Foolishness
Long, long ago in northern India, there was a king who ruled Benares. He had a minister called the Royal Price Maker and he was a very honest man. His job was to set a fair price for anything the king wanted to buy or sell.
But there were occasions in which the king did not like his price-making. These were times when the king did not get as large a profit as he would love, had to pay more than he was willing to, or sold his merchandise for a price that he felt was too low. He decided to change the price maker.
One day, he saw a handsome young man and decided that he would make a good price maker. He dismissed his former honest price maker, and appointed the young man to be the new one. "I must make the king happy by buying at very low prices and selling at very high prices," thought the new price maker. So he charged ridiculous prices, not caring at all whether they were pegged to their actual worth. Of course, this made the king very happy as he gained a lot of money. But all the others who dealt with the new price maker, including the king's other ministers and ordinary folks, became very unhappy.
One day, a horse merchant arrived at Benares. He had 500 horses to sell. There were stallions, mares and colts. The king invited the merchant to the palace and called upon his Royal Price Maker to set a price for all 500 horses. Thinking only of pleasing the king, the price maker replied: "The entire herd of horses is worth one cup of rice." Hearing this, the king ordered that one cup of rice be paid to the horse dealer, and all the horses were taken to the royal stables.
The merchant was very upset, but he could do nothing at that moment. Later, he heard about the former price maker, who had a reputation for being very fair and honest. He approached him and told him what had happened. He wanted to hear his opinion, in order to get a proper price from the king. "If you do as I say, the king will be convinced of the true value of the horses. Go back to the price maker and satisfy him with a valuable gift. Then ask him to state the value of one cup of rice in the presence of the king. If he agrees, come and tell me. I will go with you to the king," advised the former price maker.
Following this advice, the merchant went to the price maker and gave him a valuable gift. The gift made the price maker very happy. The young man was that it would benefit him of he pleased the horse dealer. "I'm very happy with your previous evaluation," said the merchant. "Can you please convince the king of the value of one cup of rice?" "Why not? I will explain the worth of one cup of rice in the presence of the king," answered the foolish price maker.
Believing that the horse dealer was satisfied with his cup of rice, the price maker arranged for another meeting with the king, as the merchant was returning to his country. The merchant reported back to the old price maker, and they went together to see the king.
All the king's ministers and his full court were in the royal meeting hall. "My lord, I understand that in your country, my herd of horses is worth only one cup of rice. Before I leave for home, I want to understand the value of one cup of rice in your country," said the horse merchant to the king. The king turned to the price maker and asked: "What is the value of one cup of rice?"
Previously, to please the king, the foolish price maker had priced the herd of horses at one cup of rice. Now, after receiving a bribe from the horse dealer, and wanting to please him, he replied to the king in his most dignified manner: "Your Majesty, one cup of rice in Benares is worth the city of Benares, including even your own harem, as well as all the suburbs of the city. In other words, is it worth the whole kingdom of Benares!"
On hearing this, the royal ministers and wise men in the assembly hall started to roar with laughter, slapping their sides with their hands. "Earlier, we heard that the kingdom was priceless. Now we hear that all of Benares, with its palaces and mansions, is worth only a cup of rice! The decision of the Royal Price Maker is so strange! Where did your Highness find such a man? He is only good for pleasing a king such as you, and definitely not setting fair prices for a merchant who sells his horses from country to country," said the ministers and wise men when they had calmed down.
Hearing the laughter of his whole court, and the words of his ministers and advisers, the king was ashamed. He reinstated his former price maker, and agreed to a new fair price for the herd of horses, as set by the honest price maker. Having learned his lesson, the king lived justly and his kingdom prospered.
The moral is: A fool on high office can bring shame even to a king.
The Bodhisattva: The honest price maker
Friday, December 25, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Mouse Merchant
Diligence and Gratitude
Once upon a time, a famous adviser was on his way to a meeting with the king and other advisers when he caught sight of a dead mouse by the roadside. "Even from such a small beginnings as this dead mouse, a diligent young fellow could build a fortune. As long as he worked hard and used his intelligence, he could start a business and support a wife and family," he commented to those who were with him.
A passer-by heard the remark. Knowing that this was an important adviser of the king, he decided to follow his words. He picked up the dead mouse by the tail and went off with it. Lady Luck must be smiling at him for he hadn't even gone a block, before a shopkeeper stopped him. "My cat has been pestering me all morning. I'll give you two copper coins for that mouse," he proposed. And a deal was made.
With the two copper coins, he got some sweet cakes and water and waited by the roadside. As he expected, flower pickers were returning home from work. Hungry and thirsty, all of them agreed to exchange a bunch of flowers each for some sweet cakes and water. In the evening, the man sold the flowers in the city. He bought more sweet cakes using part of the earnings and returned the next day to trade them with the flower pickers.
This went on for a while, until one day a terrible storm blew. While walking by the king's pleasure garden, he noticed that many branches had been ripped off the trees by the storm and were lying all around. So he went to the king's gardener and offered to clear them away provided that he gets to keep the branches. The lazy gardener quickly agreed.
The man found some children playing in a park across the street. They were only too glad to gather all the scattered branches in exchange for one sweet cake per child.
When the children were done, the king's potter happened to walk by. He was always on the lookout for firewood for his glazing oven. When he saw the piles of wood the children had just collected, he paid the man a handsome sum of money for them. He also gave the man some of his pots.
With the profits he earned form selling flowers and firewood, the man opened a refreshment shop. One day, he treated all the local grass mowers, who were on their way to town, to some sweet cakes and drinks. They were surprised by his generosity. "What can we do for you?" they asked. He said there was nothing for them to do now, but he would let them know in the future.
A week later, he heard that a horse dealer was coming to the city with 500 horses to sell. He got in touch with the grass mowers and told them each to give him a bundle of grass. He also requested them not to sell any grass to the horse dealer until he had sold his. And so, he made another handsome profit.
Time passed until one day, some customers in his refreshment shop told him of a new foreign ship that had just docked in the harbour. He felt this was too good an opportunity to miss. He thought long and hard until he came up with a good business plan.
First, he went to a jeweller friend of his and paid a low price for a very valuable gold ring with a beautiful sparkling ruby. He knew that the ship came form a foreign country which had no rubies of its own, and whrtr gold was expensive. Next, he gave this magnificent ring to the captain of the ship as an advance on his commission. To earn this commission, the captain agreed to send all the passangers to him. He would then take them to the finest shops in the city. In return, the man received commissions from the merchants for bringing customers to them.
The man soon became very rich after several ships had docked into the port. Pleased with the scale of his success, he remembered it all started with the words of the king's wise adviser. Grateful, he decided to give him a gift of 100,000 gold coins which was half of his entire wealth. After making the proper arrangements, he met up with the king's adviser and gave him the present along with his humble thanks.
The adviser was amazed. "How did you earn so much money to afford such a generous gift?" he asked curiously. The man then narrated all that had happened, how it all started with the adviser's own words not so long ago about the dead mouse, which finally led to a large fortune.
After hearing his story, the royal adviser thought: "It would not be good to lose the talents of such a diligent man. I'm also very rich and my only beloved daughter is still unmarried. As this man is single, he deserves to marry her. Then he can inherit my wealth in addition to his own, and my daughter will be well cared for."
The man married the adviser's daughter, and after the wise adviser died, he became the richest man in the city. The king appointed him as the new adviser, and throughout the rest of his life, he gave generously for the happiness and well-being of many people.
The moral is: With energy and ability, great wealth comes even form small insignificant beginnings.
The Bodhisattva: The king's wise adviser
Once upon a time, a famous adviser was on his way to a meeting with the king and other advisers when he caught sight of a dead mouse by the roadside. "Even from such a small beginnings as this dead mouse, a diligent young fellow could build a fortune. As long as he worked hard and used his intelligence, he could start a business and support a wife and family," he commented to those who were with him.
A passer-by heard the remark. Knowing that this was an important adviser of the king, he decided to follow his words. He picked up the dead mouse by the tail and went off with it. Lady Luck must be smiling at him for he hadn't even gone a block, before a shopkeeper stopped him. "My cat has been pestering me all morning. I'll give you two copper coins for that mouse," he proposed. And a deal was made.
With the two copper coins, he got some sweet cakes and water and waited by the roadside. As he expected, flower pickers were returning home from work. Hungry and thirsty, all of them agreed to exchange a bunch of flowers each for some sweet cakes and water. In the evening, the man sold the flowers in the city. He bought more sweet cakes using part of the earnings and returned the next day to trade them with the flower pickers.
This went on for a while, until one day a terrible storm blew. While walking by the king's pleasure garden, he noticed that many branches had been ripped off the trees by the storm and were lying all around. So he went to the king's gardener and offered to clear them away provided that he gets to keep the branches. The lazy gardener quickly agreed.
The man found some children playing in a park across the street. They were only too glad to gather all the scattered branches in exchange for one sweet cake per child.
When the children were done, the king's potter happened to walk by. He was always on the lookout for firewood for his glazing oven. When he saw the piles of wood the children had just collected, he paid the man a handsome sum of money for them. He also gave the man some of his pots.
With the profits he earned form selling flowers and firewood, the man opened a refreshment shop. One day, he treated all the local grass mowers, who were on their way to town, to some sweet cakes and drinks. They were surprised by his generosity. "What can we do for you?" they asked. He said there was nothing for them to do now, but he would let them know in the future.
A week later, he heard that a horse dealer was coming to the city with 500 horses to sell. He got in touch with the grass mowers and told them each to give him a bundle of grass. He also requested them not to sell any grass to the horse dealer until he had sold his. And so, he made another handsome profit.
Time passed until one day, some customers in his refreshment shop told him of a new foreign ship that had just docked in the harbour. He felt this was too good an opportunity to miss. He thought long and hard until he came up with a good business plan.
First, he went to a jeweller friend of his and paid a low price for a very valuable gold ring with a beautiful sparkling ruby. He knew that the ship came form a foreign country which had no rubies of its own, and whrtr gold was expensive. Next, he gave this magnificent ring to the captain of the ship as an advance on his commission. To earn this commission, the captain agreed to send all the passangers to him. He would then take them to the finest shops in the city. In return, the man received commissions from the merchants for bringing customers to them.
The man soon became very rich after several ships had docked into the port. Pleased with the scale of his success, he remembered it all started with the words of the king's wise adviser. Grateful, he decided to give him a gift of 100,000 gold coins which was half of his entire wealth. After making the proper arrangements, he met up with the king's adviser and gave him the present along with his humble thanks.
The adviser was amazed. "How did you earn so much money to afford such a generous gift?" he asked curiously. The man then narrated all that had happened, how it all started with the adviser's own words not so long ago about the dead mouse, which finally led to a large fortune.
After hearing his story, the royal adviser thought: "It would not be good to lose the talents of such a diligent man. I'm also very rich and my only beloved daughter is still unmarried. As this man is single, he deserves to marry her. Then he can inherit my wealth in addition to his own, and my daughter will be well cared for."
The man married the adviser's daughter, and after the wise adviser died, he became the richest man in the city. The king appointed him as the new adviser, and throughout the rest of his life, he gave generously for the happiness and well-being of many people.
The moral is: With energy and ability, great wealth comes even form small insignificant beginnings.
The Bodhisattva: The king's wise adviser
The Golden Plate
Greed and Honesty
Long ago in a place called Seri, two salesmen sold pots, They also agreed that it was alright for the other to hawk his wares after the first had gone through his designated area.
One day, one of them was coming down a street when a poor little girl saw him and asked her grandmother to buy her a bracelet. "We are too poor. We can't afford it," replied the old grandmother. "Since we don't have any money, we can exchange one with our black sooty old plate," suggested the little girl. The old woman agreed to give it a try, and so she invited the dealer in.
Seeing that they were poor humble people who probably had no money, the salesman did not want to waste his time with them. Though the old woman pleaded with him, he said he had no bracelet that she could afford to buy. Then she asked: "We have an old plate that is useless to us, can we barter it for a bracelet?" The man took the plate and examine it. He accidentally scratched the bottom of the plate, and to his surprise, discovered gold gleaming underneath the black soot. The black sooty old plate was actually a golden plate! But he didn't tell the old woman of his discovery. Instead, he decided to deceive her so he could get the plate for virtually nothing. "This is not worth even one bracelet. There is no value in this. I don't want it!" he lied and left thinking he would return later when they would accept something of a lesser value for the plate.
Meanwhile, the second salesman who had finished peddling in his appointed part of the town came to the area where the first had been earlier. He ended up at the same house. Again, the poor little girl begged her grandmother to trade the old plate for a bracelet. Seeing that the merchant was a nice gentle-looking man, the old woman invited him in and offered to trade the same black sooty old plate for one bracelet. When he examined it, he also noticed it was pure gold under the grime. "All that I own, my goods and all my money, are not worth as much as this gold plate!" he exclaimed kindly to the old woman.
Of course, the woman was shocked when she heard this, but the merchant's honesty also proved that he was indeed a good and honest fellow to her. So she said she would be happy to accept whatever he could trade for it. "I'll give you all my pots, pans, trinkets, plus all my money, if you will let me keep just eight coins and my balancing scale, with its cover to put the gold plate in," said the salesman. "Deal," replied the old woman. The trade was made and the second merchant went down to the river, where he used his remaining eight coins to pay the boatman to ferry him across.
Meanwhile, the greedy salesman had return to the old woman's house, dreaming of huge imaginary profits in his head. When he met the little girl and her grandmother again, he told them he had changed his mind and was willing to offer a few cents, but not one of his bracelets, for the useless black sooty old plate. "Sir, you lied to us," replied the old woman and then she calmly told him of the trade she had just struck with the honest salesman.
Instead of being ashamed, she greedy salesman was upset that he had lost the precious plate that must be worth a hundred thousand. "Which way did he go?" asked the dishonest merchant, She told him the direction, and he promptly dropped all his things at her doorstep and ran down to the river, thinking: "He robbed me! He robbed me! He won't make a fool out of me!"
At the riverbank, he saw the boatman ferrying the honest salesman halfway across the river. "Come back, come back!" He shouted to the boatman. But the good merchant instructed him to keep rowing, and so he continued crossing the river.
Seeing that there was nothing he could do, the greedy salesman exploded with rage. He beat his chest, and jumped up and down. He was so angry and filled with so much hatred for the honest man, who had gotten the golden plate, that he coughed out blood, had a heart attack and died on the spot!
The moral is: Honesty is the best policy.
The Bodhisattva: The honest salesman
Long ago in a place called Seri, two salesmen sold pots, They also agreed that it was alright for the other to hawk his wares after the first had gone through his designated area.
One day, one of them was coming down a street when a poor little girl saw him and asked her grandmother to buy her a bracelet. "We are too poor. We can't afford it," replied the old grandmother. "Since we don't have any money, we can exchange one with our black sooty old plate," suggested the little girl. The old woman agreed to give it a try, and so she invited the dealer in.
Seeing that they were poor humble people who probably had no money, the salesman did not want to waste his time with them. Though the old woman pleaded with him, he said he had no bracelet that she could afford to buy. Then she asked: "We have an old plate that is useless to us, can we barter it for a bracelet?" The man took the plate and examine it. He accidentally scratched the bottom of the plate, and to his surprise, discovered gold gleaming underneath the black soot. The black sooty old plate was actually a golden plate! But he didn't tell the old woman of his discovery. Instead, he decided to deceive her so he could get the plate for virtually nothing. "This is not worth even one bracelet. There is no value in this. I don't want it!" he lied and left thinking he would return later when they would accept something of a lesser value for the plate.
Meanwhile, the second salesman who had finished peddling in his appointed part of the town came to the area where the first had been earlier. He ended up at the same house. Again, the poor little girl begged her grandmother to trade the old plate for a bracelet. Seeing that the merchant was a nice gentle-looking man, the old woman invited him in and offered to trade the same black sooty old plate for one bracelet. When he examined it, he also noticed it was pure gold under the grime. "All that I own, my goods and all my money, are not worth as much as this gold plate!" he exclaimed kindly to the old woman.
Of course, the woman was shocked when she heard this, but the merchant's honesty also proved that he was indeed a good and honest fellow to her. So she said she would be happy to accept whatever he could trade for it. "I'll give you all my pots, pans, trinkets, plus all my money, if you will let me keep just eight coins and my balancing scale, with its cover to put the gold plate in," said the salesman. "Deal," replied the old woman. The trade was made and the second merchant went down to the river, where he used his remaining eight coins to pay the boatman to ferry him across.
Meanwhile, the greedy salesman had return to the old woman's house, dreaming of huge imaginary profits in his head. When he met the little girl and her grandmother again, he told them he had changed his mind and was willing to offer a few cents, but not one of his bracelets, for the useless black sooty old plate. "Sir, you lied to us," replied the old woman and then she calmly told him of the trade she had just struck with the honest salesman.
Instead of being ashamed, she greedy salesman was upset that he had lost the precious plate that must be worth a hundred thousand. "Which way did he go?" asked the dishonest merchant, She told him the direction, and he promptly dropped all his things at her doorstep and ran down to the river, thinking: "He robbed me! He robbed me! He won't make a fool out of me!"
At the riverbank, he saw the boatman ferrying the honest salesman halfway across the river. "Come back, come back!" He shouted to the boatman. But the good merchant instructed him to keep rowing, and so he continued crossing the river.
Seeing that there was nothing he could do, the greedy salesman exploded with rage. He beat his chest, and jumped up and down. He was so angry and filled with so much hatred for the honest man, who had gotten the golden plate, that he coughed out blood, had a heart attack and died on the spot!
The moral is: Honesty is the best policy.
The Bodhisattva: The honest salesman
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Finding a New Spring
Perseverance
Once upon a time, a merchant led a caravan to another country to trade. One day, they came to the edge of a desert with sand as hot as burning coal. It was so scorching that no one, not even bullocks or camels could walk on it! Left with no choice, the caravan leader hired a desert guide - one who could read the stars - so they could travel at night when the sand was cool. In this manner, they trekked dangerously across the deserr at night.
This went on fine until one night, the guide complacently dozed off to sleep when he saw that they were reaching the end of the desert. Unattended, the bullocks gradually swerved to the side and travelled around in a big circle until they end up at the same spot they had started from the night before!
By then the sun had risen. When the people realised they were back at the same place they'd camped the day before, they lost heart and began complaining about their condition. They had used up all their water and were afraid that they would die of thirst. "We can't do without water," they reproached the caravan leader and the guide.
"If I do nothing but just grumbled about this misfortune, we will all die here. Therefore, I must be strong and face this challenge calmly!" thought the merchant. He began pacing up and down thinking of a plan to save them all.
Suddenly, he noticed a small clump of grass. "No plant can survive in this desert without water," he analysed. So he gathered the strongest of his fellow travellers and asked them to dig a hole on that very spot. They dug and dug, and after a while they hit a large rock. "This effort is useless. We're just wasting our time!" they complained in a blaming tone once again. But the merchant replied: "No, my friends,, if we give up now, it will be the end for us and our poor animals. Let us not be discouraged!"
He got down into the hole immediately, placed his ear to the rock, and heard the sound of water flowing. Straight away, he called over a boy who had been digging and said: "If you give up, we will all perish - so take this heavy hammer and strike the rock."
The boy lifted the hammer over his head and hit the rock as hard as he could. To his surprise, the rock split open and a mighty gush of water sprang out from underneath! All the people were overwhelmed with joy. They drank, bathed, washed their animals, cooked their food and ate heartily.
Before they left, they put up a tall banner so that other travellers could see it from afar and come to the new spring in the middle of the desert. Then they continued on safely to the end of their journey.
The moral is: Don't give up too easily. Keep on trying until you reach your goal.
The Bodhisattva: The tradesman
Once upon a time, a merchant led a caravan to another country to trade. One day, they came to the edge of a desert with sand as hot as burning coal. It was so scorching that no one, not even bullocks or camels could walk on it! Left with no choice, the caravan leader hired a desert guide - one who could read the stars - so they could travel at night when the sand was cool. In this manner, they trekked dangerously across the deserr at night.
This went on fine until one night, the guide complacently dozed off to sleep when he saw that they were reaching the end of the desert. Unattended, the bullocks gradually swerved to the side and travelled around in a big circle until they end up at the same spot they had started from the night before!
By then the sun had risen. When the people realised they were back at the same place they'd camped the day before, they lost heart and began complaining about their condition. They had used up all their water and were afraid that they would die of thirst. "We can't do without water," they reproached the caravan leader and the guide.
"If I do nothing but just grumbled about this misfortune, we will all die here. Therefore, I must be strong and face this challenge calmly!" thought the merchant. He began pacing up and down thinking of a plan to save them all.
Suddenly, he noticed a small clump of grass. "No plant can survive in this desert without water," he analysed. So he gathered the strongest of his fellow travellers and asked them to dig a hole on that very spot. They dug and dug, and after a while they hit a large rock. "This effort is useless. We're just wasting our time!" they complained in a blaming tone once again. But the merchant replied: "No, my friends,, if we give up now, it will be the end for us and our poor animals. Let us not be discouraged!"
He got down into the hole immediately, placed his ear to the rock, and heard the sound of water flowing. Straight away, he called over a boy who had been digging and said: "If you give up, we will all perish - so take this heavy hammer and strike the rock."
The boy lifted the hammer over his head and hit the rock as hard as he could. To his surprise, the rock split open and a mighty gush of water sprang out from underneath! All the people were overwhelmed with joy. They drank, bathed, washed their animals, cooked their food and ate heartily.
Before they left, they put up a tall banner so that other travellers could see it from afar and come to the new spring in the middle of the desert. Then they continued on safely to the end of their journey.
The moral is: Don't give up too easily. Keep on trying until you reach your goal.
The Bodhisattva: The tradesman
Demons in the Desert
The Correct Way of Thinking
Long, long ago, there were two friends who were merchants They were about to go on a trip to sell their merchandise. After discussion, they decided not to travel together. "It will be too crowded for us to travel together since each of us has about 500 carts, and both of us are going to the same place along the same road," said one to the other. So both agreed one of them should set off first.
The first merchant thought long and hard and decided to go first. "The road will not be rutted by the carts. The bullocks will be able to enjoy the greenest and best grass along the way, and we will find the best fruits and vegetables to eat. My people will appreciate my leadership and, in the end, I will be able to bargain for the best prices," he thought smilingly.
The second merchant, too, considered carefully. He realised there were advantages of travelling after the first had paved the way. "By travelling first, my friend's carts will have levelled the ground so we won't have to do any road work. His bullocks will have also eaten the old rough grass and new tender shoots will spring up for mine to feast. Similarly, his people will also have plucked the old fruits and vegetables and fresh ones will grow for us to enjoy. I won't have to waste my time bargaining when I can take the price already set by the market and make my profit," he thought. And so he agreed to his friend's request of travelling first. The first merchant, sure that he'd fooled his friend and gotten the best of him, merrily set out first on the journey.
But he had a troublesome time. The merchant who went first soon came to a wilderness called the "Waterless Desert", which the local people said was haunted by demons. When the caravan reached the middle of the desert, they met a large group coming from the opposite direction. They had carts that were smeared with mud and dripping with water. They also had lotuses and water lilies in their hands and carts. "Why are you carrying these heavy loads of water? In a short while, you will reach an oasis on the horizon with plenty of water to drink and dates to eat. Your bullocks are tired from pulling those heavy carts filled with extra water. Be kind to your poor, overworked animals and throw away the water!" said the headman of the group, who displayed a know-it-all attitude, to the merchant.
Even though the natives had warned him, the merchant did not realise these were really demons in disguise, and that they were in danger of being devoured by them. Confident they were helpful people, he followed their advice and had all his water emptied onto the ground.
As they continued on their way, they discovered there was no oasis on the desert. Some then realised they'd been fooled by beings who could be demons, and started to grumble and accuse the merchant. At the end of the day, all the people were worn out and exhausted. The bullocks were also too weak from lack of water to pull their heavy carts. Tired out, both humans and animals lay down in a haphazard manner and fell into a deep slumber. At dusk, the demons came in their true frightening forms and gobbled up all the weak, defenceless beings, leaving behind only bones on the ground. Not one human or animal was spared alive.
Several months later, the second merchant began his journey. When he arrived at the wilderness, he assembled all his people and said: "This place is called the 'Waterless Desert' which I heard is haunted by demons and ghosts. Therefore, do be careful at all times. Do not drink any water in the desert without asking me first." Having said that, his caravan ventured into the desert.
Like the first merchant, the second merchant and his caravan encountered the water-soaked demons in disguise halfway through the desert. The demons pulled the same trick and told them to cast away their water. Fortunately, the wise merchant saw through the demons straight away. He knew it didn't make sense to have an oasis in a place known as the "Waterless Desert". And besides these people had bulging red eyes and a pushy attitude, so he suspected they could be demons. "We are businessmen who don't throw away good water before we know where the next is coming from," the merchant replied and the told the demons to leave them alone.
Seeing that his own people had doubts when the demons left, the merchant said: "Don't believe what others said until we actually find water. For all we know, they may be demons, and the oasis they point to is just an illusion or a mirage. Have you ever heard of water in this "Waterless Desert"? Have you felt any rain-wind or seen any storm clouds?" They all answered "No" and he continued: "If we believe these strangers and throw our water away, we may not have any to drink or to cook with if there is no oasis. We will be weak and thirsty. It will be easy then for the demons to come and rob us, or even gobble us up! Therefore, until we really find water, do not waste even a single drop! It is better for us to be safe than sorry."
That evening, the second caravan travelled until it reached where the first have been slaughtered and devoured. They saw fully loaded carts and bones strewn everywhere. They recognised the fully loaded carts belonging to the caravan of the first merchant.Come dusk, the wise merchant appointed some as watch guards to protect the camp during the night.
The next morning, after the people had taken their breakfast and fed their bullocks well, they added to their carts the most valuable goods left behind from the first caravan. Under the wise leadership of the second merchant, the caravan managed to complete their journey successfully. They sold all the merchandise with profits and return home safely.
The moral is: One must always be wise enough not to be fooled by tricky talk and false appearances.
The Bodhisattva: The wise merchant
Long, long ago, there were two friends who were merchants They were about to go on a trip to sell their merchandise. After discussion, they decided not to travel together. "It will be too crowded for us to travel together since each of us has about 500 carts, and both of us are going to the same place along the same road," said one to the other. So both agreed one of them should set off first.
The first merchant thought long and hard and decided to go first. "The road will not be rutted by the carts. The bullocks will be able to enjoy the greenest and best grass along the way, and we will find the best fruits and vegetables to eat. My people will appreciate my leadership and, in the end, I will be able to bargain for the best prices," he thought smilingly.
The second merchant, too, considered carefully. He realised there were advantages of travelling after the first had paved the way. "By travelling first, my friend's carts will have levelled the ground so we won't have to do any road work. His bullocks will have also eaten the old rough grass and new tender shoots will spring up for mine to feast. Similarly, his people will also have plucked the old fruits and vegetables and fresh ones will grow for us to enjoy. I won't have to waste my time bargaining when I can take the price already set by the market and make my profit," he thought. And so he agreed to his friend's request of travelling first. The first merchant, sure that he'd fooled his friend and gotten the best of him, merrily set out first on the journey.
But he had a troublesome time. The merchant who went first soon came to a wilderness called the "Waterless Desert", which the local people said was haunted by demons. When the caravan reached the middle of the desert, they met a large group coming from the opposite direction. They had carts that were smeared with mud and dripping with water. They also had lotuses and water lilies in their hands and carts. "Why are you carrying these heavy loads of water? In a short while, you will reach an oasis on the horizon with plenty of water to drink and dates to eat. Your bullocks are tired from pulling those heavy carts filled with extra water. Be kind to your poor, overworked animals and throw away the water!" said the headman of the group, who displayed a know-it-all attitude, to the merchant.
Even though the natives had warned him, the merchant did not realise these were really demons in disguise, and that they were in danger of being devoured by them. Confident they were helpful people, he followed their advice and had all his water emptied onto the ground.
As they continued on their way, they discovered there was no oasis on the desert. Some then realised they'd been fooled by beings who could be demons, and started to grumble and accuse the merchant. At the end of the day, all the people were worn out and exhausted. The bullocks were also too weak from lack of water to pull their heavy carts. Tired out, both humans and animals lay down in a haphazard manner and fell into a deep slumber. At dusk, the demons came in their true frightening forms and gobbled up all the weak, defenceless beings, leaving behind only bones on the ground. Not one human or animal was spared alive.
Several months later, the second merchant began his journey. When he arrived at the wilderness, he assembled all his people and said: "This place is called the 'Waterless Desert' which I heard is haunted by demons and ghosts. Therefore, do be careful at all times. Do not drink any water in the desert without asking me first." Having said that, his caravan ventured into the desert.
Like the first merchant, the second merchant and his caravan encountered the water-soaked demons in disguise halfway through the desert. The demons pulled the same trick and told them to cast away their water. Fortunately, the wise merchant saw through the demons straight away. He knew it didn't make sense to have an oasis in a place known as the "Waterless Desert". And besides these people had bulging red eyes and a pushy attitude, so he suspected they could be demons. "We are businessmen who don't throw away good water before we know where the next is coming from," the merchant replied and the told the demons to leave them alone.
Seeing that his own people had doubts when the demons left, the merchant said: "Don't believe what others said until we actually find water. For all we know, they may be demons, and the oasis they point to is just an illusion or a mirage. Have you ever heard of water in this "Waterless Desert"? Have you felt any rain-wind or seen any storm clouds?" They all answered "No" and he continued: "If we believe these strangers and throw our water away, we may not have any to drink or to cook with if there is no oasis. We will be weak and thirsty. It will be easy then for the demons to come and rob us, or even gobble us up! Therefore, until we really find water, do not waste even a single drop! It is better for us to be safe than sorry."
That evening, the second caravan travelled until it reached where the first have been slaughtered and devoured. They saw fully loaded carts and bones strewn everywhere. They recognised the fully loaded carts belonging to the caravan of the first merchant.Come dusk, the wise merchant appointed some as watch guards to protect the camp during the night.
The next morning, after the people had taken their breakfast and fed their bullocks well, they added to their carts the most valuable goods left behind from the first caravan. Under the wise leadership of the second merchant, the caravan managed to complete their journey successfully. They sold all the merchandise with profits and return home safely.
The moral is: One must always be wise enough not to be fooled by tricky talk and false appearances.
The Bodhisattva: The wise merchant
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