The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

2020 • 04 46 T he king of a small country had two sons. The older son was good-looking and his skill at archery was superb. He was also good in literature and martial arts, so he won the respect of all people. The second sonwas totally different. Hewas an arrogant, jealous good-for-nothing. Although both sons had the same parents, their personalities were totally different. The king knew this, so when he grew old, he announced that he would hand the throne over to his older son. However, the prince did not care about high rank. He thought of his brother’s jealousy, and he was afraid that the whole kingdom would be thrown into chaos if he became king. He did not want to damage his relationship with his brother or even start a civil war. Therefore, he refused to accept the throne, even after all the ministers had spent hours trying to persuade him. There was nothing the old king could do but let his second son take the throne. After becoming the new king, the second son was unhappy because all the people in the kingdom respected his older brother, but not him. At the same time, there were some villainous ministers who stirred things up by telling him that the prince was buying the hearts of the people, and someday he would certainly attempt to overthrow the king. So the new king vowed to get rid of his brother. He commanded that the prince be arrested and immediately executed! The king’s guards heard about this and ran to tell the prince. The prince did not know what to do, because he had already refused to be king. The Archer Prince We must take a step backward when dealing with other people. When we love others, we must open our hearts. We must have a mind as vast as the universe. aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories He only asked for a peaceful life for himself and the citizens of the kingdom. He could not believe that such a simple wish could not be fulfilled. He was not concerned for his personal safety, but he cared very much about the peace of the kingdom. Therefore, he decided to flee his country. The prince carried his bow and arrows to a neighbouring kingdom.Aminister of that country saw him and liked him very much. Although the minister did not know he was a prince, he felt from his appearance that this was a trustworthy person. So he invited the prince to the palace to see the king. The prince only asked for a place to live, and because the king liked him too, he hired him as a guard. After that, the prince stayed on in that kingdom and worked as the king’s bodyguard. However, the king’s other guards became jealous of him. They had no idea where this new guard came from, but they saw that he was highly regarded by the king. They were unhappy about this and planned to get rid of him. One day, the king and his guards went to enjoy the scenery in a garden. The king was tired from walking and rested under a tree. He saw some ripe fruit on a tree branch and an idea came to his head. “Look, that fruit is ready to eat,” he said to his guards. “If anyone can shoot down an entire bunch, I’ll reward himhandsomely.”All the other guards knew that this was their chance. “We still don’t know who this foreign guard is. Now is a good chance for him to show us his skill.” The king asked the prince, “Can you do it?” “No problem, Your Majesty,” the prince