Tag

story Archives - Page 2 of 2 - juesatta (CJ Photography)

Live on two principles 生活的两个原则

By Photography, Wisdom
Little plant

Little plant

I came across this wise story on the net:

A young man through the mountains came upon an old man who was busy planting a tiny almond tree.

Knowing that almond trees take many years to mature, the young man commented to the old man “It seems odd that a man of your advanced age would plant such a slow-growing tree!”.

The old man replied “I like to live my life based on two principles. One is that I will live forever. The other is that this is my last day.”

我在网上读到了这么个故事:

一个年轻人经过了山头,遇到了一位老者正在忙着种棵杏仁树。

年轻人知道杏仁树要很多年才会开花结果,就建议老者:“我很惊讶见到你这么大了年纪的人,竟然会种这么棵很慢成长的树。”

老者答到:“我生活喜欢基于两个原则;一、我将会永远活着。二、今天是我活着的最后一天。”

Hakuin and the baby – just the way it is

By Drawing and artwork, Wisdom
Hakuin and the baby - by CJ

Hakuin and the baby - by CJ

There was a monk named Hakuin (白隠 慧鶴) who was well respected for his work among the people.

In the village, there lived a young woman, the daughter of the food sellers. The young woman became pregnant by her boy friend who worked nearby in the fish market. When the parents found out about this, they were very angry and pressured her to reveal the name of the father. She wanted to protect the young man and blurted out the name of Hakuin as the father.

After the baby was born, the parents took the baby to Hakuin. They told Hakuin that he was responsible for the baby and left the infant with him. He responded: “Is that so?” And he simply accepted the responsibility for the child without further reaction.

The monk had no experience with babies. But he began to care for its needs, finding food, clothing, and warm shelter. The other villagers became very angry with Hakuin for his offense and his reputation was trashed. In addition, his disciples left him. These comments did not affect Hakuin, who continued to put his effort and attention into the care of the baby.

After several years, the young woman was filled with remorse. She confessed to her parents the name of the true father –  the real father was not Hakuin but rather a young man who worked at the local fish market. They immediately went to see Hakuin, apologized, and took the baby back with them. Hakuin watched as they returned to there home with the child he had cared for since birth and replied “Is that so?”

Comments:

“Is that so?” reflects the acceptance of what the moment brings. Acceptance in the sense that one responds appropriately to the situation with a calm mind and spirit. There are no calls of fairness or unfairness, of being experienced in the task or not, of complaining about a lost reputation, of wishing that it were different. The needs of present are simply addressed.

More than the physical situation, it is the spirit of the monk’s mind at the initial instant that the situation arises that makes his actions so compelling. It is not passive acceptance; there is direct action here. The calm mind allows effort to be fully directed to the situation without dispersal of energy.

The same tasks of caring for the baby could also be done with resentment or a turbulent mind. Then, there is room for fairness and unfairness, complaining and wishing it were different. Same tasks, but the energy is completely different.

All of these stories are about the reader, not a fiction story about the monk. The situation may be one at work, home, or with a friend that brings the same apparent unfairness and inconvenience to an individual at the moment. Responding with a calm or turbulent mind makes all the difference.

The calm spirit is within the potential of all humans.

[source: http://workingwithinsight.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/the-monk-hakuin-and-the-baby%e2%80%94just-the-way-it-is/]

The life of a Mexican fisherman

By Photography, Wisdom
The life of a Mexican fisherman

The life of a Mexican fisherman

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get those?” he asked.

“Not so long,” said the Mexican.

“Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and feed his family.

“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York! From there you could direct your whole enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty — perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

[source: http://www.trackthetime.com/fun/story-of-the-mexican-fisherman]

Missing cows

By Drawing and artwork, Wisdom
Missing cows by CJ

Missing cows by CJ

This is the story I read from a book:

A wise man was walking with his students. As they passing by a village, a farmer who seemed very worry and distressed, headed towards them.

He stopped then asked the wise man, “Have you seen a kine cows on your way here?”

“No, sorry to say I did not see any.” the wise man answered.

“Sigh, I am the most unlucky person in this world. These cows are the only assets I have and they are all gone missing now. I have been seeking for days yet I couldn’t find them. How am I going to live on without them?” said the farmer sadly.

“…I am really the most unlucky person in this world. Sigh..” he continued to seek for the cows.

The wise man then turned to his students and said, “You are lucky that you do not own any cow.”