Buddha Stories for All

  MORAL Effortfulness, Determination, Brave READABILITY Intermediate II INTRODUCTION A young man, whose family had traditionally performed a ritual during the Elephant Festival for generations, had yet to learn the skill when his father passed away. With the ritual set to take place in four days, how would he deal with the situation?

  MORAL Leadership READABILITY Intermediate II INTRODUCTION Two caravan leaders travelled across the wilderness with their respective caravans. One of the caravan leaders listened to the man-eating yakkhas and threw away their drinking water in the wilderness . As a result, the entire caravan and the live-stocks were killed. But the other caravan was able to complete the journey safely. How did he do it?  

MORAL  Steal out of greed, lie out of fear, learn the truth out of investigation READABILITY  Intermediate II INTRODUCTION  The Jewel on the King’s Crown – The king has lost the jewel on his crown, how to get the thief to return the jewel without wearing everyone? The Pearl Necklace of the Queen – The queen's pearl necklace was stolen. Several innocents confessed as the thief. Who is the real culprit? How to recover the necklace? REFLECTION Steal out of greed, lie out of fear, learn the truth out of the Wise’s investigation.

MORAL  Not to forget other's kindness; Unbeatable goodness READABILITY  Intermediate II INTRODUCTION A farmer lost his way while looking for his lost bull. He fell into a ravine and was saved by a monkey. This man tried to kill his lifesaver… REFLECTION We should not forget the kindness others have shown us, But instead, always have a heart of gratitude and repay the kindness; Even if someone has an evil mind and performs evil deeds, Our wholesome mind must remain.

MORAL  Truthfulness & Leadership READABILITY Intermediate II INTRODUCTION Thirsty monkeys came to a haunted pool. How these the monkeys safely slake their thirst without going into the pool? REFLECTION Do you make wishes? Do you know how to make your wish come true? With boundless virtues, Bodhisattas made wishes for the benefit of others, giving them ease and happiness. They are always truthful and thoughtful towards others.

[MORAL The dangers of anger; the power of love, virtue and courage ] [READABILITY  Intermediate II] Humans regard dogs as their best friends. The Bodhisatta was the leader of a group of wild dogs in a past life. When the king ordered the wild dogs to be killed, the Bodhisatta showed extraordinary courage and stood up to righteously protect his friends.

MORAL Divisive speech; The power of unity READABILITY Intermediate I INTRODUCTION The quails were often caught, but each time they manage to escape successfully. How did they do it?

[MORAL  Dangerous stubbornness] [READABILITY  Intermediate II] Though a fool, through all his life, associates with a wise man, he no more understands the Dhamma than a spoon (tastes) the flavour of soup. —— Dhammapada verse 64

MORAL  Unconditional giving and loving-kindness; Ingratitude READABILITY  Intermediate II INTRODUCTION The story of a good elephant and an ungrateful man REFLECTION In this story, we see how an evil man was not grateful to the elephant who saved his life. What caused the man to be ungrateful? It was because of his greed to get the elephant’s valuable tusks.

[MORAL Cheating, stealing, and lying; the wise solve a case ]  [READABILITY Intermediate II ] The ascetic in this story accepted the landlord's daily support that let him practice with a peace of mind. Instead of being grateful, greed aroused in him and he wanted to steal the landlord's gold. The scheming ascetic also used tricks to make the landlord think that he was an honest practitioner.

  [MORAL  The dangers of angry speech and over-speaking] [READABILITY Intermediate II ] The Art of Interaction Speak the Dhamma or remain noble silent. Speak and act with clear comprehension. Listen to advice from the wise. Do not speak when angry. Make decisions when calm!

  MORAL Cheaters never win READABILITY Intermediate II INTRODUCTION How a man deposited plowshares with a friend, and the friend protested that they had been eaten by mice; and of the clever device by which the man's guilt was brought home to him. REFLECTION There was a city trader who deceived a country trader in his past life. In this life, he was still an unreliable trader and continued to cheat his business partners. Because his bad habit of cheating that hasn't been corrected in time, it follows him like a shadow from life to life. This is called the kammic pattern.

MORAL  Ingrates lose good friendships READABILITY  Intermediate II INTRODUCTION A woodpecker extracts a bone from the throat of a lion, who, afterwards, refuses to help the bird. REFLECTION “ These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful for the kindness done and feels obligated to repay it.” — Aṅguttara-nikāya 2:120