Story 1 - The Broken Hearted Doe

There was a young man named Xu Zhen Jun who enjoyed hunting. One day, he was hunting on a hill and shot a young deer with his arrow. Not long after, he saw a doe running towards the injured deer without any thought of her own safety. She licked its wound with her tongue and looked extremely sorrowful.

Not long after, she laid down and died. Xu then brought the deers home. Upon slitting open the doe, he found that the liver and intestines were badly shattered. On witnessing this pitiful sight he was grief-stricken and broke down immediately.

Feeling remorseful. he destroyed his bows and arrows and vowed never to hunt again. All animals, just as human beings. love their offsprings. They would feel extremely sorrowful when they were separated from their loved ones. The doe loved her injured fawn deeply and thus could not hear to leave him.

The pain and sorrow overwhelmed her and she died piteously. Later, Xu was promoted to he Jing-yangs Magistrate due to his filial piety and integrity. However, he left his job to lead a life or seclusion when he found that the government of the Jing Dynasty to be incompetent.

Ill' followed Wu-men to the mountain to practise the Path. Upon accomplishing the Immortal Path. he traveled widely helping people with his Taoist magical art.

In the second year of Tai-kang during the reign of the Emperor Xiao- Wu of the Jing Dynasty. he attained the Genuine Path at the Western Mountain in the state of Hong Zhou. After his death. he continued to relieve the sufferings of the people through other forms. The Song Emperor thus conferred him the title 'The Wondrous Spiritual Power of Zhen-jun".

Story 2 - The Butcher's Knife Severed His Own Tongue

Long ago, in Huang-cao-tang of Chang-shu County. Jiangsu. there lived a butcher named Xu. His job was to slaughter the cows. Before slaughtering a cow, he would slice off its tongue first. The poor animal would scream in great pain while undergoing such extreme torture.

However, Xu was not at all bothered. After slaughtering the cow, he would bring the tongue home, cook and eat it with wine. He felt that it was especially delicious eating it this way.

One day as Xu was placing his butcher knife on top of the door frame. he heard a noise caused by two rats fighting up on the door frame. Out of curiosity, he looked up with his mouth agape.

Unexpectedly, the knife was then pushed down by the rats and landed right into Xu's mouth. The knife severed his tongue and he died instantly. Xu who was extremely brutal and enjoyed eating cows' tongues and drinking wine was eventually killed by his own knife.

The morale of the story was that the corresponding rewards or retributions in the working of cause and effect is indeed true and are not simply fabricated by anyone.

Story 3 - Elephants Which Filled The Drying Pond With Bags Of Water

During the time when Sakyamuni Buddha descended to this world. He gave Dharma talks to all living things. Only then did worldly people understand the connection of cause and effect (that is. good and bad actions with their corresponding rewards and retributions) and the merits of abstaining from killing and of releasing lives.

In the sutra of the Most Supreme King of Golden Light Illumination. there was a story of kindness and compassion which described how the elephants helped relieve the sufferings of other livings beings. In ancient India, there was a virtuous man who was the son of Liu-shui, the Elder. He was very kind in nature.

One day, while he was out traveling, he came upon a big pond beside a hill. The pond was nearly dried because of the scorching summer heat and shortages of rainfall for months. In the pond, there lived thousands of fish, prawns and other living beings. Should the pond dried up further. these living beings would not survive.On witnessing such pitiful sight, the Elder's son immediately returned to seek the kings help. He wanted to borrow 20 elephants to help carry water to the pond to save the living beings. The king who was also a Buddhist and had taken refuge with the Triple Gem, gladly granted the permission to use his elephants.

Elder's son together with his 2 sons then went to the wine merchant to borrow some leather bags. These large bags were usually used to store wines. Instead, they were filled with water and then carried by the elephants to the pond.Upon reaching the site, the water was poured into the pond. The elephants made several trips and the pond eventually filled up. The Elder's son was extremely joyful when he saw the living beings swimming happily in the pond.

He then talked to them on the Dharma of suffering, emptiness and impermanence. When these fish, prawns and other living beings passed away, they were able to attain a rebirth in the heavens. Such attainment was possible as they had 'listened' through their senses to the Dharma given by the elder's son.