After many days of heavy rains, a village which was known for its good swimmers became flooded when the river burst its banks. When the rain ceased, five or six friends in the village decided to take a boat to the opposite bank. Just as they were in the middle of the river, the boat started to fall apart. Since all of them could swim very well, they jumped into the river and started swimming across to the other bank. One of the friends was found to be swimming very slowly despite using all his strength.
"Hey, why are you falling behind?" his friends shouted. "You used to sweim better than the rest of us."
"I have a thousand coins tied round my waist and they are very heavy!"
"The water is swift and the current is strong. Take the coins off and throw them away!" they admonished him. Despite his exhaustion, he shook his head because he could not bear to part with his money.
Some of his friends who climbed onto the far shore saw that he was sinking fast. "Throw away the money!" they shouted again. "Why must you be so stupid? You are about to sink!" But he still hung on to the money, and was swept away by the swift river and drowned.
Moral of the Story:
No one can reach the state of perfect happiness unless he or she brings the covetous heart and mind under complete control. So long as we seek happiness in the satisfaction of desire for material gains, we will never find it. It will be just and elusive dream. It is humanly impossible to obtain everything we wish, since insatiability is the very nature of craving.
Source: Why Worry! by K. Sri Dhammananda
1 comment:
Thanks for stopping by my blog! Love this fable; some people are so obsessed with wealth that they miss experiencing true happiness.
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