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Posted by SooBahkDon


The Smuggler

A clever smuggler led a donkey burdened with bundles of straw to the border between two lands.
The inspector at the border eyed the donkey's bundles with suspicion.
"You must allow me to inspect your bundles", the inspector said.
"I think that you have hidden a valuable treasure that you wish
to sell at the market. If so you must pay me a border fee".

"Search as you wish", said the man. "If you find something
other than straw, I will pay whatever fee you ask."
The inspector pulled apart the bundles until there was straw everywhere
yet not a valuable thing in the straw was found.
"You are a clever smuggler",said the inspector. "I am certain that you
are hiding something. Yet so carefully you have hidden it that I have
not discovered it. You may pass, but I will be watching you,"

The next day the man came back to the border with a donkey burdened with straw.
Once again the inspector pulled apart the bundles, and again found nothing hidden.
"Once again you have disguised your contraband.",scowled the inspector.
"You may pass, but in time you will falter and the law will prevail."

For the next ten years every time the man came to the border with a donkey
burdened with straw, the inspector would search his bundles but could find nothing.
Finally the day came when the inspector retired.
Even as an old man, he could not stop thinking about the clever smuggler.
One day while walking through the market, the old inspector came upon the man.
"Now that I am retired and have no jurisdiction for punishment, admit it to me.
You were smuggling something across the border all those years. Weren't you?"

The man nodded and grinned.
"Aha, just as I suspected, you were sneaking something to market. Tell me what it was
and I will never bother you again."

The man started walking away, then turned with a smile and said.  "Donkey's."

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Whose Share Is Better?

A famous and affluent official died and left equal portions of his wealth
to his two daughters and his son's-in-law.
However, there were no precise prices on the land and homes
that he passed on to them, each of which had a unique market value.
Dissatisfied with the arrangement, each daughter believed
the other party got the lion's share.

After the burial ceremony, the daughters filed civil lawsuits
against each other, claiming that their own shares were less than the others.
In court, the Judge asked them, one after the other, whether they thought
that they were treated unfairly. They each gave a firm "Yes."

The Judge then asked them both to provide an inventory
and turn in a list of all inherited properties.
They both gladly complied with this request.
After they finished the Judge announced his decree.
"These two daughters must exchange their inheritances with one another"
The Judge outwitted them with their own greed.

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Posted by SooBahkDon


The King's Favorite

Once there was a woman who's beauty was such that
she was the favorite of the King.
Now according to the law of the Kingdom, anyone who
rode in the Kings carriage without permission would be
punished by imprisonment.
When the beautiful woman's mother fell ill, someone
brought the news to her in the middle of the night.
So she took the King's carriage and went out to be by her
mother's side , and the King only praised her for it.
"Such fulfilled devotion", he said.
"For her mother's sake she risked the
punishment of imprisonment"
     Another day she was dallying with the King in the fruit garden.
She took a peach that she found so sweet that instead
of finishing it, she handed it to the King to taste.
"How she loves me", said the King. "Forfeiting the pleasure
of her own tastebuds, as to share with me"
    But as time passed, the woman's beauty began to fade, and
the King's affection cooled.
One day she offended the King and he said,
"Didn't she once take my carriage without permission?", and
didn't she once give me a peach that she had already chewed on?"

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon




The Useless Tree

   A great grove of trees once stood on a hill
where just one gnarled tree now stands.
Long ago the woodcutters had passed it by saying,
"We will never cut a good straight board from that twisted tree."
So they let it be and cut another and another.
  
  Then the loggers came after logs to sell and said,
"The twisted tree will burn with a foul smell."
So they let it be and cut another and another.

  Then the carvers came after soft-grained wood and said,
"This twisted tree won't do us any good, it is a knotty old tree."
So they too let it be, and cut another and another.

  In time the large gnarled tree stood alone on the hill.
Now, during the day children come and play in its shade.
In the evening, the old men gather about its huge trunk.
They sigh and talk about their lives.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
"Oh what is the use of being useless?" one elderly man said.
Another pointed up and replied,
"Just look above your head,
an entire grove of trees once stood on this hill.
Now only one crooked tree still stands, thick with greenery.
Had this useless old tree been usefull, my friend,
it would not have grown ancient with fine spreading limbs."

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


Whose Son?

Two brothers lived together.
Both their wives were pregnant and gave birth about the same time.
The elder brothers son died during delivery so he stole his younger brothers newborn child.
The younger brother was infuriated and promptly filed a civil lawsuit.
Both parties had witnesses, who swore on their honesty
in front of the gods, to support each claim.
The case dragged on for three years.

Many Mayors examined the case and couldn't reach a decision.
When news of this reached the ears of Prime Minister Hwan Ba, who was famous for his shrewdness,
he demanded that the litigation be transferred to his jurisdiction.
The plaintiffs and defendants were summoned to court.
Curious citizens swarmed there from all over the country
to see if this clever judge could unravel such a tangled case.

The Prime Minister instructed a large and muscular bodyguard
to hold the disputed child tightly in his arms.
He then told the two wives to stand ten paces away from the guard, one on each side.
Finally he ordered the women to grab the child, and declared that whoever
pulled him from the bodyguard's muscular grasp could keep the child.

With obvious excitement, the elder brother's wife dashed forward
and mercilessly took hold of the child, intending to use all her strength to jerk the baby free.
The younger brother's wife, who was afraid to hurt the baby, touched him gently
and the with a look of great mourning, immediately released him.

"Stop this farce" the prime minister shouted.
Seeing how the woman was unwilling to harm the child
he rightly concluded that she must be the real mother.

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The Zen Master and the Hot Dog Vendor

A Zen master was visiting N.Y to teach a seminar on Zen. He came upon a Hot dog vendor and when the hot dog vendor saw the monk in his robes he asked'

"What would you like?"
To which the Master replied "Make me one with everything"  

The hot dog vendor then gave him a hot dog with the works and the Zen master gave him a twenty dollar bill.

After a moment when the hot dog vendor did not give him change the Zen master said "excuse me where is my change"

To which the Hot dog vendor replied "Change comes from within"

[insert rim shot here]

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


Testing The Gift

A renowned General was relocated to a border city and was
promptly approached by a local Chieftan seeking special considerations.
He presented the General with a small bottle of ointment
and boasted that the mystical tonic could rapidly cure any wound
or cut inflicted by arrows.
"If your Highness is a skeptic", he proudly announced, "Feel free
to test its powers on a chicken or dog."
The General took offense to the Chieftans meritless claims and said,
"Nonsense, why waste such magical medicine on a chicken or dog?"
"We need to test it on the flesh of a mortal, to assure
its worth on the battlefield"
With that, the Chieftans proud smirk vanished and was quickly
replaced with a look of concern.
The General then picked up an arrow, stabbed it into the Chieftains thigh
and applied the ointment over the wound.
The General then proclaimed to the Chieftan,
"What a comfort it is to possess such wonderful antedotes,
Now be gone with you and let its powers run its course."
The hapless Chieftan had to be carried home where he
stayed in bed for weeks.
Overhearing this, other Chieftans were astonished and dared not
entice the General with gifts for personal gain.

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


Reflecting

There once was a Monk who would carry a mirror where ever he went.

A visiting Sage noticed this and thought to himself, "This Monk must be so

preoccupied with the way he looks that he has to carry that mirror all the time."

"He should not worry about the way he looks on the outside, it is what's inside that counts."

So the Sage went up to the Monk and asked, "Why do you always carry that mirror?"

thinking for sure that he would prove his guilt.

The Monk pulled the mirror from his bag, clutching it firmly and said,

"I use it in times of trouble. I look into it and it shows me the source of my problems

as well as the solution to my problems."

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon
  The Compassionate Woman

A woman who was traveling through the mountains
found a precious stone in a stream.
She knew it's value was extravagant but was not
concerned with selling it as she was content with life.
She slipped the stone into her bag without a thought.
One day she happened upon another traveler who
was obviously tired and hungry.
The woman opened her bag to share what
little food she had with the stranger.
The stranger spotted the stone and asked the
woman to give it to him.
She did so without hesitation.
The stranger left, rejoicing in his good fortune.
He knew the stone was valuable enough to give him
security for a lifetime.
Within a few days, the strangers conscience was
troubling him and he searched his soul for the remedy.
He turned around in search of the woman to rectify his guilt.
When he finally found her many miles away he said,
"I've been confused as to the origin of your generosity.
I wish to give the stone back to you in return
for something much more valuable".
The woman responded,
"I have no riches but what I possess
I am more than happy to share."
With that the stranger said,
"Please give me what you have within you that
enabled you to give me this stone in the first place."

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon
  The Fishermans Wealth
                                                                                                                                                                                         
  Once a fisherman was sitting near shore, under the shade of a tree.
Suddenly a man of great wealth approached him and asked him why
he was lazing instead of working.
To this the fisherman replied that he had caught enough fish
for the day to meet his quota.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said,
"Why don't you catch more fish instead of sitting there wasting your time?"
The fisherman asked, "What would I do by catching more fish?"
The rich man said, "If you catch more fish you could sell them to buy a bigger boat."
The fisherman said,"What would I do then?"
The rich  man said, "You could go fishing in deeper waters and catch many more
fish and earn even more money."
The fisherman asked, "What would I do then?"
The rich man said, "You could eventually buy a fleet of boats and employ many people
to work for you and earn even more money."
The fisherman again asked, "What would I do then?"
The rich man said. "You could become a wealthy man like me."
The fisherman asked, "What would I do then?"
The rich man said, "You could then enjoy your life peacefully."
To that the fisherman replied, "What do you think I am doing right now?"

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


A Seed Of Truth

There once was a thief so cunning and shrewd
that for years went undetected and never caught.
One day he fell in love, the young woman loved him too
but required that he live an honest life.
He was happy to reform, but decided to make one last theft
of a wedding ring before settling down and changing his ways.
His keen instinct was compromised with the fear of losing
his love and he was finally caught.
He was thrown in jail where he would most likely
spend the rest of his life.
Day after day he pondered escaping but the jail was quite secure.
One day he was given a peach with his lunch
and an idea came to him.
He wrapped the pit from the peach in a piece of cloth
and asked the guard to take him to the King where
he would confess to many prior thefts.
When he faced the King, he bowed and  handed him the cloth.
The King opened the cloth and was furious and insulted to
be presented with a pit and ordered his guards,
"Put him back in jail where thieves of his kind belong."
At this the thief said, "Your Majesty this is a magic pit.
given to me many years ago. When it is planted
it will bear fruit of the purest gold."
The King said,"If that is so then why did you not plant it yourself?"
The thief said," Your Highness, the man who gave me this pit
told me that it would bear golden fruit only if planted by one
who has never stolen or cheated. If anyone else plants it it will only bear
regular peaches so you see it would only be wasted on me.
I have decided to give it to you as you are a truly honest man."
The King grew red with guilt. While more honest than most men in
high places he remembered that in his younger days he once lied and
cheated a man out of his chance for a high ranking position
while he himself had risen in power.
The King said, "Ah such a wonderful gift, but I wish to pass it on
to my Prime Minister in appreciation for his years of dedication."
All eyes turned to the Prime Minister who started to sweat as
he thought of the many times he accepted bribes. He loosened
his collar buttons and said, "And I, in turn, wish to honor the Governor
for his tremendous work ethic. The seed is now yours my friend"
The Governor thought about how wealthy he has become on the
hard work of the peasants who remained terribly poor and said,
"How can I accept such a gift when our Mayor has worked hard
to negotiate fair wages for our citizens."
The Mayor then reminded himself of the many tax dollars he used
for his own well being.
This went on and on down the line of noble officials until there was
no one left to take the magic seed as each had used their position
of power to cheat or steal. The room was silent.
Slowly the King began to smile, "You are a clever man, thief"
"You have showed us that your crime has cost you dearly while
for our own offenses we go free.I think you have served enough
time in prison. Return to your life as an honest man, and please
let none of us steal or cheat again.

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


  Heaven and Hell

Long ago there lived a huge, muscular Samurai who was known
as one of the fiercest warriors in the land.
Although devoted to the ethic code of Bushido, he was
somewhat quick tempered and frightened many.
Having attained the highest degree of fighting skills, he now
wished to acquire the wisdom of the great Sages.
He heard of a Monk who was said to possess the answers
of which the Samurai desired.
He went in search of the Monk and found him deep in
thought under a tree reading his books.
The Warrior approached the Monk and in a voice accustomed
to instant obedience he demanded " Little Monk, enlighten me
with the secrets of the Universe."    Still gazing into his book the Monk replied,
"Before you can be privy to such knowledge, you must first understand yourself."
But the Samurai insisted, "Teach me about Heaven and Hell. Now Monk!"
With that the Monk closed his book and turned to the large Samurai and said,
"Teach YOU about Heaven and Hell? I couldn't teach you about anything.
You're dirty. You smell. Your blade is rusty. You are a disgrace, an embarrassment
to the Samurai class. Get out of my sight. You disgust me."
The Samurai was furious. He began to shake all over from the anger
that raced through him. A red flush spread over his face.
he was speechless with rage. Quickly, menacingly, he pulled out his sword and
raised it above his head preparing to slay the Monk.
The Monk looked at him and pointed and said, " That's Hell."
The Samurai was overwhelmed. Stunned. The compassion and surrender of
this little Monk who had offered his life to give this teaching about Hell.
He slowly lowered his sword, filled with gratitude, and for reasons he
could not explain his heart became suddenly peaceful.
The Monk once again looked at the Samurai, pointed and said,
"And that's Heaven"

At that moment the Samurai began to learn.

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


The Potion

A long time ago in China, a girl got married and went
to live with her husband and mother-in-law.
In a short time she found that she could not
get along with her mother-in-law at all.
Days and weeks passed and the girl and her
mother-in-law never stopped arguing.
What made the situation even worse was that,
according to Chinese tradition, the girl had to bow
to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish.
Finally, she could not stand her mother-in-law's bad
temper any longer and went to consult an old friend
of her fathers who was known for his knowledge of
mixing herbs to create tonics and potions.
She asked him to blend a serum that would make
her mother-in law change her ways to co-exist peacefully.
The old man thought for a while and then said, "I will
help you solve your problem but you must listen to
me and obey what I tell you to do."  She agreed.
The old man went into a back room and returned with
a vile which he claimed to contain a magical potion that
casts a calming and soothing effect on its subjects.
He said, You must use this potion in small doses
over an extended period as not to arouse suspicion."
"Every other day prepare a delicious meal and mix
in a few drops in her serving. Now in order to make sure
no one suspects you of trickery, you must be careful and
act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey
her every wish, and treat her like a Queen while the potion
runs its course."
Weeks and Months went by and the girl administered the
potion as prescribed. She avoided suspicion by controlling her
own temper, obeying her mother-in-law's every wish, and
treated her like her own mother.
After six months had passed, the whole household had changed.
The girl had practiced self control to the point that she
almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument
with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed
much kinder and easier to get along with and began to love
the girl like her own daughter.
The girl was so happy that the potion had worked that she
went to see the old man to thank him herself.
"You have done me a great service by providing this potion.
It has changed my mother-in-law into such a nice person  that
I now love her like my own mother."
The old man looked at the girl and replied, " I never gave you
any magic potion, just a vile of vitamins to improve her health.
The remedy was in your mind and your attitude toward her. There
is no potion in the world that compares to kindness and respect."

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Originally Posted by SooBahkDon


The Blind Boy

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet.
He had a sign next to him which read, "I AM BLIND, PLEASE HELP."
There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by and took a few coins from his pocket and
dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it
around and re-worded the boys message.
He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by
could see the new message.

Soon the hat began to fill up. It seemed that a lot
more people were suddenly giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came
back to see how things were going.
The boy recognized his footsteps and asked,
"Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said "I only wrote the truth, I said what you said
but in a different way.

Again the boy asked, "Please tell me your words that touched so many today"

The man replied, " I wrote, "TODAY IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND I CANNOT SEE IT"