What does the story of the woodcutter and the snake tell us?
A poor woodcutter saved an injured snake in the mountains. After he recovered, he put the snake into a hole in the mountain. Later, a ganoderma lucidum grew in the cave where the snake lived, and the snake guarded this precious ganoderma lucidum day and night.
One day, the emperor was ill and needed to take Ganoderma lucidum to cure the disease, so he posted a notice that whoever could offer Ganoderma lucidum would be rewarded. So the woodcutter found the snake, and the snake remembered that the woodcutter had saved his life and gave Ganoderma lucidum to the woodcutter. The woodcutter picked Ganoderma lucidum and presented it to the emperor. The emperor gave the woodcutter a lot of gold and silver and didn't spill the beans.
The woodcutter lived a luxurious life from then on. But he is not satisfied with this, so he wants to be an official. Fortunately, the queen is blind. She needs the eyes of a dragon and a snake to restore her sight. The emperor also issued a notice that anyone who can present the dragon ball will be named prime minister. The woodcutter was very happy when he saw the notice. Isn't that what I've always wanted? So he went to beg the serpent again. The serpent endured the severe pain and made him gouge out an eye. The woodcutter took off this eye and presented it to the emperor. After the queen regained her sight, the emperor was very happy and gave him the post of prime minister.
Later, the princess became ill again, and she asked the dragon snake liver to regulate her stomach. Then he announced that whoever can save the princess is Xu. The woodcutter who was promoted to prime minister naturally thought of snakes again and had the cheek to ask for them again. This snake is really helpless. In order to repay the debt, he had to tell the Prime Minister, "Only a little liver can be cut." The snake opened its mouth to let him in. The woodcutter thought, why don't I cut more of such a good thing, so he cut a large piece of liver with a cruel knife. The snake twitched in pain, shut its mouth involuntarily, rolled all over the floor, and the prime minister could never get out again.
Through this story, we can see that the woodcutter's ending is entirely self-inflicted, and there are only two reasons for its ending: one is to repay the kindness; Two: insatiable greed.
Founder Nan Wu reported to the Buddha in "Philosophical Words on Earth": "There are different ways to be blessed, because it is for self-cultivation, for the harmony of the world, it is a blessing, and for self-interest, it is a curse. People should do their own things in a way that excludes self-interest, but fortunately, the way of life is not a blessing, nor a cultivation, and so is a conscious career. " This shows that the woodcutter's death is the result of greed.
It has always been our traditional virtue to be kind and ungrateful. If the woodcutter can bite the hand that feeds him, nothing will happen later. If he wasn't so greedy, he wouldn't repay the kindness, which shows that the fundamental reason lies in his selfishness and greed. Although the story seems a bit exaggerated, in reality, such people are everywhere, even those of us who study Buddhism tirelessly. Greedy for law, achievement and fame, all kinds of humble greed are everywhere in life.
After eating in the restaurant, I took a pack of toothpicks, a pack of napkins and bought some small things to bargain repeatedly. ...
A little thing can tell a person's practice. Let's think about ourselves carefully. Are we too greedy to know it? Some students learn from Buddhism and seek happiness for themselves and their families. If you can't meet the requirements, you think that Buddha and Bodhisattva are heartless and selfish, and there is no way to be a practitioner! Unknown cause and effect, unknown jurisprudence, covered by secular habits!
Buddhists, shouldn't they be grateful? Be grateful that you are destined to learn Buddhism; Gratitude has always been the support and help of people on the road to learning Buddhism; Thanks to the compassion of Buddha and Bodhisattva, who have always blessed us!
If gratitude is the health of the soul, then greed is the cancer of the soul. Buddhists should not only "give good deeds" like a kind world, but also strive to cultivate nature's good deeds instead of doing good deeds; At the same time, we should be vigilant and carefully observe our manners, as the Buddha said, "Do what we do in a way that eliminates selfishness." If you can do it, I believe you will "teach yourself" from now on!
Editor: The hedge chrysanthemum is half open.