The Spiral Shells Who Mend The Ship

Hang Zhou is a scenic place in China. During Qing Dynasty (the lastdynasty of China, 1644-1911) there was a kind-hearted person named Run Qepang. Ever since  Run Qepang was young he was very kind and he treasured little animals immensely. 

He also had an ambition of setting captured animals free. Regularly, he did the hard work of going to the banks of the streams or deep in the mountains to release captured animals. The animals he set free were mostly spiral shells and little fishes. 

He always advised people to set these two types of animals free. Once there was a little kid who asked him, 

"Uncle Ru n, why do you advise people to set free spiral shells and fishes free?" He replied with a smile, 

"Oh! It is because spiral shells and fishes are cheap to buy, but when you set them free you will have saved countlesslives." 

Therefore as long as  Run Qepang  saw people selling spiral shells and little fishes in the market, he always bought them and set them free. Not only did he continue his blessed actions, but also he urged people tofollow him. 

In the year of Kong Xi (name of first of emperor of Qing Dynasty) Geng Sheng (the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Braches, a way of calculating years in old China, ed.), because Run Qepang was out on business, he was on board a ship by passing Fu Chun. Unfortunately the bottom of the ship wass truck by a submerged rock. The ship was in the middle of the river and the water was rising through the hole struck by the rocks. Soon the ship would be sink. Run Qepang was panicked and, he thought, "Alas! This time perhaps I will die." 

At the critical moment, suddenly there was a disturbance from the bottom of the ship. Carefully they looked at it, the water had stopped pouring in. Run Qepang felt that it was unusual. When the ship was onshore, only then did they find out that there were countless spiral shells, layer upon layer, they had used their bodies to fill out the hole. 

In addition, there were thousands of little fishes helping the shells by the sides of the ship. This extraordinary situation made all eyewitnesses admit that it was the first time in their lives that they had ever seen such a marvellous spectacle. 

Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 35-36, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proofread by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2537 1st Lunar Monththe 1st (1993/1/23), Sydney.

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The Soft-shell Turtle Who Cures Ailments

 
Once upon a time there was a couple whose surname was Zhang. They liked eating soft-shell turtle very much. One day they bought a huge soft-shell turtle and gave it to the young maid called Ape, 

"Ape! Kill this soft-shell turtle. This time we want to eat a barbecued one, pay attention todo your best!" 

Ape had never been fond of killing. However, it was hard for her not to obey the command of the master. Therefore having no way out, she started to sharpen the knife in the kitchen. The knife became sharper and sharper. Ape gazed at the soft-shell turtle. She saw it looking at her with its eyes begging her not to kill. 

Suddenly Ape felt that she did not have the heart to kill it. Therefore she secretly took the soft-shell turtle and set it free in the river. Then she told the master a lie of good-will, 
"I'm sorry, it was me who didn't look well after the soft-shell turtle and now it is missing. Please forgive me." 

Hearing that the master was outraged, 

"How could you be so careless! Where were your eyes? How could you lose such a big soft-shell turtle? Iam really disappointed! Without any cause you let us lose a beautifulmeal! Alas!" 
Not long after suddenly Ape suddenly fell severely ill and it seemed that she was dying. Mr. and Mrs Zhang saw no sign of her recovery, so they called people to take her home. However, those people threw her on the river bank near her home and went off. 

At midnight, a big soft-shell turtle suddenly emerged from the water, carrying wet mud, the sort-shell covered Apes body with the mud. Originally Ape had a temperature all over her body. But then she felt her body become so much cooler and she recovered in no time. When Ape went back to her master's place, everyone was so surprised that no one could say a word. 

"What was the matter?"

Apê told the story of how the soft-shell turtle helped her to cure thedisease. The master only half-believed her so they went to look for the sort-shell turtle. Consequently they discovered that it was the one they had lost. The whole family was deeply moved by this incident. The couple hugged Ape and said, "Fortunately you set free the soft-shell turtle so that we will not continue to make mistakes. Ape, from now on we swear we will not eat soft-shell turtles any more." 


Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 31-33, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2537 1st Lunar Monththe 27th (1993/02/18), 16:00, Sydney.

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The Legend Of The Sparrow

 
"You don't need to be worried about my illness. I believe I will recovergradually." 

Laying in bed, Mrs. Fan, who had been very sick for months, was saying in a weak voice to her husband. Mr. Fan patted her with his hand and comforted her, 

"You're my wife, I must think of a way to help you recover from the illness. And I still hope that you will give birth to a son for me." 

"Ge! Ge! Ge!" 

Mrs. Fan kept coughing for a few times. 

"See! Your illness is getting worse, how can I not be worried about you? Right, yesterday I requested a prescription from Daoist Fang (people who practise Daoism). Let us try it." 
Mr. Fan stood up and went to get the prescription as soon as he had said that. 

"What prescription?" 

"Em! The prescription says that we need to keep 100 sparrows. Everydaywe have to feed them infused-herb rice. After 21 days of feeding them we kill them and eat their brains." 

"What? Eat the brains of 100 sparrows? No! No way! This is too savage, I cannot eat them." 
Mrs. Fan shook her head to imply her disapproval. 


"What is savage or not savage? You have to eat anything to recover. Furthermore Daoist Fang told me this prescription is very effective." 

Mr. Fan did not agree with Mrs. Fan's opinion. He went downtown alon eand brought back 100 fat sparrows. He kept them in a cage. Then Mr. Fan he quickly went to the Chinese herb chemist to buy the infused-herd rice. Laying in bed, Mrs. Fan heard the twittering of the sparrows. She knew of her husband's determination. She could not help sighing, "Alas!" Mrs. Fan continued to think, 

"No! Normally I couldn't be hard-hearted enough to carelessly step on an ant. Now we're going to kill 100 livesparrows just to save my life, how could I have the heart to do it? 100lives!!" 

As Mrs. Fan was thinking, she made an effort to walk and crawled to the courtyard. She opened the sparrows' cage, and set the 100 sparrows free. When Mr. Fan took the herbs back home and saw the empty cage, he kne wthat his wife did not want to eat. So he could not help but let it go. 
Strangely enough, however, since Mrs. Fan set free all of the 100 sparrows,her mind was unusually calm and comfortable. 

So she started to recover slowly. Even more extraordinary, one year later Mrs. Fan gave birth to afair and fat baby boy. Mr. Fan could not help but keep laughing and holding the baby and showing it to his wife, 

"See, our son is so lovely!" 

To their astonishment, at the same time both of them discovered - that there were many black spots on their baby's both arms. And the shapes of the spots resembled to the shapes of the sparrows exactly. My dear reader, what do you think of this phenomenon?(thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư viện Hoa sen)


Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 27-30, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua(R.O.C Year)76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2537 1st Lunar Monththe 27th (1993/02/18) 11:45, Sydney.

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The Astute Dog

 
This is an extraordinary story that happened in the reign of the QingDynasty (the last dynasty of China, 1644-1911). In Wu Town of T¢ng Countythere was a family who raised a dog named Lai Fu. 

Lai Fu was a lovely dog. His hair was curly and he had a pair of bigblack sparkling eyes. Everyone who saw him adored him. Not only did the family love him, but also the children living around cherished him as well. Lai Fu not only looked lovely, was also very clever. 

He knew manytricks, which included looking after the house for the master, holding the vegetable basket in his mouth when the family members went to the market,and accompanying the little master Ah Hui to play with a ball. 

"Lai Fu roll the ball here quickly." 

"Hm, Lai Fu is very well-behaved" 

Truly  Lai Fu had been bringing happiness to the whole family. However,there was something very unusual; every midnight he mysteriouslydisappeared, when he returned home the next morning his whole body was soaking wet. One day the master finally discovered this phenomenon, so he secretly followed Lai Fu to find out what on earth  Lai Fu had been doing. He was very angry when he discovered the truth. 

So the story was: Every midnight Lai Fu secretly ran out of the house,swam across the river to a family living on the other shore. At night he kept watch over that family and went home at dawn. When the master knew the truth, he scolded Lai Fu angrily, 

"What a little dog without any conscience! We give you food to eat, how can you at night keep watch over someone else? If you do this again, I am not going to keep you any more." 
Upon hearing this, Ah Hui quickly came and said some fine words to defend Lai Fu, 

"Papa, please do not scold him any more, he will not do it again", 

Ah Hui continued, 

"Right, Lai Fu?" 

Lai Fu behaved as a little child who had made a mistake, bowing his headall the time and murmuring under his breath. It seemed that he admitted he was wrong. That night the master had a dream. He saw Lai Fu turned into a beautiful little boy. 

"Please forgive me, I did not do it on purpose. Because I owe money to the family, I have to go there to keep watch over then at night for them. I still owe them 13 wasn qaan (cash, unit of money to measure copper coins in old China, Ed.) When I finish paying my debt, I will not go there anymore, okay? I will certainly repay you for your kindness." 

The next day the master placed 13 wan qaan around Lai Fu's neck. Lai Fu quickly went to the family on the other shore, threw the money into their window, and sped off home. From then on, Lai Fu always was well-behaved and looked after the house. He never went anywhere. 

One summer's day Ah Hui took Lai Fu to go swimming in the river. Ah Hui was enjoying himself in the water while Lai Fu  was watching with interest. As Ah Hui played his legs suddenly became numb, "Oh no, my legs..." As soon as he had said that he swallowed couple mouthfuls of water. 

He would have drowned soon. Lai Fu who was on the bank jumped into the river with a splash, swam with all his might towards his little master. Holdingthe boy's pants in his mouth, he swam towards the bank. 

Then he quicklyran back to the house to inform the family. He saved Ah Hui's life. After this event, the good reputation of ",Lai Fu the astute dog" spread all overthe village. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư viện Hoa sen)


Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 23-26, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2536 1st Lunar Monththe 21th(1993/02/12)16:00 Sydney.

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The Story of A Stupid Boy

"Alas! What a stupid son I have! I am worried that he will not be ableto preserve all of the property if I hand down to him. There was a wealthy man who was very astute and capable. However, he had a son who was very stupid and good-at-nothing. Hence the wealthy man had been very distressful. 

One day he was again sat down in the living room and sighed. His son was sitting opposite to him and was just mindlessly giggling, "Hihi, hehe!!" "Ai", the wealthy man could not help making a sigh. Then the family old maid came in and said, 
"Master, there's a monk looking for you for donation." 

The wealthy man had been a person who knew how to respect the Buddhists. Therefore upon hearing that, he said, 

"Please invite him in immediately." 

Soon an old monk who looked very compassionate came in. The wealthy man very politely requested him to sit down. The old monk did not sit down. Instead he directly walked towards the stupid son and looked at him. Then the old monk slowly touched his head for a few times and said, 

"In fact,this child is very clever and is good at studying. It's a pity that there's too much killing in your home. And this prevent him from being clever." 
He left without looking back when he finished the remarks. There left the wealthy man to think of the remarks of the old monk, 

"The old monk was right. Truly our family have been consuming big fishes and much meat without stopping. Also we always throw dishes away when we cannot finish them. And every festivals we will have delicacies from land and sea. Perhaps it has been because we have been slaughtering many animals at home that resulted in having an idiotic son." 

From then onwards, the wealthy man changed himself completely - The wholefamily started to become vegetarian. He banned anyone to take all liveanimals into the kitchen. In addition, he spent much money to buy animalsto release them in the wild as a work of merit. Thus he had been doing for many years. 

Suddenly one day the stupid son of the wealthy man ran to the father held his stomach and shouted, 

"Papa, my stomach's aching and I want to vomit." 

The wealthy man was very worried. He was just about to invite a doctor to treat his son when the son started to vomit some "black liquid". Everyone was astonished upon seeing it. However, the stupid son became very intelligent since then. No longer anidiot any more, he mastered anything he learnt in no time. The wealthy man was very happy so he let his son studied. Finally the son attained the best results in the government examination. This confirmed what the oldmonk had said before. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư viện Hoa sen)

Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 17-19, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2537 1th Lunar Monththe 8th(1993/1/30), Sydney.

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The Flies Who Paid A Debt Of Gratitude

 
During China's Sai Dynasty (A.D.581-618) in the busy capital city there lived a ordinary person whose name was Mr. Wang Wu. He made wine and he made a living out of it. 

Although Wang Wuwas an ordinary person, he was very compassionate. For instance, when he made wine there were many flies who were greedy of the fragrance of the wine. Thus they often fell down into the wine cask and nearly got drowned. Then Wang Wu would carefully drained the flies and dried them up with ash. When the flies woke up and were able to fly, he released all of them as a work of merit. 

One thing that's worth praising was that this virtues did not end in five minutes. Instead it continued day after day, month after month and year after year. He persisted in his virtues without stopping. 

One year misfortune came as someone lodged a false accusation against him. Wang Wu was very worried as he saw the day of execution was nearing. "Honestly I am innocent, but what can I do?" 

However, a miracle happened. When the executioner was just about to write the execution statement, suddenly there came millions of flies who risked their lives to seize the head of the brush pen. Therefore the executioner could not write anything. It would not have been extraordinary when it happened once. 

Whenever the executioner started to write, the samething happened again and again. The officer then could not refrain from asking himself, 

"What'shappening? I have been an executioner for years and I have never encountered anything like this. Perhaps someone has laid an unjust charge against him? I'd better ask my superior to investigate the case." 

Because of the flies' rescue, Wang Wu finally regained his life from 'the gate of the hell'. 
After careful investigation of Wang's case by the superior,Wang Wu was proved innocent and eventually he was released. From then on Wang Wu went back to his normal and happy life.  (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source Thư viện Hoa Sen)

 
Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 14-16, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2537 1st Month the4th(1993/01/26), 19:02, Sydney.

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The Eleven Pigs

 
Once upon a time in Yongzhou (China) there lived a butcher whose surnamewas Zhang. Everyday he would kill a pig to supply the demand for the people who lived around him. However, slaughtering pigs was an act of killing sentient beings Therefore he often thought of making a living out of other profession, 

"Em, I should change my profession! There are many jobs I can do out of'360 professions'. Why should I be a butcher? My knife has to kill a pigand "dye red" each day. If I kill 30 pigs each month then I will have killed 360 pigs every year. It's terrible whenever time I think about it." 
However, 'Butcher Zhang' had a family to feed. Slaughtering pigs was a profession that he could made money with ease. 

Therefore his thought of changing profession became replaced by another thought. He would reassured himself, 

"Oh well, well! Changing profession is not that easy, is it? Furthermore it isn't me who like killing pigs. It's other people who liketo eat pork. Otherwise who'll I sell to when I kill them? Even though Iincur bad retribution, those who eat pork should also share theresponsibilities with me as well. Also we keep pigs because we want to eat them, don't we?!!" 

Since he had to arrive at the morning market early, and also pigs made tremendous noise when he killed them, therefore he chose to slaughter the min the dawn. Butcher Zhang also had a habit which he had been keeping upfor years. That was: Every morning as soon as he heard the bell rang from the nearby Buddhist temple, he would get up and slaughtered a pig. This habitual action had never changed. However, one day he got up late. Later he found out that the temple did not ring the bell at all in that morning. 

When the butcher went to the pig-shed he discovered the mother pig he was going to kill gave birth to 11 sucking-pigs in the morning. Everyone of them was so fat and already they were leaning so close to the mother and suckling for milk. How lovely they were! He felt the event was extraordinary. 

Therefore he went to the temple. The abbot of the temple told him, 

"I had a dream last night. I dreamed of 11 children who knelt down to beg me to save the life of their mother. 

I asked them how I could save her. They replied it was very simple. All I needed to do was not to ring the bell." 

Eleven children? Eleven pigs? Suddenly the butcher understood the relationship between them. He threw the knife he killed the pigs into the river. Eventually he determined to change his profession. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư viện Hoa sen)

Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 8-10, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, Mang Gua (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2536 12th Month the28th(1993/1/20) 23:45, Sydney.

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The Young Monk Who Saved The Ants

 
Once upon a time in the deep mountains forest there lived an old monk and a young monk. The old monk was a great practitioner of Buddha-dharma and was frequently in deep meditation. 

Normally when he started meditation,it could last for half a day or one full day. In addition, during his meditation he would know what was going to happen in the future. 

One day, the old monk meditated again. Suddenly he found out that his little disciple was going to pass away in eight days. Therefore the old monk called the young monk and said, 

"My child, I am going to give you an eight-day holiday so that you can go home to see your mother and father." 

"Really? That's very good, thank you Shifu. 

In fact, lately I have been feeling quite homesick too." 

"However, you must remember to come back here by the eighth day." 

"Okay, Shifu, please take care of yourself. I am leaving now." 

"Go home now!" 

Delightedly the young monk went down the mountains, without realising that in the eyes of the old monk, there was sadness and a sense of reluctance to see him leave. After a long walk, the young monk stopped at the bank of the stream to drink some water as he was getting thirsty. 

Then he saw there was an ant cave in which countless ants were going into and out of it. He stayed to observe for a while with interest. When he was just about to leave, 

"Oh! Why is the water level of the stream is rising? Oh no!! The ants will be drowned!!" 

The reason was it had been raining upstream for a few days continuously. Therefore the water level downstream was starting to rise. 

He quickly took off his cloth and he put some hard soil in it to made up a protection wall along the cave. Not only did he managed to stop water from covering the cave, but also skilfully diverted the flow of the waterto somewhere else. 

Hence he saved the lives of countless ants. Eight days passed quickly. The old monk was strolling in the mountains forest sadly. Suddenly from a distance, he saw the little monk coming back upto the mountains cheerfully. 

Happily he asked the young monk to recount what he has done in the pass eight days while he had been away. When he pondered on this story he finally understood that because the young monk had saved the lives of countless ants this has caused his fated eight-day life expectancyto lenghten into a long and happy life.This is the merit of cultivating good deeds, however seemingly insignificant they be. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư viện Hoa Sen)

Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 5-7, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, M¡ng Gu¢ (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proofread by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2536 12th Lunar Monththe 28th(1993/01/20) 23:45, Sydney.

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The Old Hen Who Set The Alarm

Once upon a time, in Jiashan of China there lived a person whose surname was Kong. Once Mr. Kong paid a visit to a relative whom he had not seen for a long time.  

They talked and talked until nightfall. Warm-heartedly the relative invited him to stay for dinner. Since they rarely saw each other, the relative attentively prepared thedinner. He wanted to slaughter the old hen whom he had been keeping for years and cook it for Mr. Kong. 

Off he went to the hen-coop and seized the old hen. The old hen drew out her throat and cried like anything when she knew that she was faced with imminent disaster. Upon seeing the pitiful scene, Mr. Kong's sympathy was arouse and so he quickly told his relative, 

"Please don't kill the hen!" 

"But this will make up a dish for you!" 

"Don't worry, I'll eat anything you give me." 

"I should try my best to serve you since we rarely have a chance to get together." 
"Really, you don't have to... I, I..." 

 "C'on, don't say 'I... I...'. Please make yourself at home." 
Mr. Kong gave a gaze at the hen. He saw that her eyes was sad and tears were on the verge of falling off. Suddenly Mr. Kong determined to make a lie of "good-will". 

"The case is,... I have been on vegetarian diet recently." 

"Oh! Really? Why haven't I heard you say that before?" 

"You've forgotten. We haven't seen each other for a long time. 

Really, please don't kill the hen." 

"Alright! Since you are on vegetarian diet, we might as well join you for a vegetarian dinner!" 
It was late after dinner. The relative asked Mr. Kong to stay overnight.Because Mr. Kong was tired, he was soon in his "dream world" as soon as his head hit the pillow. He was sleeping soundly, when suddenly, he felt a peckon the face which woke him up.

He opened his eyes and had a look. There he saw the old hen whom he had saved that evening. Mr. Kong could not help be annoyed. "My old hen, don't disturb me, I want to sleep." Then he went to sleep immediately after he said that. However, the old hen did not listen to him. She again pecked him and woke him up. 

Mr. Kong was becoming very annoyed. So he raised himself and sat on the bed and said to her, "My old hen, you are so ungrateful.I've saved you from being killed today. Yet tonight you aren't even kind enough to allow me a good nights sleep." After rebuking the old hen and as he was just about to lie down on the bed he unexpectedly heard a tremendous noise. 

He was so shocked that he brokeinto a cold-sweat when he was able to look at what had happened. A heavy block of stone had fallen off from the rotten roof beam onto his pillow! Had he been lying down on the bed he would have been killed. Gratefully, he saw the old hen leave and he understood the reason for the old hen's behaviour. 

After this event Mr. Kong really became a vegetarian. He also constantlytold people about this story to persuade his relative and friends to avoid killing.  (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư viện Hoa Sen)

Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 1-4, published by TheWhite Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan, M¡ng Gu (R.O.C. Year) 76 Oct.Translated and proof-read by Forest, Buddhist Calender 2536 1st Lunar Monththe 3th(1993/01/25)01:00 Sydney.

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The kingdom of Kapilavastu

 

































Long, long ago, the continent of India was divided into many small kingdoms.  A great river named the Ganges runs through Central India, and over 2,600 years ago, on the banks of the Ganges was a small, prosperous kingdom named Kapilavastu. 


At the time, the kingdom was ruled by King Suddhodana.  He was a very wise and enlightened man.  His wife, the good Queen Maya, was as gentle as she was beautiful.

King Suddhodana and Queen Maya both longed to have a son who would someday rule the kingdom in their place. 

The Birth of Prince Siddhartha

 Just 2,622 years ago, on a clear, sweet morning on the fifteenth day of the fourth month, Queen Maya was strolling in the gardens of Lumbini.  Everything seemed particularly radiant in the gardens that day.  The Mandara flowers glowed with vibrant colors and blossomed more profusely than ever before.

Queen Maya felt her whole body suffused with ineffable joy.  As she raised her right hand to grasp the branch of a shady tree, a miraculous light shone suddenly all around.  It was at once awesome and beautiful, as if a new sun had risen in the sky.  At that very moment, Prince Siddhartha was born.

According to Buddhist scriptures, the newborn Prince stood up at once and walked seven steps, one finger pointing to the sky, the other to the earth, and said: - “I was born for Englightenment, for the good of all that lives”.

 Asita’s Predictions

 

 On the day the Prince was born, many good omens and signs of peace were seen throughout the land.  King Suddhodana was overjoyed, and named his son “Siddharta” which means “the one whose aim is accomplished”.

There lived in Kapilavastu at t hat time a venerable sage named Asita.  Asita was a hermit who lived in the snowy mountains, and he was known to be a very holy man.  When he heard about the wonderful signs, he came to pay his respects to the new-born Prince.

When he saw the infant, Asita gazed at him intently.  Then he made the following prediction:“In the future, if Siddhartha succeeds you on the throne, he will become a great emperor.  But if he chooses to give up the world and seek enlightenment, he is surely destined to become the Buddha, the Fully Englightenment One.”

 Golden Childhood

 

































Prince Siddhartha was not only a handsome, graceful child, but he was also remarkably intelligent, kind hearted and courteous.  His father, the King, doted on him, and everyone loved and admired the little Prince.

King Soddhadana and Queen Maya showered him with every toy a child could dream of tiny carriages and horses, ships and boats… They also built three magnificent palaces for their son, one for winter, one for summer and one for the rainy season.  

The little Prince Siddhartha spent his childhood in the lap of luxury, with all the pleasures and delights one can possibly imagine

 Wounded Swan

 

 One day as Siddhartha was walking in the garden, a wounded swam fell out of the sky and landed right at the Prince’s feet. 

 Its wing was pierced by an arrow, and the poor swan trembled with pain.  The Prince ran to the wounded swam and gently picked it up.  

He cleaned its wounds with warm water and made a comfortable nest for the swan to lie in.  He even fetched some grains of rice for the swan to eat.

After he had looked after the swan attentively for several days, it grew str3ong again and its wounds healed.  Siddhartha took it out to the garden and set it free, watching as the swan soared away into the vast blue skies.

 Schooldays

 

  






























When Siddhartha was seven years old, his father, the King, sent for a teacher to take charge of the Prince’s education.

His lesson’s covered a wide range of subjects: literature, mathematics, general knowledge and so on…The Prince also learned many subjects usually meant for grown-ups, such as philosophy, medicine and engineering.

He was extremely intelligent and eager to learn, and used to press his teacher with profound and penetrating questions.  

The Prince thus acquired great knowledge, and progressed rapidly in his studies.  Although Siddhartha was still a child, he became widely acclaimed as a brilliant and erudite scholar, and his reputation spread throughout the land.  

Kind Suddhodana was immensely proud of his son, and the Prince’s teachers were unsparing in their praise of this extraordinary pupil.

 Learning Martial Arts

 

































Siddharta was tall and strong, and he loved all kind of sports. So King Suddhodana arranged for a specialist to instruct his son in martial arts. 

Prince Siddhartha became proficient in horse-riding, archery, wrestling and many other sports thanks to his teacher, Nanda.

By the time he was twelve, Siddhartha was an accomplished master of all the martial arts and he surpassed his opponents in all the competitions. 

Everyone in the kingdom admired and revered the valiant young Prince for the exceptional bravery he displayed in all he did.  

Everyone was convinced  that Siddhartha would be a great help to his father in building Kapilavastu into a powerful and prosperous kingdom.

 The Great Sports Contest

 

































The Great Sports Contest had begun.  Princes and young noblemen came from all over the kingdom to take part in the contest and measure their strength. In the archery event, Prince Siddhartha used a blow bequeathed to him by his forefathers. 

The bow was so heavy that not one of the competitors could  even pull back the string.  Yet Siddhartha not only bent the bow with ease, but he shot the arrow with such strength that it continued to fly until it disappeared into space! 

By the end of the contest, Prince Siddhartha had outstripped all the other contestants and carried off the championship with ease.  

King Suprabuddha, the ruler of a neighboring kingdom, was so impressed by Siddhartha’s outstanding abilities that he agreed to let his daughter Yashodhara become the Prince’s bride.

 The Farmlands

 

































In the sweltering heat, with the sun beating down on his bare back, the farmer toiled in the fields with the ox and plough, his body running with sweat. The ox labored to drag the blade of the heavy plough through the hard, arid earth.  

Although the beast pulled and strained to his utmost, tears and sweat mingling with his puffing and panting breath, the farmer kept on lashing him with his whip, pressing the ox to work faster. 

Both man and beast worked hard, each toiling as painfully as the other.  They had no choice, for both had to work to have enough to eat. 

Birds swooped down in search of food, squabbling and fighting with each other to snatch up the worms, grasshoppers and other insects churned up in the  wake of the plough.

 A Visit to the People

 

































Siddhartha sat watching this ruthless struggle for survival and observed how all living beings hurt and kill each other.  Pity welled up in his heart, and he fell  into deep thought, looking for a way to end all sufferings on the earth.

Siddhartha was keenly interested in the daily lives of his people, so one day he went on a visit around the city.  All the people came out excitedly to greet him.  

Some shouted out joyously and others, joining their hands and bowing low, wished the Prince happiness and good fortune.  The little children clapped gleefully and cried:  “Look, the Prince is here!  The Prince is here at last!”

Siddhartha was deeply moved by his people’s welcome, and thought to himself: “I must seek every means to improve each person’s life, create a peaceful society and make sure that my people are always happy and well-fed.” But the Prince wanted to know even more about his people’s daily lives, so he asked his charioteer to drive him outside the citadel’s East Gate.

 The Prince Visits the Four City Gates

 
































As the prince drove out of the East Gate, he met and old man.  The man’s hair was completely white.  He had hardly an teeth and his face was covered with wrinkles.  

Eh leaned on a stick and his bent body trembled as he walked slowly along. The charioteer told Siddhartha:  “This is an old man.”

At the South Gate, the Prince saw a sick person lying by the side of the road, moaning as if on the point of death. His servant said: “This is a sick man.  Any one of us could fall sick like him at any moment.  It can happen to anyone.”

At the West gate, Siddhartha saw a funeral procession.  The death person’s relatives were weeping and lamenting piteously. His servant said:  “Death is end of life.  There is nothing anyone can do to avoid this.” Siddhartha was plunged in sadness.  

He realized that birth, old age, sickness and death were part of a natural law.  All living beings were subjected to this  law, and no-one had ever been able to change it.  No-one, not even the king, could escape or save others from these four terrible misfortunes.

 The Prince Visits the Four City Gates (continue)

 

































Last of all, Siddhartha went to the city’s North Gate.  As he was resting in the shade of a tree, a holy man dressed in simple robes, with a solemn and serene appearance came up to the Prince and said: “I am someone who is seeking the truth.  I try to live a pure, good life and commit no evil deeds.”
 
What is so good about seeking the truth?”

Siddhartha asked the holy man.

“If you are successful in seeking the truth, you can destroy all sufferings such as birth, old age, sickness and death, and attain happiness and freedom forever,” replied the holy man. 

Siddhartha was overjoyed by these words, and swiftly bowed down in thanks to the holy man

 The Prince’s Vow

 

































When he returned from his journey to the city gates, Siddhartha began seeking out quiet places in the palace or park to meditate alone and think of ways to search for anend to all suffering.

One day, the Prince went to his father, the King, and asked permission to leave the palace and become a holy man.  King Suddhodana refused. Siddhartha pleaded with him: “O father, can you save me from the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death? If not, please let me leave home and seek deliverance from  suffering!”

Fearing that the Prince would try to escape from the palace to carry out his vow, King Siddhodana summoned five hundred extra guards to keep watch day and night, and began preparations fro Siddhartha to succeed him on the throne within the next seven days.

 The Prince becomes a Monk

 

































Siddhartha began to see that the world was like a burning house, consumed by the flames of birth, old age, sickness and death.  

Everyone, whatever their rank or birth, could fall victim to these afflictions at any moment.  The Prince decided that he must give up his princely life and leave home to search for a way to conquer all suffering and discover the means of salvation for himself and for the world.

So one night, when the whole palace was plunged in a deep sleep, Siddhartha summoned Channa, his companion, and Kanthaka, his faithful horse, and  slipped silently out of the citadel…

Before he rode off into the night, the Prince wished all his loved ones happiness and made this vow.  “Until I discover the way to overcome all suffering, I shall not return to this fair palace.”
From then on, Siddhartha began his life as wandering ascetic.  He was then twenty nine years old

 Very Strange Hermits

 


































The Ascetics’ Forest was a spacious, wooded area where many hermits and holy men lived.  They practiced many different spiritual disciplines, all of which were very strange indeed.  

Some worshipped the sun, others venerated water or fire.  Some dressed themselves only in leaves and slep on a bed of thorns, others keep silent for days on end…These hermits believed that by punishing their bodies in this life, after death they would be reborn into a world of bliss and be happy forever…

Although Siddhartha was a newcomer to the Forest, he did not hesitate to show these strange hermits that their aims and harsh practices were mistaken.  

They might attain paradise and find happiness during the period of one life-span, but they would inevitably fall back into the infinite cycle of birth and rebirth.  When their happiness in paradise was spent, they would continue on the never-ending path of birth and death.

To escape from the cycle of rebirth and attain happiness forever, the only way is to purify oneself and eliminate all greed, hatred and lust.  This is the fundamental objective of Buddhism.  (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)


Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Triple Jewel: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

 


































Lord Buddha was a truly Holy Man. His personality, his actions and his whole life make him worthy to be an example to each and every one of us.

The Dharma is the teaching of Lord Buddha.  It explains to us the way to stop doing evil and be kind, how to save people from suffering and be helpful to  others.

The Sangha is the community of Buddha’s disciples.  In other words, it is the order of monks and nuns, people who lead a religious life devoted to the study and practice of Buddhism.  Thanks to these people, Buddhism will continue to spread and be passed down from generation to generation.

The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are called the Triple Jewel.  People who take refuge in the Triple Jewel are healthy, happy and serene, and their joy continues from this life into the next. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 BUDDHA'S STORY
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Consequences of Wastefulness

 

































Long ago, there lived a very rich man who lead a wasteful and squanderous life.  

He was so extravagant and profligate that the waste-pipe leading out of his house was full of grains of white rice A Buddhist monk who lived nearby was so shocked by this wastefulness that he made a habit of fishing the rice out of the drainpipe, drying it in the sun and storing it away.  As time passed, the monk accumulated quite a large quantity of rice. 

A few years later, the rich man met with bad luck and lost all his fortune.  

He became so poor that he and his family had to beg for food. One day, the man and his wife came to beg at the pagoda.  

The Buddhist monk who was once their neighbor gave them all the rice he had collected over the years and explained where he had found it.  

The rich man and his wife were deeply ashamed, and truly regretted their squanderous lifestyle.
(thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)


BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Ants who were Rescued from the Floods

 

































Once upon a time in a small village, there was a tall tree growing on the bank of a stream.  At the foot of the tree was a large anthill.  

One rainy day, the water level suddenly rose.  Taken totally by surprise, the panic-stricken ants worked frantically to evacuate the colony and save everyone from drowning. 

While one team of ants set about transferring their eggs, another group carried off the provisions  A little boy was watching the ants frenzied efforts and took pity on them.  

He found a large leaf and placed it across the stream to make a bridge.  Thanks  to this makeshift bridge, all the ants crossed safely to the other bank.  

Not one was drowned or wounded on the way. The whole colony of ants was delighted, and warmly thanked the little boy for his kindness. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com -  Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

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Di Das Foolishness

 

































Di Da was a real busybody, a boy who loved scheming and gossiping about other peoples affairs.  

Because of this, nobody liked him at all.  Whenever people saw Di Da coming, they hurriedly turned the other way, or drove him out of their path.  

Nobody wanted to be his friend.  This made Di Da very miserable and lonely. The Buddha used this example to explain to people:

-“It is not right to gossip about other people.  Indeed, it is a foolish thing to do, because it harms other people and makes us unhappy at the same time. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com -  Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Baby Peacock

 

































Before going out to find food for her family, Mother Peacock carefully instructed Baby Peacock to stay indoors and never wander outside the house. 

But no sooner had his mother gone that Baby Peacock forgot her good advice, and went out to play with his friends. 

The carefree young peacocks picked fruit from the bushes, drank water from the brook, romped happily on the green hillsides and had great fun together. But as you might guess, the hunters soon came along and caught the little runaways one and all.

Only then did Baby Peacock realize his mistake.  He sobbed his heart out and was truly sorry.  

But harm was already done.  It was too late for regrets! 

This story explains the old adage: Fish thats unsalted goes rotten and bad, 

Children who don't heed their mom or their dad Are spoiled for ever, Oh, isn't that sad! (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Good Behavior during Sermons

 

































Once, a Bikkhu (monk) was explaining Buddhist Sutras in the lecture hall.  Everyone listened attentively in complete silence. 

Just then, the Buddha arrived.  He waited quietly outside the door until the Dharma talk was over, not wishing to make a noise or create a disturbance. 

In the same way, when we listen to Dharma talks, sermons or prayers, we should pay attention, keep silent and not chatter with each other. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)


BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Little Bird that Saved The Burning Forest

 

































There was once a terrible fire raging in a forest.  One little bird was lucky enough to escape.  

But he could not help thinking of his father, mother, brothers, sisters and all his family and friends caught behind in the flames, and his heart was torn with grief. 

So the little bird flew to the river and plunged into the water until his feathers were completely soaked.  

Then he flew back to the forest, and, summoning all the strength in his tiny body, shook his wings and showered droplets of water on the blazing flames. 

Back and forth the little bird flew, mindless of his own exhaustion and fearless of danger, struggling with all his heart to beat the fire. 

The little birds compassion and selfless ness were so moving that heavens opened and torrential rains poured down on the forest.  

In an instant, the fire was quenched. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)


BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Woman who Abducted Children

 

































Many, many years ago there was a woman who made her living by abducting children. 

The Buddha heard about his woman and decided to teach her a lesson by abducting her own child.  When the woman came home and found her child missing, she was distraught with anxiety and wept bitterly.  The Buddha said to the woman:

-See how miserable you are to lose your child.  Now do you understand how others suffer when you take away their children?

The woman immediately realized the error of her ways, and promised the Buddha that, from then on, she would never abduct children again. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Painful Consequences of a Bad Fault

 

































There was once an irascrible tortoise who lived for many years at the bottom of a lake. Once, during a drought, the lake dried up and the tortoise decided to look for a better place to live.  He asked a pair of wild ducks to help him.  

The ducks each took up one end of a branch in their beaks.  They told the tortoise to hold fast to it with his teeth whilst they flew up into the sky and carried him to another place.  Before they set off, the kindly ducks warned the grumpy old tortoise:

 -Once we fly high off the group, whatever you do, don't open your mouth to say a word! However, as they took off, a group of children down below saw the strange sight of the dangling tortoise.   They immediately burst out laughing, clapping their hangs with glee.  

The tortoise was so cross that he opened his mouth to give them a good scolding.  But as soon as his teeth lost grip of the branch, he fell to the earth like a stone, banged his head on a rock and died on the spot. 

So you see, being hasty and hot-tempered in life is a very bad fault that can have terribly painful consequences.  It is a fault we should all try to overcome. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hương Sen)



BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Compassion

 

































The Buddha came into the world to teach all living beings the truth. 

He liked to use old stories and parables to illustrate his teachings. The Buddha always taught us that:

-You must love on another and love all the creatures on this earth. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Faith

 

































Once upon a time, there was a group of merchants who lost their way in the desert.  Stranded amidst the vast sandy wastes, without a drop of water to drink, the merchants became terribly afraid.  

Desperately, they all began to dig a well in the sand in search of water.  But they lacked faith in what they were doing.  

After digging unsuccessfully for a few feet, they abandoned the search and sat down to wail and cry hopelessly.  

Fortunately, amongst the group was a little boy.  Unlike the others, he had great faith and determination.  

The little boy kept on digging deeper and deeper, until suddenly a jet of water gushed out from the sand. 

Everyone was delighted, but very ashamed of themselves for giving up so easily This just goes to show that if you have faith and determination, you will succeed in everything you do. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source:  Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Good Deeds

 

































What are good deeds?

Here are some good deeds that children should do.

-At home, they should respect their elders, honor and obey their parents, love and support their brothers and sisters;

 -At school, they should be courteous to their teachers and helpful to their classmates.  They should pay attention to their teachers, and take good heed of the advice and guidance they receive at school;

 -In their neighborhood, they should be considerate and friendly to all their neighbors.  

When they meet people in need, whoever they may be, children should try to help and comfort them. 

These are simple good deeds that every one of us can do. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Pious Child

 

































San was a very pious child.  He loved his parents very much. But his mother and father were old, so old that they had lost all their teeth and could no longer chew their food.  

Every ay they grew thinner and thinner, weaker and weaker. San felt deeply sorry for his parents, and thought sadly: - If my mother and father are too old to eat, how can they keep on living? 

Then he suddenly had a marvelous idea: 

-I shall dress myself up in deerskin, make myself a deers head and pretend to be a baby deer! 

After that, every day, Deer Boy went up into the mountains to mingle with the wild deer.  

The deer let him take their milk, and every evening, he brought back deers milk to feed his aged parents. 

The Buddha praised San for being such a pious child and finding such a clever way of thanking his parents for their gift of life and love. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source:  Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Buddhist Disciples

 

































There are two kinds of Buddhist disciples or followers.First there are monks and nuns who renounce the world to follow Buddhas teachings.Then there are lay-followers, who practice Buddhism at home.Monks and nuns are people who cut off all worldly ties and leave their homes and families to live austere, secluded lives in a monastery.  They devote their lives to the study and practice of Buddhism.Lay-followers are people who vow to take refuge in the Triple Jewel and observe the precepts taught by Buddha.Monks, nuns and lay-follows all have the duty of spreading the teachings of Buddhism to others. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)

 

BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

 

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Little Ba Ca Gia meets the Buddha

 

































One day, the Buddha came to a village.  He had such a kind and gentle appearance that all the children in the village were immediately attracted to him.  

They jostled with each other to get near the Buddha and talk to him.  The Buddha was strikingly handsome and graceful.  A bright light seemed to radiate from his whole body.  A little boy named Ba Ca Gia was so impressed by the Buddha that he asked: -What must I do to become a Buddha like You?

The Buddha smiled, and answered:

-You must follow my teachings, never be unkind and keep a pure heart. Then you may become a Buddha like me.

Ba Ca Gia was filled with joy, and asked the Buddha to let him become a follower and learn his teachings.

thesoulanyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen



BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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Lord Buddha

 

































Lord Buddha said:

- Everyone can become a Buddha.

He also said:

-To become a Buddha, all you need to do is to stop being unkind and to do good deeds.

People who take heed of Buddhas words and follow his teachings are the happiest, most joyful people.  So, each one of us can become a Buddha some day, if we only try our best to be good and kind. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source:  Thư Viện Hoa Sen)


BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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The Boddhisattva

 
































People who follow and truly practice Buddhas teachings are gentle and kind, and their actions are just. 

They try hard to study the Buddhas teachings and at the same time they put their studies into practice by helping people in need.

We call such people Boddhisattva.

Children who vow to become Buddhists should try hard to study Buddhism and be helpful to others at the same time. Then we shall call them Little Boddhisattva. (thesoulandyou.blogspot.com - Source: Thư Viện Hoa Sen)


BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS
Written in Vietnamese by C.L., Translated into English by P. Faulkner 
and illustrated by Quang Đặng

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