Master Tells Stories
The Suffering of Fish
One day, the Buddha left the monastery to Rājagṛha to beg for alms. On his way back to the monastery, he saw a group of children playing cheerfully by the lake. Suddenly, one of the children shouted excitedly, "I caught it! I caught it!"
The Servant and the Deer
A long time ago, there was a king who had a hardworking and honest servant. One day, a deer died in the royal palace’s backyard, and the servant reported it to the king.
A Woman’s Unconditional Love
In this story, villagers encountered three bandits in the forest and mistakenly took three farmers who were working as the bandits in disguise. The villagers captured the farmers and brought them to the king.
"Store" the milk in the cow’s stomach
Someone said, "Since your cow produces so much milk, you should show it off!" He replied proudly, "Of course I can! In just a few days, no matter how many of you come, I’ll have plenty of fresh and delicious milk for everyone!"
Wisdom and Mental Affliction
Everyone was curious - he was supposed to go in there to find something, but why did he do nothing? After he sat there for a while, the young man suddenly stood up and crawled under the bed. When he came out, he was holding the watch...
The Miser’s Reincarnation as a Beggar Child
At that moment, a spiritual cultivator passed by and urged them, saying, “Stop! Stop! How can there be such an unfilial person in the world? A father worked hard to provide for his son, and the son actually strikes his father? This is truly disrespectful!
King Bird Rescues Flock of Pigeons
The king happily instructed his servants, “Lock up this flock of birds and feed them brown rice every day. When they are fattened up, I will slaughter them and feast with all the ministers.” The king's servants brought the rice, and the king of the birds
The Yellow Emperor and the Shepherd
With admiration for the shepherd, the Yellow Emperor exclaimed: “I have one more question for you. How does one administer a country’s political system in order to achieve world peace?” The shepherd replied: “That’s easy! It is similar to rearing horses..
The Farmer and the Hoe
After the farmer became a monk, he was steadfast and diligent. However, whenever he saw lush green grass, he would involuntarily think of his farming hoe. He often could not resist running back home to look at it, carefully unwrapping the cloth, caressing
The King who loved to Eat Venison
One day, a doe that was about to give birth, begged the Deer King if she could delay her death for a few more days, until she could give birth to her fawn. Moreover, no other deer were willing to take her place, so the King of the deer decided to…
The Story of Gifting Fish
Once upon a time, there was a king in Tibet who loved to eat fish. He couldn’t manage a meal without fish dishes. One year, however, a drought struck, and all the riverbeds within the country dried up. As such, he could not continue to have fish during hi
The Queen Dowager Prays for Longevity
The King's mother, the Queen Dowager was ill. Despite setting up countless sacrificial altars, her condition did not improve. One of the Brahmins suggested expanding the scale of the sacrificial ceremonies...
Silver and the Poisonous Snake
One day, Ānanda suddenly heard Buddha say, "There is a poisonous snake!" A father and son pair overheard and became curious, so they peeked to see what it was. "Wow! It is not a snake; it is a pot full of shiny silver!" The father and son were tempted…
Greedy Little Leopard
There was a little leopard looking for food alone in the wilderness but it could not find food. Suddenly, he saw an elephant lying on the ground. He moved closer and realised that the elephant was already dead. He was so happy that he...
Tale of a Bodhisattva Monkey who Saves an Ungrateful Man
The man felt grateful at first for the monkey who saved him but soon realised he was hungry and fatigued. He needed food to regain energy for his journey down the mountain. Seeing a sleeping monkey...
The Poor Man’s Fine Silk and Satin
There was a poor man who was invited to a relative’s celebratory event. He thought that he should dress decently since he was a guest, hence he began to save up diligently. Finally with his continuous effort, he managed to save enough to purchase a piece
The Wise and Selfless Elder
Decades ago, in a small coastal village in Japan, a very touching story took place—
Seeds of Kindness
A long time ago, there was a young novice monk who followed an eminent monk to learn about becoming a monk. The novice monk was filial and obedient, serving the senior monk with utmost sincerity. One day, the eminent monk foresaw...
