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A spark of Buddhist wisdom for the 21st day of this month. Suffering and joy follow each other.
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A spark of Buddhist wisdom for the 21st day of this month. Suffering and joy follow each other.
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| As a simple approach to basic Buddha's teachings, BDK America has provided 31 short lessons. Each day we provide a new lesson so that busy people will only need a minute or two each day to learn more about Buddhism. |
Once there was a wealthy though foolish man. When he saw the beautiful three-story house of another man he envied it and made up his mind to have one built just like it since he, too, was a wealthy man.
He summoned a carpenter and ordered him to build it. The carpenter consented and beginning with a strong foundation, proceeded to frame the first story, and then the second story, slowly but surely preparing the base for a sturdy third story.
The wealthy man, noticing this with irritation, shouted as if he were in a great hurry, "What I ordered you to build was not a foundation, nor a first story, nor a second story, but a beautiful three-story mansion. Build it quickly."
Foolish men only think of results; impatient with the effort that is required to bring them about. But, just as it is impossible to build a third story without a foundation and two lower stories, no good can ever be obtained without proper effort.
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All 31 lessons are collected in a small booklet called A Teaching a Day, as edited from our small hardcover book, The Teaching of Buddha. Both print items are available to order; you can also download a PDF of A Teaching a Day.
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The World...
175. Swans fly along the path of the sun; those with superhuman power go through the air; having conquered the evil king and his army, the sages leave this world forever.