Friday, July 10, 2009

A Parable

Buddha told a parable in a sutra:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

My Thoughts: The traveler must be a zen monk. He wanted to escape from Tiger but not from death. It is his duty to save his own life. But everyone needs to face death if it comes...need not be afraid of it. The man has done all that he can do to escape from Tiger. Now he only needs to enjoy whatever moment he has got.

In life we are always encountered by problems. We need to do all that can be done from end to overcome it and must be ready to face anything after that. "Live Every Moment!"

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