 | Those Who Lack Compassion - Kindness Testedposted by TeaHouseTimes Admin, ADVERTISER TEA RELATED PRODUCTSThursday, December 10th 2009 @ 7:01 PM |
Those Who Lack Compassion - Kindness Tested*
One day, Sakyamuni went out disguised as a beggar. He knocked on the door of a house and asked for a bowl of rice. “I cook only enough for my husband and myself,” said the housewife coldly. “Then could you offer me a cup of tea?” “Tea is too good for a beggar. Water should be good enough.” “I feel so weak I can hardly move. Will you please fetch me some water?” “Some nerve . . . a beggar ordering people around! There’s plenty of water in the river in front of the house, so go over there and drink to your heart’s content.”
Suddenly Sakyamuni revealed himself and said, “What a merciless person you are! Had you offered me a bowl of rice, I would have given you this iron bowl full of gold. Had you offered me a cup of tea, I would have given it to you full of silver, and had you offered me water, I would have given it to you full of tin. But you have no kindness. No happiness will ever come to you as you are.”
“Oh, Sakyamuni, is it you? Here, please accept an offering.” “I cannot. Charity that expects something in return is mixed with poison. I will not accept anything from you.”
With this, Sakyamuni turned and left. When the woman’s husband came home, she told him the whole story. “You’re so stupid,” he said. “Why didn’t you offer him the bowl of rice in the first place? Then you could have gotten a bowlful of gold in exchange.”
“Believe me, if I’d known that, I’d have given him ten bowls of rice.” “All right, I’ll go after him and give him some rice in exchange for gold,” said the husband, and took off after Sakyamuni. Just as his strength was giving out, he came to a fork in the road. A beggar was crouched by the roadside. “Hey, beggar,” said the husband. “Did Sakyamuni pass by here?” “That I do not know, sir, but . . . I’m so famished I cannot move. Won’t you please give me something to eat?”
“I didn’t come here to feed you. I came for gold.” At that moment, Sakyamuni revealed himself and said: “The husband is no better than the wife. Those who lack compassion will receive no happiness.” “Ah, so you were Sakyamuni all along? It’s you I came here to give this to.” “No. Offerings made for the sake of honor and profit are poisoned. I shall not accept them.” With this solemn reply, Sakyamuni went on his way.
*Taken from Something You Forgot . . . Along the Way - Stories of Wisdom and Learning by Kentetsu Takamori - a Bestseller in Japan. Used by Permission. Ichimannendo Publishing. Distributed in US by AtlasBooks www.atlasbooks.com See Review under Lady Gayle's Picks of The Trade.
From The Tea House Times NovDec09 issue.
