Category Archives: ZEN
355. What can mere stars achieve?
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, some townsfolk had asked a country-girl in marriage and had named the day. Having already made the arrangement, they asked their family ascetic whether the stars were propitious for the ceremony on that day. Piqued at their having fixed the day to suit themselves without first taking counsel with him, the ascetic made up his mind to thwart their marriage festivities for that day; and accordingly he made answer that the stars were not favourable for that day, and that if they persisted, grave misfortune would be the result.
193. The Bodhisatta And The Medicine
Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was reigning in Benares, the Bodhisatta was born a Brahmin in a very distinguished family. After perfecting his education at Takkasila, he became a teacher of world wide fame in Benares. Prince and Brahmins from various countries flocked as his deciples.
Now a country Brahmin, who had learned from the Bodhisatta the three Vedas and the eighteen Sciences had stopped coming.
This Brahmin had a wife who was a bad, wicked woman. When the Brahmin explained the reasons for absenting from the class, the Bodhisatta, knew that the brahmin’s wife was only feigning sickness, thought to himself, “I will tell him what medicine will cure the creature.” So he said to the Brahmin, “My Son! Do not give her dainties; but collect the urine of cows and mix with five kinds of fruit. Put them in a copper pot and keep it open all along the night. Then take a rope or stick and go to your wife, and tell her plainly she must either swallow the medicine or else work for her food. If she refuses the remedy, then give her one or two blows. You will find that at the mere threat she will get up and do the her work.”
Then the brahmin did as the Bodhisatta had directed and went to his wife and asked her to drink the nedicine.
“Who prescribed this?” said she.
“The master,” said her husband.
“Take it away, I won’t have it.”
The young Brahmin said, “So you won’t have it. well then, you have either swallow down that medicine or else to work for your meals.”
Terrified by this, the woman Kosiya realized that there is no way deceiving, got up and went to work. And the consciousness that the master knew her wickedness made her repent, she become a good wife.
291.The Shepherd’s Boy
THERE was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by which he could get a little company and some excitement. He rushed down towards the village calling out “Wolf, Wolf,” and the villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerable time. This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried out “Wolf, Wolf,” still louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help. So the Wolf made a good meal off the boy’s flock, and when the boy complained, the wise man of the village said:
❖A LIAR WILL NOT BE BELIEVED, EVEN WHEN HE SPEAKS THE TRUTH.
259.The Old Trout, the Young Trout, and the Salmon
A fisherman, in the month of May, stood angling on the bank of a river with an artificial fly. He threw his bait with so much art that a young trout was rushing towards it, when she was prevented by her mother. “Stop, child!” said she. “Never be too hasty where there is a possibility of danger. Take due time to consider, before you risk an action that may be fatal. How do you know whether that is indeed a fly, or the snare of an enemy? Let someone else make the experiment before you. If it be a fly, he will very probably elude the first attack, and then the second may be made if not with success, at least with safety.”
She had no sooner uttered this caution than a salmon seized upon the pretended fly, and was captured.
Do not rush into a strange position.
