Stories my Gopa told me

STORIES MY GOPA TOLD ME

Long ago somewhere--we have forgotten where and just when--there was a great teacher. He was wise, pious, righteous, humble and well schooled. He was very charismatic, his bright eyes and personality lighted up the room as he entered. He was an eloquent speaker and students came from many miles to sit before him and listen to his teachings. Everyone who listened to him went home a better person. He truly was a great teacher.

Now it came to pass that, just before the rains at the end of the dry season, the teacher and some followers would go to the quiet of their mountain retreat. There they would walk in the cool of the mountain forests. They would walk among the tall trees and lush undergrowth and be renewed.

Now on one beautiful day the teacher and three of his closest followers took a long morning walk to discuss such things that a great teacher and his followers would discuss. As the teacher was speaking, he stepped into a large pile of tiger scat, befouling not just his sandal but his whole foot and ankle, for it was a very large pile.

At first the teacher yelled out in surprise, but quickly regained his humor. He stood back some and tried to shake off the mess as best he could and then made the comment that is always made in this situation, the comment that has been made by man as long as there has been man and as long as there has been scat to step in.

“ Well, I guess I stepped in it!” the teacher said gently laughing.

His followers laughed mildly, not knowing what to do. But they quickly sprang into action to clean off their beloved teacher. One ran to the small stream on the left to bring back water to clean off the teacher’s foot. Another went to the right where a large Tombola tree grew, as the large sturdy leaves are wonderful for wrapping up food, patching holes in one’s roof and of course they are just as good as a cloth for scrubbing things—better, in fact, as they are free and one can just throw them away after use. The last student ran ahead to where he saw some Lu-liga flowers. As everyone knows the Lu-liga flowers and leaves have a very pleasant scent and are just as good as a fine soap for the cleaning of oneself. Very quickly indeed did the three students have their teacher’s ankle, foot and sandal clean.

The four now continued their walk along the mountain stream and again began to discuss those things that a great teacher discusses with his followers. The great teacher openly chided himself for being so inattentive and jokingly told his students that perhaps he should set five rules that should be followed to avoid stepping in scat and befouling one’s sandal. Now the great teacher’s students always took his words to heart and rarely understood that often he was making a sly joke.

“ Yes, yes, master we must have five rules to follow so we do not step in scat and befoul our sandals.” All three students spoke up.

Now the great teacher realized that his students had not taken his comments in jest and now he needed to come up with five rules--five rules to avoid stepping in scat and befouling one’s sandals while walking in the woods. Fortunately, the great teacher was well studied in all the classical scriptures. He knew all the Vedas; he knew most of the Buddhist Theravada by heart. The Parsi of Zarathushtra and the sayings of Confucius and even the works of St. Thomas in India were known to the teacher. So the great teacher was able to quickly search his memory and come up with five rules that could apply. The teacher then explained to his students the five rules to avoid stepping in scat and befouling one’s sandals while walking in the woods. His students were duly impressed and pleased to now have the five rules to avoid stepping in scat and befouling one’s sandals while walking in the woods. They all thanked the teacher, and all four of them continued with their walk.

Now unknown to the four, there was a tigress with her three almost grown cubs that had been following the four. The tigress and cubs were in dire straits; they had been attacked and almost killed by a large male tiger--the same tiger, in fact, that had left the pile of scat that the great teacher had stepped in, befouling his sandal. The tigress and cubs were starving, almost at death’s door, not having eaten for many days. The four were in bad straits indeed; or they never would have followed men. Now it happen so quickly that the great teacher and his students never knew what happened. The tigers attacked and killed the four. The tigers dragged the lifeless bodies into the forest and began to feast, thus saving themselves from a hungry slow death.

Now in this tale there is good and there is bad, as there is in most things of this world. The good is that all four tigers lived long lives, becoming parents, grandparents, great grandparents unto countless generations of tigers. In fact, their line still fills the world today, so this was the good. As to the bad, as you might now guess, the world was deprived of the great good that could have come from the five rules as to avoid stepping in scat and befouling one’s sandal. But such are the fates of all things.

Six for lunch