Stories for children of all ages
translated by GB Talovich
Edited by Silent Voices
During the Han dynasty, about two thousand years ago, there lived a family called Yang. They were farmers, and had only one child, who was so precious to them that they named him Treasure.
Yang Treasure was not only clever, kind, and quick-witted, but he was also very good looking with his clear eyebrows and bright eyes. His parent shaved all of his hair off except for two locks on the top, which they then tied into two knots. Everybody agreed that he was very cute.
Yang Treasure loved nature. He spent a lot of time playing in the forests of the nearby Mountain. One day when he was nine years old, he was playing outdoors as usual. Suddenly he heard a cry above him. He looked up and saw a hunting owl had just snatched a little bird, out of the air. The owl was so startled to discover someone watching it hunt that it dropped the bird, which fell to the ground. The bird was so dazed that it just lay there without moving.
Ants then came to take it away for food. The bird had been hurt by the owl's claws and the fall to the ground, so it couldn't move. Yang Treasure ran over and picked the bird up, brushing off the ants. He took the bird home and raised it in a bamboo cage.
He loved his little bird. He fed it flower petals and tended to its wounds until it was strong enough to fly. Then he took it to the forest and let it go. He told it, "You're free now! But watch out for owls! Goodbye!!"
Not long afterwards, he had a strange dream. A child dressed in brown clothes came to thank him for saving his life. He presented Treasure with four priceless white jade bracelets. He said, "Sir, I am an envoy of the Heavenly Queen. You have saved my life. I would like to show my gratitude by presenting these four immaculate jade bracelets to you, with my blessing that your children and grandchildren be as spotless as pure jade, and that they hold posts in the top ranks of the government."
Yang Treasure did not want to take the gift, but the little boy dressed in brown insisted, so he finally took the bracelets. As soon as he did, he woke up and found it had just been a dream. "That sure was a strange dream, " he thought as he shook his head. Yang Treasure's sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, and great-great-grandsons were as spotless as pure jade. For four generations, his descendants all held posts in the top ranks of the government.
related post: 《The Love of Life》- My Lap Is Your Perch
Source Of Information:
《Wisdom of the Buddhas》, by Venerable Wu Ling, based on the Talks of Venerable Master Chin Kung, translated by Silent Voices, published in August, 2012, distributed by Amitabha Buddhist Society Malaysia (92, Jalan Pahang, 53300 Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.
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