One hundred fables sutra: Getting Thirsty on Seeing Water

[WayFarer]

The sutra...

Once there was a person who was desperately in need of water for his thirst. On seeing the blazing fog, he mistook it for water. He pursued it until he reached the Indus River. But he only looked at it without drinking. A bystander asked, "You are suffering from thirst. How that you have found water, why don't you drink it?"
He answered, "If I could drink up all that water, I would do it. Since there is more water than I can finish, I would rather not drink it at all."

Some people, acting against all senses and reasons, think since they are unable to keep all the Buddhist commandments, they refuse to accept any of them. They will never attain the path of Enlightenment and thus subject to transmigration in time to come.

I have seen this sort of behavior several times. When someone thinks it is too hard to keep all the rules/obligations of a belief system they choose to keep none of them. I have also seen distortion of this where someone judges another who is trying to keep what they deem to be the most important rules/obligations of of a belief system as being inferior to themselves because they don't keep as many as they do. That is an egotistical path and one fraught with many pitfalls. Let us all try to help one another with compassion in our hearts by sharing our wisdom with those who may seek it so that all may reach enlightenment by whatever path it takes to get them there.
:namaste

 

[Riverwolf]

I like that sutra.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Wayfarer,

Agree with you and the sutra; however there is another perspective that the *ego* is bound to drop sometime or the other BUT the KARMA that he is putting today in finding the source of the WATER itself will remain and will straight WAY take him to the place as soon as that *ego* drops at any time in any life. Besides time is eternal.

Love & rgds

 

[WayFarer]

Sib Zenzero,
I agree. I too believe that all feet may find their path in the fullness of time. Perhaps my post under this topic should have been just posting the sutra, but in my typical fashion I went further and approached all to help out those who seek instead of just staying with the focus of the topic. In like manner I will now share The Scorpion and the Old Man which I think expresses the intent (to cultivate a helpful nature) of the opinion portion of my first post in a different light.

The scorpion and the old man

One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?"

The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."
​

 

[zenzero]

Friend WayFarer,

Yes the old man is right; however personally would not have even noticed the scorpion as there is vast are covered by one's gaze and usually would take the broadest picture in view.
Besides it is best left to each on'e karma, even if someone's nature is to save, he does not save as he too is part of the whole *play / maya / illusion* and there is no *death* in the real sense its just a change of form and karma itself decides when and how it happens.

Love & rgds

 

[WayFarer]

Besides it is best left to each on'e karma, even if someone's nature is to save, he does not save as he too is part of the whole *play / maya / illusion* and there is no *death* in the real sense its just a change of form and karma itself decides when and how it happens.

Sibling Zenzero,
I completely understand your position and your point, however I, as perhaps does the old man in the sutra, believe that "Karma doesn't have hands at all, or feet" and that sometimes we become the instruments through which karma (both our own and others) becomes realized.
Perhaps the stranger has now had the opportunity to learn a lesson that he may not have learned in any other way and in doing so his journey, and those whose his touches, would be improved and the road to enlightenment made a little brighter.

 

[zenzero]

Friend WayFarer,

There is no denying that since each individual form including humans forms are all in its own unique time/space zones and so the possibility of viewing / perspectives are all unique and cutting across those time / space zones in understanding is what Truth is all about.
Rgds karma; well thats another story as we do not know where we left our last karma and where we take up.
Its all HERE-NOW!

Love & rgds

 

[WayFarer]

Rgds karma; well thats another story as we do not know where we left our last karma and where we take up.
Its all HERE-NOW!

Sibling ZenZero,
I see your statement as being one that recommends that Karma should not be a concern or focus, and to that I agree. Any deed that focuses on the deed becomes self serving and simply spins its wheels. But if I may wonder off for a moment to express my view a bit differently...
I like trees. Quite a bit really. I like to plant seedlings and watch them grow. I could plant any type of tree I would like that would grow well in this area and still feel the sense of happiness at seeing the tree do well. However if I plant certain trees I can get even more joy. If I plant fruit or nut trees I can eat of their fruit and watch others (people and animals) do the same. If I plant thorn trees I have to watch out for their thorns and I would feel bad when someone would get hurt on the thorns from the tree I planted. It is the same with Karma. The Karma you plant today becomes Karma-Phala tomorrow. So if you are going to create Karma, why not do so with the benefit of others in mind and you too may even enjoy its fruits.

I guess that view was most likely a result of a theological theory I had when I was about 12 years old. I thought that perhaps we all shared a part of one soul and any harm or benefit you to do another is one you do to yourself.

 

[zenzero]

Friend WayFarer,

why not do so with the benefit of others in mind and you too may even enjoy its fruits.

primarily the MIND is not used to THINK.
Next, you have *I* and *others* and so you THINK in those terms.
Here there is no separate entity as *I* and *others* its all just different forms of the *WHOLE*.and so ...............

Best Wishes to all your karma and wish the bring the *karmaphala* you look forward to.

Love & rgds

 

[WayFarer]

Best Wishes to all your karma and wish the bring the *karmaphala* you look forward to.

Thank you ZenZero. I look forward to the lessons of this life and hope to meet them all with a sense of Chardi Kala and hope that my Karma will help keep me on track. The fruits of which may take a while to bear but hopefully will be for the greater good for those whose lives I may have touched.

 

[spiritualseva]

thanks for posting this