Beggar: "Why are you stealing from me? I am a homeless man, you can steal from richer people than me and it won't have any effect on them."
Mouse: "It is your karma that you can only have eight items in your possession, no matter how much you beg, no matter how much you gather, this is all you'll be able to have."
Beggar: "Why is that my destiny?"
Mouse: "I don't know. You should go and ask the Buddha."
Narrator: So the homeless man went on his journey to find the Buddha. As he was going, he got tired and it was night, so he ended up at a merchant's house and asked if he could stay the night. Merchant let him in.
Merchant: "Young man why are you travelling so late?"
Beggar: "I have a question for the Buddha and tomorrow I'll be on my way."
Merchant's Wife: "Can we give you a question to ask the Buddha? We've a daughter who is eighteen. She doesn't speak and is always sad."
Merchant: "We just want to ask what do we have to do to make her speak? To make her cheerful?"
Narrator: So the homeless man thanked them for the shelter and assured them that he'll ask the question. And the next morning he continued his journey and saw a sea of mountains, he climbed the first mountain and met a wizard at the top.
Wizard: "I'll help you to cross these mountains with this powerful staff. Anyway, young man where are you going? Why do you decide to cross these mountains?"
Beggar: "I'm going to ask the Buddha about my destiny."
Beggar: "Of course I'll ask the question for you."
Narrator: Wizard flew him across the mountains, and the beggar continued his journey. At last, he reached a river that was huge. Luckily he met a giant turtle who decided to take him across the river. As they were crossing the river, the turtle asked.
Turtle: "Where are you going?"
Beggar: "I am going to Buddha to ask him a question about my destiny."
Turtle: "Can you please ask Buddha a question for me?
Narrator: The beggar told the turtle that he would ask his question. Finally, he reached the Buddha. Many people had come to ask Buddha questions about their life. So it was said that Buddha would answer three question for each person.
Beggar: "But I have four questions to ask, whose question should I drop. The turtle has been living for 500 years trying to become a dragon. The wizard has been living for 1000 years trying to go to heaven. The girl has to live her whole life being unable to speak. I am just a homeless beggar, I can just go back and continue begging."
Narrator: So as he looked at everyone else's problem, his own problem suddenly seemed so small. He felt sorry for the turtle, the wizard and the girl and he decided to ask all of their questions. So he asked the Buddha and Buddha answered.
Buddha: "The turtle is unwilling to leave his shell, as long as he is unwilling to leave the comfort of his shell, he will never become a dragon.
The wizard always carries his staff and never puts it down, it acts as an anchor, keeping him from ascending to heaven.
As for the girl, she will be able to speak when she'll meet her soulmate."
Narrator: So the homeless beggar bowed to the Buddha and went on his journey back home.
He reunited with the turtle and told the turtle,
Beggar: "Hey you just have to take off your shell and you will become a dragon"Narrator: The turtle then took off his shell and inside his shell were priceless pearls found in the deepest parts of the ocean and he gave it to the homeless man and told him,
Turtle: "Thank you, I no longer need this because I am a dragon now. You can keep it."
Narrator: Homeless man continued and reunited with the wizard and said,
Beggar: "Hey you just have to put down your staff and you will be able to go to heaven."
Narrator: The wizard gave his staff to the man and said thank you and then ascended to heaven. The young man now has wealth from the turtle and power from the wizard. He went back to the family that gave him the shelter and said,
Beggar: "Your daughter will be able to speak when she meets her soulmate."
Narrator: At that moment the girl came running and said
Girl: "Hey is that the man who was here last month."
Narrator: The young girl and the once homeless beggar have found their soulmate
This story tells us so many things and so many lessons. Sometimes we have to give up something in order to get something. Just like the turtle had to give up his comfort to become a dragon. And just like the wizard, we have to rise above our attachments to become a higher being. We have to rise above our material possessions. And in order to find true love, we must become somebody who is willing to put others before ourselves.
When we are alone and lost in our thoughts, our own problems seem so big that it looks like the end of the world, but when we look at other people's lives, other people who do not have the opportunities as us, who have it worse than us, sometimes it makes our own problems seem small. And when we are willing to lend a helping hand to those who are struggling more than us and are willing to help them, chants with them and study Buddhism with them, it changes the course of our own lives and ultimately our destiny. The universe then repays us in mystical ways that we could not have imagined. This selfless dedication to doing Buddha's work and bringing peace and happiness to our surroundings is called 'Kosen Rufu' in Nichiren Buddhism.
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