| Echo of the Heart—The Story of Nathou | ||
| Text and photo by Liu King-pong | ||
Once upon a time there was a poor farmer named Nathou. He worked very hard, but his storage room was never full. One night he discovered a mouse stealing his food. Indignant, he shouted at the mouse, “Why do you steal rice from a poor man like me? Can’t you steal from a rich man instead?” The mouse replied, “No matter how hard you work, you are destined to be poor for the rest of your life. Only the Buddha knows how to free you from this misfortune.” Frustrated and bewildered, Nathou decided to go ask the Buddha why he was so unlucky. On his journey, he happened to meet a rich man. When the man learned where Nathou was heading, he gave him a good meal and shared the story of his own misfortune with him. He told Nathou that his young daughter had been mute since she was born, 16 years before. He promised his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone who could get her to speak. “Could you please ask the Buddha why my daughter cannot talk?” the rich man asked. Nathou consented and went on his way. He kept walking until he met an old monk in front of a temple. The monk was holding a walking stick inlaid with gold and jewels. Nathou asked the monk for some water, and then began talking. After listening to his story, the monk said, “I’ve been doing my spiritual cultivation for 150 years, but I still cannot ascend to the Western Pure Land. Could you ask the Buddha why this is so?” The kind-hearted Nathou agreed, and continued onward. After walking for several more days, Nathou came to a big river. To his dismay, he saw no boats around that could carry him across the river. Just then, a huge turtle emerged from the water and asked Nathou about the purpose of his journey. Nathou explained everything from the very beginning. The turtle replied, “I can carry you on my back across the river, but under one condition. You see, I’ve done my spiritual cultivation for more than a thousand years, but I still cannot become a dragon and go to paradise. Could you ask the Buddha what I’m doing wrong?” As with all the previous requests, Nathou agreed. He then rode the turtle across the river. By now, Nathou had travelled quite a long distance. Exhausted, he fell asleep under a big tree. Just then, the Buddha appeared in front of him. Nathou was jubilant and excited. “You’ve traveled so far to see me,” the Buddha said kindly. “You must have something important to ask me.” Nathou folded his palms together, knelt down before the Buddha, and nodded his head. The Buddha said, “You may ask me three questions.” This perplexed Nathou. The Buddha was allowing him three questions, but he had four to ask! After thinking carefully, Nathou made up his mind to ask questions on behalf of the rich man, the old monk and the turtle. He felt his own problem was too trivial to mention. After listening to the three questions, the Buddha tersely replied: “The turtle has 24 priceless pearls hidden beneath his shell, and he’s reluctant to give them away. The monk cherishes his precious stick too much, and he’ll only be able to ascend to the Western Pure Land when he’s willing to toss it away. And the young girl will speak once she sees the man she’s going to marry.” With that, the Buddha suddenly disappeared. Nathou promptly started his journey back home. He passed the Buddha’s message to the turtle, who in turn bestowed his 24 pearls upon Nathou, was transformed into a dragon, and flew away. Nathou next delivered the Buddha’s answer to the monk, who in turn gave him his stick and ascended to heaven. When Nathou approached the rich man’s home, he saw a beautiful young woman rushing out to greet him, calling, “The man who went to see the Buddha has returned!” The rich man came out, amazed at what his daughter was saying. After listening to Nathou’s account, he happily allowed his daughter to marry him. This fable beautifully illustrates the value of putting the needs of others first. Master Cheng Yen often reminds her disciples of this principle. Nathou turned out to be the real beneficiary after he demonstrated his noble, selfless character. Another valuable moral I’ve learned from this fable is that one can truly be unencumbered and carefree if one can eradicate the attachments, represented by the pearls and the walking stick, that lurk in one’s mind.
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