There was once a merchant who used a donkey to carry his wares. To avoid having to pay for the donkey's fodder, the merchant put a lion-skin on the donkey and then turned the donkey loose in the fields. The villagers were afraid of this “lion” and thus the donkey was able to eat his fill.
A wise farmer, however, heard the “lion” braying like a donkey, so the villagers then beat the donkey and stole the lion-skin.
The merchant later found the donkey's body in the field. “That foolish donkey should have kept his mouth shut!” he said sadly.
~ ~ ~
This is another of the Buddha's past-life stories or jataka tales; this story is the Sihacamma Jataka. It is also one of the jatakas that is found also in the fables of Aesop.
The Buddha used this to rebuke a false teacher, someone whose unworthiness became apparent as soon as he opened his mouth, just like the donkey in the story. After telling the story, the Buddha identified his previous birth as a the wise farmer who recognized the donkey for what he was. He did not say anything about the deceitful merchant; that is a distinctive feature of this version of the story, but it didn't figure in the Buddha's interpretation.
When we are seeking teachers, we need to find lions, not donkeys. :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment