The monk who overslept
Buddha Shakyamuni teaching his disciples. (Courtesty Wikimedia Commons)
Welcome again to Ancient Tales of Wisdom brought to you by the SOH Radio Network. Hello, I’m Grace Mann. Today’s story dates back to over 2,500 years ago and tells how one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s disciples became known as “The Monk Who Overslept.”
But first, let’s listen to an update ‘quote of the day, from an audience member attending a Fort Lauderale, Shen Yun Performing Arts performance during its 2010 Global Tour. [audio]
And now, to our story “The monk who over slept.”
Buddha Shakyamuni repeatedly taught his disciples to study Buddhist doctrine attentively and wholeheartedly, and that they must not slack off or be lazy. Most of his disciples followed his teachings and cultivated diligently, and therefore obtained the Dao and reached their Attainment Status while eliminating a lot of worries and suffering.
A tiny advantage has far reaching consequences
A tiny advantage has far reaching consequences. (NCBrian/Flickr)
Our Ancient Tale of Wisdom today tells of how “A Tiny Advantage has Far-reaching Consequences .” Hello again , my name is Grace Mann, welcome to Ancient Tales of Wisdom.
Before our tiny tale today, let’s listen to our Shen Yun Performing Arts – Quote of the Day from an audience member attending the final Sacramento Show on Tuesday 13th January. [audio]
As Shen Yun with its live orchestra moves into the fifth week of its 2010 Global Tour, it continues to ‘transcend all classes, all ages, and all ethnic backgrounds.’
And now, sit back, take five and listen to how A Tiny Advantage has Far-reaching Consequences.
Love Story of Niu Lang and Heavenly Weaver Maiden
Love Story of Niu Lang and Heavenly Weaver Maiden
According to legend, on the night of the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese lunar calendar, cow herder Niu Lang and Heavenly Weaver Maiden will travel across the Milky Way over a bridge formed by swallows to their once-a-year meeting. The love story between Niu Lang and Weaver Maiden has long been told by the Chinese.
Weaver Maiden is the youngest daughter of the Heavenly King, and she is skilled at weaving any beautiful patterns and colors. When you see brilliant skies and seven-colored rainbows, it must have come from Weaver Maiden’s skillful hands.
Niu Lang was a cow herder who was born into a poor family in southern China. His parents died when he was young, and he grew up with a lot of hardships. He lived alone and tended cows for a living. He was honest, kind and diligent, but being poor, he was not able to find a woman to marry.
Correcting One’s Wrongdoings Changes One’s Fate
Correcting One's Wrongdoings Changes One's Fate (Source: Zhang Cuiying)
In the Ming Dynasty, a man named Zhang Weiyan in Jiangyin, of Jiangsu Province, was a skilled writer. He was quite well-known in his region. In the year of Jiawu, he went on to the court exams but failed. Under the bulletin of the exam results he cursed the judges who scored his exams very low, feeling they did not recognize people who had true knowledge.At that moment, a Taoist passed by and heard him. He smiled and said, “I can tell that your writings must be bad!”
Zhang Weiyan then vented his anger on him, “Why do you laugh at me? You have not read my articles, how do you know that my writings are bad?” The Taoist said, “I heard the key to writing is that one needs to be at peace and maintain a calm heart. You are now cursing the judges. You must be very angry. How can you write a good article if this is what your character is like?” Zhang Weiyan thought what he said was very rational, and then sincerely asked him for help
Fill your heart with compassion
Renowned ancient Chinese herbalist Li ShiZhen 1518-1593, who lived in the Qichun County, Hubei Province during the Ming dynasty. (Courtesy Wikipedia Commons)
Welcome to Ancient Tales of Wisdom. Happy New Year to all our avid ATW listeners, it’s great to be back with you. May 2010 grant each of you, wonderful experiences, health, peace and contentment., My name is Grace Mann. Today our tale is one of the many, about famous physician and herbalist, Li Shizhen, titled Fill Your Heart with Compassion.
But before I begin, let’s listen to our Quote of the Day, shared by an audience member from the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2010 global tour performance in Philadelphia. [audio]
And now for our tale; Fill Your Heart with Compassion.
According to Historical Records, Li Shizhen was a famous physician from the Ming Dynasty of ancient China. Li Shizhen loved medical books and was a brilliant physician. He was considered a sage among physicians. In his home town, there was another ignorant and mediocre physician who pretended to know everything. This foolish physician bought lots of medical books to show that he had a supposed wealth of knowledge.
One year, after the rainy season, this physician told his servants to put his collection of medical books in the courtyard to dry. He paced back and forth like a peacock displaying himself. When Li Shizhen happened to see it, he got an impulse to loosen his clothing and lay next to the book racks. The physician saw that Li had his chest and belly exposed to the sun and asked, “Hey, what are you doing here?”
Kokushi
Kokushi from clearwisdom.net
During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a monk named Wu Tatsu Kokushi, who was awarded the Kokushi title (an honorary title given to Buddhist masters).
One day before being awarded the Kokushi title, Wu Tatsu Kokushi met up with a monk who was ill. The monk had boils all over his body. He was filthy and emitted an awful body odor. Everybody avoided him except for Wu Tatsu Kokushi. He took pity on the sick monk and took care of him. Gradually, the monk returned to health. Before they parted, the monk thanked Wu Tatsu Kokushi and said, “If you ever run into any tribulation, please look for me at Jiu Long Mountain, in Peng Zhou, Sichuan Province. You need to look for two pine trees next to each other.”
Because Wu Tatsu Kokushi had high moral values and conducted himself virtuously, Emperor Tang Yi Zhong respected him greatly. He was awarded the title of Kokushi, and treated him very well. But one day a boil with the shape of a human face grew on Wu Tatsu Kokushi’s knee. It had facial features including a mouth and teeth. It could even swallow food when fed. Famous physicians from all over the country came to treat Wu Tatsu Kokushi’s illness, but to no effect.
Holes in the heart
The beggar (van Avont). State 2 / Wikimedia Commons
Wisdom is not a given, it is learned, be it in the time of the ancients or that of our present day time-space, as the following tale beautifully reveals. Hello and welcome to another great Ancient Tale of Wisdom, my name is Grace Mann, and today’s tale is entitled: Holes in the Heart.
Once upon a time in days gone by, in order to find the true meaning of life, a young man seeking the Tao travelled far from home. Without stopping, he climbed high mountains, crossed dangerous rivers, and visited numerous places looking for a true master to answer his questions. Day after day, he met and asked many people; however, he did not feel he had gained any enlightenment. Disappointed, he pondered and wondered, but he was still not able to figure out why.
A story of two young monk’s who where assigned to ring the bell
A story of two young monks
A young monk in a temple was assigned to ring the bell. According to temple rules, he was to ring the bell daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. At first he was quite serious. But six months later he felt his duty was too mechanical and boring. One day the temple abbot announced a change of duty for the young monk and had him carry water and cut wood in the forest. He no longer wanted him near the bell. The young monk felt strange and asked the abbot, “Was it because my ringing the bell was not on time, not resounding?” The abbot told him, “The bell sound was very loud, but the sound was hallow, worn out. Because your mind didn’t understand the significance of ringing the bell, also you didn’t do it truly attentively. The sound of the bell is not merely the temple clock, the more important part is to awaken the sinking, confused sentient beings. Therefore, the sound of the bell must not only be sonorous, but also be rounded, vigorous, deep and distant. If a person’s heart does not contain the deeper meaning of the bell, it is the same as not having reverence for a Buddha. If one is not sincere, how can he take on the duty of ringing the bell?” Hearing these words the monk felt ashamed. Thereafter, he cultivated with additional concentration and finally became an outstanding monk.
Hailibu, the kindhearted hunter
(photobucket.com)
Welcome again to Ancient Tales of Wisdom, my name is Grace Mann, today’s story is based on a traditional Mongolian tale and it is titled Hailibu, the kind hearted hunter.
On the Mongolian grassland there used to be a kindhearted hunter named Hailibu. After every hunt, he would divide the meat to other villagers and keep only a small portion for himself. His caring for others won him great respect in the village.
One day, while hunting in the woods, Hailibu heard urgent cries from the sky. Looking up, he saw a small creature captured by a voracious vulture. He quickly aimed his arrow at the predator. Hurt by the arrow, the vulture let go of the prey.
Hailibu looked at this strange-looking creature that had a snake-like body, and said, “Poor little thing, go home quickly.” Replied the creature, “Respectable hunter, you have saved my life, for which I am exceedingly grateful. I am a daughter of the dragon king, and I am sure my father will thank you with great reward. He has great many treasures you can take. If none of these treasures would please you, you may ask him for a precious stone he holds in his mouth. Whoever holds this stone in the mouth will be able to understand the languages of all animals.”
How can one achieve buddhahood…
How can one achieve Buddhahood with a human heart
Du from Fujian Province lived during the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912). He was a Buddhist devotee and appeared to be quite pious. He ate a simple vegetarian meal every day and did not drink alcohol. He often bragged about attaining the Dao and ascending to heaven very soon. He urged his family to purify their minds and bodies and to await the moment of departure. His family members did not laugh in front of him and agreed.One day when Du took a nap he had a dream he remembered clearly after he woke up. In the dream, he came to a place where deities appeared to live. There were several people, and upon seeing Du, they got up and welcomed him. They invited him to sit down and asked him to read a book.
