The Two Young Monks
One morning, a master asked two young monks to clean the temple grounds before sunset.T
he first monk grumbled from the moment he began.
"Why do I always get the hardest jobs?"
"This is so unfair."
"I'd rather be meditating than sweeping leaves.
"He complained as he swept, carried water, and scrubbed the stone paths.
The second monk quietly smiled as he worked. He hummed to himself, greeted the birds, and enjoyed the cool morning breeze.
Unable to understand, the first monk finally asked,
"Why are you so happy? Don't you know we have to finish all these chores?"
The second monk smiled and replied,
"If I'm grumpy, I still have to finish the chores.
If I'm happy, I still have to finish the chores.
Since the work is the same either way, I'd rather spend the day happy."
The first monk looked around at the temple grounds.
The work had not changed.Only the way they carried it had.
- oral tradition; no single canonical source
The Other Side of the River
A young seeker climbed a steep mountain in search of peace.
At the summit, he looked across a deep valley.
On the neighboring peak stood another master.
The seeker shouted,
"How do I get to the other side?"
The master cupped his hands and called back,
"You are already on the other side!"
The Man, the Woman, and the Donkey
A man and his wife were traveling with their donkey.
On the first day, they both rode on the donkey's back. As they passed through a village, they overheard people whispering,
"What a cruel couple! That poor donkey has to carry both of them."
So the next day, the man rode the donkey while his wife walked beside him.
When they entered another town, people shook their heads.
"What a selfish husband. He rides comfortably while his wife has to walk."
The following day, they switched places. The wife rode the donkey while the man walked.
Again, the people they met whispered,
"What a careless man. He lets his wife ride alone while he walks behind."
Wanting to avoid criticism, they decided that on the fourth day neither of them would ride. They both walked beside the donkey.
Before long, they heard people laughing.
"What foolish people! They have a perfectly good donkey, yet neither of them rides it."
No matter what they did, someone found fault with their choice.
- ancient folk tradition
The Beggar
One day, a man asked a wise teacher,
"Why do beggars exist? If the world were truly good, wouldn't there be no poverty?"
The teacher replied,
"Tell me, when you give a coin to a beggar, who receives the greater gift?"
"The beggar, of course," the man answered.
The teacher smiled.
"The beggar receives a coin.
But you receive the opportunity to practice generosity.
Without those in need, where would kindness find a place to grow?"
The man stood quietly, looking at the beggar with new eyes.
For the first time, he no longer saw someone who only received.
He saw someone who also gave.
- no definitive ancient source
Everything Is Best
One day, a monk named Banzan was walking through a busy marketplace.
As he passed a butcher's shop, he overheard a customer say,
"Please give me your best piece of meat."
The butcher looked up and replied,
"Everything in my shop is the best. There isn't a single piece of meat here that isn't the best."
The moment Banzan heard those words, he became enlightened.
- Mujū Ichien, 13th century Japan
The Sun, Moon, and Earth Children
Long ago, it is said that humans did not live only on Earth.
Some lived upon the Sun.
Some lived upon the Moon.
Some lived upon the Earth.
The children of the Sun and the Moon were unlike the people of Earth. They had two heads, eight limbs, and great strength. The Earth children had one head and four limbs, just as we do today.
One day, the children of the Sun and the Moon did something that angered Zeus, king of the gods.
To humble them, Zeus split every one of them in half and sent them to Earth.
Ever since, many have wandered the world searching for the half they lost, believing they will become whole once they are reunited.
But the Earth children were never divided.
They came into the world already whole.
- Inspired by Aristophanes' speech in Plato's Symposium.
The Two Travelers
One day, two travelers visited a master.
The first traveler said,
"I am thinking about moving to this town. What is it like?"
The master asked,
"What was your old town like?"
The traveler replied,
"It was a terrible place. The people were unfriendly, dishonest, and difficult to live with. I was glad to leave."
The master nodded.
"You will find this town much the same."
The traveler thanked him and continued on his way.
Later that day, another traveler arrived and asked the same question.
"I am thinking about moving to this town. What is it like?"
Again, the master asked,
"What was your old town like?"
The second traveler smiled.
"It was a wonderful place. The people were kind, welcoming, and generous. I only left because I wanted a change."
The master smiled and said,
"You will find this town much the same."
The second traveler thanked the master and happily continued on his journey.
- An old folk tale found in many cultures
The Mustard Seed
A young mother lost her only child.
Overcome with grief, she carried her child from house to house, begging anyone who would listen to bring him back to life.
At last, someone told her to seek out a wise teacher.
When she found him, she pleaded,
"Please, can you help me?"
The teacher looked at her kindly and said,
"I can help. But first, bring me a handful of mustard seeds from a home where no one has ever experienced death."
Filled with hope, the young mother went from house to house asking for mustard seeds.
Every family was willing to give them.
But each family also shared a story.
One had lost a father.
Another had lost a daughter.
Another had buried a husband.
Another remembered a grandmother.
As the day passed, the young mother realized she could not find a single home untouched by loss.
She returned with empty hands.
- An ancient Buddhist story about Kisa Gotami
The Blind Men and the Elephant
One day, several blind men came upon an elephant for the first time.
Curious to know what an elephant was like, each reached out and touched a different part of the animal.
The first man touched a leg.
"An elephant is like a tree."
The second felt the trunk.
"No, an elephant is like a snake."
The third touched an ear.
"You are both mistaken. An elephant is like a fan."
Another placed his hands on the elephant's side.
"It is like a wall."
Another grasped the tail.
"It is like a rope."
Each man was certain he was right.
Soon they began arguing, each insisting that the others were wrong.
Yet each had touched only one part of the elephant.
- An ancient Indian parable.
The Fair Bargain
A poor woman had a young child who was gravely ill.
Without treatment, her child would die.
A rich man also had a sick child. His child needed a kidney transplant.
The poor woman could not afford her child's treatment. The rich man could afford to pay.
So he offered her a large sum of money in exchange for one of her kidneys.
She agreed.
Some people said,
"It was her choice."
Others said,
"She had no choice."
The rich man could always choose to buy a kidney from someone else.
- Michael Sandel's What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets (2012)
The Other Meaning of Baby's Breath
A young woman loved a soldier.
One day, he left for war.
Months passed.
Then years.
Word finally reached the village that he had died in battle.
She mourned him.
In time, she married again.
Her new husband loved her deeply, and together they built a peaceful life.
Years later, the impossible happened.
The soldier returned home.
He had survived.
He came to the house they once shared and met the wife outside.
They spoke.
The second husband, who was inside the house, learned who the stranger was.
He realized he had unknowingly built his life upon another man's loss.
Not long afterward, a fire broke out in their home.
The second husband remained inside.
Believing he had come between two people who belonged together, he chose not to leave.
When the young woman realized he was still inside, she ran into the burning house to save him.
Seeing her disappear into the flames, the soldier ran in after her.
None of them returned.
Some say baby's breath symbolizes everlasting love.
The other side of everlasting love is eternal separation.
- Source: Unknown movie
Who gets to define a good life?
A dung worm happily worked each day in a pile of dung
A heavenly being took pity on a dung worm.
"You have lived your whole life in dung," the heavenly being said. "Would you like to be reborn as another creature?"
The worm asked,
"If I become a tiger, will I still live in dung?"
"No."
"If I become a bird, will I still live in dung?"
"No."
"If I become a fish, will I still live in dung?"
"No."
The worm thought for a long time.
Finally it said,
"Then I would rather remain a dung worm."
- Inspired by a traditional Buddhist teaching story
Will a Stranger Make It Okay?
A married couple received a mysterious package.
Inside was a small wooden box with a single button.
A note read:
If you press this button, someone you do not know will die.In return, you will receive one million dollars.
The husband wanted nothing to do with it.
The wife could not stop thinking about it.
One day, unable to resist the temptation, she pressed the button.
Moments later, her husband suffered a massive heart attack. He collapsed and died instantly.
The next morning, a man arrived carrying a suitcase containing one million dollars.
The woman burst into tears."I thought you said someone I didn't know would die."
As the man handed her the suitcase, he took back the box.
Then he replied,"Do you really think you knew your husband?"
- Based on "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson (1970)
The Poisoned Arrow
A man was struck by a poisoned arrow.
His friends rushed to his side and called for a physician.
But the man refused treatment.
He said,
"Before anyone removes this arrow, I want to know who shot me.
Was it a man or a woman?
What kind of person were they?
What kind of bow did they use?
What wood was the arrow made from?
What feathers were used?
Why did they shoot me?"
The physician replied,
"If you wait until all those questions are answered, the poison will kill you before the arrow is removed."
- Cūḷa-Māluṅkya Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya 63
Am I Only One Thing?
A young wave was terrified of reaching the shore.
It watched the larger waves crash against the rocks and disappear.
"This is a terrible end," the little wave cried.
Another wave drifted beside it and smiled.
"Do not be afraid," it said.
"You are not a wave."
"You are part of the ocean."
- by Mitch Albom in Tuesdays with Morrie
What If the Majority Is Wrong?
A lost climber stumbled into an isolated valley.
Every person there had been born blind.
The climber tried to explain sight.
He described the sky, the colors of flowers, and the distant mountains.
The villagers laughed.
They believed he was imagining things.
The village doctors examined his strange, moving eyes.
"These lumps are causing his delusions," they said.
"If we remove them, he will be cured."
The climber fled into the night.
- Inspired by "The Country of the Blind" by H. G. Wells.
Which Lens Are You Using?
A man discovered that his prized axe was missing.
He became convinced his neighbor's son had stolen it.
He watched the boy walk down the road.
The boy walked like a thief.
He looked like a thief.
Every word he spoke sounded like a thief.
The next day, the man found his axe.
It had been buried beneath a pile of firewood.
That afternoon, he saw the neighbor's son again.
The boy's walk seemed ordinary.
His face looked honest.
Everything about him appeared completely normal.
- attributed to Liezi (Lieh Tzu)