The Birth Of A Banyan Tree
[Respect for Elders]
Once upon a time, there was a big banyan tree in the forest beneath the mighty Himalayas. Living near this banyan tree were three very good friends. They were a quail, a monkey and an elephant. Each of them was quite smart.
Occasionally the three friends got into a disagreement. When this happened, they did not consider the opinion of any one of them to be more valuable. No matter how much experience each one had, his opinion was treated the same as the others. So it, took them a long time to reach an agreement. Every time this happened, they had to start from the beginning to reach a solution.
After a while they realized that it would save time, and help their friendship, if they could shorten their disagreements. They decided that it would certainly help if they considered the most valuable opinion fi rst. Then, if they could agree on that one, they would not have to waste time, and possibly even become less friendly, by arguing about the other two.
Fortunately, they all thought the most valuable opinion was the one based on the most experience. Therefore, they could live together even more peacefully if they gave higher respect to the oldest among them. Only if his opinion were clearly wrong, would they need to consider others.
Unfortunately, the elephant and the monkey and the quail had no idea which one was the oldest. Since this was a time before old age was respected, they had no reason to remember their birthdays or their ages.
Then one day, while they were relaxing in the shade of the big banyan tree, the quail and the monkey asked the elephant, As far back as you can remember, what was the size of this banyan tree?
The elephant replied, I remember this tree for a very long time. 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.
Then the monkey said, When I was a curious baby monkey, I used to sit and examine the little seedling banyan tree. Sometimes I used to bend over and nibble its top tender leaves.
The monkey and the elephant asked the quail, As far back as you can remember, what was the size of this banyan tree?
The quail said, When I was young, I was looking for food in a nearby forest. In that forest, there was a big old banyan tree, which was full of ripe berries. I ate some of those berries, and the next day I was standing right here. This was where I let my droppings fall, and the seeds they contained grew up to be this very tree!
The monkey and the elephant said, 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, advise us when we make mistakes. When there are disagreements, we will give the highest place to your opinion. We ask only that you be honest and just.
The quail replied, I thank you for your respect, and I promise to always do my best to deserve it. It just so happened that this wise little quail was the Bodhisatta the Enlightenment Being.
The moral is: Respect for the wisdom of elders leads to harmony.
英美文化赏析:买狗比买枪难多了
爱时髦的clotheshorse
官僚机构的“红带文件”
“草根领袖”英语怎么说?
剧场的“微博专座”
假日在家“狂看片”
诗人拜伦的著名诗歌合集:Lines to a Lady Weeping
脸盲症 face blindness
引领潮流的“果冻鞋”
房市的“岳母综合征”
英美文化赏析:维多利亚时期,那些能当英文名的花
诗人拜伦的著名诗歌合集:The Wild Gazelle
与新媒体相对的“传统媒体”
诗人拜伦的著名诗歌合集:Away, Away去吧,去吧
什么是“宝贝时差”?
双语美文:让优秀成为你的习惯
非屏幕时间 non
不止要活出精彩,更要活出生命的质量
双语故事:那次令人尴尬的事
那些很man或者很小女人的英文名盘点
大热的“江南style”
“相亲游”开始流行
群体极化 group polarization
双语美文:成功就在你看得到的彼岸
诗人拜伦的著名诗歌合集:Windsor Poetics
诗人拜伦的著名诗歌合集:My Soul is Dark
诗人拜伦的著名诗歌合集:悼玛格丽特表姐
双语美文:世界那么大,你还不出去走走?
英文小说怎么写?根据这6条套路来写
英美文化:美国,一个犯了网瘾的民族
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |