The world of Tzu Chi February 2021(Vol.131)

2021 • 02 48 O nce upon a time, there were two landlords who lived in a hill town. One of the landlords married a very young wife, and they were blessed with a son. One day, this landlord thought to himself, “I am getting old. If I pass on and my wife re-marries, my wealth would be taken over by her new family. If that is the case, what would happen to my son in the future?” He later told his housekeeper about his worries, and subsequently came up with an idea, “You have to help me pack up my valuables and follow me to the forest to bury them.” When they were in the middle of the forest, the landlord told his housekeeper, “This place looks good. Let’s dig a hole here.” The master and his servant dug a big hole, buried all the valuables, and made a mark on the ground. On their way back, the landlord made a request, “You have to keep this a secret. When my son grows up, bring him here to retrieve the valuables.” The loyal housekeeper immediately agreed to the request. Soon, the landlord fell sick and passed away. A few years later, his son finally became an adult. His mother said, “I know your father has left behind a lot of valuables. I think he and the housekeeper had stashed them away somewhere. Since you are now at the age to become the master of the house, you should ask the housekeeper if you could retrieve the valuables to grow the wealth of the family.” After hearing what his mother said, the young master asked the housekeeper, “I heard that my father had buried some valuables together with you. Where are they hidden?” The housekeeper replied, “Yes young master, we had indeed buried some treasures when the late master was still around.” The young master then said, “Please bring me to the place so that we can retrieve them.” The housekeeper agreed that this ought to be done, and so he brought the young master to the burial site. When they arrived at the site, this thought suddenly came to the housekeeper’s mind: “These valuables belonged to the late master. If the young master retrieves the items for life enjoyment with his mother, then they do not deserve the valuables!” All beings are subject to impermanence, including humans. Our surroundings are peaceful and beautiful when we are calm, but when the surroundings get out of balance, we would feel anxious. Therefore, Buddha educated his disciples to always maintain equanimity. This equanimity can only be achieved by having less greed and more contentment with one’s life. Only then can one live a peaceful and joyful life. aster Cheng Yen Tells Stories A Treasure Hunt by a Young Master