Sari’s Place

Once upon a time, there was a king who loved riding horses as well as riding horse carriage. He got his skills from almost every horse trainer in his country. Every time, he got a new carriage, he was anxious to try it out to compete.

The next day, a new carriage came to his palace, and as usual he asked the trainer to compete with him.  The trainer agreed..The same day, they raced.

The king tried hard, but no matter how much effort the king made, he was still far behind the trainer. He started to become very angry and told him off, “Why didn’t you teach me all of your racing skills?”.

The trainer replied, “Sire, I taught you everything I know”, the reason that you didn’t win, because you were trying too hard, you were thinking of winning and had no patience at all. Your only thought about winning, made you become frustrated, and that made you forgot everything I taught you. You  whipped your horse again and again to make it go faster. You never thought about her feelings and safety, while I always look at the physical condition and feelings of my horse before and during the ride. You need to work with the horse not against it. That’s why, Sire, I always win the race.”

Once upon a time, there was a crane standing next to a pond filled with fish. In those days the water used every summer to fall very low. Catching sight of these fish, a crane said to himself,

“I must find a way to eat these fish.” So he went and sat down in deep thought by the side of the water.

Now when the fishes caught sight of him, they said, ” What are you thinking about ?”

“I am thinking about you,” was the reply.

 ”And why are you thinking about us ?”

“ The water in this pool’s almost gone, no food, and the heat intense, I was wondering to myself, as I sat here, what in the world you fishes would do.”

” And what are we to do ?”

“Well, if you’ll take my advice, I will take you up one by one in my beak, and carry you all off to a fine large pool covered with the five varieties of lotuses, and there, I’ll put you down.”

“But,” said they, “no crane ever cared for us fishes since the world began. Your desire is to eat us one by one.”

” No, I will not eat you, trust me,” said the crane. ” If you don’t take my word that there is such a pond, send one of you to go with me and see for himself.”

Believing the crane, the fish presented to him a great big fish (blind of one eye, by the way), who they thought would be a match for the crane whether afloat or ashore; and they said,

” Here’s the one to go with you.”

The crane took the fish off, and after showing him another pond, brought him back again and put him in along with the other fish in his old pond. And the fish told them how great the newer pond.

After hearing this report, they grew eager to go there, and said to the crane,”Very good, please take us across.”

First of all, the crane took that big one-eyed fish again and carried him off and then he pecked it to death, and let the bones fall at the foot of the tree.

Then back he went and said,”I’ve thrown him in, who’s next ?” And so he took the fish one by one, and ate them all, till at last when he came back, he could not find another left. But there was still a crab remaining in the pond; so the crane, who wanted to eat him up too, said,

” Mister crab, I’ve taken all those fishes away and put them into a fine large pond covered all over with lotuses. Come along, I’ll take you too.”

“How will you carry me across?” said the crab.

“Why, in my beak, for sure,” said the crane.

“Ah, but you might drop me like that,” said the crab, “I won’t go with you.”

 ”Don’t be scared, I’ll hold you tight of all the way.”

“Thought the crab to himself,  He hasn’t put the fish in the pool. But, if he would really put me in, that would be great. If he does not, why, I’ll nip his head off and kill him. So he said to the crane,

” You’d never be able to hold me tight enough, my friend, cos we crabs have got an astonishingly tight grip. If I could hold your neck with my claws, I could hold it tight and then I would go along with you.”

Not suspecting that the crab wanted to trick him, the crane gave permission. With his claws the crab gripped hold of the crane’s neck, and said, “Let’s go.” The crane took him and showed him the pond first, and then started off for the tree.

“The pond lies this way,” said the crab; “but you’re taking me the other way.”

“Yeah right,  I suppose you thought me as your slave to lift you up and carry you about ! Just take a look at those bones at the foot of the tree, I ate up all those fish, so I will eat you too.”

Said the crab, “It was by their own stupidity that those fish were eaten by you, and there’s no way you are going to eat me.. For you,,did not see that I was tricking you. If we die, we will both die together. .”

And so saying he gripped the crane’s weasand with his claws, as with pinchers. With his mouth wide open and and tears streaming from his eyes, the crane, trembling for his life, said,

“Please, I will not eat you! Spare my life!”

“Well, then, just step down to the pool and put me in,” said the crab.

Then the crane turned back and stepped down as directed to the pool, and placed the crab on the mud, at the water-edge. But the crab, before entering the water, nipped off the crane’s head as deftly as if he were cutting a lotus stalk with a knife.

Once upon a time, in Southeast Asia, two young wild geese searching for food met a turtle, and by and by they became friends and lived in the same pond.   They enjoyed a peaceful life and hardly fought with each other. 

After few months, the water dried up.  The two geese decided to move and asked the turtle to join them.  The turtle liked the idea because he did not want to be all alone.  But, he could not see how this was possible since he could not fly.  The geese, who were smart, came up with an idea.  Each of them could hold the end of a wooden pole in its beak, and the turtle could hold onto the middle of the pole with his mouth.  Then the three of them could fly to another pond which was full of water.

A few days later they went on their trip.  When they flew through a village, lots of children looked up at them.  They started shouting and laughing, and said “Look, two geese are holding up a turtle so he can fly.”

Upon hearing the children, the turtle became angry and embarrassed.  He wondered why the children were staring and laughing at him.  He got so annoyed and then he shouted, ”Mind your own business.”  As he spoke, he lost his grip on the pole and fell.

From The Short March to Wisdom

Two buckets hanging on a well are relaxing on a sunny afternoon.  They are enjoying the first day of summer.  The spring rains are over.  The flowers are blooming.  The air smells sweet and fresh.  People are bussy carrying water, making tea, watering the flowers, washing clothes and hanging then outside to dry.

The two buckets begin to chat to each other.  One bucket says, “I feel so useless. Every time when stupid people fill me with water, they empty me immediately.  Then I’m left alone.  I’m so isolated that i have nothing to do but stare at the sky, and it looks so gray.  The flowers don’t even thank me for the water I hold.  When the people are drinking tea, they don’t even think of me”‘.

The other bucket replies,” I feel very appreciated.  People handle me with care, admiring my beautiful wood.  Everytime they empty me, they fill me up again immediately.  I’m never alone.  People flock to me  When they water their flowers, they keep coming back to me for more.  Without me, they have no way to get water for their tea.  I’m proud to be indispensable.

From The Short March to Wisdom, by Venerable Yung Dong & Marjorie Jacobs.