མཐུན་པ་སྤུན་བཞི།
The artists
At first, there was just the bird, and the tree was just a little sprout. The bird could scratch around on the ground and find little bits of plant to eat. The bird was unable to fly, so the bird could only eat what it could find near to the ground. As the tree grew, it became difficult for the bird to get enough food to eat.
Then, the rabbit came. The rabbit would eat what was on the ground and would lift the bird up on his back so that the bird could reach the growing tree. In this way, they both had enough to eat. However, as the tree continued to grow, it started to become too high for the bird, even on the back of the rabbit.
Then, the monkey came. The monkey could climb up into the tree and drop the fruit from the tree onto the ground for the rabbit and the bird. However, it was difficult to get to the fruit at the very top of the tree.
Then, the elephant came. With the elephant, if all the animals helped each other, they could reach the fruit at the top of the tree; and, in this way, there was plenty for all of them to eat.
The reason the four animals worked so harmoniously together and the reason they were successful is that none of them was primarily concerned with getting enough food for themselves. Each of them was concerned with trying to help the others to get what they needed. Rather than being dominated by selfish concern, they were dominated by cherishing others.
Also, the reason they were successful is that they were willing to ask for help and to receive help. In this way, the bird is considered the hero of the story. The bird was the most fragile and needed the most help.
This story is a story of interdependence. It is a story explaining how there is no place for self-cherishing, but rather we need each other and we need to help each other. The worst thing is self-cherishing. This is a story about working harmoniously.
(At our centers, we have pheasants, rabbits, monkeys, and elephants – very different kinds of people with different talents and different needs. If we only focus on the shortcomings, we might not recognize how they are able to contribute to the greater good of the center. But if we are creative, we can find a way for everybody to contribute, and in the end, everybody can partake of the fruits of bodhichitta!)
@ Chokling Art House, Bir, Himachal Pradesh
