Page 26 - Little Stories of a Great Monk
P. 26

d
                                                           i
                                             i
                                              o
                             e
                                                           b
                  w
                                                                    d
                             n

                                        s
                                                         x
                                  s
                                               n
                                                                       a
                           w
                    s
                                        i
                   a
            T
                                                          h
                                                                      h
                                                            i

                                           p
                                                               h
                                                                  B
                e
               e
                                t
                                                                e
                                          o
               r

              h
                                            i
                                                             t
                                            n

                                                                   u
                                                              t
                                 o

                              t

                     o
                                                 “
                                                      e

             There was once, I went to seek his opinion: “Can we exhibit the Buddha
                       c
                                                :

                         ,
                                    e

                          I

                                                  C
                      n
                        e
                                     k
                                                   a
                                                        e
                                       h

                                                     w
                                                    n
                                   e



                         e
                              k

                       R
                ”
                                                              r
                                                                A
                        e
                               e

               ?
                                                   a
                                                  w
                                                               .
                                                    s
                                           f
                         v

                                           i
                                                n
                            n
                                              l
                     f
                   h
                                                          n
                                              i
                           e
                    e

                                               e
                                                         a
                                                       s
                    i
                                                       i
                                                      h

                                                            w

                                                             e


                                             s
                          r
                             d
                                                           s

                                                 t
                  C
             c
                                        a
                                       ,

                                                                         i
             i
           r relics?” Chief Reverend kept silent, as if silent was his answer. After a while,
                                                                       h
                                                                      w
                                                                  e
                                 t
                                    i
                                   s
                                     n
                                    l

                                         s
              s

                                                                 f
                                                                     a
                                                                          e
                                                                   r
                                                                          ,
            e

            l
                                      t
                                     e
                                p
                                                                         l
                                                                 t
                                                                       y
                           e
                                                        i
            e
                   f

                                  e
                                                           t
                                                                     d
                                        h
                                                                      a


                                              s
                            r
                                                         n
                     w
                                                    x
                                                                         t
                                                  t

                         t
           he said: “If we gather all the Buddha relics that exist in the world today, they
                                                 a
                         a
                                                                           e

                                                                            y
                                                                          h
                       g
                                                    e
                                     u
                                                                        ,

                          h

                                       d
                                               t

                                                       t
                                                      s
                                                     i
           h
                      e
                                    B
                                      d
                                                h
                   I

                              a
                                                              w
                                                                   t
                                            i
                  “
                                                                 d
                d
                                                                    o
             s
                                                             e
                                           e
              a

                                         a
                                            l
                               l
                                 h

               i
                                          r

                               l
                                                                r

                 :


                                                            h
                                                               o
                                t
                                                                 l
                                             c
                                 h

                                    h
                                         d
              l
                      m
                 o
                       o

                                     e
                                                    r
                                                  t
                                                   o
                                T
                        u


              d
           w
           would form a mountain.” Then he told me this story: :
                                                     y
                         n
                                                  s
                                           m
                f
             u
                                  n
                           a
                                         l
                                               i
                                            e
                                       t
                              ”

                  r
                    a

                                  e
                            n
                            i


                                             t

                                                s
            o
                             .
                  m
                                              h
                                        o
                          t
               “A long time ago, in Sri Lanka, there was a woman in a village who went to   “A long time ago, in Sri Lanka, there was a woman in a village who went to


                                     e
                                        e

                             v
                                  r
                                g
                                              e

                                             h
                                          e
                               a
                                                t
                              l
                                         s



                                           d
                                      q
                               l
                          h
                              i
                                 e
                                    r
                                          t
                         T
                           e
                                                 o
                                       u
                                               r
                                   s
                                                   b
                                                                       c

                      s
                                                                  a

              a

           n
                 r



                                                            a
                                                      g
                                                                 h
            d
                                                         a
                    v
                                                                    r
                                                                     e
                                                         c

                                                          k
                                                        b
                                                                      i
                     i
                                                                      l
             i
                   a

           India for a visit. The villagers requested her to bring back a Buddha relic for
                                                                        f
                                                                d
           I
                       t
                o
                                                    i
                                                                         o
                                                                d
                                                                          r
                        .
                                                    r
                                                               u
               f
                                                     n
                                                              B
                       i
                              e

                                                          d
                l
                                        T
                   e
                                                             a

                               r
                                              m
                            t
                                  e
             e
                                            w
                 a

                                                               d
                             h
                l
                                                                  n
                                                                  j
                                 r
                                                            a
                               i
                  g
                                         h
                                          e

                                                           i
               i
                                                                   o
                                             o
                                                                 e
              v
                                                              n

                                                                    y
           the villagers to pay their respect. The woman went to India and enjoyed her
                                       .

           t
                                                n
            h
                                  s

                                    e

                      t
                                                      t
                                                                       h
                       o
                                   p
                                                  w
                          y
                                                       o
                                      t
                                                     t
                                                         I
                                                                         r
                    s
                                                                        e
                                                         n
                                                   e
                    r
                         a
                                                                     e
                                     c
                                                                      d
                                               a
                                                    n



                        p


                                m
               s
                                                                n
                                                                        o
                                                                         n
                                     l
                                     y

                                    e
           t trip so much that she completely forgot about the matter. When she was on
             p
                                 p
                                  l
                                                                      a
                                                                   e
                                                                     w

            i
                                        o
                                       f
                                   e
                                          g
                                                                       s
                                   t

                                                                 s
            r
                                         r


                                                                  h
                           h
                                                         t
                    c
                                               o
                                                u
                                                        t
                    h
                             e
                                             a
                                                           .
                   u
                                              b
                                                          e
                                                          r
                           s
                                                    e

                         t
                       h
                                                   h
                        a
                                                  t
                                                      m

                                                       a


                      t
                                                 t

                               o
                                           o
                                                            W
                                                               e

                 m
                              c
                                                              h
                                           t

                o

           her way back to her village, only then did she remember the matter. In order to
           h e r   w a y   b a c k   t o   h e r   v i l l a g e ,   o n l y   t h e n   d i d   s h e   r e m e m b e r   t h e   m a t t e r .   I n   o r d e r   t o
                                                   o
                          s
                                                      t
                                   u
                                           s
                               i
                                      a
            e
                     m

                                                  r
                               c
                        e
                                                h
               h

                e
                                    p
                         ,
                                                    m
                       s
                                                  f

                      i

                                          ’

           keep her promise, she picked up a dog’s tooth from the road
           k
                                  d
                            e
                   r
                                         g
                                                            d
                                              o
                                        d
                                                          r
                                                           o

             p
                                        o
                              p
                                             o
                  p
            e
                                               t

                                                        e
                                             t
                                                       h
                 r

                                k
                           h
                                                           a



                                 e
                    o
                                          p
                                         e
                                     e
                                          s

                                           e
                                      r
                                              .
                                             t
                                            c
                                      i
                                        r

                     v
                                   t
                             t
               f
             e
                       l
                       l
                                 a
                      i
                                 y

                   h
                  t

               o


                r
                    e
           s
                                    h
                              o
            i
                         g
           side for the villagers to pay their respect.” ”
                           r
                                p
            d
                          e
                           s

                        a


                          e
                  h
                                  h
                                               ’
                               g

                   e
                                           d
                      a
                        t
                                         B

                                e
                       y
                         h

                            v
                     d
                                         ‘
                                          u
                                              a
                              a
                                            d
                                   a
               c
                e
                                     t
                                             h
              n
                                    d
             i
                                      h
            S
                              l
                             i
           “
                 t

                             l
                                       e

              “Since the day the village had the ‘Buddha’
                           a
                            i
                       r
          r relic, the villagers paid their respect
                               h
             c
                                    s
                          p

           l
                                     p
            i
                                e
                        s
           e
                                   r
                                       c
                    l
                    l

                                 r
                                        t
                  v
                            d
                 e
                   i

                                i
                                   e
                                      e
             ,
                      e

               t
               h
                     a

                     g
                              t
                           b
                             c
                            e
               l
              t
               y

                .
             u
          d
          devoutly. The village became prosperous.
           e
            o
            v
                  T
                        a
                       l
                         g

                          e
                       l
                    e
                   h

                      i
                     v
                                e
                                          s
                                     p
                                        o
                                    s
                                  p
                                      e
                               m
                                   o
                                       r
                                   r
                                           .
                                         u
                              a

                               s
                                      l
               i
                                         e
                                       l
                          s
               t
                      e
                                               d

                           p
                                           s

                                   e
                       p
                  c
                        r
                                          r
                                 t
                   a
                                        g
                                ,
                                  h
                         o


                    m
                  e
                 b
                                       a
                            e
                                            p
            c
          S Since it became prosperous, the villagers paid
           i
                             o
           n

                                             a

                              u
                             r
                                              i
             e
                                     v
                                      i
                  e
                         n
                s
          t their respects even more devoutly.” ”
                             r
            e
                    t
                        e

                                  o
                              e
                 p
                                    l
           h
             r
                   c


                           m
                                    t
             i
               r
                                     y
                     s

               e
                               d
                                      .
                       v
                            o
                                e
                                 v
                      e
                                   u
                                                        e
                    n

                                                      s

                                                       h
                                 t

                                                          t
              “The women felt uncomfortable and uneasy. Finally, she told the truth to
                    e

                                   b

                                                                    h
                                       n
                                                              h

                                                               e
             T
                                                                    t
              h
                                      a
                                                                   u
               e
                                                                 t
                                                                  r

                                        d
                                                            l
                 o
                  m
                                                                       o
                                                           o
                                    e
                                                            d
            “
                                                              t
                w

                                                                      t
                                  a
                                    l
                                             s
                       e
                            c
                                                 n
                               o
                                            a
                               f
                                               .
                                         u
                          u
                                                 i
                        l
                                                   l
                        t
                                              y
                                                  a
                                          n
                                           e
                                                    y

                             o
                                                    l

                      f
                                                     ,

                                                F
                             m
                           n
                                r
                                                             r
                                                                  u
                                           h
                         e
                                                                     e

                                  v
                                          t
                                                             e
                 g
                                                  e
                                    n
                               e
              i
                                               l
                                       e
                                   i

                          a


                l
                                                a
                                                                   a
                                                                Y
                                                                ‘
               l
                               b
              v
                                                              ,
                a
                                                l
                                                                    r
                          d
                                                 g
                                      h
                                               i
                                                                 o

                                                            h

                                 e
                                                         e
                       s


                                                       o
                                                     s
                   s
                                         ,

          the villagers. Instead of believing her, the villagers scolded her, ‘You are

                    .
          t
                                                        l
                             f
                                l
                                 i
                                                        d
                                        r
                                                    s

                                              v
                                                   r
                      I
                                     g
                  e
                            o
                                                      c
           h
            e
                                                          d
                   r
                                            e
                      n
                        t
                                                                  a
          talking nonsense. Since we had it, our lives have become better. Please do not
              n
                                     t
                                                                         t
                                            e
                                           i
                                                                   s

                                                                         o

                                           v
                              w
                             e
            k
                                                                     d

            l
                                      ,
                                                                      o
                                             s
                                                                    e
                                               h
                                    i
             i
          t


           a
                                                                        n
                            c
                           n
                  n
                                                           t
                                                   b

                                                    e
                                                          e
                       e


                                                             e
                                                            t
                        .
                  o
                                  a
                     n
                                                        e
                                 h
                      s
                                                     o
                                                      m
                                         r
                    s
                                                         b
                                        u

                    e
                                                     c

                                                                P
                                          l
                                                v
                               e


                         S
                                   d

                                                a
                                                                 e
               g
                                                                l
                          i
                                                              .
                 n
                                                 e
                                       o
                                                              r
                           e
                                 e
                 s
            k

          t talk nonsense the next time.’” ”
                      t

                                  ’
                     e
                               i
              n
               o
                  e
                n
                   n
            l
                           x
                                  .
                            t
                              t
                       h

                    s

                        e
                          n
                               m
           a
         24                                                                                                                                                    25
   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31