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

TZU CHI 131 49 * This article is extracted from Tzu Chi Singapore website. The moral of the story is that happiness does not come from material possessions, but from how well a person uses what he has, to contribute to others. Therefore, the housekeeper pretended to have lost his mind and subsequently started to curse and swear. The young master was perplexed by the sudden change in the housekeeper once they arrived at the burial site. However, he kept his cool and said, “It is okay if we cannot find the valuables today. Let’s go home.” He then peacefully walked home with the housekeeper. A few days later, the young Master noticed that the housekeeper has reverted to his normal self and became respectful to him. So he said, “Dear housekeeper, let’s search for the buried treasure again today!” The housekeeper was calm during the journey, but he felt the same reluctance to pass the valuables to the young master again when they reached the site. And so, he started cursing and shouting again. Feeling helpless, the young master brought the housekeeper home. As soon as they arrived home, the housekeeper returned to being respectful and obedient to the young master. The young master was very frustrated with the matter and so he decided to visit the other landlord in the town. He reckoned that the landlord must have known something as he was a close friend of his late father. Upon meeting the landlord, the young master recounted the incident he had with the old housekeeper. After hearing the story, the landlord said, “You should bring the housekeeper to the forest again. The spot where he stands yelling and cursing should be the spot where your father buried the valuables.” The young master concluded that what the landlord said made sense, so he proceeded to bring the old housekeeper to the forest again. Upon arriving, the housekeeper did the same cursing routine as usual. This time the young master said, “I don’t care what you are going through right now, but you should join me in digging a hole at where you are standing now.” Alas, they managed to uncover a lot of treasures that once belonged to his father. After all the valuables were dug out, the young master felt that they could potentially invite danger to him and his mother. His life had been peaceful without these valuables, and he did not know what to do with them when they suddenly came into his possession. The valuables had turned the housekeeper into a different person, so how would they affect other people then? Therefore, the young master decided to donate all the treasures he dug out from the hole.