The world of Tzu Chi June 2020 (Vol.123)

2020 • 06 48 I n a small Japanese village of poor farmers some two hundred years ago, there lived a family made up of an old granny and a young couple. The couple were extremely filial to the granny, and worked hard from dawn to dusk. Though they were poor, they lived content and happy lives. The wife gave birth to a son some time later. However, as she lacked proper nutrition all along and had lost a lot of blood during the labour, she became very weak and passed away three months later, leaving her baby boy, little Taro, behind. The old granny carried the hungry, wailing baby in her arms and worried about how she would feed him. Fortunately, as the family had always treated their neighbours well, everyone was willing to help feed little Taro. Every day, as Taro’s father headed out to work, he would not forget to say these words: “Thank you for the trouble you have taken in begging for milk for little Taro.” The years passed by, and Taro grew day by day under the care of his grandmother and father, who took great pains to raise him. To support Taro and his own mother, Taro’s father not only worked in the fields but even delivered goods to the city. By the time he was three years old, Taro was an extremely adorable little boy and would often play with his grandmother and cheer her The Sweetness of a Simple Life aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories * Excerpted from Master Cheng Yen’s work “Tan Gu Shuo Jin” 《谈古说今》 From this story, we see that riches and wealth do not define one’s happiness. Rather, it is love and kind thoughts that are the most important factors. With pure and simple love in our hearts, we can still live content and happy lives; this, then is the true measure of a blessed and harmonious family. up. One day, when Taro was six years of age, he heard the neighing of a horse outside. Running to the stables alone, he reached up and patted the horse’s back, saying: “Little Chestnut! Today you’ll be going to the city, and I’d like to go too!” His father, who was right behind him then asked Taro what Little Chestnut’s reply was. Taro wittily replied that Little Chestnut had agreed that he should go, and so off the three of them went, heading towards the city. After the goods were delivered that day, Taro’s father asked him if there was anything in particular that he wished to eat. Taro replied that he did not desire anything for himself, but only wished to buy the sweets that his granny loved to eat. After buying Taro’s granny her favourite “egret sweet”, Taro’s father turned to him and again urged him to buy something for himself. At this, Taro selected the cheapest flute he could find, then packing away the sweets in his bag, he clutched the little flute with both hands and merrily played a tune on it. When they reached home, the old granny hurriedly emerged from the hut upon hearing the sound of the horse’s hooves striking the ground, and the three of them joyfully gathered together. Though Taro and his family lived in a dilapidated hut and were impoverished, their lives were filled with happiness and never lacked of warmth. Translated by the Tzu Chi Singapore translation team