Turtle

"Imagine that the whole earth was covered with water, and a man was to throw a yoke with a hole in it into the water. Blown by the wind, that yoke would drift north, south, east and west. Now, suppose that once in hundred years a blind turtle would rise to the surface. What do you think? Would that turtle put his head through the hole in the yoke as he rose to the surface once in a hundred years?"

"It is unlikely Lord."

"Well, it is just as unlikely that one will be born as a human being; it is just unlikely that a Tathagata, a Noble One, a fully enlightened Buddha should arise in the world; and it is just as unlikely that the Dhamma and discipline of the Tathagata should be taught. But now you have been born as a human being, a Tathagata has arisen and the Dhamma has been taught. Therefore, strive to realize the Four Noble Truths."

Sunday, September 10, 2006

The Swallow Story

Someone told me recently that the swallow is a bird which brings good luck...

Once upon a time, there lived a man with two sons. When he died, the elder son took into possession his father’s wealth and left nothing for his younger brother. The younger brother was so poor that he didn’t even had enough to feed his children.

One day, the younger brother found a swallow which had broken its leg. He took it home and healed the swallow’s leg. When the swallow got better, it flew to China and brought back a seed for the younger brother. The younger brother planted the seed, thinking that it’ll grow and give his family something to eat. The seed was actually a pumpkin seed. When it was ripe, the younger brother cut it opened and inside it were a lot of treasures. So the younger brother was now able to support his family.

The older brother heard about the news on how his younger brother got rich, and wanted to be rich also. So he caught a swallow, broke its leg, healed it, and forced the swallow to fly to China to bring him a seed. The swallow flew to China, and brought back a pumpkin seed for the older brother. The older brother planted it, and when it ripened, he cut open the pumpkin. However, this pumpkin did not contain treasures but monsters. The monsters took away the older brother’s wealth. The older brother was left with nothing and soon became a beggar wondering in the streets.

One day the younger brother met his older brother in the streets and pitied him for his conditions. Being a kind-hearted man, he took care of his older brother and the live happily ever after.

So the swallow is actually a bird which brings good luck.
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