Tiger and Greed.

Yesterday I had a very quiet day still finding it very difficult to do very much but did manage to draw a tiger head on my Ipad. Once I had the outline of it completed I duplicated it and then produced a final painting but in three different colour versions. This is the one I prefer but the other two are different and I find all pleasing to the eye. 

As I spent most of the day working on this I remembered many tiger stories from my time of teaching Buddhism. Of course, my old friend Tigger also went through my mind and the many lessons learned from him.

Let me share one of those tales with you today. 

Once upon a time, there lived a Tiger in a forest. With the passing years, he became too old to hunt. One day, the Tiger was walking by the side of a lake and suddenly, a gold bangle came into his sight. Quickly he picked up the bangle and thought that he could use it as an allure to catch someone. As he was under the thought process, a traveller happened to pass through the opposite side of the lake. 

The Tiger instantly thought to himself, “What a delicious meal he would make?” He planned a scheme to attract the traveller. 

He held the bangle in his paw making it visible to the traveller and said, “Would you like to take this gold bangle. I don’t require it”. At once, the traveller wanted to take the bangle, but he hesitated to go near the Tiger. He knew that it was risky, yet he so wanted the Gold Bangle. He planned to be cautious, so he asked the Tiger, “How can I believe you? I know you are a beast and would kill me”.

The Clever Tiger innocently said, “Listen, Traveler, in my youth, I was wicked unquestionably, but now I have changed myself. With the advice of a sage, I have left all evil. Now I am all alone in this world and have engaged myself in kind deeds. Moreover, I have grown old. I have no teeth and my claws are blunt. So, there is no need to fear from me”. 

The traveller was taken in by this smart talk and his love for gold soon overcame his fear of the Tiger. He jumped into the lake to wade across the Tiger. 

But as planned by the Tiger, he got trapped in the marsh. On seeing this, the Tiger consoled him and said, “Oh! You do not need to worry. I’ll help you”. Gradually he came towards the traveller and seized him. 

As the traveller was being dragged out, onto the bank, he thought to himself, “Oh! This beast's talk of saintliness took me in totally. A beast is always a beast. If only I had not let my greed overcome my reason, I could be alive”. However, it was too late; the Tiger killed the traveller and ate him up. 

Like this, the traveller became a victim of greed and Tiger was successful in his evil plan. 

How easily we can fall to the ways of greed.

Have a wonderful day.