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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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?”
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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.
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(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.”
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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.
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Past deeds determine today's experiences
There was once a fabric store in Hangzhou. By the time the owner reached 50 years of age, he had had been running the store for several decades. Unfortunately, his greed did not decrease with age.One year, there was a fire in the neighborhood and it affected the fabric store. There was a destitute household of three people living behind the fabric store. They made their living by doing laundry for other people. The only way in and out of their house was the side door of the fabric store.
As the raging fire reached their home, the family of three shouted out loud for help. “Open the side door!” They hoped to escape through the side door, which was their only way out.
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Food is to Assuage Hunger
As the old saying goes, “When hunger strikes, anything will do to fill the stomach.” The following tale gives credence to this statement.
Liu Nanyuan was minister for public works during the Jiajing Era (1522-1566) at the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He returned to his hometown following retirement. A provincial official who had jurisdiction over this retired minister’s hometown was picky and choosy when it came to food. Minor officials in the area felt intimidated when they expected one of this man’s visits. Retired Mr. Liu Nanyuan told them, “He was once my pupil. I will offer him my counsel.”
Liu visited this choosy provincial official at his home and commented, “I would have liked to organize a banquet for you, but this might in all likelihood take too much of your valuable time and interfere with your business affairs. To make things easy, why not come to my house for dinner? My wife is out of town and we have no one who could prepare anything special for you. What do you think of a simple meal?” Protocol prevented the provincial official from declining the invitation, because Liu had, after all, been his teacher.
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A Story of Love and Time
A Story of Love and Time
Once upon a time, there was a small island where many beings lived. Happiness, Sorrow, Knowledge, and Love, along with other Emotions, lived on this island.
One day, the Emotions learned the island was about to sink. Everyone then prepared to leave the island, except Love.
Love insisted that she would stay until the very last minute.
A few days later, when the island was about to sink, Love thought of asking for help. At that time, she saw Wealth passing by in a big ship.
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The final moments leading up to Moggallana's nirvana (sacca/Wikimedia).
According to Buddhism, the world and all its beings are connected and governed by the universal laws of karma. No matter how one lives their current life, any misdeed or virtue from a person’s past will come to greet them in the present. History is littered with such tales…this is one of them…
A long time ago in ancient India, there lived a young man who was the only child in his family. He was a devoted son who worked hard and looked after all the household duties. As his parents aged, his workload increased. His parents urged him to find a wife to help him with his duties, but he refused and insisted on doing the work himself. After much persistence from his mother he eventually married.
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'Student Rules' the edited version of 'Teachings for Enlightening Children.' (zhengjian.org)
Hello and welcome, my name is Grace Mann, today’s Ancient Tale of Wisdom, is the final of the 3 part series – ‘Teachings for Enlightening Children.‘
Teachings for Enlightening Children (Xun Meng Wen) was one of the Chinese classic texts for educating children on observing etiquette and rules and cultivating benevolence in society. It was originally written by an intellectual named Mr. Li Yuxiu (1662¡V1722) during Emperor Kang Xi’s (1654-1722) reign in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). It was then edited by Mr. Jia Cunren in the Qing Dynasty, who changed the title to Student Rules. Arranged in simple three-character verses, these teachings detail the rules in a variety of settings and is the second most influential text for children; with the most influential being Three Character Classic (1)) Teachings for Enlightening Children, which teaches filial piety, respect, cautiousness, honesty, forbearance, and tolerance, etc.
China was once called “The Nation of Etiquette and Morality.” Though, during the great Cultural Revolution, all spiritual and moral teachings were trampled and desecrated, thus, the beautiful Chinese traditional etiquette and morality has suffered tremendously. In today’s China, adults have little knowledge of the morals that even little children knew in ancient times.
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