Once upon a time, there were two very good friends who lived
together in the shade of a rock. Strange as it may seem, one was a lion and one
was a tiger. They had met when they were too young to know the difference
between lions and tigers. So they did not think their friendship was at all
unusual. Besides, it was a peaceful part of the mountains, possibly due to the
influence of a gentle forest monk who lived nearby. He was a hermit, one who
lives far away from other people.
For some unknown reason, one day the two friends got into a
silly argument. The tiger said, "Everyone knows the cold comes when the
moon wanes from full to new!" The lion said, "Where did you hear such
nonsense? Everyone knows the cold comes when the moon waxes from new to
full!"
The argument got stronger and stronger. Neither could convince
the other. They could not reach any conclusion to resolve the growing dispute.
They even started calling each other names! Fearing for their friendship, they
decided to go ask the learned forest monk, who would surely know about such
thing.
Visiting the peaceful hermit, the lion and tiger bowed respectfully and put their question to him. The friendly monk thought for a while and then gave his answer. "It can be cold in any phase of the moon, from new to full and back to new again. It is the wind that brings the cold, whether from west or north or east. Therefore, in a way, you are both right! And neither of you is defeated by the other. The most important thing is to live without conflict, to remain united. Unity is best by all means."
Visiting the peaceful hermit, the lion and tiger bowed respectfully and put their question to him. The friendly monk thought for a while and then gave his answer. "It can be cold in any phase of the moon, from new to full and back to new again. It is the wind that brings the cold, whether from west or north or east. Therefore, in a way, you are both right! And neither of you is defeated by the other. The most important thing is to live without conflict, to remain united. Unity is best by all means."
The lion and tiger thanked the wise hermit. They were happy to
still be friends.
The moral is:
"Weather comes and weather goes, but friendship remains."
"Weather comes and weather goes, but friendship remains."
(From Buddhist Tales for Young and Old)
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