A Flock of Fools: Ancient Buddhist Tales of Wisdom and Laughter from the One Hundred Parable Sutra

By Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

“These teachings from the heart of Buddhism ring true . . . a sumptuous meal of wild and comic dharma. Enjoy!” (Enkyō O’Hara, Soto priest and teacher).
 
One hundred illuminating tales of the foibles and follies of everyday fools, this elegant, humorous, and masterful little book of wisdom is a welcome addition to the Buddhist canon.
 
“The One Hundred Parable Sutra” is known as the most humorous sutra in all of Buddhist literature. Here, Kazuaki Tanahashi, the celebrated translator, calligrapher, and Dōgen scholar, and Peter Levitt, an award-winning poet, storyteller, and Zen practitioner, have translated and retold these jewel-like parables with storytelling panache for students, teachers, and seekers everywhere. With appropriate commentary, each tale becomes a simple lesson for everyday living. From the potter who seeks fame to the woman who possesses great lust, these tales are told with a gentle clarity that magnifies our appetites and delusions. In doing so, they become an accurate mirror of the human condition.
 
Illustrated with seventeen original brushwork drawings by Tanahashi, A Flock of Fools is a perfect little book of wisdom, laughter, and compassion.
 
“Translator Kaz Tanahashi and storyteller Peter Levitt have given these stories a subtle American-Zen flavor, and although this collection has a 1500-year pedigree . . . its messages ring clear and true today.” —Shambala Sun
 
“Funny, strange, wise, informing, this marvelous book celebrates the wild heart of Buddhism.” —Roshi Joan Halifax, Zen Buddhist teacher
 
“Nothing breaks apart dualism and sanctimoniousness like a good laugh! . . . lively reminders of the power of humor to enrich our understanding, and to help us let go of our attachments.” — Enkyō O’Hara, Soto priest and teacher

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 1, 2007
• ISBN: 9780802199270

Book preview

A FLOCK OF FOOLS

ALSO BY KAZUAKI TANAHASHI

Brush Mind

Enlightenment Unfolds: The Essential Teachings of

Zen Master Dogen (editor)

Essential Zen (with David Schneider)

Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation

by Zen Master Dogen (editor)

Penetrating Laughter: Hakuin’s Zen and Art

ALSO BY PETER LEVITT

Fingerpainting on the Moon: Writing and

Creativity as a Path to Freedom

Bright Root, Dark Root

One Hundred Butterflies

Running Grass (Poems 1970–1977)

No Beginning, No End: The Intimate Heart of Zen

by Jakusho Kwong (editor)

The Heart of Understanding by Thich Nhat Hahn (editor)

A FLOCK OF FOOLS

ANCIENT BUDDHIST TALES OF

WISDOM AND LAUGHTER FROM

THE ONE HUNDRED PARABLE SUTRA

TRANSLATED AND RETOLD BY

KAZUAKI TANAHASHI

AND PETER LEVITT

Copyright © 2004 by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Published simultaneously in Canada

Printed in the United States of America

FIRST EDITION

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Tanahashi, Kazuaki, 1933-

A flock of fools: ancient Buddhist tales of wisdom and laughter from the One hundred parable sutra/translated and retold by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

p. cm.

In English; translated from Chinese version. Original in Sanskrit. e-Book ISBN-13: 978-0-8021-9927-0

1. Buddhist parables. 2. Wit and humor—Religious aspects—Buddhism. I. Title: Ancient Buddhist tales of wisdom and laughter. II. Title: One hundred parable sutra. III. Levitt, Peter. IV. Sanghasena. Satavadana. Chinese. V. Title.

BQS780.T36 2004

Grove Press

841 Broadway

New York, NY 10003

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

NOTE ON THE ORIGINAL TEXT AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PROLOGUE

VOLUME ONE

1 EATING SALT

2 FOOL’S MILK

3 A MAN WHOSE HEAD WAS HIT BY A PEAR

4 THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE

5 THE THIRSTY MAN

6 A FATHER WHO KILLED HIS CHILD

7 THE IMPOSTOR

8 THE THIEF AND THE TREASURE HOUSE

9 THE VIRTUOUS FATHER

10 THE THREE-STORY TOWER

11 THE BRAHMAN WHO KILLED A CHILD

12 BROWN SUGAR BROTH

13 A QUICK TEMPER

14 THE GUIDE

15 THE QUACK DOCTOR

16 SUGARCANE

17 THE HALFPENNY LOAN

18 THE WHETSTONE IN A TOWER

19 THE BEGGING BOWL

20 THE TYRANT

21 A WOMAN WHO WISHED TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD

VOLUME TWO

22 ALOE WOOD INCENSE

23 THE STOLEN BROCADE

24 SESAME SEEDS

25 FIRE AND WATER

26 WINKS

27 A WHIP WOUND

28 THE NOSE

29 THE ROUGH-HAIR ROBE

30 THE SHEPHERD

31 THE POTTER AND THE BRAHMAN

32 THEFT OF GOLD

33 A FINE FRUIT TREE

34 SPRING WATER

35 THE MIRROR IN A TREASURE CHEST

36 THE SORCERER’S EYE

37 A MAN WHO KILLED HIS HERD OF COWS

38 THE WOODEN CONDUIT

39 RICE-STRAW PLASTER

40 CURE FOR BALDNESS

41 FLESH-EATING DEMONS

VOLUME THREE

42 THE PEDDLER AND THE CAMEL SKIN

43 POLISHING A ROCK

44 HALF A RICE CRACKER

45 THE SERVANT WHO KEPT THE GATE

46 THE STOLEN BUFFALO

47 THE DUCK CALL

48 THE FOX AND THE FALLING BRANCH

49 A HANDFUL OF HAIR

50 THE DOCTOR AND THE HUNCHBACK

51 SHARING THE MAIDSERVANT

52 THE ENTERTAINER

53 THE TEACHER’S BAD LEGS

54 HEAD AND TAIL

55 THE KING’S BEARD

56 ASKING FOR NOTHING

57 THE RICH MAN’S SPITTLE

58 DIVIDING EQUALLY

59 THE POTTER’S SHOP

60 THE GOLDEN REFLECTION

61 THE MAHABRAHMAN’S DISCIPLE

62 A SICK MAN

63 THE DEMON’S COSTUME

64 A DEMON IN THE HOUSE

65 FIVE HUNDRED SWEET CAKES

VOLUME FOUR

66 THE VOYAGE

67 THE RICE CAKES

68 A MAN WITH A GRUDGE

69 A FAST EATER

70 THE RICH MAN’S MANGOES

71 THE BIGAMIST

72 A MOUTHFUL OF RICE

73 THE COWARDLY SOLIDER

74 THE DECEITFUL BRAHMAN

75 THE CAMEL AND THE JAR

76 THE PRINCESS AND THE COUNTRY FOOL

77 ASS’S MILK

78 A CHILD WHO TRAVELED ALONE

79 THE KING’S ARMREST

80 ENEMA WATER

81 THE BEAR AND THE CHILD

82 SOWING IN THE FIELD

83 THE MONKEY AND THE MEAN MAN

84 LUNAR ECLIPSE

85 A WOMAN’S EYES

86 THE GOLD EARRINGS

87 THE BLAND CLOTH

88 MONKEY BEANS

89 A GOLDEN SKUNK

90 COUNTING COINS

91 LITTLE PROPERTY

92 THE GREEDY CHILD

93 THE WOMAN AND THE BEAR

94 THE JEWEL AND THE WATER CONDUIT

95 A PAIR OF DOVES

96 THE MAN WHO PLUCKED OUT HIS EYES

97 THE HIDDEN COIN

98 THE TORTOISE

MONK SANGHASENA’S FLOWER GARLAND OF THE FOOLS

TABLE OF SIMILAR TALES

FOREWORD

Rare is the person who is entirely wise, and perhaps even more rare is the person who is completely foolish. In fact, a complete fool is almost impossible to find, and, therefore, should be treasured. These parables are a treasure chest of fools. Old fools. Ancient fools. Perfect fools. Fools so remarkably unwise that they exist only in tales such as these—or so it seems—for one of the most appealing aspects of these parables is how the exaggerated thoughts and deeds of these fools accurately reflect elements of human nature found in every land and age, including our own.

Told with a single-pointed clarity the original compiler hoped would prove useful to practitioners and students of the Buddha Way, these tales magnify our foibles and folly, our appetites, impulses, and delusions, and serve as useful and accurate mirrors of our human condition. As we witness the silly, crazy, and sometimes hurtful things these fools say, think, and do, we laugh at them or shake our heads in disbelief. Yet our reaction is always tempered by the awareness that shades of our own foolishness parade before our eyes. Often our laughter or horror turns into recognition and insight upon reading these tales. Since these parables are able to inspire such recognition, they help us to cultivate wisdom and compassion as we seek to develop real understanding and do no harm in the world.

This is quite a gift given by fools.

As I read the initial English translation of the One Hundred Parable Sutra, translated from the Chinese by Kazuaki Tanahashi, the parables deepened my concentration. Their intention and meaning were so consistent, the insight so penetrating, that they provided an extended meditation on the need for greater self-awareness. As I continued to work with the parables over time, I sought to maintain their original feeling and remain faithful to their details and the teachings upon which they are based. Such intense study taught me to see how brilliantly these fools represent the subtle, unconscious impulses that appear on the mind-stage of the human psyche. Since it is common, in the rush of our lives, for our psychological defense systems to make it difficult for us to notice such impulses (increasing their shelf life, so to speak), my hope is that readers will join me in welcoming the vastness of the mirror these parables provide.

This brings me to the subject of the teachings that conclude each tale. Originally intended to help Buddhist practitioners avoid common pitfalls, strengthen commitment, and develop understanding, on occasion the moral applications proved problematic. Sometimes I had to read into the text of the parable over and over again, seeking to decipher the connection between the story and the meaning it had been given by the original storyteller. I truly hope I was able to discover the elusive thread so that each parable, as it is, stands comprehensible and whole.

As Kaz has indicated, the parables have more than one source, accounting for the diversity of styles. To be as faithful to the original text as possible, we decided not to overstylize the parables by creating a single, unified approach, but to preserve the diverse nature of the telling as we found it.

Finally, I admit to loving these tales. In virtually every case, whatever understanding I gained while living in their worlds was accompanied by a delicious and quite childlike delight. There were times when I giggled with the recognition of my own foolishness, or the foolishness of friends, and I felt renewed, forgiving, and forgiven. I even found myself on the phone before I knew it, reciting the tales to friends. There was a lot of laughter between us.

It has been a great joy to undertake this project with Kaz. In addition to his many talents as a writer, calligrapher, and painter, he is the classic wise fool par excellence. I am fortunate to have worked on these parables with him over the years, but there is one problem we have never been able to resolve: two fools are missing. As the title of this book indicates, A Flock of Fools is based on the One Hundred Parable Sutra, and yet there are only ninety-eight parables to be found. When I first noticed this, I asked Kaz if he had seen the two missing fools. He said he had looked but was unable to locate them. I told him that I had also tried to find them, but was unsuccessful as well. We looked at each other for a long time after that, but didn’t know what to do.

—Peter Levitt

Salt Spring Island, British Columbia