A Tale of Ups and Downs

Cory

Once there was a man who loved two things above everything else in the world. One was his son and the other was a pony. One morning, however, the man awoke to find that the pony had run away. A search party was mounted, but the pony was nowhere to be found.
"You must feel terrible," a neighbor said when he heard the news.
But the man looked calm. "It's not over," he murmured.
The next day, the man woke up, and not only had the pony returned, but with him came a magnificent white stallion. When he heard the news, his neighbor said, "You must be overjoyed. You have your pony and a new horse that's teice as beautiful."
But the man looked calm and said, "It isn't over."
The next day when his son was out riding the white stallion, he fell off and broke his leg. As the boy was carried into the house moaning with pain the neighbor said, "What a terrible accident. How much you must be suffering to see your poor son hurt."
But the man the man looked calm and said, "It's not over."
The next day the army came. They were taking away every able bodied young man to go to war, but when they saw that the man's son was laid up with a broken leg, the soldiers went away and left him behind. The neighbor rushed over and said, "How fortunate you are. Every young man has to go to war accept your son."
But thst man only shrugged. "It's never over," he said.

Bunks

Have heard this one before.....love it! Thanks for posting @Cory.

Cory

@Bunks It was in a book I have been reading lately. It is from Fire in the Heart

sharonsaw

Buddha taught that everything in samsara is impermanent and thus empty of existence. Even when we are very happy, it will pass. It is the same when we are very sad. Therefore we are taught not to cling to either, which are part of the 8 worldly concerns we should avoid - the desire for pleasure and the aversion of pain.

Florian

Thanks. Good story and a useful reminder. Got to wait for the fat lady to sing.