The world of Tzu Chi December 2020(Vol.129)

2020 • 12 54 T here is a story from the Buddhist sutras about two ferocious tigers which lived deep in the mountains. One was called Shan Ya and the other one was called Shan Bo. The two tigers were very close to each other and would hunt together daily. However, they were always followed by a treacherous yakan (a legendary wild fox), who fed on the remains of their prey. Although the yakan relied on the tigers for survival, he was very afraid of their might. He often pondered, “One tiger is already strong enough. If the two tigers combine their strength, I won’t be able to defend against them. I must find a way to drive a wedge between them, or else, I might lose my life if something were to go wrong.” One day, the yakan had an idea and said to Shan Ya, “I’m telling you something out of goodwill. You must not hurt me after that.” Shan Ya replied, “Why would I hurt you for no reason? Just tell me!” The yakan whispered to Shan Ya, “Shan Bo appears to be treating you well, but according to many other animals, he always told them that you were no match to him. He said that his body, appearance, fur, strength, etc. were all better than yours.” And Shan Ya bought the yakan’s story completely. After some time, the yakan went to Shan Bo and said, “ShanYa is very disrespectful of you. He said a lot of bad things about you to me. He also said that you were no match to him in many ways.” And Shan Bo, too, took what the yakan said to heart. When the two tigers met again, both glared at each other with rage in their eyes. Shan Ya thought, “I should make the first strike and compete (with Shan Bo) to see who is stronger.” And so, Shan Ya made the first move and struck out at Shan Bo. But Shan Bo did not fight back and chose to retreat and escape instead. Shan Ya was unwilling to give up and started scolding Shan Bo, “How could you tell all the other animals that I was no match to you in every aspect?” After hearing what Shan Ya had said, although Shan Bo was very angry, he managed to calm down and think, “That’s not right. I have never defamed Shan Ya. What caused this misunderstanding?” Seeing that Shan Ya was about to hit him again, Shan Bo immediately took a few aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories The Story of Two Tigers and a Yakan