What Is the Most Precious Thing in the World
This is not a mythical story, but one meant to make you understand a truth!
Long ago, there was a temple called Yuanyin Temple. Every day many people came there to burn incense and worship the Buddha, and the incense offerings were very prosperous. On a beam in front of the temple, there was a spider that had spun a web. Because it was daily touched by the incense and the devout worship, the spider gradually acquired a Buddha nature.
After more than a thousand years of cultivation, the spider's Buddha nature had increased quite a bit.
Then one day, the Buddha came to Yuanyin Temple. Seeing how flourishing the incense offerings were there, he was very pleased. As he was leaving the temple, he casually looked up and saw the spider on the beam. The Buddha stopped and asked the spider: “Since you and I have met, it must be fate. Let me ask you a question and see, after cultivating for more than a thousand years, what true insight you have gained. How about it?”
The spider was delighted to meet the Buddha and quickly agreed.
The Buddha asked: “What is the most precious thing in the world?”
The spider thought for a moment and replied: “The most precious things in the world are ‘what cannot be obtained’ and ‘what has been lost’.”
The Buddha nodded and left.
And so another thousand years passed. The spider was still cultivating on the beam of Yuanyin Temple, and its Buddha nature had grown greatly.
One day, the Buddha came to the temple again and said to the spider: “Have you been well? About the question from a thousand years ago, have you gained any deeper understanding?”
The spider said: “I think the most precious things in the world are ‘what cannot be obtained’ and ‘what has been lost’.”
The Buddha said: “Think it over carefully again. I will come back to see you.”
Another thousand years passed. One day, a strong wind blew, and it carried a drop of sweet dew onto the spider web.
The spider looked at the dew and saw that it was crystal clear and beautiful, and immediately grew fond of it.
The spider looked at the dew every day and felt very happy. It thought these were the happiest few days in the past three thousand years.
Suddenly, another gust of wind blew and carried the dew away. At once the spider felt as if it had lost something, and it became very lonely and sad. Just then the Buddha came again and asked the spider: “Spider, during this past thousand years, have you thought carefully about what is the most precious thing in the world?”
Thinking of the dew, the spider said to the Buddha: “The most precious things in the world are ‘what cannot be obtained’ and ‘what has been lost’.”
The Buddha said: “Very well. Since this is your understanding, I will let you go live one life in the human world.”
And so the spider was reincarnated into the family of an official, becoming a rich family's daughter. Her parents gave her the name Zhuer. In the blink of an eye, Zhuer had reached sixteen years of age. She had grown into a graceful young maiden, very beautiful and charming.
On this day, the newly crowned top scholar, Ganlu, had passed the imperial examination, and the emperor decided to hold a celebration banquet for him in the rear garden. Many young ladies came, including Zhuer, as well as the emperor's young daughter, Princess Changfeng. During the banquet, the top scholar displayed his talent in poetry and verse, showing off his gifts, and not a single young lady present failed to be captivated by him. But Zhuer was not nervous or jealous at all, because she knew this was the destined match bestowed upon her by the Buddha.
Some days later, by great coincidence, when Zhuer accompanied her mother to burn incense and worship the Buddha, Ganlu also happened to come with his mother. After the incense had been offered and the worship completed, the two elders went aside and began talking. Zhuer and Ganlu then came to the corridor and chatted. Zhuer was very happy, for at last she could be with the person she liked, but Ganlu showed no sign that he was fond of her.
Zhuer said to Ganlu: “Could it be that you do not remember what happened sixteen years ago on the spider web at Yuanyin Temple?”
Ganlu was very astonished and said: “Miss Zhuer, you are beautiful and very likable, but isn't your imagination a bit too rich?” With that, he left with his mother.
After Zhuer returned home, she thought to herself: Since the Buddha arranged this match, why would he not let him remember that event? Why does Ganlu not feel anything for me at all?
A few days later, an imperial decree was issued: the newly crowned top scholar Ganlu was to marry Princess Changfeng; Zhuer was to marry Crown Prince Zhi.
This news struck Zhuer like a bolt from the blue. No matter how she thought about it, she could not understand why the Buddha would treat her this way.
For several days, she neither ate nor drank, exhausting herself in anxious thought. Her soul was about to leave her body, and her life was in mortal danger.
When Crown Prince Zhi learned of this, he rushed over at once, threw himself down by her bedside, and said to the dying Zhuer: “That day, among all the young ladies in the rear garden, it was love at first sight for me when I saw you. I bitterly begged my imperial father before he finally agreed. If you die, then I will not live either.” As he spoke, he picked up a treasured sword and prepared to cut his own throat.
Just then, the Buddha appeared. He said to Zhuer's soul, which was about to leave her body: “Spider, have you ever thought about who brought the sweet dew (Ganlu) to you? It was the wind (Princess Changfeng) that brought it, and in the end it was also the wind that carried it away. Ganlu belongs to Princess Changfeng; to you, he was only an interlude in life. And Crown Prince Zhi was the little tree in front of Yuanyin Temple back then. He watched you for three thousand years and admired you for three thousand years, yet you never once lowered your head to look at him. Spider, let me ask you again: what is the most precious thing in the world?”
After hearing these truths, the spider seemed to achieve sudden great enlightenment. She said to the Buddha: “The most precious thing in the world is not ‘what cannot be obtained’ or ‘what has been lost,’ but the happiness one can hold on to right now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the Buddha left, and Zhuer's soul returned to its place. She opened her eyes and saw Crown Prince Zhi just about to cut his own throat. At once she struck the sword away and embraced the crown prince deeply....
The story is over. Can you understand what Zhuer said at that final moment? “The most precious thing in the world is not ‘what cannot be obtained’ or ‘what has been lost,’ but the happiness one can hold on to right now.
This is not a mythical story, but one meant to make you understand a truth!
Long ago, there was a temple called Yuanyin Temple. Every day many people came there to burn incense and worship the Buddha, and the incense offerings were very prosperous. On a beam in front of the temple, there was a spider that had spun a web. Because it was daily touched by the incense and the devout worship, the spider gradually acquired a Buddha nature.
After more than a thousand years of cultivation, the spider's Buddha nature had increased quite a bit.
Then one day, the Buddha came to Yuanyin Temple. Seeing how flourishing the incense offerings were there, he was very pleased. As he was leaving the temple, he casually looked up and saw the spider on the beam. The Buddha stopped and asked the spider: “Since you and I have met, it must be fate. Let me ask you a question and see, after cultivating for more than a thousand years, what true insight you have gained. How about it?”
The spider was delighted to meet the Buddha and quickly agreed.
The Buddha asked: “What is the most precious thing in the world?”
The spider thought for a moment and replied: “The most precious things in the world are ‘what cannot be obtained’ and ‘what has been lost’.”
The Buddha nodded and left.
And so another thousand years passed. The spider was still cultivating on the beam of Yuanyin Temple, and its Buddha nature had grown greatly.
One day, the Buddha came to the temple again and said to the spider: “Have you been well? About the question from a thousand years ago, have you gained any deeper understanding?”
The spider said: “I think the most precious things in the world are ‘what cannot be obtained’ and ‘what has been lost’.”
The Buddha said: “Think it over carefully again. I will come back to see you.”
Another thousand years passed. One day, a strong wind blew, and it carried a drop of sweet dew onto the spider web.
The spider looked at the dew and saw that it was crystal clear and beautiful, and immediately grew fond of it.
The spider looked at the dew every day and felt very happy. It thought these were the happiest few days in the past three thousand years.
Suddenly, another gust of wind blew and carried the dew away. At once the spider felt as if it had lost something, and it became very lonely and sad. Just then the Buddha came again and asked the spider: “Spider, during this past thousand years, have you thought carefully about what is the most precious thing in the world?”
Thinking of the dew, the spider said to the Buddha: “The most precious things in the world are ‘what cannot be obtained’ and ‘what has been lost’.”
The Buddha said: “Very well. Since this is your understanding, I will let you go live one life in the human world.”
And so the spider was reincarnated into the family of an official, becoming a rich family's daughter. Her parents gave her the name Zhuer. In the blink of an eye, Zhuer had reached sixteen years of age. She had grown into a graceful young maiden, very beautiful and charming.
On this day, the newly crowned top scholar, Ganlu, had passed the imperial examination, and the emperor decided to hold a celebration banquet for him in the rear garden. Many young ladies came, including Zhuer, as well as the emperor's young daughter, Princess Changfeng. During the banquet, the top scholar displayed his talent in poetry and verse, showing off his gifts, and not a single young lady present failed to be captivated by him. But Zhuer was not nervous or jealous at all, because she knew this was the destined match bestowed upon her by the Buddha.
Some days later, by great coincidence, when Zhuer accompanied her mother to burn incense and worship the Buddha, Ganlu also happened to come with his mother. After the incense had been offered and the worship completed, the two elders went aside and began talking. Zhuer and Ganlu then came to the corridor and chatted. Zhuer was very happy, for at last she could be with the person she liked, but Ganlu showed no sign that he was fond of her.
Zhuer said to Ganlu: “Could it be that you do not remember what happened sixteen years ago on the spider web at Yuanyin Temple?”
Ganlu was very astonished and said: “Miss Zhuer, you are beautiful and very likable, but isn't your imagination a bit too rich?” With that, he left with his mother.
After Zhuer returned home, she thought to herself: Since the Buddha arranged this match, why would he not let him remember that event? Why does Ganlu not feel anything for me at all?
A few days later, an imperial decree was issued: the newly crowned top scholar Ganlu was to marry Princess Changfeng; Zhuer was to marry Crown Prince Zhi.
This news struck Zhuer like a bolt from the blue. No matter how she thought about it, she could not understand why the Buddha would treat her this way.
For several days, she neither ate nor drank, exhausting herself in anxious thought. Her soul was about to leave her body, and her life was in mortal danger.
When Crown Prince Zhi learned of this, he rushed over at once, threw himself down by her bedside, and said to the dying Zhuer: “That day, among all the young ladies in the rear garden, it was love at first sight for me when I saw you. I bitterly begged my imperial father before he finally agreed. If you die, then I will not live either.” As he spoke, he picked up a treasured sword and prepared to cut his own throat.
Just then, the Buddha appeared. He said to Zhuer's soul, which was about to leave her body: “Spider, have you ever thought about who brought the sweet dew (Ganlu) to you? It was the wind (Princess Changfeng) that brought it, and in the end it was also the wind that carried it away. Ganlu belongs to Princess Changfeng; to you, he was only an interlude in life. And Crown Prince Zhi was the little tree in front of Yuanyin Temple back then. He watched you for three thousand years and admired you for three thousand years, yet you never once lowered your head to look at him. Spider, let me ask you again: what is the most precious thing in the world?”
After hearing these truths, the spider seemed to achieve sudden great enlightenment. She said to the Buddha: “The most precious thing in the world is not ‘what cannot be obtained’ or ‘what has been lost,’ but the happiness one can hold on to right now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the Buddha left, and Zhuer's soul returned to its place. She opened her eyes and saw Crown Prince Zhi just about to cut his own throat. At once she struck the sword away and embraced the crown prince deeply....
The story is over. Can you understand what Zhuer said at that final moment? “The most precious thing in the world is not ‘what cannot be obtained’ or ‘what has been lost,’ but the happiness one can hold on to right now.
Wengier - 新DOS时代
欢迎大家来到我的“新DOS时代”网站，里面有各类DOS软件和资料，地址：
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E-Mail & MSN: wengierwu AT hotmail.com （最近比较忙，有事请联系DOSroot和雨露，谢谢！）
欢迎大家来到我的“新DOS时代”网站，里面有各类DOS软件和资料，地址：
http://wendos.mycool.net/
E-Mail & MSN: wengierwu AT hotmail.com （最近比较忙，有事请联系DOSroot和雨露，谢谢！）
