Buddha Stories for All

  MORAL Learning attitude, Clear comprehension, Guard the sense-doors READABILITY Beginner INTRODUCTION A tortoise being carried through the air by geese! Why did it fall down?

MORAL  Unwillingness to learn essential things; Unteachable READABILITY  Beginner INTRODUCTION A deer which would not come to be taught the tricks of deer, is caught in a trap. REFLECTION The wise sincerely works on the causes, but the fools regret and fear upon the bad results. When sufferings have not arisen, many beings indulge in sensual pleasures and are easily misled by perceptions. Even if the best and most experienced teacher (the deer king) is right in front of us, we do not take the initiative nor are we keen to learn. When we are ready to learn, the opportunity to learn from the teacher is missed (the deer has lost its life). It is often said, "prepare for rainy days"... If there is no rain, would we want to prepare an umbrella in advance?

MORAL  The perils of laziness READABILITY  Beginner INTRODUCTION Two fish are caught in a net because of their foolishness; learn how the third and wiser fish rescues them. REFLECTION Do not put off what you can do today. Delaying because of laziness and greed leads to disaster.

MORAL  Quick wittedness saves the day, advantageous environments, guard the sense-doors READABILITY  Beginner INTRODUCTION How a little quail got caught by a falcon and later beat the falcon down by fighting on his own ground. REFLECTION In this story of the quail and the falcon, we see the Buddha warning us not to go into wrong places. Because of greed for food, the quail left the safety of his home and intruded into the enemy’s territory. The quail could have been hurt or even died, but he managed to escape back to his home. So what are the wrong places to go for a spiritual person? The Buddha said the wrong places to go is the world of 5 sensual pleasures, which are desires of what we see, hear, smell, taste and touch. If we get lost in this world, we will be in great danger.

MORAL  Do not listen to rumor READABILITY  Beginner INTRODUCTION  The timid rabbit and the flight of the beasts. REFLECTION "Find out the truth before blindly following what people do."

MORAL  Dispassionateness/ Greed; Avoid spending a pound to win a penny READABILITY  Intermediate I INTRODUCTION How a monkey threw away a handful of peas to find one. REFLECTION People and things that can't be grasped, are unnecessary to even reach out. Be grateful for the past; cherish the present. Avoid spending a pound to win a penny.

A wild goat which was about to be killed, both laughed and cried. Why did the wild goat act so strangely? MORAL Importance of abstaining from killing READABILITY Beginner REFLECTION Protection of one’s own life In this story, we learned not to hurt or kill other beings, as killing brings about unwholesome causes and effects; this is the Law of Nature. Is the effect of hurting or killing ourselves good or bad? Definitely, the answer is bad.