Continuing from the Eastern Stories and Legends, I will continue to look at the biggest messages told in these stories! Again in all of these, it is the Buddha or the Bodisat who is reborn.
Bull That Demanded Fair Treatment: In this story, the Bull is the Bodisat. I wrote this story as part of my portfolio and think the biggest message we can get form it is about respecting everyone around us, people, animals, and things.
The Bull That Proved His Gratitude: In this story again, Bodisat is reborn as a Bull. The bull is brought up by an old woman and to repay his debts to her, he decides to work. However, he gets conned by the caravan owner but is able to get the proper money by standing his ground. I think one lesson we can learn from this story is the importance of being firm in what you belive in and not backing down from your rights.
Horse That Held Out to the End: In this story, the Buddha is a horse. In this story, the horse is sent with a knight to fight for a King. But after a battle, the horse passes away, and the King fives it great respect. I think one lesson we can learn from here is to never give up. The horse lost its life but did not give up in the battle.
The Monkey That Saved the Herd: In this story, Buddha is the King of the Monkeys. In this story, he finds a way to drink water from the lake and not be endangered by the water-orge. I think one lesson to learn from this is to be creative in our approach. If one thing doesn’t work, try something else!
The Mallard That Asked for Too Much: In this story, Buddha is born as a Brahmin who dies and is reborn a Golden Mallard. The widow of the Brahmin plucks the Mallard’s golden feather and they became normal again. One lesson to learn is to not let greed get the best of us, rather be grateful for what we have.
The Merchant Who Overcame All Obstacles: Buddha is reborn into a Merchant’s family in this tail and would cross the dessert for work. It is a version of the story where the three merchants look for water, the Buddha is one fo the merchants. One lesson we can learn from this is in times of despair, always stick together. The merchants were able to eventually find water but if they had gone separate ways, it would have been bad for everyone. So it is better to stick together in hard times.
The Elephant That Was Honored in Old Age: In this story, the Buddha is Prime Minister who gave the Kind an elephant. When the elephant grew old, the king to away his jewels. But the elephant told the Prime Minister and the King gave the jewels back to the elephant.t One lesson we can learn is to not disrespect someone just because they are of no meaning to you. We should be respectful to all people and not be needy in our friendships.
The Faithful Friend: In this story, the Bodisat became his Minister. An elephant loses his dog and the Bodisat helped the King solve the problem of why the elephant was sorrow. I think one lesson to learn is to be understanding other people’s situations and sorrows.
(Many of the tales in these legends has Buddha as the Elephant or incorporated Elpahants as the main character, Image provided by Wikimedia Commons)
Bibliography:
Title: Eastern Stories and Legends
Author: Marie Shedlock
Year: 1920 (originally published in 1910)
Comments
Post a Comment