Buddhist Parables

Michael Berman, UK

Michael Berman works as a teacher and a writer. Publications include The Power of Metaphor for Crown House, The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Story for Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus for O-Books, and All God’s Creatures: Stories Old and New for Pendraig Publishing. ELT publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom, In a Faraway Land (a resource book for teachers on storytelling), and On Business and for Pleasure (a self-study workbook). For more information please visit www.Thestoryteller.org.uk

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Activity 1
Activity 2

Activity 1

Read through the parables, and then decide what the missing words in the titles are:

Treat everyone you meet with _____

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house on top of the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. "I’d like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant, see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

Nothing Lasts _____

A student went to his meditation teacher and said, "My meditation’s horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I'm constantly falling asleep. It's just horrible!" "It will pass," the teacher said matter-of-factly.

A week later, the student came back to his teacher. "My meditation’s wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It's just wonderful!'

"It will pass," the teacher replied matter-of-factly.

You can’t have _____ without the _____

Once upon a time a beautiful and well-dressed woman visited a house. The master of the house asked her who she was and she replied that she was the goddess of wealth. The master of the house was delighted and so greeted her with open arms. Soon after another woman appeared who was ugly looking and poorly dressed. The master asked who she was and the woman replied that she was the goddess of poverty. The master was frightened and tried to drive her out of the house, but the woman refused to depart, saying, 'The goddess of wealth is my sister. There’s an agreement between us that we are never to live apart; if you chase me out, she is to go with me.' Sure enough, as soon as the ugly woman went out, the other woman disappeared.

Suggested answers: Treat everyone you meet with Respect / Nothing Lasts Forever / You can’t have One without the Other

Activity 2

Place the parts of the following Buddhist parable in the correct order to find out what the “84th Problem” is:

1. After the man had told the Buddha one of his problems and asked for help, the Buddha replied: "I cannot help you get rid of that problem."
2. A man once came to see the Buddha to get help with his problems.
3. But the Buddha told him "I cannot help you with that problem either."
4. The baffled man asked the Buddha: "But, what can you help me with, then?"
5. The Buddha answered: "You will always have 83 problems in your life. Sometimes a problem will go, but then another problem will come. I cannot help you with that."
6. The Buddha replied: "I can help you get rid of your 84th problem."
7. The Buddha replied: "That you want to get rid of your 83 problems."
8. The man asked: "But what is my 84th problem?"
9. The man started to get impatient. He said: "How can it be that you are the perfectly Enlightened Buddha, when you can’t even help people get rid of their problems?"
10. The man was surprised that the Buddha could not help him in this regard, but he told the Buddha about another problem; he thought to himself that the Buddha should at least be able to help him with that problem.

Suggested answers: 1-b / 2-a / 3-j / 4-c / 5-i / 6- e / 7- d / 8-f / 9-h / 10-g

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