The Adventures of Tashi, the Tibetan Cricket

By Tsering Paldron

Have you met Tashi, the Tibetan cricket who lives in Ditza’s garden? He is a funny little cricket from Tibet, who does meditation and sings a mantra, a magic formula that transforms things and people. His mantra is Om Mani Peme Hum Hri and Ditza calls it the many penny mantra. Tachi, Ditza and Stripes, the cat, are best friends and have many adventures. Foreword "I like stories, and I especially like stories that have meaning; stories that are strange, funny and eventful. When I pick up a book like that I can’t put it down until I reach the last page; and then I’m sorry it is finished. These stories not only have the capacity to hold my attention in this way but they also give some understanding of the Ancient Wisdom which has been preserved in Tibet for over one thousand years. I do appreciate the way the book has been illustrated, and hope and wish that the stories will educate and entertain many people, both young and old. Ringu Tulku"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tsering Paldron
• Release date: Jun 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311119919

Tsering Paldron

Tsering Paldron was born in Lisbon, Portugal and traveled to Brussels at the age of 19 where she met a Tibetan Lama and became Buddhist. Her spiritual journey started in 1973. She did a three years' retreat in the 80's in France and has received teachings from many Tibetan lamas like Dudjom Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Trulshik Rinpoche and many others. She has been teaching and traveling for the past 25 years, wrote a few books. She gives regular courses, seminars, talks and meditation classes in Portugal, France, Belgium and England and is in charge of Bodhicharya Portugal.

Book preview

The adventures of Tashi, the Tibetan cricket

Tsering Paldron

Illustrations Cécile Eyen

Preface by Ringu Tulku

Translated by Rosie Blandy

Copyright 2013 Tsering Paldron

http://www.tseringpaldron.com

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of contents

Foreword

The penny mantra

The flap of a butterfly’s wings

The magic apple tree

Foreword

I like stories, and I especially like stories that have meaning; stories that are strange, funny and eventful. When I pick up a book like that I can’t put it down until I reach the last page; and then I’m sorry it is finished.

These stories not only have the capacity to hold my attention in this way but they also give some understanding of the Ancient Wisdom which has been preserved in Tibet for over one thousand years.

I do appreciate the way the book has been illustrated, and hope and wish that the stories will educate and entertain many people, both young and old.

Ringu Tulku

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1|The penny mantra

It was on a March afternoon that Ditza’s life changed forever. It is funny how the most surprising things happen when you least expect them, especially on quite ordinary days. And that was exactly how it happened on that seemingly quiet afternoon.

Ditza left school at the usual time and was the first to get home. Her family lived in a big city with lots of buildings but they were lucky to have a garden. It was a small patch of land, surrounded by four greyish walls, but Ditza simply loved it. For her, that useless tangle of grass and nettles that the adults despised was a wonderful garden. She loved to sit down in the tall grass, leaning back against the tangerine tree. From there she could observe the little ants, the puddles, the spiders’ webs and a thousand other fascinating things.

That afternoon, as she opened the door of the garden, she was stunned for a moment. A slither of sunshine bathed the garden, tingeing it with a golden hue. The tips of the grass which swayed in the breeze and the tiny blue and white flowers seemed to be dusted with gold. Birds were singing their hearts out and all of a sudden Ditza felt as happy as a room filled with morning light. How beautiful her garden was!

Stripes, her marmalade cat, came and sat on her lap, purring with pleasure.

– How was your day? – he asked.

– The usual – she answered, stroking his soft fur.

Ditza opened a small bottle she had taken from the fridge. Mmm! Peach juice, her favourite!

– Well, I had a wonderful day. I slept the entire afternoon. The sun was so warm, it was terrific! – said the cat, stretching out.

– You are so lazy, it’s unbelievable!

– I am most certainly not! I’m just always so tired…– he said, closing his eyes and making himself comfortable.

– I can’t imagine why: you do absolutely nothing all day, she said.

But Stripes didn’t answer to that. He had already fallen asleep. It was then she heard something very strange. It was a small voice saying something like o many penny ungri and Ditza was sure she had never heard it before.

Her heart thumping, she looked all around but could not see anybody. Intrigued, she tried to find out where the voice was coming from then realised it was coming from in front of her. She opened her eyes wide, looked more closely and saw a small black animal perched on a leaf. It was a cricket! Ditza knew about crickets because there were lots by her grandmother’s house. She liked to hear them sing and she used to spend hours watching them. But this cricket was very strange. Firstly, it didn’t sing like the others and secondly, it was sitting with its back legs…. crossed! Ditza moved closer and rubbed her eyes to be sure she was not seeing things. It was then that the cricket looked straight at her and sang:

– Oh many penny hungry!

Ditza jumped back and asked Stripes:

– Did you hear that? It’s a speaking cricket!

The cat lazily opened one eye.

– What? I didn’t hear anything, I was sleeping.

– Oh many penny hungry! – said the cricket again.

– Oh, you’re always sleeping! – she exclaimed crossly.

Ditza did not know if the cricket was speaking to her or whether she should reply but she decided to risk it.

– Hello! I’m Ditza and this is Stripes.

– And I’m Tashi – he said, bringing his front legs together and bowing his head.

What a strange name she thought. But as she did not want to be rude, she smiled and said:

– Do you like my garden?

– It’s beautiful. Would you allow me to stay? – asked the cricket.

– Sure, that would be lovely!

– Thank you so much, can we become friends?

– Absolutely.

Ditza blushed. The idea of having a new friend living in her garden was brilliant. She was almost an only child as her two older brothers were always busy and never wanted to play with her.

– Where did you live before? – she asked.

– In a country called Tibet.

Ditza had never heard of it.

– Where’s that? – asked Stripes inquisitively.

– It’s to the north of India, thousands of kilometres away from here.

– And crickets can fly that far? – she wondered.

Tashi put on a mysterious air and answered:

– Some can.

– Can you?

Ditza looked at the cricket and saw that he was so tiny and fragile that it seemed impossible. But as she wanted to be nice to her new friend, she said nothing. Tashi explained:

– Well, the truth is that I came by plane.

– By plane! – she exclaimed with a hint of jealousy. She had never been on a plane. – How did you manage that?

– It was a mistake. One day I jumped onto the trousers pocket of man who was passing by. He was a tourist and before I realised it… I was in a hotel. I was a bit scared of the noise and bustle so I hid in the crease of his trousers and stayed very still. The next day the man put the trousers in a suitcase, arrived at the airport and hopped on a plane! When he arrived home, he opened his suitcase and discovered me. I was afraid he would kill me but he laughed and put me in a small box. The next day he set me free and put me out in a garden.

– You were lucky! I also never kill little animals.

– Good. In that case you can really be my friend.

– Of course – she replied enthusiastically.

–