possess. No matter how many valuable memories and glorious achievements you had in the past, they are all gone. No matter how successful one will be in the future, it is yet to happen. No matter how ordinary and grim our life is today, it is in our hands and under our control.”
The young man wished to continue, but the sage added: “While we discussed the importance of today, we have wasted a lot of time and there’s not much time left today.”
Today is our only asset and it is also our only chance. What we have to do is forget about the past, let go of the future and make the best of today.
According to the Diamond Sutra, “The past mind cannot be grasped, neither can the present mind or the future mind.”
Story 25. Forget the shortcomings of others
There was a time where a young man had a heated argument with his wife. He said he made a mistake and regretted marrying her. He was not happy and felt the days were meaningless. He asked his father for opinions about a divorce.
His father asked him, “Son, does your wife have any virtues?”
The son thought for a moment and said, “She had some before we got married, but not anymore.”
His father continued, “Does she think you have any virtues?”
The son answered, “She thought I had some before we got married, but not anymore.”
His father responded: “You are much better than me. I didn’t realise your mother’s virtues before we got married.”
The father took the son outside the house and picked up a piece of tile and some cotton. The father asked, “Which one do you think is harder, the tile or the cotton?” “Off course the tile!”, the son replied. The father then took the tile and the cotton and dropped them together at the same height. The tile shattered, while the cotton fell gently.
The father continued, “You see, son, the hard one smashed into pieces, but the soft one stayed intact. You should be as humble in nature as cotton. We should not harm others or we will eventually be harmed as well. You should not be as aggressive and sharp-minded as the tile because when it meets the cold, it will freeze, and when it hits something hard, it will break. If you hurt other people, you will feel more miserable yourself. You must embrace the virtues of others, then, you will feel a sense of warmth. In contrast, if you only focus on the shortcomings of others, you will only hurt yourself. We should learn from cotton to keep someone out of the cold and keep them warm. Sometimes, just one word will bring warmth to your wife’s life, while a mean and selfish word could make her hate you forever, thus destroying your marriage. You wouldn’t wish for me to treat your mother the same way you treat your wife, right?”
Those who often regret are unable to understand others and are selfish as they only think of themselves. They will never be considered a Buddhist, because a Buddhist practitioner is someone who lets go of their “lesser self” in order to attain the “greater self”.
As Buddhists, we should forget the shortcomings of others and remember their virtues. That way, we will live a healthy and happy life.
Story 26. Self-reliance and Initiative are the keys to success
A horse was constantly harassed by a wolf which wanted to catch it as prey. The horse felt so desperate that it turned to a hunter for help, “Could you kill the wolf, please?” The hunter said: “On one condition; I will help you if you allow me to ride on you. In addition, I will put a rein around your neck and a bit in your mouth.” The horse said: “Fine, I will do anything as long as you help me!” The hunter rode on the horse and killed the wolf.
The horse asked: “Now that the wolf is dead, can you take the rein and bit off me, please?” The hunter replied,” Absolutely not! Now you have become my horse and you’re under my control.”
The same thing happens in our society. When we ask other people for help, we become controlled by others. When practising Buddhism, we should learn to be self-reliant, independent, and confident. Those who persist in learning Buddhism will show great diligence, while those who fail to practise Buddhism will lack self-confidence. For those who change their mind constantly, it is difficult to practise Buddhism well.
Remember, when practising Buddhism, we should learn to be self-reliant and take our own initiative. Those who can persist in learning Buddhism will be empowered with diligence.
Story 27. Three monks
Once there lived three monks in a temple. One was elderly and the other two were young. One day, the three monks were reciting sutras and mantras, and they felt that they were doing a good job as they were all following the rules of reciting with their eyes closed and in silence to show their seriousness in performing the recitation.
One monk felt so bored that he opened his eyes secretly. The sky was getting cloudy, he blurted out, “It’s going to rain!” Another young monk immediately patted him and told him off, “No talking!” The old monk laughed with a glow of pride, “You two did not cultivate well enough. In fact, I have already noticed the cloudy sky, but I have been able to keep quiet.”
We need to cultivate our minds until we no longer have an ego. When faced with suffering, we Buddhist practitioners must strive to free ourselves from suffering in order to gain happiness. Only those who have gone through suffering will have the motivation to cultivate their mind. You need to cultivate till you reach a state where your mind is devoid of thought, then you can be a Buddha at ease in the Human Realm. It is hoped that all of you will conceive of fewer thoughts, less greed and less anger, then you will have less ignorance.
Story 28. The poet and the monk
This story took place during the Song Dynasty in ancient China. One day, the poet Su Dongpo and the monk Fo Yin were having tea together in a teahouse. Seeing that Fo Yin was only a monk, the waiter gave him the cold shoulder. However, he accorded Su Dongpo a warm reception because he was a celebrity in the district.
Su Dongpo was very embarrassed, and he reminded the waiter to be nice to his friend. However, the waiter kept on ignoring Fo Yin. When paying the bill, Fo Yin handed the waiter a few pieces of silver (money used in ancient China) and thanked him humbly. The poet complained, “That waiter was rude to you!” Fo Yin replied, “He was a snob”. The poet continued: “Why were you so polite to him and gave him such a generous tip? “
Fo Yin answered, “Why should I let him dictate my behaviour? Should I get angry because he did not treat me well? Or should I bow and scrape to him because he was very polite to me?”
From this story, we learn that we should stand by our principles and remain unperturbed by external circumstances. Though others may be greedy, we must not be greedy. If we take control of our own mind, then we will not be troubled by so many afflictions in the world.
Story 29. Compassion and forgiveness are powerful
There lived a little monk in a temple. He was very naughty and didn’t follow the rules of discipline. The old monk of the temple heard from neighbours that the little monk often climbed over the wall to play outside.
One evening, the old monk went to the courtyard and waited by the wall. After a while, he saw the little monk stealthily carrying a chair to the wall. He then stepped on the chair and climbed over the wall. The old monk shook his head, thinking: “This little kid…” he then sat on the chair waiting for the little monk to come back.
After having a good time, the little monk returned and climbed back into the temple courtyard. His feet landed on something soft, “Why is the chair so soft?” he thought to himself and took a look. He was astonished to see the old monk sitting on the chair. He shook with fear, wondering what punishment he would receive from the old monk.
Rubbing his painful shoulders which had been stepped on by the little monk, the old monk said, “Child, it is getting cold. Go to bed quickly.” The little monk blushed with shame. Since then, no one would ever go out as they wished.
Compassion and tolerance can change one’s mindset and open one’s heart. Having high tolerance allows us to enjoy true happiness from the bottom of our heart. We need to learn to be tolerant and forgiving; disregard personal gain, loss, fame and wealth; and get rid of selfishness and distracting thoughts. By placing the well-being of sentient beings above all else, fostering harmony in the family which in turn brings about prosperity, as well as loving and protecting the country, everyone will be able to co-exist and live well.
All of you must take good care of your body, which was given by your parents. Failing to do so would mean that you have failed to perform your filial duty to your parents. Likewise, failing to protect our wisdom-life would let down Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
Story 30. A general who wants to be a monk
A war-weary general who had seen through the stark realities of life went to Da Hui Temple and requested to be ordained as a monk. The master took a look at him and said, “You have a family and have acquired so many social ills. We shall talk about it later.”
“Master”, the general continued, “I have let go of everything, including my wife, children and my whole family. Please ordain me as a monk.”
“We shall talk about it later.” The master refused again.
The general had no other choice. One day, he got up early in the morning and went to the temple to pay respect to the Buddha. When he saw the master, he brought up the idea of becoming a monk again.
The master asked, “General, why did you come to pray so early?”
The general answered, “I wanted to put out my inner fire, so I got up early to pay my respect to the Buddha.”
The master smiled, “You woke up way too early. Aren’t you worried that your wife will commit adultery?”
The general lost his temper and scolded the monk, ” You old rascal, how could you say such insulting words?”
The Zen Master laughed, “It only takes a slight movement of the paper fan to stoke the fire. How can you let go with such a fiery temper?”
To let go of all attachments; action speaks louder than words. People may seem to be enlightened when talking about certain circumstances, but in reality, they remain obsessed and deluded. People who practise Buddhism may seem to have attained a certain degree of realisation, but in actual fact, they are still deluded. Subsequently, they have a distorted view of things in the world. This is what we call delusion and distortion. Changing one’s temper takes true cultivation and is easier said than done.
You are making a fool of yourself when you act on the spur of the moment. Nowadays, people always want to make amends for their mistakes, but they lack perseverance. Amending a shortcoming is like cultivating the mind. It takes time and perseverance.
Buddhist practitioners who cultivate their mind must learn the great thinking of the Bodhisattva, help more people to enlighten themselves, and persist in cultivating the mind with diligence. This is the foundation of learning Buddhism.