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

TZU CHI 121 47 replied. “This is easy. Do you want to see the arrow flying downwards or upwards?” “I’ve always seen arrows flying upwards. I’ve never seen anyone shoot downwards.” “OK. It will take some time for my arrow to come down. Can you wait?” “I’m really looking forward to seeing an arrow flying slowly downwards.” So the king pointed to a cluster of fruit and the prince shot an arrow. It went straight through the centre of the bunch from below and went out the top. Then it turned around, came straight back down and neatly cut the stalk. The entire cluster of fruit then fell to the ground. Everyone was amazed. They did not know whether they should look at the fruit, the arrow or the stalk. Such skill was indescribable. After that, nobody bothered the new guard anymore, and he stayed in the palace in peace. Meanwhile, after that new king took the throne, he did not knowhow to govern the country well. He continued to be arrogant, and his people became angrier and angrier.When other countries heard that the older prince had fled, they decided to swallow up this small kingdom. When the young king heard this news, he was very frightened and felt lost. He normally acted very brave, but now that disaster was about to strike, he was terrified. He thought, “If my brother were here, everything would be alright.” And so he started searching for him. A minister heard that there was a skillful archer in a neighbouring state, so he went to look for him. When the minister saw the archer, * This article is extracted from the book “The Master Tells Stories”. This story tells us that 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. he realized that he was their prince. When the prince heard the news, he was quite concerned, because he still cared about his people and his state. So he asked the king to allow him to go back to his own country. The young king saw his brother returning and embraced him happily. He told the prince about his problems. The prince comforted him and said, “Don’t worry, I have an idea.” The prince went up to the city wall and shot an arrow towards the enemy camp. The arrow flew far and landed in the centre of a dining table in the camp. At that time, the seven kings that had formed an alliance to swallow up this small country were having a feast and were planning for the next day’s attack. The kings and their armies were surprised to see an arrow appear out of nowhere and land on their table. They saw a slip of paper on the arrow. “The prince has returned,” it read. “I ask all the kings to stop their attacks.” The kings realized the troubles they would face if they carried out the assault. They decided to withdraw, and the small kingdom escaped disaster. The younger brother also realized his mistake and decided to hand over the throne to his brother. But the prince refused to accept it. “What I love about you is your repentance. I hope you can get rid of your jealousy and love others with an open mind.” His younger brother was very touched and loved his brother even more. He asked his older brother to assist him in governing the country. After that, other kingdoms never again dared to attack this small country.