Buddhist Stories

Hello BUDDYies (:

Here are a few Buddhist Stories found on the internet. They are all very inspiring, and each have their own meaning behind them (:! Read it with patience, and remind yourself of who you are and what the Buddha has taught us. Some of these stories are from Zen Buddhism, Theravada, and Mahayana. It does not matter that much, because it's the values that matters (:

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THE SIEVE AND WATER

The Zen master and his disciple made their way across the sand to the shore. The disciple carried a cup and a sieve. At the water's edge, they stood on a rock, the sea breaking around them in great, frothy swirls. 'Show me how you would fill the sieve with water,' the master said. The disciple stooped and filled the cup with water. He poured it into the sieve. Cup after cup he poured into the heart of the sieve but no matter how quickly he poured, only the smallest remnant caught in the bottom. Even that soon formed a drop and was swallowed in the vastness of the ocean. All the time the master watched, saying nothing. In the end, the disciple faced the master and shrugged. The task was hopeless. Now, the master spoke: 'It is thus with the life of the spirit also,' he said. 'So long as we stand on the rock of I, of myselfness, and seek to pour the divine life into that shell, so certainly shall that life escape us. This is not the way to fill a sieve with water, nor the human spirit with the life of the divine.'

Then the master reached out his hand and took the sieve from the hand of the disciple. He thrust his arm far behind him then launched the sieve as far as he could, out into the face of the deep. For a moment, it lay glinting in the morning sunlight on the face of the water. Then it slipped far below. 'Now, it is full of water,' the master said. 'It will always be so. That is how you fill a sieve with water and the spirit with divine life. You throw the myself, the I, far out and away to sink into the deep sea of the divine life.'

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FOUR THINGS THAT WILL NOT LAST

There was once when the Buddha was discoursing for his Bikshus in Jetvana Vihara. A young Brahman with a sullen face came scurrying in to pay the Buddha homage before saying:"Buddha! Kindly help me solve two of the most troubling happenings I have ever encountered to ease my sorrow."

" Young Brahman! What is troubling you?"

" Buddha! The first concerns my pretty and clever daughter who was only fifteen when she died a few days ago as a result of a serious illness. The second concerns my wheat crop, which was all ready to be harvested but was consumed by a fire that broke out in the fields. All that I have toiled for have been lost within a matter of days. How can I not be driven to the brink of madness? In my lethargic and sorrowful state, I was told that the Buddha could alleviate all afflictions. So I have now come to seek the Buddha's help."

The Buddha took pity on him, and said:" Young Brahman! Do not be miserable. All this is predetermined karma which is unsalvable by human power. Everything in this world is subject to the law of impermanence. There is never a banquet which does not disband, a flower which does not wither, and a leaf which does not fall. It is the same with all natural phenomena and everything else in life. There are four things on earth that will not last: 1. All things that come into being are impermanent. 2. Where there is wealth, there will be poverty. 3. Those who come together will have to separate. 4. Even the strong will have to grow old and die of sickness."

The young Brahman listened attentively, and contemplated on every word that the Buddha said.

The simple words of the Buddha had inspired the young Brahman's perception of the unpredictability of impermanence. The light of the Buddha had cast its beam onto the young Brahman's mind, and his troubles had all at once dispersed. He shaved off his hair and beard, and vowed to follow the Buddha to become a Bikshu so that he could practise on the liberation from defilements as well as work for the deliverance of others.

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A COMPLETE PERSON

One day, the Buddha discoursed: " You have to be a complete person. A complete person needs to have compassion, wisdom, right views, be in accord with appropriate conditions, socially harmonious, positive and open. You must never be an incomplete person."

His followers then asked: " What are incomplete persons?"

The Buddha said: " Incomplete persons are:

1. unhappy when they should be happy.
2. indifferent when they should laugh.
3. unkind when they should be kind.
4. reluctant to practise the good even though they realise what is good.
5. unashamed of doing bad."

Sariputra exclaimed: " Buddha! Whenever I preached the Dharma, there would always be some people who would not look at me in attention. Even when the others were delighted and enthusiastic, they would still appear uninterested and emotionless. Are they to be considered incomplete persons?"

The Buddha said: " Yes! These are people who are unconcerned about words of good and who therefore are incomplete people. They usually have defects in their personalities, which make them isolated and difficult to integrate. Very often, they will spend a lifetime in misery. For a person to be happy, he would have to enjoy and laugh when he should, be kind when he should, practise the good when he learns about it and correct his wrongs when he is aware of them. This would make him a complete person."

His followers finally understood the meaning of the five kinds of incomplete persons.

We can tell whether a person is progressing by seeing if he cares about advice on being good. Buddhism originally teaches the riddance of attachment. But if words of good are being ignored and not taken to heart, it is like a stubborn disease which could not be cured by even the best medicine. This kind of people are the incomplete ones.

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THEY ARE NOT YOURS

The Buddha once came to propagate in the city where the father of Yasodhara was chieftain. As the Buddha had deserted Yasodhara to learn the Way, her father hated the Buddha for it. He ruthlessly blocked the Buddha's path on his round of alms in the city to obstruct the Buddha's begging. In abusive language, he said to the Buddha:" Aren't you ashamed to come to my city for your alms? I am going to order all my citizens to ignore you.You have abandoned your country, your father and your wife to cultivate in madness. Although there is plentiful store of food in my city, it cannot be given to someone who disregards his country, his father and his wife. I order you to leave this place at once!"

The Buddha was not at all angry at his behaviour, but only explained in kindly manner:" Please do not condemn me. From what you have said, I know there is some misunderstanding. My renunciation to search for the Way does not amount to abandonment of my country, my father and my wife. In fact, I have assumed the world as my country and all sentient beings as my family. I have accomplished all the merits and wisdom of the Awakened One. The universe and I are one, and my compassion pervades everywhere. As chieftain of this place, you should love and care for your people; and as Buddha of this world, I have to look after all sentient beings. I can appreciate your reasons for attachment to personal love, but in the face of the Truth as represented by the Buddha, you should discard these reasons. Just think clearly and carefully, and you will realise that the city is not actually yours, nor is the store of food for your own use. What you really own are the deeds of good and evil. The citizens and food supply will eventually be gone, but your actions and the karma they effect will always be following you close behind."

Yasodhara's father was not awakened by these words of the Buddha. Although his rudeness had been completely accomodated by the Buddha's compassion, the karma he generated could not escape the law of cause and effect.
He met his sudden death within seven days of this incident.

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these are a few short stories I got off from the internet. I'll just put up these for now, if you like them and would like to learn more about Buddhist Stories, visit : http://www.buddhisteducation.co.uk/stories.htm
and
http://www.sln.org.uk/storyboard/l1.htm

the second link has a few good stories, but mostly are related to taoism. But then, there's still nothing wrong with that, (: visit it anyway.

I hope you're having a good week (: And if you're not, I'm sure it'll turn better soon.

see you next Sunday (: