Story The Birth of a Banyan Tree ( 37 )

The Birth of a Banyan Tree

[Respect for Elders]

Once upon a time, there was a huge banyan tree in the forest beneath the mighty Himalayas. Living near this banyan tree were three very good friends - a quail, a monkey and an elephant. All of them were pretty smart. Occasionally, the three friends would squabble. When a dispute occurred, all of their opinions were treated equally. None was considered more valuable regardless of the experience they had.

Every time they had a disagreement, it took them a long time to reach a solution. They realised it would save time and benefit their friendship more if they could do something to shorten their disagreements. They decided it would be most beneficial if they could consider the most valuable opinion first. If they could agree on that, they wouldn’t have to waste time and effort, or hurt their friendship, by arguing about the other two.

They all unanimously agreed that the one with the most experience would give the most valuable opinion. Only if his opinion were clearly wrong, would they need to consider the rest. In this way, they could live more harmoniously together if they accord higher respect to the oldest among them. Unfortunately, they had no idea who was the oldest. As this story took place at a time before old age was respected, they did not remember their birthdays or their ages.

Then one day, when they were relaxing in the shade of the big banyan tree, the quail and the monkey asked the elephant: “What was the earliest memory you have about the size of this banyan tree?” “I remembered when I was just a little baby, I used to scratch my belly by rubbing it over the tender shoots on top of this banyan tree,” replied the elephant. “When I was a curious baby monkey, I used to sit and examine the little seedling of this banyan tree. Sometimes I used to bend over and nibble its top tender leaves,” added the monkey.

Then the monkey and the elephant asked the quail: “What was your earliest memory of this banyan tree?” “Well, when I was young, I remembered searching for food in a nearby forest. That forest had a large banyan tree that was laden with full, ripe berries. I ate some of them, flew right here the next day, and let my droppings fall. One of the seeds contained in my droppings grew up to be this very tree!” answered the quail. “Aha! Sir quail, you must be the oldest! You deserve our respect and honour. From now on we will pay close attention to your words. Based on your wisdom and experience, please advise us when we make mistakes. When there are disagreements, we will value your opinion most. We only ask that you be honest and just,” exclaimed both the monkey and the elephant “I thank you for your respect, and I promise to always do my best,” replied the quail. This wise little quail was the Bodhisattva.

The moral is ✏ respect for the wisdom of elders leads to harmony.

Posted by irawan

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