The world of Tzu Chi October 2020 (Vol.127)

2020 • 10 54 W e must be mindful not to become greedy. As human, it is our duty to control our behaviours and fulfil our obligations. When greed arises, one tends to lose control of his behaviour. Therefore, we must keep our mind in check and take good care of our mind. There is a story from the Dharma sutra about the price to pay for being greedy. There was a poor family whose master of the household had passed away. The master left behind his wife and three daughters who went to work as maids in a rich person’s home and continued to live in poverty. One day, a goose with golden feathers flew to them and said, “I was your father in my past life, I know it’s hard for your mother to raise you girls and life has been tough. You can pluck a few golden feathers from my body and sell them to help improve your living. I shall come to you periodically to let you pluck a few golden feathers so that all of you could live a more stable and comfortable life.” Despite feeling shocked by what the golden goose had said, the mother and daughters were very delighted by the offer. Therefore, the mother and her daughters did as what the golden goose had said, and they managed to get The Story of a Golden Goose and a Greedy Widow Do not be greedy, otherwise we will gain little and lose a great deal after that. When that happens, regrets would not bring back our good fortune. aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories a lot of money from the sale of golden feathers. Ever since, the golden goose had been flying to them every three or five days and their lives had improved significantly. Sometime later, the mother said to the three daughters, “Human cannot be trusted, let alone a bird. Even though the golden goose has been coming to us every three or five days, we don’t know when it’ll stop coming. Our lives would be affected if it stops coming one day. Therefore, we must pluck all its feathers when it comes next time. We shall save more money and live more comfortably.” The second day when the golden goose came, all its feathers got removed by the mother and daughters. Without feathers, the goose could not fly away, and it was kept it in a cage. After a short period of time, it started to grow some feathers again, however, they were not golden but ordinary white goose feathers which cannot be sold for money. The truth is, we need living materials just to maintain our living, we must be satisfied if they are sufficiently supplied. Do not be greedy, otherwise we will gain little and lose a great deal after that. When that happens, regrets would not bring back our good fortune. * This article is extracted from Tzu Chi Singapore website.